A Witch's Way

Chapter 22

Serena woke from the couch with a loud bang, and then a crash. She jumped up, still tangled in the pink blanket, to see Melanie half off the couch, her hand on the table. Beside her laid a broken vase, the soil spilled out all over the tiled floor.

Serena shook her head, an amused smile on her face. She brushed the blanket off of her body and it fell to the floor. She would sweep it up, but she didn't know where the broom was--and she didn't want to wake anyone up from her looking. She wandered over to the map, wondering if Lillith needed to bring this back.

Maybe she could untape it from the table. That can't be good for the wood. She tugged at the map, surprised to see that it was securely taped to the table. It wasn't going anywhere without the tape being cut.

Serena walked to the kitchen and opened a few drawers quietly, trying to find a knife, or some scissors. "There!" she muttered, reaching into the drawer to find a knife. It wasn't so sharp that it could draw blood, but it was sharp enough to get the job done. She walked back out into the living room, hoping that no one came into the room.

Afterall, how would she explain her, hovering over the table with a knife, with Melanie halfway on the floor and a shattered vase? She sawed at the map, peeling up and pulling at it. She ripped the rest of the tape off and stared at the back, stomach dropping. The knife was long forgotten, kicked underneath the table by Serena's foot after she dropped it.

Light, careful pencil writing was on the back, so light that you could barely see it unless you lifted it up and held it a certain way. Some of it was smudged, but a part of it was visible.

Get them to trust you, one way or another. Bring them to us. - J. Gein

Serena stared at the writing, hands shaking. No. Garrett and Lillith couldn't have--

"Serena? What are you doing with the map?" Lillith asked, sauntering into the room from the hallway. "What's that?"

Serena whirled around and felt the map crinkle underneath her fingers. She didn't know what to do. She swallowed and smiled, "Nothing! I just...wanted to make sure the map didn't get wet. Melanie knocked off the vase, see?" Serena said, pointing towards the broken vase.

Lillith sighed and pulled her hair to the side, pursing her lips. "Again? That's the third vase we've gone through this month. By the way, I better be getting back to the building. Garrett already left, but I wanted to get back the map.

Melanie shifted and her hand slumped down onto the floor. She snorted and shot upwards, banging her head on the table. "Ow, shit!" she snapped, blinking when she saw Serena and Lillith staring at her like she had just killed a kitten. "I mean...ow, shoot?"

Serena stiffened when Lillith's eyes landed on the crumpled map. Her fingers tightened on it, averting her eyes.

"Aw, Serena! How am I gonna explain that to Erik and the others?" Lillith whined, ripping the map from Serena's fingers. "Okay, shoot, I gotta go. I'll see you guys tonight."

Lillith moved her way toward the door, Melanie sitting up and sauntering over to the kitchen when the door knocked once.

Everyone froze. Serena saw Stella's head peek out from behind the doorway in the hall and her eyes flicked to the door. She could see Ian and Lyra behind Stella, just as nervous at the mysterious knock on the door.

Lillith lifted a finger towards her lips and tip-toed toward the door. She peered out of the window and stepped back, face pale. "Ru--"

The door flung open, slamming Lillith against the wall. She fell to the ground, slumped over, her fingers limp around the map.