Devil in Disguise (Kai Parker)

Chapter Twenty-Two: Stupidity

It was possibly the stupidest thing Meg had ever done – and she had made some rather questionable decisions. And yet, it seemed to be working.

‘Righto, here we go.’ Kai muttered, flipping several switches at once and grinning as the engine started to roar. Bonnie was still passed out, and strapped in a chair as if it was a straightjacket. Meg was concealed in a bathroom, the door opened just a crack so she could see what was going on.

Yeah, it was stupid.

But it was the last place Kai would ever expect her to be, and it was a good way of seeing what was going on. Being out of the loop could lead to her doom.

Through the crack in the door, she saw Kai fiddling with the controls, smirking in that annoying way he did when he was doing something impressive. The plane jolted forwards and his voice rang through the intercom, ‘This is your pilot Kai Parker speaking. We are about to take off. Destination: Portland, Oregon, and I request all electronic devices be turned off, for your own safety… like anyone ever believes that.’ he laughed. ‘Everyone should have their seatbelts on at this point, especially if you’re a judge-y little witch called Bonnie Bennett.’

Meg rose her eyebrows as she felt the plane move smoothly beneath her. He could actually fly this thing. Well, he had had twenty years with nothing to delay him. This must’ve been one of his little hobbies.

She grimaced, leaning against the cool walls. The toilet stall was small and claustrophobic, and she’d have to be here for a while. How long was it to Portland? She had no idea, but she checked her watch anyway. It was 8.56 AM.

***

It was 1.17 PM. Five hours had passed, with Meg getting sleepier and sleepier every minute. She wanted nothing more right now than to drift off into sleep. The adrenaline that had kick-started her heart before had long since gone. The only thing keeping her awake now was sheer will-power. And Kai’s voice piercing through the intercom every few minutes.

‘This is your pilot once more, ladies and gentleman.’ he said, with an over-exaggerated flourish. ‘We will be landing shortly, so you should… I don’t know, start waking up?’

Meg smiled sleepily; they were landing. Finally. She had never been on a plane before; it was a lot more boring than she expected. Or maybe it was just because she’d spent it stuck in a toilet stall. There was a slight bump as the machine landed on the tarmac, but otherwise it was as smooth as could be expected. Meg was starting to be impressed.

Through the crack in the door, she saw a shadow fall upon the chewing-gum matted floor. The sound of footsteps soon followed. She cocked her head groggily. It took her until she saw a hand drift nearer to the door that she realised someone was coming.

Eyes widening, she shot forward and shut the door as silently and swiftly as she could and flipping the catch. Her heart was racing again as she heard the footsteps stop, and a tense pause follow. Then, Kai muttered, ‘It must’ve been locked on that day.’ and the footsteps continued down the plane, to the next toilet.

Meg leant her head against the cool door, heart thumping. Damn it. He nearly gave her a heart attack. He really was good at that.

Several minutes later, the footsteps returned, and though Meg didn’t dare unlock the door, she could hear the sounds of something heavy being scooped up and carried down the steps. She got up and stretched, going through it all in her head again.

The plan was to wait for Kai to leave with Bonnie, and then go to the Gemini Coven’s old house. It was obvious that was Kai’s final destination. Now that Bonnie was here, he’d have someone to show it to, and to try and wrangle some pity out of. She’d hover in the background, watch everything that was going on, and then hop back in that dreadful bathroom stall and follow them wherever they wanted to go. And, if they had no grand plan, that would be her existence for the rest of eternity. She could already feel the boredom creeping up on her.

There was a loud commotion outside, breaking through the silence. It sounded like Kai was stealing a car. Sighing – the first noise she’d made all day – she unlocked the door and stepped out of the enclosed space, stretching her limbs just because she could. Running a hand through her hair, she cautiously approached the window and looked outside.

There was only one car moving. It was rather bizarre, seeing the streets full of cars that had been half-heartedly dragged to the side but only seeing one move. As the vehicle passed a hill and left her sight, she skipped to the door (Kai had left it open; it wasn’t like he had to worry about thieves) and ran down the steps.

Oh, wow. Portland. This was all so familiar. She shook her head, smiling despite herself. So many memories. The train station she had destroyed, the school, the old bar by the town borders…

Rather overcome, she spotted the nearest car and quickly started hot-wiring it.

***

There was music coming from the house as she approached it, and voices audible through the open window. Meg remembered a small patch of shrubbery, right by the kitchen window, that Kai and her used to hide in so they could sneak snacks from the fridge when no-one was looking. It had been perfect; it was too awkward a positon to be seen from the window, but perfect for looking in. She sat behind it, automatically making sure the sparse leaves covered her face, and peered in.

It looked like Kai was cooking. Steam was rising gently from several pots on the hob, engulfing the room in the smell of pasta and tomatoes. Meg’s stomach started to rumble and she fidgeted, uneasy. Please say they hadn’t heard that. But they didn’t seem to be listening.

‘Smells great!’ Kai said enthusiastically, going around the table to stir the pile of lumpy spaghetti. So much for a Thanksgiving feast. ‘Not exactly a turkey dinner, but it’s what my family had in the fridge on May 10th, 1994.’

Bonnie was there, sitting at the table, face melancholy. Meg winced a bit when she saw the witch. True, she didn’t remember anything about the drowning – Meg was fairly sure she had burst some important blood cells to make her forget – but she’d never be able to look at her again without feeling guilty.

The witch wasn’t listening. She picked up a small, black object from the table top and tossed it around, throwing it from hand to hand. ‘Don’t touch that.’ Kai warned, looking up from his spaghetti preparations.

She snorted, putting it back on the table. ‘Your pager? Why?’

‘Because it’s brand new,’ he popped a tomato into his mouth, ‘Looks cool, and I don’t want you to bust it.’ He walked up to the table and snatched up the pager.

A new pager. Wow, he really was cutting all ties.

‘Listen, Kai.’ Bonnie started. ‘My magic’s gone. Which means, we’ll be stuck her forever. Why don’t we just divide the world and go off on our separate ways?’

Kai fished around in the pasta with a pair of chopsticks. ‘I get it. I knocked you out, kidnapped you against your will… Can’t you see I’m trying to apologise?’

‘I will never trust you.’ Bonnie said forcefully, leaning her knuckles against the table. ‘Or like you, or enjoy your company for so much as one second so just quit trying. Just let me leave here, unharmed.’

Meg’s spirits fell slightly. So, there was no super-plan the witch was planning on doing… well, unless she was keeping it from Kai. That made sense.

There was a stressed silence before Kai allowed, ‘Fine. Can we at least have one last dinner conversation before my eternity of aloneness resumes?’

‘So… you agree?’ Bonnie had to make sure; she couldn’t miss the fact that Kai wouldn’t look her in the eye. ‘One last dinner, and then we peacefully go our separate ways?’

‘In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I’ll even let you take my car.’ he was chipper as he doled out portions of spaghetti.

She considered it, and then reached for the wine. ‘How can I help?’