Work Text
Full Name: Sophia Maria BlackwellAge: 23Occupation: Bowling Alley Attendant
Identity
Pronouns: She/HerGender: FemaleSexuality: BisexualFamily:Grace Blackwell (sister)Unnamed Mother (deceased)Unnamed Father (deceased)Unnamed Grandmother (deceased)
Physical Description
Race: HumanHeight: 5' 6"Eye Colour: BlueHair Colour: BrownFull Name: ArielleAge: UnknownOccupation: Bowling Alley Attendant
Identity
Pronouns: She/HerGender: FemaleSexuality: QueerFamily:Archangel Michael (father)Unnamed Mother
Physical Description
Race: AngelHeight: 5' 11"Eye Colour:Blue (Natural)Grey (contacts)Hair Colour:Blonde (Natural)Black (Dyed)Full Name: Bethany Branwood EscalonaAge: 154Occupation:NurseAuthor
Identity
Pronouns: She/HerGender: FemaleSexuality: HeterosexualFamily:Diego Escalona (Husband)
Physical Description
Race: VampireHeight: 5' 5"Eye Colour: GreenHair Colour: Deep Brown
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The manticore took a long stride closer to Sophia. She was the only thing standing between him and her sister, Grace, who was still tied up against the back wall. And Razi was the only thing between the manticore and me, but… Sophia clutched Razi’s bottle closer to her chest while her eyes roved for a way out. If I can’t find one, we’re all dead. Suddenly there was a shout, and a tower of boxes toppled over with a splintering crash.Mothman stepped out of the dust with their fists clenched and shouted at the manticore. “You leave them alone! It’s me you’re after, ain’t it?”“Mothman, no!” Sophia yelled.But the manticore turned with a gleam in his eye, a grin spread across his face, and he leapt for them at once. Mothman darted away and the manticore charged after, knocking over another stack of boxes with his shoulder. He was relentless in his pursuit. That’s right: he’s a predator. He’s only got his eyes on the prize. Sophia wanted to help but she remembered her role in the mission: to get Grace and get out. She sprinted to her sister, placing Razi’s bottle aside just long enough to untie Grace.“Sophia!” Grace said.Sophia didn’t say anything, she couldn’t. She threw her arms around Grace and held her tight for a second. “I’m here. Can you run?”“I think so.”“My truck’s outside. Hurry.”Sophia grabbed Razi’s bottle with one hand and took Grace’s with the other and helped her stand on wobbly ankles as her blood started to circulate again. Grace threw her arm around her sister’s shoulder and they took off. All around them, there was the crashing of more boxes, Mothman’s taunting, and the manticore’s furious roaring. Sophia kept them close to the wall as they hurried. Mothman led the manticore to the centre of the warehouse where the hypnotized teens were gathered, and they stared at both with cold, angry eyes. That’s right: they’re guards. The manticore isn’t allowed to be in here, just like I’m not.The mob attacked but Mothman dodged and shot up for the ceiling, rocketing through a glass panel with a shower of shards. The teenagers clawed at the manticore’s jacket. With a snarl, he ripped free and leapt from box to box, lion like, until he was up in the rafters. He climbed through the broken pane after Mothman.“Sophia!” Diego called as he and Bethany warped to her sides. Arielle landed gracefully in front of Grace and Sophia while Diego checked the younger Blackwell for injuries. She’s already too startled for vampire and angel magic to register, I guess. “Mothman and I will lure the manticore away. The rest of you, get to safety.”Grace was still stumbling over the pins and needles sensations in her feet. Diego disappeared into the shadows as Bethany and Arielle hurried Grace and Sophia to the door, making sure the coast was clear before they all made a break for her truck. They went so fast that Sophia could barely feel the ground under her feet. I keep expecting the manticore to land on my back any second. But they made it. Bethany took Grace to the passenger’s seat before she and Arielle hopped in the bed of the truck. Sophia raced into the driver’s side and shoved her keys into the ignition. The engine sputtered but didn’t start. She tried a second time, a third.“Come on, you piece of shit!” As Sophia turned the key a fourth time, she studied Razi’s bottle. Razi looked unconscious, and for a second it felt like her racing heart stopped beating entirely. Then she saw him take a shallow breath, and Sophia could feel air in her own lungs again. The engine roared alive.“Is he okay?” Grace asked.“I don’t know. God, I don’t know.” Sophia tore away from the warehouse and onto the highway. All she could do was drive with one hand, cradle Razi with the other and hope that Diego and Mothman would be alright. “You hanging in there, Grace?”She was staring at the bottle in her sister’s lap but nodded. “Everything’s been weird for weeks. What’s a little more weird on top of that.”“At least I don’t need to treat you for shock. Diego was worried.”“Yeah, why is Dr. Escalona, his wife, and Arielle so…?”Right, she knows about Razi from our first fight with Jonas, but not the others. As Sophia gunned the truck down the highway, she filled Grace in as best she could. She sat quietly. “Are you sure you’re okay?”“I’m exhausted.”“Don’t worry, we’ll be home soon.”“Mostly, I’m worried for Razi, and Dr. Escalona, and…Mothman, right?”“We need everyone to meet. Can you pull up the group text? ‘Havenfall’s Finest’? Tell everyone what’s up. Bethany and Arielle are too on alert to do it.” Sophia instructed.Grace’s fingers shook but she sent the texts.When they arrived at Razi’s, everyone was there, even Mothman and Diego! A relieved Bethany ran into her husband’s arms, whispering something to him in Spanish. After their moment, Diego showed off his medical case.“You’re alright!” Sophia said, relief sounded in her voice. “What about the manticore?”“We left a false trail.” Diego explained.“He’ll be chasing that tail for a while.” Mothman added.“But you said Razi…” JD looked more concerned than Sophia had ever seen.Sophia pulled the bottle away from her chest, where she’d been cradling it. Razi was still breathing, but it was hard to see. The glass was clouded with blue smoke. “He was dying, so…” She tried to explain the bottle to the others: how it helped Razi channel his magic and was keeping him in stasis.Diego smiled, red eyes alight. “That means the poison stopped spreading the second you acted. Razi might have a chance now.” Did he not have a chance before? Diego’s smile fell. “Preparing an anti – venom could take years. The only alternative is to suck the poison out.”“Isn’t that just a myth?”“It’s certainly not advised. It would be impossible to remove enough venom without also removing too much blood.” I don’t like where this is going. “I can extract the tainted blood…obviously. But Razi would need an immediate transfusion.” He nudged his case. “Luckily, I can do that too.”It looks like our only option. Now, how do I get Razi out of the bottle? Do I need magic words? Would True Love work? Wait. Or I could try rubbing it again. Sophia rubbed and when she did, blue smoke snaked from her hands to the couch until Razi materialized there. He was normal sized again but Sophia’s heart clenched at the pain on his unconscious face.Diego sprang into action. “Quickly, before it spreads. Bethany, I need you on standby.” Bethany brought over the case and opened it, revealing blood bags on ice. “JD, be prepared to cauterize when I’m finished.”“Just make sure he doesn’t ground me when he wakes up.” JD joked.“Arielle, help Sophia and Grace get something to eat and drink. The stress has done enough for them.”The order to eat came as a relief to Sophia. I can’t watch this. Arielle led Grace and Sophia into the kitchen. Arielle fixed tea while everyone worked. Sophia sat with a comforting hand on Grace’s back; she was still shaken.When Diego called for them, Sophia flew back into the living room and dropped to her knees by the side of the couch. Razi’s breathing was even and the nasty sting on his shoulder was cleaned and bandaged. A blood bag still fed into his arm, and they all watched as his eyes fluttered open.“Sophia?” He tried to sit up, but Diego was there with a firm hand on his chest to keep him down. He spotted Sophia under Diego’s arm. “You’re safe?”“Me?!” Razi strained against Diego’s palm again so Sophia took his hand. “I’m fine.”“And Mothman’s fine.” JD added.“The manticore won’t be a problem for days.” Mothman told him.“Grace is home.” Mackenzie reported.Razi’s eyes slid shut. He’s okay. We’re all okay. Diego moved back and Sophia hugged Razi the best she could without jostling him. For the first time since Grace had been taken, Sophia allowed herself to break down, and she sobbed against Razi’s chest while he slept. The others let her as they silently moved to the kitchen for tea with Grace.After a while, Razi transformed out of his djinn state in his sleep. “That’s a good sign.” Diego informed Sophia. “I think he’s stable. Everyone should rest now.”
I know JD, Arielle, and Mackenzie are strong, but sunrise is only a couple of hours away and they seem tired. Mothman looks most exhausted of all. I hope they aren’t thinking this is their fault.
Mothman patted Razi’s hand. “Get your beauty sleep, Hunk. I’ll come check on you tomorrow.”“Oh, come on. It’s the one time he looks like shit; we need to milk it.” JD insisted.“Tomorrow might be worse. Be patient, Davies.”Razi awoke again, groggily, while Mothman and Mackenzie left. Diego and Bethany packed up his medical supplies and JD waited by the door, ready to lock up after.“We should stay the night here, Grace.” Sophia told her. “I’ll help Razi to bed. Arielle, could you get Grace blankets for the couch?”“Sure.” Arielle walked off to grab a few.Razi jerked fully awake at that. “Hey – guests gets the bed – I’ll stay–!”“Razi!” Sophia admonished.“Trust me, anything is better than a warehouse floor. You should get some real rest.” Grace told him.Sophia put Razi’s arm around her shoulders, glad he was too weak to protest, and helped him walk to his room with slow, careful steps. Arielle gave Grace blankets and Diego joined Sophia just as they reached Razi’s bed. He helped her settle Razi in, keeping him propped on pillows.“Bethany and I’ll be going too, but please call us if anything changes for the worse.”“I will.” Sophia promised.“Thank you, Diego.” Razi got out weakly.“Thank you, so much.” He saved Razi’s life. I could crush him in a hug right now, though I doubt he’d appreciate that.Diego smiled, unusually fond, and shut the door behind himself. Razi and Sophia didn’t speak; they couldn’t. She just climbed into bed with him and held him for a long, long time. Eventually, he reached up to touch her hair. “I’m alright.”Diego seemed to think he was fine too, but…he still looks and sounds weak. “Do you promise?”“I do.”“Do you remember much, after being stung?” Sophia wondered.“No. I remember being sucked into the bottle, but everything’s hazy after that. I know you and Grace were alone with the manticore, and I was so scared for you. But then I woke up at home, and everyone was okay. How did you do it?”Sophia had to swallow. “You were dying. I couldn’t let that happen, and you trusted me with your bottle, so…I used it. Mothman showed up and led the manticore away. I grabbed you and Grace and just ran. It was hard to leave Diego and Mothman behind, but…I had to stick to the plan.”“A thousand things could’ve gone wrong with that plan.” Razi’s arm tightened weakly around her. “That was too dangerous. You should have saved yourself.”“At the cost of your life? Absolutely not. I love you and I’m going to do everything I can to keep you with me.”Razi smiled. It was faint, but it was there, relieved and sincere. “Thanks, then.” He pressed his forehead to Sophia’s as his voice dropped to a sleepy murmur. “I’m glad to have you with me.”“Me too.” His breathing evened out into the slow rhythm of deep sleep. Sophia listened for a long while until she drifted off to join him.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The next morning, Grace discovered the fridge was empty and decided to get groceries. “Are you sure you should be running errands already?” Sophia asked.“Absolutely sure. It felt so nice to get up this morning and realize I can just…go where I want.”“So, you want to go to the grocery store?”“Yeah. I’ll get whatever you and Razi need while I’m out. Plus, I really need to change out of this uniform.” Sophia was almost afraid to let her but didn’t protest. Instead, she spent the next hour trying to keep Razi from doing anything too stressful around the Bowling Alley. When Grace returned with groceries, her stomach was already rumbling. “Good thing I brought breakfast too. They had cinnamon rolls with the baked goods. Let me put them in the microwave.” We’ll never say no to junk food. “Razi, are you feeling okay?”“Much better. I should be asking you instead.”Grace waved that off until breakfast was warmed up but took a deep breath when she sat at the bar with Razi and Sophia. “It sure has been…a time.”“No kidding.” Sophia agreed. The last time we saw her was the fight at the lake. She told Razi to get me out of danger, and then she went for Jonas. “Do you want to talk about it? It’s okay if you’re not ready.”“No…I should. Where to start…all the days were the same, mostly. I gave Jonas a black eye; he was pretty mad about that. He kept trying to re – hypnotize me with his music, but it never worked for long. The most random things would remind me of you, Sophia, and I’d snap out of it. When Jonas couldn’t keep me brainwashed, he tied me up instead, and sent me in the first batch to Baba Yaga.”“Wait.” I’d had my suspicions, but now it’s clicking for real, and my stomach twists. “Baba Yaga? The witch who eats kids?”“Yeah, I’m really glad you guys rescued me when you did.” Grace set her fork down with a sigh. Time for a topic change, obviously. “So, what did I miss? Turns out Havenfall isn’t as boring as I thought.”“Honestly, we’ve been so busy looking for you that nothing else has happened.” Razi raised a mischievous eyebrow. Right. Except now I’m dating my boss. Somehow that’s harder to explain to my little sister than supernatural creatures. “Well, I’m staying here now…”“But now that I’m home, you’ll come back to the house with me?”It took Sophia a second to realize she was teasing. Sophia glanced at Razi. He looked amused, but it was clear that it was her own decision. “Actually, I’m staying here for…a while. I moved in.”Grace grinned. “Can’t say I didn’t see that coming.” Sophia felt herself blush, but it was a relief to know Grace seemed happy about the development. “Just make sure to visit your poor, single sister sometime…all alone in her big house…”“Grace, it’s not like that!”She finished her breakfast and nudged Sophia with her hip when she got up. “I’m going to Luce’s to see if I can get my job back.”“Are you sure you should be working?” Razi asked worried.Grace nodded. “I just want everything to go back to normal. The sooner I can feel that way, the better, I think.”Razi and Sophia watched her walk to the door.Later that day, Sophia helped Razi get back upstairs to check his bandages. He sat down on the couch while she pulled the first aid kit out of the bathroom. We’re really getting a lot of mileage out of this thing. How many times have we been in this situation now?“Okay, shirt off.” Razi whistled playfully and Sophia rolled her eyes as he fumbled with the buttons. “Let me do it.” It just hurts to watch. “I thought slow and sexy was the way to go.”“It’s not sexy if you’re injured.” Still, they were still both smiling by the time Sophia got Razi’s arms out of the sleeves and started taking the bandages off his shoulder. There’s so many…dang, how much blood did Diego drain? And I don’t even want to think about where he put it all because I know he didn’t swallow it and neither did Bethany. That might be the real reason he told Grace and me to go into the kitchen, I realize. A second realization hit her as she finally reached Razi’s skin: his wound was already halfway healed. “Wait…shouldn’t this take another couple of weeks, at least? You’re looking pretty good for a man who was almost dead last night.”