Chapter Seventeen #2
She rolled her neck from side to side as her legs drew closer to her body like a cat curling up in the chair. I could see her toes flex as the nails extended out before sucking back in like claws coming and going.
“There’s a young woman with white hair… She’s your kin?” She asked, cutting her eyes at me.
“By marriage, yes.”
“Hmmmph…. They talk about her and the white church…”
“Anything else about the First Family or Dr. Marvin Holmes?”
She shook her head and for a moment, I thought she was lying but something tells me she might be telling the truth.
“Those names mean nothing above ground. First Family, Dr. Holmes…none of that holds any weight here. Only the witches who control and govern their territories mean something. The cats only speak about the witches, and they only speak about the white church. Some of my familiars have already been to the location several times with their families. I heard talks of the Underground being broken where anybody can get in.”
I felt my body grow stiff as she went on.
“The families aren’t really worth mentioning as they’re low common witches, but they all talk and meet at that church.”
I gripped my chin trying to think of past conversations before my mind settled on Dr. Marvin T. Holmes. He attempted to tell me something that day when I paid him a visit.
“What about the church?” I finally asked. “Do they say anything about why they’re visiting or gathering around the church?”
The door opened as Trevor walked in with the biggest grin on his face. The woman stood up all smiles as she put her cigarette out.
“You found your forever familiar?” She asked.
“I think I might have. We just finished up the paperwork,” he said as he walked in.
“Ahh!” The woman beamed with a clap. “Please, do not hesitate to stop by if you have any questions… We’ll get her ready for you just before you leave Mississippi.”
We were escorted outside just as quickly as we were let in and I could see all the cats walking about the house, all scattered about until the woman gently touched the back of my arm.
“The cats say the witches are gathering at the church at night,” she whispered.
Looking around, she suddenly snatched her hand in the air like she grabbed something before becoming still.
“I don’t want the wind to carry my words into the ears of others…
but they gather at the church at night because they are trying to figure out how to do it again. ”
She smiled with all of her teeth showing. Slipped back into the house and closed the door shut with every single light going out. I walked down the stairs and met with Trevor who was just getting off the phone when he saw the look on my face.
“The little kitten was cute, Himora. I think you’re going to like her, and I think our baby will like her too.” When Trevor noticed my expression hadn’t changed, he finally realized something was off.
“What? What did she tell you?”
“I was wrong,” I admitted. His brows jumped to his hairline before he backed up as if I grew a second head.
“The Himora Clarke? WRONG? Naaaaah…. Can’t be!” He laughed. Now that it was night with the sun out of the way, his energy seemed to be much better in comparison to the heat and sun during the day.
“I was wrong about everything,” I said. Trevor stopped smiling as he looked down at me.
“What did she say?”
My phone started to ring as I quickly reached in my back pocket to grab the hot screen. The number wasn’t familiar to me, but I decided to answer anyway on speaker.
“This is Himora Clarke speaking…”
“Ms. Clarke,” a deep voice said as Trevor immediately grabbed the phone. “This is Harvey, we met briefly at Ms. Norwood’s house that night… Do you have a moment?”
Harmless Harvey
I stared at the pocket watch in my hand, watching the gold trinket tick every second before clamping it shut.
Slipping it into my pocket, I looked at the lamp post that stood at the end of the town square in Cedar Park.
Everyone was out partying and walking around, enjoying the night markets just two days out before the event.
Drew Collins was filled with students from all over with cars parked along the side streets.
The newest part of the campus where it was originally meant for the sister school was now being used as dorms for the rival teams and their close family.
Cedar Park itself was filled with shops that were closed after staying open late, the abandoned train station that was covered in creeping vines and weeds, and the railroad tracks that had the train coming every other hour was now closed.
Security and police weren’t on guard as much as they should have been, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to stand in the middle of the street looking suspicious.
Looking to my right, I saw the stretched-out fields of parked cars lining the winding back roads and then looked to my left to see the town and iron gates that lined the school behind me.