“A lot of people around here are pretty hard to kill.” Sophia leveled a look at him and he smiled, practically reading her mind. “Yes, it’s another djinn thing. We heal quickly. But even then…” He glanced at his shoulder and then took Sophia’s hands. “Diego did great work, but I’m really alive because of the bottle. It kept me frozen until someone could help me, just like it’s supposed to…but we both know I wouldn’t have used it on my own. You saved my life, Sophia. I knew I was right to trust you with it.”She dropped her eyes to their joined hands. From the second he showed the bottle to me, I knew it was something intimate, but…now that I’ve actually used it? I understand that Razi literally put his life, his future, and all his decisions into my hands. “I hope we never have to use it again.”“That would be ideal.”“I was so worried…”Razi made a soothing noise. “It’s okay.”Suddenly, I wish I had something equally personal to give him, just to let him know how touched I am. “I don’t have a bottle, but…if I did, I know I could trust you with it too. I could trust you with anything.”She could feel the smile on Razi’s lips as he dipped down to kiss her. “I guess that’s why we make such a good team.”“Yeah, I guess it is.”Sophia carefully bandaged up his shoulder again and then buttoned his shirt for him. He pulled her close as soon as she had finished. Neither was sure who started the next kiss, it just happened, slow and gentle. She cupped his face and his fingers slipped under the edge of Sophia’s shirt, caressing the small of her back. Kiss by soft kiss, they did their best to erase days of stress and exhaustion. They only paused to whisper ‘I love you’ and then moved on again: to a cheek, the tip of a nose, and eyelid. I’m so happy with him. Things are going to be better from now on.Unfortunately, ‘from now on’ wasn’t always the same as ‘immediately’. The kisses had been nice, but Razi had gotten restless pretty quickly. And what’s a djinn to do when his apartment is already spotless and his Bowling Alley is closed. Still, he stalked around to see what he might be able to clean or polish with Sophia running at his heels. He’d grab the broom before she would catch him. “Razi, come on!” She’d take it back out of his hands. “You’re supposed to be resting. Don’t make me call Diego.”“But I feel so…stuck. Claustrophobic even. Maybe it’s from being inside the bottle. Right now I’d do anything just to take a walks down Main Street.”“You know that’s out of the question. The Bowling Alley’s magic is the only thing keeping you upright.” Still…I feel bad. Being sick and cooped up is the worst. “We can find something fun and relaxing to do inside, right?”Razi smirked at her. “Kissing on the couch was nice. I bet we could keep at that for a good while.”‘Me too, and I bet it wouldn’t stay relaxing.” So, that’s a hard no. Razi slumped against the bar counter like Sophia had shot him through the heart. Yeah, yeah. Blocked by Mothman, blocked by JD, blocked by Diego, blocked by manticore poison. I don’t like it either. “Don’t worry. I’ll think of something you can do.” Sophia ran through her options. There are books and movies upstairs but sitting still obviously won’t help. And Razi can’t do anything too strenuous either. “I’ve got it!”“Oh, yeah?” Razi pushed himself off the bar again, folded his arms skeptically, but there was hop in his eyes. He smiled at the look on Sophia’s face.We’re the best team so we’re going to find the best answer. “It’s perfect. Just the thing.”“Hit me with it.”“Let’s clean up the bowling lanes!”For a second, Razi just stared. “…What?”“They really need to be conditioned! We can sweep and mop then and then take out the big oil Roomba.”“That’s your perfect idea?”“Yep. It’s enough work to be distracting, but not enough to be strenuous.” Sophia thought it was foolproof, but Razi looked less than thrilled. “…Not what you had in mind?”“Exactly what I had in mind, unfortunately. I can’t tell if I’m rubbing off on you or if it’s the other way around.”“Come on! Do you want to just stand there and mope, or get something done? Besides, we’ll be doing it together.” That made Razi smile. Sophia grabbed his hand and laced their fingers together as she led him to the broom. True to her word, the afternoon was a little busy, a little boring…but a lot better with both of them working. They took their time wiping dust off the lanes, slow and easy. Then, Sophia helped Razi pull out the conditioning machine, though he protested that it wasn’t too heavy. They filled it with oil, placed it on the first lane, and then let it go. Watching it glide up and down the hardwood surfaces, making everything glossy in its wake, is weirdly therapeutic. Sophia settled onto a bar stool, and Razi leaned on his elbows beside her. “Do you feel better now?”He chuckled and bent over to kiss her temple. “A little, yeah. The more time I spend here, the better I get.”“Happy to help.”“I still can’t wait to get out of the apartment, though…or back to that couch.” He had whispered the last part in Sophia’s ear, making her heart thump in her chest.She blushed. “Better do your best to heal up then.”“I intend to.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Razi had felt so much better the next morning that he opened the Alley. “Really? You don’t want to do something to celebrate instead?” Sophia asked him for the hundredth time.“I’m with Grace on this whole Quinton thing, honestly. The sooner we get back to normal the better.” I can get behind that. Not that anything in Havenfall is ever ‘normal’ exactly, but…it’ll be good for everyone to have routines again.“Hey, y’all!” The bell on the door rang as Mothman came strolling in. Razi and Sophia looked up from what they were doing. Mothman looked rested, but the smile on their face at the sight of Razi was even better. “Look at you! You seem a lot better than the last time I saw you.”“That’s not a high bar, considering I was unconscious.”But Mothman was right, Razi was healing amazingly fast. Just over a day ago he had been dying, and now he was back to being his same gorgeous self. It’s been kind of hard to work instead of staring at him. That too, is a return to normalcy. Mothman hung out for the day. They bowled for a couple of rounds, which was nice considering they were the only customer Razi and Sophia had gotten all day. Afterwards, they hit up the arcade, which ended in them discovering one of the broken machines.“Sorry about that. Eighties arcade game repair people are pretty rare around here.” Sophia apologized.“Actually, I think I can fix this myself. You got a screwdriver lying around here?”In a Bowling Alley? “I don’t think so, but let me check the…”“Hang on! Got it.” They pulled a mini screwdriver out of one of the pockets of their jumpsuit and got right to work taking the back panel off the busted arcade machine.“Holy shit, Mothman.”“Gonna take that as a compliment.”Sophia smiled. “Good.”She chatted with Mothman as they worked: at first, she reassured them about Grace and Razi, but soon things drifted to laughing about her truck. Things were looking good as new when Sophia heard Razi’s phone ring at the bar.The call wasn’t the weird part. The weird part was Razi’s voice when he answered: it was clipped and tense. He didn’t even say hello. “Wait. You’re coming tomorrow? That’s a little soon, don’t you think?
Look, you don’t have to. I mean it.” Mothman and Sophia had both stopped working and were completely eavesdropping by that point. Razi was pacing behind the bar with a stress line between his eyebrows. “I’d prefer if you didn’t – oh, come on. Really?” Whoever he was speaking to, he obviously knew them really well, because he wasn’t censoring how annoyed he was. If anything, it reminds me of the way Grace and I get snippy with each other sometimes. Hang on. Is he talking to family? “That’s not necessary. Hey–? Did you just hang up on me? Hey!” He pulled the phone away from his ear and scowled at the screen. No, that’s not a scowl. That’s 100% a pout.“Oh, boy.” Mothman commented.Sophia came over to the bar. “Who was on the phone? Can I ask?”“You can.”But he didn’t answer her first question. Sophia rolled her eyes. I see what he did there. “Okay, well. Now I’m asking. Who was it?”Razi breathed out a huge sigh through his nose. “That was my older sister.” Razi has an older sister?! “And from the sound of it, she’s coming over here tomorrow. Like it or not.”“Mercy sakes alive!” Mothman was now grinning, but Razi still didn’t look pleased.“You never told me you had a sister! You aren’t excited to see her?” Sophia asked.“Not exactly…”“Why not?”Heck, I’m excited to see her. Razi just sighed and rubbed his temple. “You’ll find out soon enough.”Razi was stressed out about the surprise family visit all day, but Sophia was too curious to continue to stress. Well, I’m a little nervous, for the obvious reasons, but…still more curious than nervous. Their bedtime rituals seemed to calm him down again. They dimmed the lights and brushed their teeth. Our routine. It’s nice. It already feels so natural. Sophia went to turn down the sheets as Razi stretched, experimentally rolling his injured shoulder.“How are you feeling now?”Razi’s smile of relief told her everything she needed to know. She felt a matching one spread across her face, even though he answered. “I’m much, much better now.”“Oh, yeah?”“Oh yeah.” The depth in his voice made Sophia’s heart flutter.She gave him a deliberate look over the rim of her glasses. “How much better, exactly?”Razi met Sophia’s eyes and for a moment they just read each other: teasing, testing, yearning. Then he pulled her in for a hungry kiss. She pressed herself against him at once, aching for more. Razi dipped and Sophia felt this arms at the back of her knees as he picked her right off the floor before he carried her to the bed and set her down. “Exactly this much better.” His voice was already rough. She reached out to bring him down to her but he pulled away with a mischievous smile. “We’ve been waiting for so long. Don’t tell me you don’t want to savour it.”Sophia whined as he hooked a thumb under one suspender and started to pull it off. He thought better of it and slid it back onto his broad shoulder. The arm garters came off first, one by one. Sophia had to watch his shirt tighten around each individual muscle as he rolled the sleeves to his wrists. He palmed the wrinkles in his sleeves back out as the garters dropped to the floor. “No fair. I want to be the one feeling you up.”“You’ll wrinkle my shirt. I’ve told you before: it’s expensive.”Sophia grinned and fell back on to the pillows. Okay. I’ll definitely take a show. He began undoing the buttons, slowly exposing more of his chest. He felt each piece of new skin in Sophia’s stead. The warmth inside her built into a heavy pulse. He peeled his shirt off even slower, taking care to leave his suspenders where they were.
His hair was next: he pulled the tie out and slowly ran his fingers through it, making sure it fell just right. For a second, he tugged on his suspenders again, and Sophia’s breath caught in anticipation, but he smirked at the eager look on her face and let go. No fair. He knows that’ll drive me crazy.“Can I touch you?”“Is that a request or a wish?”Ooh, a wish feels like cheating. I’ll be patient. Sophia hurried out of her own clothes, but from there, there was nothing to do but what Razi finish. He slid the suspenders off each arm, dragged his pants and boxers down one hip at a time, and then finally stepped free and into bed with her.Sophia gasped when their skin met, already burning. Razi kissed her softly. “It’s definitely the right time?”“Yeah. And you’re definitely ready?” He answered with another kiss. Despite Sophia’s desperation when she watched him strip, the rhythm she and Razi found was rolling, deliberate, and achingly slow. It was everything she wanted – needed even. He breathed her name against her skin and Sophia clutched at Razi’s shoulders. “I’ve wanted this for so long…”“Sophia…”Every breath she took caught in her throat, but it wasn’t enough for him. Blue eyes locked on hers, Razi constantly searched – voice and lips and hands – for ways to take her higher, until he was pulling noises of delight out of Sophia.“Razi…please–!”She didn’t even know what she was asking for, except for more of him, and Razi kissed her over and over again while he gave it. When the pleasure finally crested, he was right there with her, holding her tight. Sophia stroked her fingers through his hair as they gave out together and sunk into the soft sheets.For a long time, all Sophia could do was stare at the ceiling, dazed. Razi twirled her hair around his fingers and laughed, warm and soft, against the crook of her neck. “Was that alright for you?”“That was more than alright.” He was amazing. But now he was still, clearly as content as she was, and a comforting weigh on top of Sophia as they caught their breath together. She turned her head to nuzzle against the top of his and her words came out as a whisper. “I love you so much.”“I love you too.” He pulled her into a lazy kiss. Sophia let her hands wander over his broad frame, shoulders to ribs to hips, and another little flare of heat lit up in her chest. Razi nudged her nose with his. “Would you look at that. We didn’t get interrupted.”“Small miracles.” He kissed her again before sitting up with a soft groan of effort and rolled his shoulder out. “Does the wound hurt?”“Nah. Let me go get us some water.” Razi gracefully pulled his hair into a low ponytail again. He glanced back down at Sophia, quirking an eyebrow, and a little flare kindled down in her stomach. “Unless you want to take advantage of our small miracle…” His smile was teasing, but the rumble in his voice wasn’t” That’s exactly what I want. I’ve only been eyeballing Razi for like a hundred years. Why stop now? And who knows when we’ll get our next chance? Sophia sat up and straddled his lap so he couldn’t go anywhere and pulled him into a hungry kiss. The hot pressure between them already unbearable. Sophia’s nails dug into his back as his hips shifted, and Razi was breathless when he broke away. “Did you still want water, or–?”“Razi!”He smirked. “Right, that can wait.”“That can wait a long time.” I don’t have the patience for teasing, all of a sudden. They looked at each other for a charged second, faces still close enough to kiss, as they took in their positions. The way Sophia was above him but not in him just yet, how his hand were braced on her hips. They reached the same realization at the same time. I’m absolutely in charge of this. Sophia pushed Razi down to the mattress and kissed him hard. There was no resistance. He just fell back and moaned into her mouth, and when she pulled away he stared up at her, pupils blown wide, like Sophia was the supernatural one. Wow. You learn something new every day. “You like this, huh?”“Don’t you?”“Hmm…” Sophia slid her hands down his arms and pinned his wrists to the bed, and Razi actually gasped. “Yeah, I think I do.” He was smiling when they started to move again. “What else do you like?”“I think if I just leave it up to you, you’ll figure it out.” I can’t tell if that’s a challenge or another declaration of how much he trusts me. Maybe both. This was already so different from their slow, languid first time where all the communication was in kisses. Now, Sophia was desperate to explore, giddy with the rush of it, and Razi was a stream of breathless encouragements beneath her. “Do what you like, Sophia…”“Trust me, I am…” The rush built suddenly. Sophia was dizzy with it and need to ground herself before she fell to pieces, and without even thinking she grabbed a handful of Razi’s thick hair. He groaned in mindless pleasure, and then louder as she tugged.“Yeah…that…” Now I know. Sophia tried again, a little sharper. “Sophia–!” His voice was ragged; she thought he was only holding on for her.“You can move your arms–!” He didn’t hesitate. Even when Sophia had stopped pinning them, he’d kept them obediently in place by his head, the rest of him on display for her. Now, he sat up with her, clutching her to him, and they came apart, one after the other, moaning and leaving desperate, sloppy kisses wherever they could reach. Sophia kept her fingers tangled tightly in his hair until they both collapsed backward.In the aftermath, after she massaged his scalp to erase the sting, Razi was the one to whisper and break the silence. “That was amazing. You’re amazing.”“Would you say…magical?”He sighed, too exhausted for any retaliation, and she snickered into the pillow. “Actually…I think I would say that.”Sophia moved her head to his shoulder so they could hold each other easier. His heartbeat slowed under her ear. “I love you, Razi.” I know I just said it after the last time, but…it feels like I can never say it enough. I’ve never had a relationship like this.He pulled her close and kissed her lips, and Sophia could feel how much he returned the sentiment. “Are you satisfied?”“I think if we tried for a round three, my heart would explode.” He chuckled as he settled them deeper into the pillows. “Do you think we’ll get another chance soon?”“Barring manticore attacks and the Quintons showing back up…yeah.” He squeezed her. “Absolutely, anytime you like.”“I’ll refrain from making the ‘my wish is your command’ joke.”He grinned slyly and kissed her again. “It isn’t a joke.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The next day promised to be the most normal day Sophia had had in a long time. Grace was home and had her job at the Diner back. Diego, Bethany, JD, Arielle, and Mackenzie had all kept an eye on the house the day before since Jonas was still running free. But that morning Razi had been well enough to go over and put protective wards around it. Nobody’s taking Grace ever again. And now Razi was back with JD, Sophia, and Arielle for another boring afternoon at the Bowling Alley. I never thought I’d be so happy to have that.Suddenly, the front doors slammed open, the usual bell tinkling like a wind chime. The most beautiful woman Sophia had ever seen strode in like she owned the place. Her hair was incredible; her skin, flawless. The very definition of ‘glow up’. She practically sparkles. With a magnificent smile, she flung her arms wide. “Razi! Where are you, My Ugly Duckling? Come give your big sister a kiss!” The new woman in the Bowling Alley was 100% a Nassar. Her resemblance to Razi was undeniable. Razi came around the bar counter as if to fend off a horde of monsters. But she just swept across the floor and wrapped him in a gigantic hug. Razi patted her back a little, his eyebrows drawn in something like guilt. “Razi, I was so worried about you! I’m ever so glad you’re alright.”“Of course, I’m alright. I can’t believe you came all this way to–hey!” The warmth faded as the woman pulled away and thwacked his arm.“I drop everything and fly to Havenfall to check on you and that’s what you have to say to me? Why didn’t you tell me you were in trouble? Feeling your magic fade that low…it was enough to make your big sister cry!” She pressed a hand to her forehead like she might burst into tears at that very moment.“Roshni, come on! There are other people here…”For the first time, the woman seemed to notice her surroundings. JD was behind the bar, Arielle and Sophia in front of it, all with their jaws on the floor. Razi’s big sister shot them each a radiant smile that could rival even that of Arielle’s, the angel. “Aren’t you going to introduce me then?”Razi sighed. “This is JD. Dad asked me to look after them for a while. This is Arielle, their girlfriend who followed them all the way to Indiana. And this is Sophia. My girlfriend.”“Your girlfriend?” Sophia’s heart skipped a short beat at the sound of Roshni’s confirmational question. We’re obviously together, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard Razi say that word out loud. We don’t exactly go out and meet people, and he’s never introduced me to anyone but Mothman…and they had us figured out at a glance. ‘Girlfriend’ really sounds good. But Roshni’s expression fell into absolute devastation. Sophia was on the defensive until she rushed for her and tenderly cupped Sophia’s face in her hands. “Sophia, you poor thing…” Huh? “Out of all the Nassars, you got our Ugly Duckling. I am very sorry for you.” Razi, ugly?!“Holy.” JD started.“Shit.” Arielle finished.“Wait…what?” Sophia asked, confused. That straight up doesn’t compute. Razi’s the most handsome man I’ve ever seen. My thoughts were broken when Roshni pulled her into a hug: crushingly tight, but soft and earnest. Sophia suddenly realized that she, like Razi, was very tall. So tall her head was completely pillowed on her chest. She was enveloped in a cloud of jasmine perfume.“Never fear, darling Sophia. I’m sure these past trials have been so much for you, and Razi has never been one for talking. Please come to your Sister Roshni if you ever need anything at all. I’m here, now.” What…is happening. Roshni smoothed her hand down one of Sophia’s braids. “How did someone like you ever land someone like this, Razi? She’s delightful.”“Come on, I have plenty of charms. And of the non – magical variety too.” Razi said as he pulled Sophia out of Roshni’s arms into his own. Jasmine shifted to oud and Sophia sucked in a deep breath, totally overwhelmed. Her face was on fire.“Roshni, I’m delightful too!” JD jumped up and down. “Hug me next!”“Do you need one, Little Love? Is your boss so cruel to you?” Roshni asked.“I’m a good boss!” Razi insisted.“I still need one!” JD called out. They flung themselves over the bar top, past Arielle, and Sophia tried to stop gawking at everything that was happening. Is this why there’s only one Nassar in Havenfall at a time? Because their combined beauty is just too much for the town to handle?The door jingled, signalling a new visitor, and Mothman walked in with a big smile. “I’ve been scouting but there’s still no sign of the manticore. Maybe he’s lost my scent complet–!” They went silent. Then scarlet. Then the smile slipped off their face. What’s wrong with Mothman? Sophia followed their gaze to Roshni, who just let go of a beaming JD, and it all clicked together. I think if Mothman’s antennae were out, they’d be making a heart shape. It’s very understandable. Mothman never finished their sentence.Razi and Sophia shared raised eyebrows before Razi tried to snap them out of it. “Mothman? Come me my older sister, Roshni.”“Roshni…” They repeated her name with reverence, then fumbled to take off a hat that they weren’t wearing.“Charmed, I’m sure.” Roshni offered her hand like a queen, fully expecting a kiss to the back of it. Mothman managed to do that without messing it up.
A glamorous djinn and a hick auto mechanic…I’d ship that. Follow your dreams, Mothman!!“Roshni’s here visiting for…” Razi shot his sister a look. “Why exactly? To be a helicopter?”“Razi, you will be the death of me. I came to make sure you were alright! To see if I could help!”“Well, I’m alright, and our situations have been contained.”Roshni gasped and pressed a hand to her chest. “They most certainly have not. You honestly intended to handle Havenfall and a romantic relationship at the same time?” She turned to Sophia like they were sharing a secret, but her ‘whisper’ was so loud it carried across the entire Bowling Alley. “Razi hasn’t had a relationship in decades! He needs all the help he can get! I simply can’t abandon him now!”“Roshni!” Razi admonished, bright red. I feel a little bad, but…this is still pretty fun. I’m an older sister too. I know how it goes.“Don’t feel bad, Razi. It’s the older sibling’s job to give the younger siblings grief.” Sophia comforted.“She’s laying it on a little thick, don’t you think?” Maybe…but literally what about the Nassars is ‘moderate’, in any way.“It’s settled then.” Roshni announced.“What’s settled?“I’ll stay for a time…and while here, I’ll take your place as Havenfall’s protector, Razi.”Razi was mid groan but her words stopped him in his tracks. For a second, he stared at her. “…You’d really do that for me?”“But of course. You could use the time to rest. I can feel that you still aren’t as powerful as usual. And you can take Sophia out on a date this way.” Her eyes narrowed and she pointed a finger at him. “A real date. Not dinner in your apartment or hanging around the Bowling Alley.” Guilty as charged…we haven’t been able to go out for more than a walk down Main Street.“Roshni, that’s a big deal. Are you sure?”“Positively. I can take a break from travelling. And you are my little brother, after all.”The aggravation from before was gone. Razi looked genuinely touched. “If you’re offering, then…thank you. I’d really appreciate that.”Roshni flapped her hand at him. “Don’t mention it. I’ll show myself up to my rooms.” She went right up the staircase, leaving them all staring.Her rooms?! There are only two bedrooms: Razi’s, and JD and Arielle’s. But she’s a djinn too. She can make her own space. This apartment just got nuts. When Roshni was gone, Mothman sunk into the couch like their knees were giving out. “…Did anybody else see that? Like a thunderstorm rolling over the mountains…like violets opening in the springtime…”Arielle smirked. “Like a new batch of moonshine in the bathtub.” JD gave her a high five.“Yeah…” Dang. They’re too lovestruck to even realize Arielle’s joking. “Tarnation. I’d heard stories, but never actually met her…”“Same. You look like you’ve got it bad, Friend.” JD told them.“Do I? I–I don’t want to pester her…”“We can give you tips on how to play it cool.” JD offered for them and Arielle.Mothman raised an eyebrow. “If?”“If you waive that twenty bucks I owe you.”“JD!” Sophia admonished as Arielle chuckled.Razi put an arm around Sophia’s shoulders. “Roshni can handle this. Let’s go on one of those dates she was talking about.”“Yes, please.”“You three watch the Bowling Alley. We’ll be back.” Sophia and Razi strolled outside and…across the street to Luce’s Diner. Okay, it’s not a glamorous date. Sophia already felt freer as she slid into the booth with Razi, and from his smile, he did too. “We’ll get out farther than this; I promise. I just have to wait until Roshni’s guardianship is…official.”“How does that happen?”“There’s something like a ceremony. When it’s over, the transfer of power is instantaneous. I won’t be responsible for Havenfall. I can go where I want.”“With me.”Razi thread their fingers together. “With you.” They ordered a milkshake to share while they talked it out, unpacking their old dreams: almost shyly at first, then so fast they couldn’t contain themselves. Sophia started gesturing and accidentally knocked their shake over. Luckily, there was only a little left by that point, and Razi mopped up the mess with a laugh. “You know what this means…”“I ruined our last few sips of our milkshake?”“No. We have to order a whole new one. Poor us.” He spoils me.
They got a raspberry shake the next time. Razi settled an arm around Sophia’s shoulders and they returned to their conversation a little more thoughtfully. “So, what else?” He asked.“I want to travel again. I don’t care where.”“You spent some time with a host family in Spain, right?”“Yeah. I’d give almost anything to see somewhere new.”“I travelled a lot too, before I became the guardian here.” Razi explained.“Do you miss it?”“Not always…but when I do, it’s really bad.”Their plans became less solid and more fantastical. They sipped their milkshake, giggling, and lean into each other. Sophia sighed when the ice cream was gone and reality hit again. “But we can’t go too crazy. We have responsibilities here. Grace is an adult but I still want to be around for her.”“And if old enemies show up again, I’m not letting Roshni and the others handle them alone. But how does a weekend in Indianapolis sound, for our first real trip?”“That sounds awesome. And there’s at least a little to do around Havenfall too…” There’s an old drive in movie theatre, though I’m not sure if it’s still up and running. Their plans turned back to the concrete and short term, but each one filled Sophia’s chest with warmth. Mentally, she folded each one up and tucked them away to hold on to.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The next morning, Sophia went home to check on Grace. I also have bills to pay and chores to do, but…let’s be real. I’m here for my sister. Grace gave her a bright help when she walked through the door. “Sophia! Are you staying for breakfast?”“Yep. Let’s make something fancy.”“Whipped cream on toaster waffles!” Grace cheered.“…I was going to say eggs, but let’s do that too.” That was always our definition of haute cuisine when we were kids.It was nice to make breakfast together, like they used to. Grace popped frozen waffles in the toaster, and Sophia scrambled eggs in the skillet. “Things worked out with Luce, by the way. I got my job back.”“So, that’s why you’re up early.”“Yeah. Morning shift for me.”Things feel normal again, and I know that’s what Grace wanted. But it’s not always so simple. I hate to spoil the nice mood, but…I have to check. “Are you doing okay?”“I’m fine.”“If you say so… Is there still anything I can help with?”Grace smiled. “You busted me out of zipties in a warehouse. I think we’re set. Actually, I’ve got really big news for you.”“Oh yeah?” I’d be wary if she didn’t have a huge smile on her face.Grace ran to the living room and came back with a thick, ripped open envelope. “I got accepted into college.” For a second, Sophia could only stare. “Before I went to Jonas’s concert, I got everything sorted out with the admissions office. I’d just been waiting on an answer.”Sophia couldn’t even imagine what expression she must have been making. This was both the best and worst news. “God, Grace…that’s incredible. But…I’ve been thinking about your college for a long time. I crunched the numbers a few months ago and…we can’t afford it.” Not without massive loans. Her stomach hurt as she said it. Suddenly wishing she hadn’t eaten breakfast at all.But Grace’s smile just widened as she pulled a piece of paper out of the envelope. “Good thing I applied for scholarships too! I got the biggest and most prestigious one! I’m totally covered!”“Grace! That’s amazing!” Sophia shot out of her chair and pulled her little sister in for a tight hug. “Mom and Dad would be so happy…”“Oh my god, are you going to cry?”“Just a little…”“Don’t. I’ll make fun of you forever.” But Grace hugged her back tightly.Sophia managed to compose herself and held Grace at arm’s length to study her. “Wow.” Soon, my baby sister is going off to college. Getting all the things I couldn’t have. All the things my parents and I wanted for her. “I’m so, so proud of you.”Grace just beamed back. “Hey, I had to carry some of my own weight. Good timing on getting a boyfriend though. I was worried about leaving you all alone. What would you do without me?”“Relax, maybe. For once in my life.”Grace made a face at her. “I mean it. I really like Razi. You’ve taken care of me for so long…you deserve to have someone who can take care of you sometimes too.”“Don’t get sappy on me, or I’ll be the one who makes fun of you forever.” Grace just flounced off to put her offer letter away before they could get whipped cream and syrup on it.After breakfast, Sophia dropped Grace off at work and headed to the Bowling Alley. Roshni shrieked when she saw her. “What?” Sophia asked.Roshni was gesturing at her but was shouting at Razi, who was disaffectedly polishing glasses. “You make her wear that uniform?! Your moon and stars, walking around in what Dad picked out in the seventies?! Simply dreadful! You should be treating her like a princess! Draping her in silks!”“Where would I get silk uniforms in Havenfall?” Razi wondered.“Are you a djinn or aren’t you?! Make her see it, feel it!”JD, who was sitting in the middle of the argument with Arielle, was watching with awe. Sophia spoke up. “Roshni, I’d rather have a real shirt. And Razi already treats me like a princess. I promise.”“But making you work…”“I like working. When my grandma died, I had to support my family, and it’s a big part of who I am.” I kept Grace and myself a float, and now she’s going to college. I’m proud of her, but pretty damn proud of myself too.The pout fell from Roshni’s face. “If you say so, Darling. Forgive my assumptions. I just hate manual labour so terribly myself.”“We know. So, are you sure about taking over the Bowling Alley?” Razi checked.“You wound me. I wouldn’t offer if I wasn’t sure.”“JD, Arielle, and Sophia should stand back then.”