I could smell the water hidden within the trees and even catch a glimpse of the lake between branches that held the underground classrooms below.
Sighing, I flipped my watch back open and looked at the time with an impatient tap of my foot.
“Why does it seem like time moves slower down here?” I muttered to myself.
Adjusting my collar shirt around the neck, I caught the flickering of the lamp post at the end of the street.
Pausing, I watched as it flashed three times before turning bright red.
I took off, walking swiftly across the street with my hands slipped into my slacks as I stepped onto the main street of Cedar Park.
Colony Square courtyard was filled with brick pathways with grass trailing around it.
A bronzed man with a thick fro and a falcon held up on his arm was only ever named Woodrow and as my watch ticked impatiently loud against my ear, I walked right up to the old man and whistled for the bird on his arm.
Just out the side of my mouth and only for the creature to hear.
I glanced back to make sure no one was watching as the bird’s head twitched and blinked before looking down at me.
“Angel of the Waters,” I commanded.
Waiting, I watched Woodrow blink and move his head around, cracking it from side to side before he suddenly leaned his bronzed body down to peer at me. I stared with a straight face just inches from his hardened nose when he huffed with a suck of his teeth.
“Business,” I cut in irritably.
“I didn’t ask,” he grumbled. Old bitter magic was all this man would ever be, but it was useful to travel this way instead of by doors that were constantly being monitored.
He suddenly turned his head to look behind him as the faint visual of brick archways and golden lights underneath appeared.
Without another word, I walked forward, passing up the grumpy statue as I stepped into the lit arches.
One glance back over my shoulder, and I could see Cedar Park fading like a mirage in the desert, but I could hear the laughter and see complexions and races of people from all over before me.
The Bethesda statue in Central Park, otherwise known as Angel of the Water stood in her glory above the fountain as people sat around taking pictures and conversing with one another.
It was still late at night well before things calmed down as I began to take my leave towards my destination.
The pocket watch stopped clicking but my phone began to ring, and I smiled without even looking at the screen because I knew who it was.
For now, my baby would just have to wait.
I stepped in between a slither of two brick buildings seeing a door appear the width of my shoulders and barely above the average height of a man at the very end of my path. Reaching in my pocket for my wallet, I fumbled around before pulling out my work ID.
Harvey Benjamin Mayes.
Underground Bureau of Investigations.
Senior Investigative Officer.
Consultant Specialist.
Tapping my card on the door that had no knob or handle, I waited until I heard the magical clicks and the rumblings of the building shift before pushing it open to step inside.
“Hey Tracy,” I greeted. The older woman at the front desk was talking away on the phone as she clicked her long colorful nails together and blew an air kiss with her bright purple lipstick.
The lobby was nothing more than a white room with a few chairs, a table and Times magazines that were a few decades old.
I stepped to the only silver doors that split on arrival and pressed the arrow going up. Closing my eyes, I rotated my neck from side to side as my ears felt the pressure of being shoved up several feet into the air.
Ding!
The doors parted ways as the sound of laughter, heavy footsteps in the loafers and smell of fresh papers being printed and passed was the first to hit my senses as I stepped off.
The arched ceilings had lights hanging every few feet from the metal pipes that held this place together.
The tinted glass ceiling showed the night sky and other high-rise buildings around us when I looked over the railing and down below.
The network of cubicles and lounge areas surrounded a large water fountain with a statue of Malcolm Douglas standing tall in his officer uniform.
“Harvey!?”
I looked up at the sound of my name as my brother poked his head out of my office to wave me over. Dropping my things at the door, I stepped inside while Cedric dropped down on the couch and motioned for the door to be shut.
“So I got more information about what could possibly happen this weekend,” he said.
Walking over to my desk, I noticed the scattered paperwork of different students from witches being connected to the Southern Five, to the missing sun princess from the Solhari kingdom, even the drafts from researching that fucking cat that hung around Souxie.
“I’m not so sure the alumni are remaining docile and neutral in this either. ”