“What about you two?” Sophia asked.Razi looked concerned at her words. “My part’s easy: I just have to give up. But Roshni…”“Please, Baby Brother, I’ll be fine.”Arielle pulled JD and Sophia back behind the bar. Razi and Roshni walked the floor until Roshni’s foot set down at an attractive angle. “Here it is. The centre.”The siblings joined hands and started chanting in a language Sophia couldn’t understand. She braced herself for an explosion, but shimmering waves of magic arced off them instead. Magic pooled in the air until breathing made Sophia dizzy. The chanting became singing. The air around Razi and Roshni wavered and steamed, like they were burning. Then Roshni put a hand on Razi’s forehead and they burst into actual flames.“Razi!” Sophia called out as Arielle held her back from running to him. The pillar of fire surrounded the siblings so thickly that Sophia couldn’t even see their silhouettes. It burnt cobalt, then tapered to pink, then faded away. In the aftermath, the Bowling Alley was full of fog. Razi and Roshni were unharmed where they stood, but Roshni looked exhausted. Razi led his sister to the couch and she sat, wrinkling her nose at the old leather.“…Damn” JD said. Arielle was speechless.Sophia was astounded too but couldn’t keep her questions down. “Why here? I know there’s always a Nassar around to protect Havenfall, but what does the Bowling Alley have to do with being the guardian?”“There’s a network of powerful magic under the ground. We guard Havenfall…” Razi started.“But we must guard the energy here too.” Roshni finished.Hmm. Is this why the Quintons–? Sophia’s thought cut off as Mothman came in with a bouquet of flowers. “Am I interruptin’? I wanted to make sure Roshni was properly welcomed to town.”Arielle narrowed her eyes. “The town you don’t live in…?”JD rolled their eyes. Mothman…so much for JD and Arielle’s lessons about playing it cool. But the snark went over Roshni’s head, she just touched her face in dismay. “I’m in no state to receive a guest! I can only imagine the bags under my eyes…”Sophia almost laughed. Even tired, Roshni’s skin is perfect. “I think you look great, but I’ll get going if you’d prefer. I just wanted to do this right.” Mothman held the bouquet out and Roshni accepted it with a dazzling smile.JD strolled upstairs with Arielle, both whistling conspicuously. Sophia caught Razi’s eye and they snuck out the front doors. Once they were outside, Razi took a huge breath of the fresh air and looked up at the sky. It was bright and blue and cloudless, for once, instead of washed out and dreary.“Feel any different?” Sophia asked him.“Yeah. It’s like…you know when something stressful in your schedule gets canceled? And you didn’t know you were stressed about it? But when the news comes, you get that wave of relief and finally realize it?”“I definitely know what you mean.” Well, at least the way he put it, if not in the magical sense.“We can go anywhere.” Razi’s voice sounded a little awed as he took Sophia’s hand. “I’m officially free.”“A freed djinn! I’m sure I can come up with a joke or two about that.”“I don’t even care. In fact, we should celebrate. To tell you the truth…I’ve been thinking about dates even before Roshni brought it up, and…I’ve got one I’d like to take you on. But if you want something more casual tonight, that’s fine too. There’ll be other times.”He’s already planned out a date and everything? “That sounds really exciting…” And I really want to see what he has in mind, but… “Aren’t you tired from that spell though too.” He smiled a little sheepishly. I’ve got him there. “Maybe it’d be better if we stayed in and did something low key.“That sounds good. Let me just do one dramatic thing first though.”“What–?” Sophia was cut off as he swept her into a kiss and dipped her low, right in the middle of Main Street. “Razi!” Her voice was half a laugh when Razi pulled away.“Now, let’s have that casual date.”Sophia suggested going back to her house since Grace was working the late shift. Razi and Sophia planned out dinner together, and though the grocery store was as small and boring as always, they came up with enough ingredients for something semi – fancy. Once they got started, Sophia realized it was really fun to watch Razi cook. It’s always a plus when a man knows his way around a kitchen. I guess it’s double points if he also has magic. Sometimes he would levitate spices out of the cabinet; sometimes he would remember himself and would ask Sophia to just hand them to him.Sophia never thought of her kitchen table as anything remotely romantic, but there was something nice about cooking and sitting to eat together. Simple. Comfortable. Domestic. I could probably do this every night.Dessert was less fancy: just a box of pre – made brownie mix that Sophia popped into the oven. But the brownies were ready as soon as they finished dinner. So, they settled onto the couch with a piping plate of them and pulled up Crispyflix +.“Oh my god. Look at this new documentary they added.”Razi rolled his eyes, but his jaw dropped when he actually looked. “Mothman?! It’s about Mothman!”“We can’t pass this up.” Sophia turned it on. It’s immediately wrong, but in all the best ways. Razi and Sophia snuggled up so closely that every time they cracked up at a new inaccuracy, she didn’t just hear his laugh. She felt it too, catching in his chest. When the documentary ended, they let the queue switch to the next show, which was a lot quieter. Razi began stroking her hair and Sophia leaned against his shoulder. “Was this an okay celebration of freedom?”She could feel him smile when Razi kissed the top of her head. “It was great.” And it’s not over yet. They were content to stay there, arms wrapped around each other, paying as much attention to how well they fit together as they paid to the show. Just like eating dinner, snuggling with Razi feels like all I could want. All I could do for the rest of my life. It was late before they finally turned off the TV and drove back to Razi’s apartment.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
For Sophia, waking up next to Razi had become normal in the best way: predictable, routine. Like home. When she opened her eyes, she realized hazily that entire weeks had passed like that. She slept better with him close. They were cooking and eating better. …Usually. We still choose junk food whenever it’s an option.With Roshni watching the Bowling Alley, Razi and Sophia had been able to spend a lot more time together. Not as boss and employee, or two partners on a dangerous adventure, but as actual date mates. Grace was safe at the warded house and had been getting everything squared away for college. Grace was getting more excited every day. Once again, Mackenzie watched over a peaceful town, and Diego tended to regular patients instead of comatose, spellbound teenagers. Bethany was getting back to finishing her latest novel, and JD and Arielle were back to partying. Mothman had been sticking around too, just in case. They said there was nothing pressing waiting for them to do back at home. And Roshni is here. The manticore hadn’t come back, and there had been no sign of Jonas Quinton either. It’s like all our problems are just melting away.Razi stirred and Sophia propped her head on her hand as she watched him wake up. It was always a pretty sight from start to finish: Long, dark eyelashes against his cheeks, a deep breath, and then the bright blue of his eyes. He always smiled when they finally focused on Sophia. She smiled back; she couldn’t help it.“What’s that for? You’re not usually cheerful before coffee.”That made Sophia laughed a little. “I don’t know. Everything’s just been going really well, lately. So, I’m happy.”“It’s a good look on you.” Razi’s own smile broadened, and he reached up to tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear. “I’ve been waiting a long, long time to hear you say you’re happy.”Sophia grinned and repeated it just for him. “I’m happy. Everything feels perfect, right now.” Life now. Life in the future. The soft sheets over me, and the warmth from the solid body at my side. Heat pulsed through Sophia and she traced a finger over Razi’s chest. Her smile quirked into something more suggestive. “I think it could get a little more perfect, though.”Razi raised an eyebrow, apparently on the exact same train of thought. “Oh yeah? How so?”Sophia rolled on top of him, leaving herself enough space to stare down at his face and bare chest. He’s so gorgeous, even when he wakes up disheveled. And he looks back up at me like I’m the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. “This is how.” Razi pulled her into a kiss. They started slow and built quickly, hands wandering…and it was no time before Razi was kissing down Sophia’s neck and collarbone, working a deliberate path. She buried her fingers in his hair and writhed as he went. “I’m too impatient for all this…”“I’ll make it worth your while.” Sophia knew where he was headed but was still surprised when his lips reached the swell of her hip and followed it inward.It was hard to speak through her ragged breathing. “I–I thought…we’d be doing something else…”“We will be. After this.” Razi looked up at Sophia and she nodded permission, almost frantic, gasping encouragement right after that. The rest of the morning is just as Sophia had hoped, heated and affectionate and so satisfying that she could almost fall asleep again. Like everything else, right now: absolutely perfect.Later that day, Sophia went back to her house to help Grace pack for college. It’s happening. It’s really happening. This is so much faster than I thought it would be! “Do you think you should bring another blanket?”“A dorm room only has so much storage space, Sophia.”“Yeah…what about pajamas?”“Don’t worry. I already packed them.” Grace told her.“But what about–!” Sophia was interrupted as the dryer buzzed. She hurried over to pull the laundry out, and then grabbed the detergent while she was at it, setting it by the couch with the rest of Grace’s things.“I’m not luging an entire jug of detergent! I’ll buy some when I get there.”“No, save your money for books!”Grace sighed and started shuffling around things in her suitcase, trying to make space for it. Sophia started folding laundry but looked up when she was struck with a terrible thought. “Your toothbrush!”“I didn’t forget my toothbrush! I left it out because I’ll need it the next couple days, Sophia!” Sophia jumped at the knock at the door. “Oh, thank god.”“Come in!” Sophia called out.Razi opened the door, smiling at the mess in the living room. “Making progress?”“I just need to go through the clothes that came out of the dryer and make sure Grace has her favourite shirt–!”“Razi, get her out of here! She’s driving me nuts!” Grace threw one of the clean shirts at Sophia and she ducked.“I’m helping!”“You’re suffocating, is what you are.” But her eyes carried a little concern, beneath the mischief. “Go back to Razi’s place and relax, okay? I’ll see you at the goodbye party tonight.”Goodbye party…time really is going too fast. “But–!”“Grace can handle this. You can double – check everything in the morning.” Razi told her.“Yeah. Do that.”Grumpy but mollified, Sophia waved goodbye, and Razi took her other hand to lead Sophia out of the door.“Alright, sit down. You’re looking pretty rough.” Razi said as they made their way up to the apartment.“I am not. I’m just…” Yeah, okay. I’m a wreck. Sophia sank down on the couch. Her eyes started to sting immediately but she tried to blink the tears back. “I just miss her. Already. Pre–emptively.”“I’m sure she feels the same way. But this is what’s best for her, so the feeling’s going to pass for you, because you love her. And if you need a sister in the meantime, I’m pretty sure Roshni’s adopted you.” That got a watery smile out of Sophia. “Grace just wants you to rest, okay?”“I know, but I wanted to be sure she has everything she needs. She’s going to be all alone…”“She’s not.” He sat beside Sophia and put an arm around her shoulders. “She’ll have a roommate, go to classes, join clubs, and make tons of new friends. Besides, she’s not going all that far away. If she really needs you – or if you really need her – we can make a weekend trip to see her anytime.”That’s true… A little embarrassed, Sophia wiped the corners of her eyes. “You’re right. That makes me feel better.”“Good. Now let’s relax before this party. Something tells me it’ll be a little crazy.”That night, everyone gathered at the Bowling Alley for Grace. It was nice to have so many friendly faces to see her off: Diego, Bethany, Mackenzie, JD, Arielle, Mothman, Roshni, Razi…But I have to fret just a little. “Did you finish packing?” Sophia asked Grace.“Yeah! I even have my outfits planned out until the day we leave.”People were already gathering around a table where Mothman put down a platter of burgers. Those look amazing… “Mothman, did you make these yourself?” Roshni wondered.“Yeah. Maybe Razi mentioned…”“He did. I hear the two of you used to grill out together.” A smirk crossed her face. “Of course, he says his recipe is better than yours. I’m not inclined to believe him, but…I won’t deny that my little brother is a fabulous cook, when he puts the effort in.”“Hah!” Razi chuckled.Mothman was unphased, just plated a burger and handed it to her. “Well, I hope you’ll at least give mine a shot.”Roshni’s eyes lit up after a single bite, and Mothman grinned.“I think you’ve lost your crown.” Diego joked.“I think so. It’s hard to impress Roshni.” Razi told him.She was so busy eating that she didn’t even hear the teasing. Sophia grabbed a plate for Grace. “They’re not kidding. Try this.”For a while the party was just food, chatter, and music from the jukebox, but eventually JD stood. “No more beating around the bush. Tomorrow, Grace goes to college.” There was a round of whooping and clapping, but JD silenced that with a wave of their arm. “We have to face the facts: she’s not prepared.”“What?! She’s a great student.” Sophia said, indignant. “And I’m double checking her luggage later, just in case!”“She still needs to learn the important college things. And by that, I mean…drinking games!”Grace’s face lit up as Arielle whooped. But Mackenzie shook her head. “There’ll be time for that someday, but right now, Grace is underage.”“Hey now, I won’t make you turn a blind eyes, Sheriff…but just because she can’t drink doesn’t mean she can’t play.” Razi smirked.“At least let her learn the rules.” Arielle argued.“I’ll make a bunch of fancy non – alcoholic drinks. How does that sound?”Razi, Grace, JD, Arielle, and Mackenzie looked to Sophia. Oh. I guess I’m the ‘parent and/or guardian’ in this situation. I haven’t come this far to quit being responsible on the very last night. “No way. Don’t teach her bad habits before she even gets there. There’re plenty of other fun party options.”Grace elbowed her sister but didn’t look too upset. “I’m still going to make ridiculously fancy drinks. How many cherries do you want in your Shirly Temple, Grace?” Razi asked her.“All of them!”‘And three umbrellas. Got it.”Diego’s face fell. “I don’t know if all that sugar is any better than alcohol…”“Mackenzie’s the only one allowed to be the Fun Police, not you.” JD told Diego.Bethany rubbed her husband’s arm. “I like the Fun Police.” Diego smiled at her.“Now what’re we supposed to do?” Arielle asked.“I know! I want to play at the arcade until I get a score so high my name’ll be on there forever.”“But that’ll erase my name!” JD cried out.“You’re on!”They jumped up and hurried for the machines. Everyone else followed at their own pace, laughing. True to his word, Razi made everyone a super – sweet, brightly coloured drink: except Diego and Bethany, who both took their usual in dark glasses so Grace couldn’t see it well.“These old games…I used to be so good at them…” Roshni sounded nostalgic.“Want to team up on the Bird Knights machine?” Mothman asked her.“I am oddly tempted…”She seems a little surprised Mothman would ask. Has Mothman not confessed their feelings, yet? Even worse: is Roshni oblivious to those feelings? Does this run in the family?! Sophia grabbed the arcade game next to Grace and tried to undo the record she just set…and for the next couple hours, there was only theme music beeping and the group’s laughter.Once the guests had sobered up and the party evidence had been removed, everyone gave their own version of a fond goodbye to Grace. A big hug, words of good luck and affirmation, a bump on the shoulder. Mothman was the first to leave, and Sophia watched them go with an arm around Grace and resignation settling in her stomach. In a few days, it’ll be time for me to say goodbye too.Sophia squeezed her sister a little. “Let’s get you home, huh?”Grace’s mouth was open to reply when a pained shout tore through the air.“Mothman?!” Razi screamed.From outside they heard: “Help! Somebody help!”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
That’s Mothman’s voice! They’re calling for help! Sophia sprinted out the door but Razi was faster. Outside, they found that the manticore had Mothman pinned to the road. “Don’t move!” Razi ordered.“Shut up! The moth is finally mine!” The manticore yelled back.A fireball screamed past Razi and slammed the manticore off of Mothman. “Not while I still owe them twenty bucks!”JD and Arielle joined them, both already transformed. JD’s wingspan was huge, feathers ruffled, and flames licked their leather boots. Arielle’s diamond wings were also massive in size, sparkling off the moonlight, and she held an array of diamond blades in her hands already. Razi threw an arm up and the air flashed blue as he set an illusion over everything. Luckily it’s too late for anyone to be outside.The manticore struggled to his feet and the others came pouring out of the Bowling Alley, transforming as they came. Moonlight caught Mackenzie’s golden eyes and the curves of her muscles. Diego and Bethany appeared in the shadow JD’s fire had been casting, both with fangs bared. Blue smoke rolled off Razi and Roshni as they shifted at the same time. And I didn’t think Roshni could look more amazing. Two Nassars together…their aura is powerful.The manticore seemed to feel it too, because he staggered, foaming at the mouth. “I will not be stopped!”“What’s going on?!” Grace asked as she came outside.“Grace!” Sophia called. I have to keep her out of this! The manticore charged at the group with a roar. Sophia ran for her sister, pulling her back to the Bowling Alley door. “Stay inside!”“But what about you?”“I’ll be fine. I’ve been in plenty of fights.” I can’t believe that came out of my mouth, but it’s true. “Just lock the door behind you! We’ll handle this!”Sophia grabbed the chain with Razi’s ring and pulled it over her head. Like Arielle once told me, I don’t have any special skills. But I’m stubborn as hell, and in its own way, watching my friends fight is like a student teacher sitting in on a lesson. I’ve learned a few things.“The moth! The moth!” The manticore was rampaging through the street, throwing punches and striking blindly with his tail. Bethany met him head – on while Diego restrained the venomous tail. In his frenzy, the manticore shook them both off like mosquitos. JD hurled another fire ball, Arielle tossed her diamond knives, and Razi and Roshni followed suit with scythe – like waves of energy, but the manticore was past feeling pain. Somebody has to help Mothman!Sophia caught them out of the corner of her eye: trying to drag themselves out of the street. Blood trickled from their hairline. Sophia slid the ring onto her finger and twisted once, concentrating on every detail. Dirt on their jumpsuit, disheveled hair, their injury–! Blue smoke trailed her ankles as she sprinted over and helped them to their feet.They stared at her. “This is a heck of a concussion.”“Mothman, it’s me! Sophia! Let’s get you out of here!”They were almost at the Bowling Alley door when the manticore broke free of his fight with the others. He lunged for Sophia and Mothman, and in that instant, she knew what to do. We’re prey. And prey runs. Sophia left Mothman and sprinted down Main Street as fast as she could. As expected, the manticore chased automatically. She heard the door jingle as Grace pulled Mothman inside. Then heard footsteps catch up to her and a growl–! Sophia pulled off the ring and ducked. The manticore’s ling carried him right over Sophia. He hit the ground hard and they both got up fast. Confusion flared in the manticore’s eyes when he saw that she wasn’t Mothman after all.“We’ve talked about you pulling dangerous stunts.” Razi admonished.Sophia folded her arms as he walked up behind her. “And we’ve talked about my right to be a badass as I see fit.”Roshni appeared on Sophia’s other side, one hand glowing with blue light. She glared down her nose at the manticore. “My brother told you that no one is to lay a finger on Mothman. If you won’t listen to him, you’ll certainly listen to me.” The manticore’s eyes darted between Razi and Roshni. They’re both radiating energy…and right outside the Bowling Alley. Roshni was lethally still: the same stone cold calm as Razi when he was furious. Bethany took Sophia by the elbow and pulled her closer to the Bowling Alley, where JD, Diego, Mackenzie, and Arielle were already standing. Yeah. Let’s hang back. Razi, Roshni, and the manticore stared at each other, muscles twitching…then the manticore leapt for Razi. He disappeared with a flash of blue and reappeared as the manticore redirected towards Roshni. He slashed at her stomach but his claws passed right through her like she was a hologram. “I do so hate to be underestimated. A flick of her wrist slammed the manticore back in a wave of blue fire. Razi transformed the smooth asphalt into jagged, rocky ground, and the manticore winced as he landed. “I’ll handle this, Ugly Duckling. He hurt you, so I’m going to do much worse. You needn’t watch.”Razi smirked. “Mom would be mad if I didn’t stick up for you in a fight.” They didn’t speak another word, but the battle was as coordinated as a dance. Where one Nassar pushed with magic, another pulled. The manticore dived and dodged, but he was blown upward, slammed down, and dragged across the ground. The Nassars transformed the road to gravel, sandpaper, plastic building blocks, sewing pins, melting tar. Finally, Razi yanked the manticore up by his fur coat. “You’ve messed with the wrong people. My friends. My family. The woman I love.”Wow. What happened to ‘girlfriend’?! He punched the manticore in the jaw and knocked him flat again. Roshni looked to Sophia in a wordless request and she sprinted over. The others followed quickly. We have to contain the manticore. He can’t escape this time. Razi stood on his tail and locked their eyes just in case he got any ideas. The manticore glared up at them as they glared down.
“I won’t give up. I am a hunter.” The manticore told them.“A bad one.” Sophia responded. “You chased your tail, fell for a decoy, and tried to kill Razi. Take your eyes off him before I crack your ribs.” These old boots are good for something.“Roshni. Help me out?” Razi asked.Roshni placed a hand on Razi’s shoulder and he reached over the manticore. Their eyes closed. The magic that fell from Razi’s fingers was extra blue, curling over the manticore until he was shrouded in fog. Sophia could feel the air compress around the group and had to suck in a breath. When Razi’s eyes opened and the smoke cleared, the manticore was transformed. A tiny scorpion sat on the pavement instead.“Couldn’t you have turned him into something cuter?”“I think he’s cute!” JD called out.Arielle rolled her eyes. “Of course you do.”“A permanent transfiguration is difficult.” Razi explained.“It’s simpler if you retain part of the original design.” Roshni added.“Look how small his tail is! Arielle, can we keep him?” JD asked. They can’t be serious. “I’ll feed him and play with him and clean his cage!” Of course, they’re serious.Grace and Mothman stepped out of the Bowling Alley. Roshni and Sophia ditched the others to run over to them, and Roshni gripped Mothman’s shoulders. “Are you alright?!”Mothman blushed a deep red. “Right as rain! Just scratched up, is all…” And now thunderstruck by the gorgeous, glowing djinn in front of them.“We watched through the window. Everyone was amazing!” Grace told them.“Yeah…” Sophia trailed off. It’s easy to forget in the heat of the moment, but Razi’s power is dazzling. “Razi, you were incredible! I’ve never seen you fight like that. If this is what two Nassars can do, what’s it like when the whole family gets together?”Razi looked up from arguing with JD over the manticore, his cheeks darkened, just slightly. “Well…you could see for yourself. Are you up to meeting my family, sometime?”Wow. Really? That’s a pretty big step, isn’t it? Roshni arched a knowing eyebrow and Sophia felt herself grin. “Yeah. I’d like that.”Cleanup was quick. JD shut the tiny scorpion in their room, having won both their argument with Arielle and with Razi, and took Grace home on their bike with Arielle flying beside them. Diego and Bethany helped Mackenzie check Main Street for evidence of the fight before they all left too.Roshni offered to take Mothman home. “You had such a scare! It’s the least I can do.”Mothman blushed. “I–If you insist…”Finally, it was just Razi and Sophia in the blessedly quiet living room. Razi wasn’t in his djinn form anymore, but Sophia still caught herself staring. I guess this is the supernatural equivalent of seeing someone like him post – workout. He’s glowing without any magic; adrenaline soaring and ready for anything.“And what are you looking at?”Razi’s grin made the question teasing, rhetorical, but Sophia returned it. “I can’t help it. You were pretty hot when you were getting serious back there. You should definitely pull that ‘woman I love’ line again.”His blue eyes were still intense as they locked on Sophia’s: but not with cold anger anymore. His gaze was pure heat. She bit her lip as she felt it grow between them and gather in her chest. He smiled. “You liked that, did you?”“Of course, I did.”“I love you, then.” Razi pulled Sophia close and kissed her. She tried to deepen it but he pulled away and nipped at her ear and jaw, repeating it between each new kiss. “I love you. I love you.” Oh my god. My legs are literally shaking. Sophia’s legs gave out and Razi sank to the couch with her, returning to her lips. They kissed hard and desperate, hands wandering, and fumbled with their clothes. I can’t feel enough of his skin. “If I’d known the fight was a show for you, I wouldn’t have finished so fast. But maybe there’s something else I can finish quickly…”“JD, Arielle, and Roshni will all be on their way back.”“We’ll hear JD’s bike, and Roshni’s…everything. I’ll keep an ear out. Don’t worry.”I’m going to fall right into the spell of that deep, soothing voice, but… “If we get caught…” Sophia’s hand slide under his shirt even as she said it, and he laughed, low and dark.“Guess that’s a risk we’ll have to take.”Sophia’s pulse spiked with the thrill of it. The bedroom’s not even far, but right now it seems an impossible distance to cross. I want him here. Now. They took off just enough clothes to get what they needed and moaned together when they found it. We don’t have to be careful. We don’t have to be quiet. Sophia cried out as they hurried each other along, hearts hammering. We’re almost out of time. She was building fast, but worrying that it wasn’t fast enough, and that thought alone was almost too exciting to stand. When they finished, the satisfaction was immediate, exhausting: and not a moment too soon. As soon as Razi and Sophia relaxed against the couch cushions, they heard the front door open below, and they jolted back up. Two voices floated up the stairs: one high and loud, the other soft.They could make out what was being said downstairs. “I had no idea that motel was still so cramped and horrid! Please, come make yourself at home!” Roshni insisted.“I wouldn’t want to impose…” Mothman tried.“It’s no imposition. I can’t believe I even considered leaving you there alone, after all you’ve been through tonight. You simply must stay with your friends. I have several rooms. Choose whichever makes you feel most comfortable.”“M–Much obliged…”Razi and Sophia heard their footsteps on the stairs. She tried to lurch up but was still half tangled in her jeans. Razi scooped her into his arms and hurried them to the bedroom. He closed the door behind them just in time, and Sophia muffled her laughter against his neck.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The next night, Razi and Sophia grabbed dinner at the Diner. “This is at least a mini – date, right?” He asked.“I’m just excited to spend time with you that isn’t work or…” A supernatural misadventure. She didn’t say it out loud, but they shared a smile. When the server came to their table, it happened to be Grace. Oops! “I didn’t realize we were in your section.”Grace smiled. “That’s okay! I wanted to get you something special.”“You don’t need to do that.”“Come on, it’s my last shift! I can do what I want. Let me wingman. Wingwoman. Wingsister.”“Just don’t go to any trouble.” Razi told her. Grace took their menus, winked, and left without hearing their orders. When she returned, she had a ton of food on one platter: to share. She also set down a plate of dessert pancakes topped with a strawberry cut into a heart. Okay. This does make it more romantic than just dinner at Luce’s. “Thank you, Grace. That’s really nice.”“And sappy and gross.” Sophia added.“If you can’t be romantic, I’ll do it for you.” Grace told her. “Besides, it’s on the house.” She flounced off, pleased with herself. Sophia groaned and rubbed her face.“Let her get her teasing in before she leaves for school. Maybe she’ll meet someone nice there and then we’ll get to tease her.” Suddenly, Razi’s expression changed: he quirked an eyebrow and lowered his voice. “Don’t be too obvious, but…look behind you.” Sophia whipped around. “That was super obvious!” Whatever!Roshni and Mothman were sitting in the booth behind Razi and Sophia, both way too absorbed in their conversation to notice her gawking. “Put that credit car away! Your money’s no good here.” Mothman told her.“I must insist. My lineage is ancient, but I’m a modern woman.”“I’d like to treat you. You did help save me from getting eaten, after all. Do you want to look at desserts?”“I suppose.” Roshni smiled. “The food here is good, but it can’t compare to the hamburgers you made.”Mothman turned beet red. “If you like ‘em, I’m happy to cook for you again sometime. Anytime. Every–!”They cut themselves off and Sophia turned to Razi, choking down her laughter. If JD were here for this awkward mess, they’d have a fit. The conversation turned to Italy: how Roshni loved the food there too, and Mothman’s studying the language. They sounded so impressed with each other.Razi stared at their pancakes. “Earth to Razi?”He frowned. “One of my oldest friends is in love with Roshni. Mothman usually has great taste…where’d they go wrong…”“I think they’d be cute together. They get along well and they wear their hearts on their sleeves.”“That’s true, they’re very genuine.” Razi agreed.“Besides…a West Virginian auto mechanic and a Saudi princess…that’s adorable.”“We’re not royalty, Sophia.”“Roshni’s still a princess. End of story. And they’re both so worldly…listen.”The conversation behind them had steered into classic Italian literature. “Well, if they’re happy, I’m happy.”Sophia grinned around her fork and kept eavesdropping.“Now that the manticore trouble is over…how long will you be staying?” Roshni asked Mothman.“Well…I don’t rightly know. Home feels pretty unexciting after all this.”“I do hope you’ll give me advanced notice. I’ll miss you terribly when you leave.”Mothman went quiet, too flustered to respond. Razi and Sophia mouthed exaggerated ‘aww’s. Still, cute as spying on Mothman and Roshni is, I kind of wanted some alone time with Razi. Razi glanced at her, obviously thinking the same thing.“It looks like they’re too absorbed in each other to notice us, but if they do…pulling us into their maybe date is a foolproof way to keep it from being awkward.”“I’m all for helping them out, but this is going to cut into our makeout time.”“Well, we can’t have that.”“It could go in the other direction too: if they see us, they’ll get embarrassed. Then we’ll have ruined their dinner.”Razi frowned again. “That’s a good point.”You’re on your own, Mothman. I believe in you. “Should we sneak out?”“I’m down if you are.”Razi paid the bill, and Sophia side – eyed the exorbitant tip he left for Grace. She almost protested before he scribbled on the receipt:
To help with those criminal textbook prices! Congrats!
Sophia felt herself blush, even though the gesture wasn’t for her. I care about Grace, so Razi cares about Grace. It means more than I can ever tell him.When Razi and Sophia stood up, Mothman caught sight of them, and the colour drained from their face. Razi pressed his palms together in an extravagant form of blessing, and Sophia winked as they walked out. Roshni was talking so animatedly that she didn’t even notice them. They made it outside.Main Street was weirdly un – foggy, for that time in the evening. “We still have the rest of the night. What do you want to do?” Razi asked.
Hmm. Havenfall isn’t exactly a party town: no clubs, nothing new at the drive – in, no nice dessert places, no bar except the Bowling Alley. And the whole point is to get some time away from there. …But what choice do we have?
“I want to do something new and fun, like we’ve talked about, but…” Sophia gestured around the mostly deserted street. “I especially want to spend some time alone with you.”“We’ll have our chances.”“I know. I’m just impatient.”“Me too.”It’s a bummer, but at least we’re on the same page. “Let’s go back to the Bowling Alley, I guess.”“Maybe I can cast a fun illusion. Make it the Bowling Alley Taj Mahal, or the Bowling Alley Nijo Palace.”Sophia laughed and took his hand. “That sounds good.”Of course, when they got inside the Alley, they were greeted with the usual nonsense: JD had the manticore – scorpion out on the bartop. They were playing that game where you stab a knife between your fingers as fast as you could. Except JD’s fingers were splayed and the scorpion’s tail expertly struck between them. Arielle was cheering the scorpion on.“Really?!” Sophia asked them.“He’s too small to kill anyone now, but the sting will still be painful.” Razi informed JD.JD just shrugged, and grinned as the scorpion repeated the motions even faster. “But look how talented her is! I’m not prey to him, so he just wants to show off.”“Tell me you have a place to keep him. Roshni will have a fit if you leave him loose in the apartment.”“I’d have a fit too.” Arielle said.“Taken care of. I bought him a terrarium today. They don’t need to eat often but since he loves to hunt…maybe I’ll just let him free to catch a spider now and then.”“Absolutely not!” Razi and Arielle said at the same time.“Yeah, I want to put my foot down on former boyfriend killers running around the apartment. Literally.”“You monsters!!” But they brightened when the scorpion scampered away to investigate a drop of water on the bartop. “Want to help me name him? I think he looks like a ‘Jim’.”“Djim the Djinn Stabber.” Razi suggested.“I can dig it.” The scorpion spotted his reflection in a glass bottle and started stabbing mercilessly.Looks like time alone with Razi is a lost cause, for tonight. At least the alternative is entertaining. Razi and Sophia chilled at the bar with Arielle and JD until it was time to head upstairs.The next day was less magical. Free Razi or no, I still have bills. I have to get back to work. And that means scrubbing soda spills out of the old carpet.“Sophia! Just what are you doing?” Roshni asked, sounding personally affronted.“My job?”Roshni whirled on Razi, who – despite his freedom – is still at his old habit of polishing glasses. “Razi! How dare you!”“What did I do this time?”“Your beloved is cleaning the floors!”“Roshni, we’ve been over this. I don’t mind work.” Sophia told her again.“There’s work, and then there’s dirty work! Razi should be ashamed of himself!”“I’m not even the boss here anymore, you are. Technically, you’re making her do it.”Roshni gasped and put a hand to her chest like Razi’d just put a sword through it. Sophia laughed a little and scrubbed harder. I love Roshni, but she has zero chill. “Roshni, it’s okay! Nobody’s making me.”“It just boggles the mind…if you only knew…”
Huh?
“We needed a cover, Roshni, and this is it, like or not. A business needs employees. JD needs structure, Arielle needs JD, and nobody else in town was hiring Sophia when she needed work, so here you are.” Razi explained quickly.Roshni breathed a theatrical sigh. “Of course, we must keep control of the magical landlines here. The front is necessary, no matter how…” She stared at the carpet and wrinkled her nose. “Psychedelic. The truth is, Dear Sophia, though we keep a low profile…the Nassars are quite rich. You could retire today if you were comfortable accepting a pension from us.”What?! “I’ve got questions.” Was the first thing that came out of Sophia’s mouth. “So, you two have looks, magical powers, AND money?”“Maybe their looks are an illusion?” Arielle suggested.“This is just unfair, otherwise.” JD added.Roshni laughed delicately behind her hand. Right. We’ve seen them both in djinn form. Their gorgeousness is 100% real. “Our family is very old, Sophia, and there have been many games to play. Real estate, oil, stocks, priceless artifacts…”Sophia remembered the auto plant that started Havenfall in the first place. “Cars?”“Yes! And before that horses and camels. You have made it clear that you find purpose in your work, but if you want to stop…you can.”It was so much to process that Sophia sank into the couch. Deep down, I knew Razi had money. I’ve seen his clothes. I live in his apartment. But this much?!“If Sophia doesn’t have to work, neither do I!” JD yelled.“Or me!” Arielle tossed down the broom she had in her hands.“We quit!”Razi smirked. “Fine, say hi to your dad for me.”JD sighed. “You strike a hard bargain. I’ll stay.”Razi looked over to Arielle. “And do you want to keep living here?”Arielle picked up her broom and just went back to sweeping.“Razi…” An old conversation was coming back to Sophia: when he admitted to helping a little at the end of each month, when bills were due. “You told me you weren’t rich.”“Why would you say such a thing?!” Roshni asked, indignant. “Parade the meager offerings you have, Brother!”Razi threw a dish towel over at her and she squawked. “I wanted to give more to you and Grace. You don’t know how many times I ran that conversation over in my head. But I didn’t want you to feel indebted to me.”Sophia smiled. “I appreciate it.” She stood up from the couch, stretched, and went back to cleaning. “Besides, I like us the way we are. I don’t want a sugar djinni.”“I do. I’m calling that forever.” JD said.Razi groaned and buried his head in his hands.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Today was the day…Razi and Sophia had driven Grace into the city and had just finished helping her bring everything into her dorm room. Carrying heavy boxes is a good way to keep your mind off crying, but…now my hands are empty.“Where do you want your towels, Grace?” Sophia asked.“I’ll take care of it!”“And your cereal bowl! Don’t put it on your desk hatch.”“Why not?”“What if it falls and breaks?”
“Are you expecting a gigantic earthquake…?” Grace brushed past her sister and started putting clothes away in her scratched but sturdy dorm dresser. Her smile lit up her whole face. She’s so excited to be here.Razi was looking the room over with a hand on his chin. I bet he’s trying to figure out where he’d make things roomier. We brought his bottle, mostly to ease my nerves, but… Sophia nudged him with her elbow. “Don’t break your own rule of secrecy.”Razi pouted. “But…if someone could vault the ceiling and stretch up that window just a bit….”“Come on, Razi. Let me rough it with the other college students! I’m ready.”“Are you sure you have everything you need?” Sophia asked her. “I mean, absolutely sure?”“I’m good, Sophia.”“Well, if you realize you forgot something, call me and I’ll come right aw–!”“Sophia!” Sophia’s eyes began to sting and she pinched the bridge of her nose hard. I told myself I wouldn’t cry today! It’s a happy day, even if I miss her! Grace wrapped her arms around her sister and pulled her into a tight hug. “Hey.” Her voice was sweet and gentle. “Be an adult.”“You tiny jerk!” But Sophia hugged Grace back twice as hard. She had to wipe her eyes when they let go, but otherwise, she was good. “I’m allowed to be worried.”“I’ll be just fine! If we’re worrying about anyone, it should be you.” Me? “You’re going back to Havenfall and nobody’s caught Jonas yet.”“Good. I haven’t gotten a chance to punch his face in.”“I hope he doesn’t show his face at all! Razi, will you please keep an eye on my troublemaking sister?”“Me, the troublemaker?!”Razi laughed. “I’ll look after her, Grace. You just focus on learning a lot and having a good time.”“Hello?” Sophia turned, hackles raised, but the stranger in the doorway was about Grace’s age. Another student. She walked in with a couple heavy bags and set them down on the room’s second, empty bed. She and Grace traded matching smiles: a little nervous, but big and sincere. “I’m Gwen. I guess we’re roommates.”“Guess so! I’m Grace. It’s great to meet you.”“You too. …Is that a RatMouse button on your backpack?”“Yeah! Do you listen to them?”They began chatting as they unpacked, and Razi squeezed Sophia’s shoulder. “I think that’s our cue.”“Yeah.” Time to let Grace go off and start making friends. She was obviously eager to get on with her day, but she gave Sophia one last hug and then gave one to Razi.“Have a safe drive home!”“Call me if you need anything!” And then, like she’d walked into a daze, Sophia was outside the building with Razi and inside the next chapter of her life.It was a weird feeling. I’m ecstatic for Grace, but nervous too. And for myself…I’m not sure what I feel. Lost, maybe. Her eyes started to burn again. Razi made a comforting noise and slid his arm around her. “It’s a lot, I know. We’ll visit her soon.” He rubbed Sophia’s shoulder as he spoke. “Is there anything that’d help in the meantime?”“A drink. A stiff one.” Sophia was half joking, but as they sat there in the cab of the truck, she realized there was no reason why not to. We don’t have work today, and we’re in the city.“That’s definitely doable. The only hard part is deciding on a bar.” Sophia pulled up the maps on her phone and scrolled through venues until she found something that looked nice. There weren’t may people around when they arrived. As expected, for the time. It’s as nice as it looked in the pictures too. They sat at one of the high tables by the bar and ordered cocktails. I looked through the menu for something strong and mature like wine or gin, but in the end, my need for comfort food won out. When the drinks arrived, Sophia could only stare at the ice floating in hers. I miss Grace already. “Cheer up, Sophia. Let’s go back to the conversation about freedom.”“I didn’t realize freedom would feel so…empty.”Razi gave her a reassuring smile. “That’s just because you need to fill it with something again. I have no duties at the Bowling Alley, and now you’re an empty nester. But the plans we were talking about earlier? It’s time to go for them.” He was right. The grip on Sophia’s heart didn’t squeeze so tightly. “What if we take that romantic weekend getaway? Change is hard, but we should celebrate too.”That’s so tempting, but… “How soon is ‘soon’? I’ll have to save up a little.”“Here’s the thing.” Razi reached over the table and took Sophia’s hand, squeezing it gently. “Roshni told you about our money. And I’m not your boss anymore. So, if you’re comfortable with the idea…I’d like to spoil you rotten.”“…Are you actually offering to be my sugar djinni?”Razi took a bracing chug of his drink like he was trying to drown himself and end her puns. Sophia smiled as she sipped hers. “What I’m offering is to take you out for a weekend. I could go by myself, but everything’s better with you. And since I can pay your way, I will. We can finally have some alone time, stress free. So, what do you say?”I really want to say yes, but…that’s still a big deal. “Are you sure?”“Absolutely. I love you and I want to show you a good time.”“In that case…I accept. But…” She trailed off coyly. “Roshni says I should keep my standards high. So, you’ll have to pull out all the stops.”Razi leaned forward, cupping his chin. I know that face. He’s already thought this through. “I hope you know what you’re getting into. A five-star hotel with champagne ready when we arrive…eating at all the top restaurants in the city…professional massages, expensive bars…flower petals on the bed…”“Now you’re just being ridiculous.”“You brought this on yourself.”Sophia grinned and took another drink to hide it. Okay. I’m feeling a little better now.Razi and Sophia spent the rest of the day drinking and chatting, but once the sun set, they decided it was time to head back to Havenfall. Parking wasn’t great around the bar, so they had to walk a bit to get to Sophia’s truck. The evening was weirdly dim, and the streets got foggier as they walked. Sophia took her glasses off and polished them with her shirt, but it didn’t help with the visibility. I remember Indianapolis being…brighter.She squinted at Razi. “Are you doing this? The fog?”“No, I’m not.” He looked thoughtful. “Kind of weird for the city, right?”“…Right.” As they turned the corner of a block, Razi and Sophia passed under a burned out streetlight. Goosebumps rose on the back of her neck even before a cold breeze skimmed across her skin. It’s usually not this cold this time of year either. She couldn’t ignore the feeling of eyes on her back and reached for Razi’s hand. He held it like he always did, loose and comfortable, fingers laced, but didn’t look at her. He was scanning around them without turning his head. “Let’s go this way.” Sophia pulled him down a different street. Even if we’re not being followed, it still feels safer to take a new path to my truck…but I can’t shake that weird sensation of being watched. She looked behind them, half expecting to catch a mugger wearing a black mask like in the movies. But there was only the empty street. No pedestrians. No bikers. No cars. The wind picked up and blew a ripped scrap of newspaper across the empty pavement. Okay. I don’t like this one bit. “Is it just me, or can you feel something too?”“It’s not just you. Something’s off.”Sophia picked up the pace. They were practically speed walking by that point. Then something whispered against her ear. She jolted and whirled to face it, catching a dark shape out the corner of her eye–! But it was only the fog. Razi and I are still alone. “Did you hear that?” Razi nodded. Another whisper sounded, though it was far away and Sophia couldn’t make out the words. The fog was really heavy, almost Havenfall caliber. She collected her courage and called out into it, though the fog dampened her voice. “Who’s there?” There was only another unintelligible whisper and another flash of some solid form of fog. Sophia pulled her hand from Razi’s and ran a few steps after it. “Hey! Let me see you!”“Help…” The whisper said. She turned back and looked at Razi. His eyes were wide and she knew he’d heard it too. “Please, you have to help me…you’re the only one who can…”The voice was small, and something about it tugged on Sophia’s heart. Razi told me fog is supposed to hide things. To protect things. But now I’ve seen time and again that sometimes, people need to step in to really protect each other. I’m nervous, but it does sound like this thing is nervous too. “I think we should check this out.”“Me too.” There was another flicker in the fog and Sophia stepped back without thinking about it. The feeling in her stomach took over. What am I thinking?! It’s like I’ve never seen a scary movie in my life. Never, EVER, go after the whispering voices! She grabbed Razi’s hand and made a break for it. “What about–?”“I changed my mind!” Sophia was all instincts and firing nerves now. She just wanted to get them away from there and back to Havenfall. They made it back to a main street, and she sighed with relief as a stream of cars passed by. Everything looked bright and colourful again. Razi put a strong arm around her shoulders and shot a glance behind them. She looked too, but just like before…there was nothing. This isn’t our problem. And even if it is, somehow…it’s better to face it at the Bowling Alley. What happened back there was definitely supernatural.They were almost to her truck when there was a huge commotion on their right. The side door to a building flew open and two bouncers in black shoved a lanky guy out the door. “Hey! Watch the hair!”He stumbled over and the bouncers slammed the door shut without a word. Wow. That guy just got thrown out of a bar. And he’s standing between us and the way to my truck. Is he smashed? Was he fighting? Razi pulled Sophia closer as the guy got to his feet and brushed himself off. Her chest tightened at the sight of him. Even before she saw his face, Sophia recognized his shape, his stance, his insufferable pretty-boy aura. It was Jonas Quinton. What is he doing here?!
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Jonas Quinton?! What are the odds?! There was no way. There was absolutely no way. But there was no mistaking him as he dusted himself off. Sophia would have known that jackass anywhere. Maybe this was what all the fog and creepy whispering was about earlier. Something supernatural was going on, and that much was more than clear. And Jonas, Sophia realized as dread dropped into her stomach, was carrying a new guitar.For a second, Razi and Sophia were too stunned to say anything. “What’re you looking at?” He growled, defensively, and shot his head up. But his draw dropped when he saw them. Another long second passed while the three stared at each other. Then Jonas turned on his heel and made a break for it. Not this time, you damn coward! Sophia sprinted after him and grabbed a fistful of his vest. He wrestled free, but Razi was on him: spinning Jonas around and getting both hands on his collar. Jonas reached for the strings of his guitar–! Before he could play, Sophia yanked the strap off the bottom and pulled it out of his hands. He definitely can’t be trusted with this. “Oh, come on!”Razi shoved him up against the alley wall in response. “What are you doing here?”“None of your business. You and I are done, aren’t we, Nassar? You have your fangirl’s sister back.”“No thanks to you, Asshole.” Sophia barked.“We’re not done until the rest of the teenagers are home safe too.” Razi told him.Jonas laughed. He looks pretty smug for a guy pinned to a wall. “That’s up to Baba, not me. I’m just helping out a little old lady. What are you going to do anyway? You’re nowhere near the Bowling Alley. We both know you’ve got no magic out here.” Well, there’s the bottle in my pocket, but I’m sure we’re not going to risk that… Until Razi turned to Sophia with a smirk, gaze lingering on the guitar in her hands. “Hey. Wait. What are you-?” Suddenly, she couldn’t feel the guitar anymore, but she could still see it. It started to bubble and melt in Sophia’s hands, like it was doused in acid. Slowly, it dripped through her fingers. “Hey!!”Razi snapped his fingers and the guitar returned to normal. It’s like nothing happened! Jonas gasped and Razi pushed him harder against the wall. “You don’t. Know anything. About djinn.”Neither do I, apparently. Sophia stared at the new guitar. That wasn’t from the bottle…so Razi has his magic right now, at full force?! That’s something I need explained, but not in front of Jonas. “You’re in way over your head, Jonas. You’re going to tell us what we want, or you’re going to regret it. What are you doing in Indianapolis?”“I’m just living my best life, brah.”This evasive, punk ass, little sister kidnapper. “You know what? I don’t have the patience for you.” Sophia punched him in the jaw. Her knuckles hurt, but there had never been anything more satisfying. I finally got to punch Jonas Quinton!Jonas cursed but eventually shook his head to clear it. “Baba moved the teenagers into the city. At a new warehouse. I’m just keeping an eye on things.”“You’re going to take us to the new location. Right now.” Razi ordered him.Jonas opened his mouth to protest but glanced at his guitar and closed it again. Razi’s palms began to glow, as extra incentive. “Fine. Follow me.” Jonas took them on a long walk through the city. Razi and Sophia started to get suspicious before they finally reached a warehouse in a seedy part of the city. It was sparser than the first one: no tower of boxes, not a ton of storage. The teens weren’t patrolling this time. A few stood guard by the exits, still as statues, and the rest milled about aimlessly in the dark. I think I even recognize a few faces by now. I have Grace back, but their families are still looking for them. They’ve been gone for so long. “Here we are. But good luck snapping them out off it and getting them all home.”The smirk came back into his voice and Sophia wanted to punch him again. “You always underestimate me.” Razi told him.“And me.” She turned Jonas’s guitar over in her hands. “The teens woke up when I smashed this last time. So, that’ll probably work again, right?”Jonas groaned which was all Sophia needed to hear. “It’s not going to help you for long. I’ll just buy a new guitar.”“Still. I’ll take any excuse to make you miserable.”“I want to help this time.” Razi piped up.“The blood between us is bad enough, Nassar.”Razi and Sophia ignored him. She held the guitar out to Razi and he took the neck, fingers brushing hers. Together, they lifted up and slammed it down to the concrete floor. The ambling teens stop in their tracks as clarity returned to their eyes.“What is this place?” One guy asked.“Better think fast.”“That’s my nature.” Razi snapped his fingers and the whole warehouse went pitch black. In a split second, it’s bursting with loud music and pulsing neon lights. Lasers of all colors scattered so fast they made Sophia’s head spin. The air smelled like sweat and spilled alcohol, and the bass rumbled through the floor. It’s a rave!“Is this ‘Sandstorm’? How old are you?”Razi picked an old gum wrapper off the floor and transfigured it into a megaphone and handed it to Sophia. “DJ Sophia, if you please.”The teens stumbled, wildly confused, and she rushed into a crowd of them, raising the megaphone. “Hello, Indianapolis! Are you having a good time?” There was some automatic cheers, but everybody looked confused.“What’s going on?!” A girl asked.“Listen carefully! You’ve all been drugged and brought here by Jonas Quinton. The cops are on their way. Get out of here and call your parents!” Even in their stupor, most of the teens sprung to life at the word ‘cops’. They didn’t recognize where they were, it smelled like liquor, and a lady was yelling at them about drugs. Even if they’re not guilty, heck: I’d run too, just to make sure my parents heard my story before the police do.The teenagers hurried for the exits on shaky legs while Razi shut down the lights and music. Jonas tried to bolt after them, but like their first encounter, Razi shot an arm out after them. Cerulean snakes wrapped around Jonas’s ankles and he crashed to the floor. “We’re not through with you.”Jonas scrambled to face Razi and Sophia, propping himself up on his elbows. “What else do you want?!”“Deliver a message for us.” A snake at Jonas’s feet slithered up around his neck and gave a threatening squeeze. Jonas clutched at it, eyes wide. “Don’t ever mess with Havenfall again. Not you, not Baba, and not any other Quinton. Pass that along to her.”Jonas nodded frantically and Razi waved his hand making the snakes disappear. Jonas scrambled to his feet and sprinted out into the night.Razi and Sophia got back to her truck, and for a second she had to lean against it and catch her breath. “I can’t believe that just happened. All those teens were still missing but we found them. Just being at the right place at the time.” It’s a total victory.“And now Baba gets nothing.” His voice was grimly satisfied as he pulled out his phone. “I’m texting Mackenzie. We can fill the others in later.”“Sounds like a plan.” Any more explaining or adventuring tonight sounds exhausting. I’m still riding high from saving people, but I’m going to crash any second. Sophia gave the steering wheel behind the truck’s windshield a withering look. “I don’t know if I can keep my eyes open for the drive home.”“Let’s stay in the city tonight. We can head back tomorrow.”It was a relief to hear him say it. Razi looked up a hotel and Sophia drove them the short distance there.Sophia zoned out through the check-in, almost asleep on her feet, but her eyes flew open when Razi opened the door to their room. It was huge, luxurious, and had an amazing view of the city night. The building lights stayed stationary as stars, and the cars in the streets moved in lazy rivers. “It’s so swanky…”“I think we deserve it.” For a second they stared at each other, and then started to laugh.“I can’t believe that happened! We ruined Baba’s entire plan! Those tabloid rumours JD and Arielle spread about Jonas really worked to our advantage too. Jonas will have to go underground again, and the teens will have an explanation for being zombified.”“Jordan’s clever about stuff like that. To think, Jonas was in the same city as Grace this whole day…”I’m not even going to dwell on that. “But she’s safe and we’re never going to see his sorry ass again. We’re going to go home to Havenfall with all our problems solved. We ran the Quintons out of state and the manticore is JD’s new pet.” And I…am going to pass out.“So, now what? The night’s ours. …What’s left of it.”“I wish I had the energy to party, but…maybe tomorrow. I’m so exhausted.”“It’s definitely been that kind of day.” Sophia collapsed on the couch. It’s not as nice as Razi’s, but it’s cool and clean and it feels amazing to get off my aching legs. Her glasses dug into her nose, but now that she was down, it felt like too much effort to reach up and take them off. “Sophia.” There was a smile in Razi’s voice. “There’s a bed.”“I’m a creature of habit…” The cushions were tugging her down and she’d say anything if it meant she could surrender to them. Razi sighed. Dimly, already drifting off, Sophia felt him take off her boots and outer clothes. He took her glasses next. She could hear the slight click as folded them. Then a warmth settled over Sophia as he found a blanket and tucked her in. His fingers stroked her cheek.“Need anything else?” She mumbled nonsense and reached for his arm, trying to pull him down with her. He laughed quietly. “Fine. Make room.”Sophia shuffled as best she could and he curled around her, holding her tight.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Sophia awoke somewhere totally unfamiliar, but she was comfortable and Razo’s arms were wrapped around her. Right. We stayed the night in a fancy hotel in Indianapolis. And I refused to get off the couch and go to bed. She tried to stretch but immediately discovered that she had slept on her neck funny. But nothing could spoil her good mood. We saved a bunch of kids and really let Jonas Quinton have it. Sunlight streamed through the big windows and for a while Sophia just let it all sink in. It looks like we’re in for a long stretch of good luck. Grinning, she kissed Razi until he woke up too. Sophia watched him smile as the same realization flickered through his mind. He kissed her back and then they both sat up and stretched.“Last night sure was something. Let’s get you coffee before you die.”“Yes, please.” Sophia said.Razi and Sophia popped into the first café on the block. It was cozy, but after a glance at the menu, she realized it was just as fancy as the hotel was. There was a whole section of coffees from all over the world and a completely different one for espresso. What the heck is a ‘flat white’? The teas were also subdivided. I never cared beyond ‘caffeinated’ and ‘non-caffeinated’, but this place sure does. Black, green, white, tisane, blended… Razi’s eyes lingered on that part of the menu and Sophia watched him with interest. He always just drinks whatever’s available. What does he prefer when he can have anything? Eventually, she ordered a gigantic mocha and Razi ordered a chai.“So, you prefer tea to coffee?”“Not really, but I like good tea over bad coffee, when I can get good tea.” Bad coffee? Sophia pointed out the menu, incredulous. Razi only laughed. “It’ll never be as good as at home when my family makes it. Arabica just isn’t the same without cardamom in it and dates on the side.”That sounds amazing. “So, the Nassars are coffee people?”“Yeah. You’d fit right in with them.” Their eyes met and then broke away as their faces heated up. That’s right. He said I could meet the rest of his family…I wonder what they’re like. I wonder if they’ll like me. “So…what do you want to do today?”That snapped Sophia out of it. “Are there…options?”“We aren’t in a huge hurry to get back right? The whole city’s ours today.”“Um…” Sophia’s mind went blank. I haven’t had real options in forever, outside of what’s streaming on Crispyflix+. Movies cost money. Drinks cost money. Museums cost money. And that’s just for today: suddenly the future has a lot more options too. Do I move back to my house? Rent it out? Keep living with Razi? How long are we going to be together anyway? He keeps talking about trips and plans and the days ahead: with me. Like we’re permanent. Or like we’re married. Her stomach did a pleasant flip.“Sophia? What are you thinking?”“Uh.” She took a sip of her mocha to stall for time and burned her tongue. “It’s…really nice out today. So, let’s do something outside? Maybe buy some lowkey lunch food and have a picnic in the park?” He raised his eyebrow but sipped his tea and agreed without pressing for more.After they finished their drinks, Razi and Sophia wandered around until they found a grocery store. At least it had looked like a grocery store on the outside: shopping carts, paper bags. But inside…there were boxes stacked artfully by the door. She picked one up and studied it.“Is this food?”“What’re the ingredients?” Razi asked.“…I could tell you if I could read Japanese.”“Hmm.” They turned and surveyed the rest of the store. It had aisles, and people kept taking mysterious boxes and canisters off the shelves and putting them into carts. “It definitely looks like a grocery store…”“There! A vegetable!” Sophia pointed at the nearest register where someone was weighing something green and leafy. “I don’t know what vegetable it is, but it definitely is one!”“Or a potted plant, sans pot.”“Who would do something so controversial, yet so brave.” She took another look around. “I just wanted some grapes and lunchmeat and stuff…”“Let’s split up. Whoever can find the most actual picnic food wins.” Sophia almost sprinted off at the challenge, and only remembered to be an adult at the last second. But I speed-walk, and I catch a glimpse of Razi rushing too.
They reconvened by the checkout line. Sophia had found grapes and crackers, and an employee in the back had sliced her something that turned out to be capicola. Razi had found some bread that seemed to be 5% flour and 95% air. There was no sugar in it. “I think this might actually classify as magic.”As the cashier rang them up, she watched in horror as the total of their small pile skyrocketed. There’s no way groceries could cost this much! That’s almost a week of my food budget. Sophia was reflexively reaching to take some stuff off the belt when Razi touched her hand. He paid and nudged her with his shoulder as they walked out. Right. I’d agreed to cool it and let him shower me with Ancient Djinn Treasure.The day only warmed up and got prettier while they had been inside the grocery store. By the time Razi and Sophia reached the public park, she couldn’t stop smiling.“Where should we eat?” Razi asked.“How about under that tree?” It was nice and shady. She settled her back comfortably against the trunk as Razi dug into their grocery bag. A family with three young children was playing nearby. Sophia was struck by how the parents were running around with the kids. That looks so fun. She stopped chewing a grape and started to wonder about that particular part of her future. “I’m really looking forward to meeting your family.” Razi sighed, long and doleful. “What’s that for? You said in the coffee shop that we’d get along great.”“I know. It’s just that we can be a bit…much.”“I’ve already met Roshni.”“More extra than Roshni.” Is that even possible? “I just don’t want to scare you off, I guess.”“If I stuck with you through manticore poison, I can probably deal with your parents.”“Fair.” Razi offered her a grape and waited for her to open her mouth before he placed it on her tongue. “Honestly, I’m glad to hear it. Because I’d be happy to start including you in my family.”It took all Sophia’s poise not to choke, but the bite was the sweetest thing she’d ever swallowed.Razi and Sophia stayed in the park until the sun set…but when the day was over, it was time to head back to her truck. I don’t particularly want to go back to Havenfall. Grace won’t be there, and one day in the city has spoiled me. I just got my first real taste of freedom. It must have been plain on her face, because when she fished for her keys, Razi took her hand to stop her.“Are you feeling up to driving back?”“Yeah. I just…” He kept silent, waiting for her to finish. “I just didn’t want today to end.”“Well…it doesn’t have to. If you want to stay another night…I may or may not have planned something, just in case. Of the magical variety.”Wait, that reminds me! “How? I was too tired to ask before, but…you used magic on Jonas even though we’re away from the Bowling Alley. And I know it wasn’t because of your bottle!”Amusement lit up his face. “I guess I never did tell you the specifics, did I? Everything about the world has rules: like the laws of physics. Magic isn’t any different.” That’s right. Give me The Lore. “My magic doesn’t come from the ley lines under the Bowling Alley. Djinn are born with magic. It’s a part of us. We can use it whenever we please, wherever we please.” Since when?! Razi held up a finger the second she started to ask. “Some beings are magical. But magic can also exist in its own network, like a vein of precious metal in a rock.”“So, that’s kind of what the ley lines are?”“Exactly. If someone connects their magic to the ley line, they gain access to it: at the cost of having to stay in the perimeter.”“But why would you do that if you could already use magic by yourself? Why would any Nassar?”“Because it’s Havenfall, Sophia.” His voice became gentle. “The Quintons want control of the ley lines, and they’re not the only ones. If that magic fell into the wrong hands, the territory wouldn’t be much of a haven. So, a Nassar is always around to be a town guardian.” For a second, Sophia was speechless. So, Razi had free magic all his life, until he tethered himself to Havenfall? Wasn’t it lonely? Didn’t he feel like something was missing? “Anyway. Talking about all this is boring.” He slid and arm around her waist and pulled Sophia against him, giving her a smirk. “I was hoping to show you instead. If you’re interested in staying another night.”Okay. That’s tempting. I’d really like to see what Razi’s capable of. In every possible way. But she sighed when she thought of everyone waiting for them back home. “I want to; I really do. But I’d feel a little guilty. Roshni’s taking care of everything, and we didn’t agree to be gone for this long.”Razi looked disappointed, but he nodded. His thumb rubbed circles against her hips. “Fair enough. We still have other weekend excursions ahead of us. And Jordan might’ve actually set the ceiling on fire, this time. It’s a good way to test a new boss.”Good point. “I’m actually more concerned about Mothman. They might’ve imploded from spending the whole weekend with Roshni.” That might be a good way to go, but not before they’ve confessed their feelings: which I’m sure they haven’t.Razi snorted and got in the truck. “Sounds like it’s time for our next rescue mission then.”“Hang on, Mothman! Don’t give up, Bowling Alley Ceiling! We’re coming!”For once, the truck started without protest and Razi and Sophia made their way back home.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Havenfall’s Finest came over to the Bowling Alley the next day so Razi and Sophia could catch them up. Everyone looked good, and Mothman hadn’t imploded from their weekend with Roshni. Yet. “No scorch marks on the ceiling, I see.” Razi commented.“Not for lack of trying.” Roshni examined her nails and JD tipped back their chair with a pout.“I did my best to keep them in line.” Arielle told Razi. “Lord knows it’s a hard job.”“Thank you for that, Arielle.”“So, how was it?” Mothman asked. “Grace is all settled in, I trust?”“Yeah, she’s doing great. It was all great. But…” Grace isn’t our biggest update. The mood of the room shifted immediately at Sophia’s words. JD set down the legs of their chair, and Diego eyed her over the rim of his sunglasses. Bethany stopped mid-drink.“Razi told me you both found the rest of the missing teenagers.” Mackenzie finished. “Their cases have all been resolved, but…”But she didn’t get an explanation. “It was too much to send over text, and way too late to call.” Razi told her.“Well, I’m here now.”“Long story short, we only found the teens because we found Jonas Quinton first.” Sophia explained.“What’s he doing in Indianapolis?! That’s Grace’s turf now!” JD said, indignant. “That punk-ass little-!”Arielle clamped a hand over their mouth as Razi went on. “Jonas had moved the teens there to hide them in plain sight. But I think they were pretty close to their final destination.”Arielle let go of JD in shock, and JD didn’t finish their insult.“To Baba?” Roshni asked.Sophia nodded, uncomfortable. “We smashed Jonas’s new guitar and freed all the prisoners.”“And we let Jonas go with a warning.”“Just a warning? After all the bloody bullshit he pulled?” Arielle asked.“A stern one. Involving snakes. And Sophia got a hit in.”JD smirked. “That’s fine then.”Razi turned to his sister. Suddenly, the conversation felt as though it was just between them. Roshni looked stricken. “So, it’s true. She really is still active.”“It’s true. But I told Jonas to pass our warning along to her.”“And if she seeks revenge?”“She wronged us in the first place by stealing away all the teenagers. She should know better.” Both the Nassars looked tight around the mouth. It wasn’t doing wonders for their natural beauty.Sophia spoke up. “…So, what if Baba does come to Havenfall? What should we expect?”“She’s a legend for a reason. She’s…” Roshni covered her mouth, unable to keep going.“I know she eats children, and that’s pretty much the top tier of evil. But we’re talking about Baba Yaga, right? Old witch in a house on chicken feet?” That story never really scared me, even when I was young.“She’s responsible for a lot more than that old folktale.” Razi said. “Anytime a kid gets lured out, chances are she’s behind it. From the Pied Piper to white vans full of candy.”What the hell?! Roshni cleared her throat. “Sophia, do you know the story of Hansel and Gretel?”“Yeah, but…the witch dies in that one, doesn’t she? The kids shut her in her own oven before she can cook them.”Razi and Roshni exchanged a look. “Darling…that’s the children’s version. The fairy tale. It isn’t the truth. She’s been stealing children away for hundreds of years. Her power must be incredible by now.”Sophia’s glut clenched as she remembered the weird fog in Indianapolis, the soft whisper and the fleeting shadow. Like the ghost of a little girl.When she and Razi finished their story, everyone had a lot to process. Roshni still seemed worried about Baba Yaga, but there was no denying that Razi and Sophia still had won a major victory. Hopefully, Razi’s warning had done its job, and they’d never hear from the Quintons again. Diego, Bethany, and Mackenzie, at least, were relieved enough to leave and get back to their jobs. Mothman, who’d gone a little pale, said they were going back to the motel for some rest. I guess all this talk about eating people got a little too close to home for them. Roshni transfigured a ketchup bottle into a bottle of nail polish and began to touch up her nails at the bar. And just like that, everything was normal again: the Bowling Alley staff together for another super boring shift.JD pulled Arielle over to sit down at the table across from Razi and Sophia. “Okay. We need to talk.” They spoke quietly enough that Roshni couldn’t hear them. “We have been third wheeling for a thousand years and I can’t take it anymore.”What? “JD, it’s not third wheeling if there’s four of us.” Arielle corrected them.“Whatever. The statement stands.”Sophia felt her mouth drop open. Have Razi and I been so wrapped up in each other that we neglected our friends? Razi looked similarly shocked. “Jordan, why didn’t you say something sooner?”“We didn’t mean to make you guys feel that way! I’m so sorry!” Sophia apologized.JD blinked at them. “Huh? No, not you two. I mean, before you got together, sure: the endless, eternal, double-sided unrequited pining was pretty annoying.”“Seconded.” Arielle agreed.“Wow, okay.” Sophia said.“But at least you both kept it on the DL.” JD went on. “I’m talking about Mothman and Roshni. The whole time you were gone, we couldn’t have a conversation with either of them. They’re too busy staring at each other with big, stupid, googly eyes…though, now that you mention it, I guess we are third wheels for you two, too.” They slumped over the table and Arielle rubbed their back. “Life is agony.”“JD, nobody thinks of you like that. I promise.”“Oh yeah? Prove it!”“Okay. How about the four of us go on a company trip today? Just the usual crew, hanging out.” Razi suggested. “And you can choose where to go, Jordan.” That doesn’t seem wise…But JD lit up like a sparkler. “Really? Because there’s this amusement park I’ve been wanting to check out.”Sophia was skeptical. “I’ve never heard of an amusement park around here.”“It’s small. A roadside attraction kind of thing, so it doesn’t get a lot of publicity.”Razi was shocked. “That’s…a surprisingly reasonable request.”For real. It even sounds fun! “Let’s do it!” Sophia agreed.“I’m in.” Arielle told them. “I’ve been wanting to see it too.”“Then, it’s decided.”But when they got to the amusement park…it was completely abandoned and falling apart. Plants climbed up rusted metal. No one had been there for decades.“…Yeah, this is more in line with what I expected.” Razi admitted.“Isn’t it cool?”Sophia rolled her eyes. “Only you, JD…”“Hey!” Arielle was indignant. “I like it too.”“Admit it, Sophia. It’s awesome.”She took a look around. The park was like its own ironic freak show of decadence and silence. “Okay, fine. It’s kind of cool.”“Not yet.” Razi waved an arm and blue magic rolled over the park: up every pathway, every striped booth, every spoke of the ferris wheel. The illusion settled in like fresh paint until the park looked good as new. Lights flashed and music even played in the distance.JD whistled. “Look at you, showing off for your girlfriend.”“Hey, I’m showing off for our favourite third wheels too.”“Now you’re making me blush.”It’s not as deliciously creepy as an abandoned amusement park, but I won’t say no to a bright and fully – functional one! Razi, JD, Arielle, and Sophia hit the lane of carnival games right away.“So, if this place is already trashed, beneath your illusion…” JD started.“Then that means…” Arielle added.“Yeah, I think it’s fine.” Razi told them.“What’s fine?” Sophia was drowned out by JD’s whoop of freedom. They sprinted down the lane, an unhinged cowpoke in their very own wild west. They shot finger gun fireballs that sent popgun targets up in flames and shattered milk bottles with their heat. Arielle was a step behind them, diamond knives hitting the targets JD left behind. Right. Super destructive magical powers. Sophia had to admit that she was impressed, though JD and Arielle annihilated every game they passed by. “JD! You’re an actual sharpshooter!”They blew smoke off their fingertip, thumb still cocked. “Hey Razi, do we get a prize? We won everything.”Sophia looked back at the smoldering lane behind them with diamond knives embedded everywhere. Yep…everything. Razi and I didn’t even get a chance to play.“Sure. Your prize is, uh…” Razi bent down to shift through the illusion at his feet, fingers swirling through it like he was searching for seashells in a wave. As the illusion stabilized around him again, he stood up with a half-rotted softball. I guess that was what we were actually supposed to use for knocking down milk bottles. Razi compressed it between his palms. Blue light glowed between his fingers, and when he opened his hands, he had to keep parting and parting them. When he was done, he was holding a gigantic, motorcycle shaped mylar balloon. The silver foil glinted in the sun. It looks just like JD’s real bike! “This one’s a transfiguration, not an illusion. So, you can take it home with you if it’ll fit into your guys’ room.”JD nabbed it from him with glee. “Excellent!” Sophia had to laugh: at the silly situation, at JD’s smile, but mostly at herself and the sudden flash of heat that was running through her. Hasn’t Razi figured out what it does to me when he’s so nice to people? It’d be nice to get a second alone and show him. But today’s trip was about quality time with JD and Arielle. I’ll have to show Razi later. “So, are you good at any games, Razi, or are you just a scrub?”Razi’s jaw dropped. “A scrub? I’m maintaining an illusion over this entire park!”“So, a carnival game should be easy for you.” They kept taunting until Razi stepped up to the strongman game. For someone so concerned about being left out, JD sure knows how to goad Razi into a good light, for me. Razi took the mallet and slammed it down, sending the puck soaring up to the bell. It hit so fast that the entire machine broke and both the puck and bell go flying. Damn! Is Razi really that strong?! “Cheater!” Their wings burst from their back as they leaped into the sky. They caught the puck and bell with a dramatic swoop, and it was only then that Sophia noticed the blue smoke curling from the machine.“Aww, Razi. You really did cheat.”He smirked. “I can still win the right way. It’s just not as fun.”Arielle pouted. “I wanted a turn.”“I got you, Babe.” JD hovered in the air to fix the machine. “But first, I want to see the truth, Razi.”“You can’t handle the truth.”True to his word, once JD was back on the ground, Razi set the highest score without using magic. Arielle had gotten the second highest score without her powers. JD and Sophia struggled to break it until her arms were sore. They even resorted to hitting the mallet down at the same time.“Fine. You win. Now, we need to find something Sophia’s the best at.”She groaned and sank onto the sparse grass for a well deserved sit. “Good luck with that.”“Don’t be so quick to dismiss yourself.” Arielle told her.JD smirked. “Yeah, maybe there’s a nerd booth.”“What the hell is a nerd booth?” Sophia asked, indignant.Suddenly, the illusion turned off, as sharply as if a fuse had broken. The music and lights was gone, the moving parts skidded to a stop, and the sky was as dark as night. When did it get so late? Everything was still. The ground was covered in debris again and the ferris wheel was all rusted over. Fog rose up from the ground so thickly that Sophia could barely see her shoes. Everything was obscured, except the vague shapes of the bigger landmarks. This scene never plays out well in horror movies.“Razi, what the hell? I mean the nightmare things is way more awesome, but you could at least give us a heads-up.”“Is everything okay?”“This wasn’t me.” Razi was just as shocked as them. What? “Something else broke the illusion.”“Do you feel that?” Arielle asked. “There’s someone else here.”Razi turned wary, and the others followed his lead. But there was nothing else around them, except for the empty park and the sudden chill in the air and the sound of the wind.“What’s going on…” JD’s shoulders were hunched, ready to show their wings again at any second.Razi and Sophia traded a look. Didn’t it feel this way in Indianapolis? The fog was terrible there too, and it was too dark and too cold to be a normal night. But I don’t hear any whispering this time. Then – in the distance, through the gloam – she spotted a small white glow. It didn’t flicker like a star or blink like a lightning bug. It just hung there in the air.“Do you three see that?” Sophia asked. Something pulled her towards it, some instinct, even some memory of caring for Grace.“Sophia-!”It was too late. She was already running for the light and heard the footsteps of the others as they followed. The fog parted to reveal a carousel, and Sophia realized the pale light wasn’t floating in mid-air. It was on the ride. She skidded to a stop when she was close enough to see more detail. Sophia’s mouth dropped open."Razi, what-?!"
The glow was coming from a little girl who was sitting alone on one of the wooden horses. The white light illuminated her features and the cracked paint of the carousel, but… She’s translucent? Suddenly, ‘where are your parents’ is the last of my questions. “Is that a ghost? Tell me I’m not the only one seeing this.”Razi settled protective hands over Sophia’s shoulders.“A spirit…” Arielle whispered. “I felt a spirit?”“Okay. This is more weirdness than I planned, I promise.” JD told them.The little girl opened her mouth. Her whisper was familiar and sad. “I tried to warn you…she’s coming.”“What?” The fear was plain in Sophia’s voice.“The witch. She’ll be here soon…”“Who?!” But even as the words left her mouth, Sophia knew the answer. It settled heavily in her stomach as the little girl gave a weak smile.Razi’s hands squeezed Sophia’s shoulders. “Baba Yaga.”“Yes…I am so sorry. She’s already on her way.”