Destiny's Witch (BxB)

Chapter 32: The Abyss

Perry

The butterflies in my stomach are strangled by the strength of the seatbelt as Porter makes the most of the gas pedal. A blue Fiat in front of us flips him off as we turn into the police station. I spot my mother's grey Outlander out front as Porter pulls in next to her.

The Solstice Police Department looks good for its age. The architecture reminds me of the High School, as most buildings in town share the same older architecture, having been built by the same company.

The red brick building is disrupted by large, long glass windows. A pair of double doors are almost indistinguishable from the windows unless someone is entering or exiting the building.

A memory of my father making Porter and I clean the "Solstice PD" lawn sign when we were younger finds its way into the forefront of my mind. We would spend hours making the sign sparkle. Dad joined in occasionally, mostly when we started playing around too much.

Porter and I bicker as we enter the reception area. The light wood paneling along the walls is offset by the dark cerulean marble floor. The lobby is busy as we stop at the front desk.

Ashley, a receptionist with black hair with blue highlights and red lipstick, greets us. Despite Ashley's youthful appearance, she is the senior of the two. She is well-liked by most of the station, especially the younger officers.

Ashley explains my mother is already in my father's office. Her tone suggests things are not going well. Porter does not hear what I have heard as he proceeds to flirt with her until I pull him away.

We head into the office where rows of desks are placed. The room is as busy as it always is. We slip through the busy room and find Alan's office at the far side of the room.

Porter suggests I knock as I throw the door open to find Alan leaning on the desk. Penny stands in front of him with her arms folded over her chest. The two were clearly not having a fun romp before we burst in.

My father's office is much like his den at home. A smaller brown leather sofa sits along the wall on the left side of the office. His huge cherry wood executive desk has a pair of matching leather chairs sitting in front of it.

The walls of the room hold multiple certificates as well as a few pictures of our family. An antique gun supposedly used by the founding sheriff is proudly displayed on the wall on the right.

Porter slams the door behind us as Alan straightens up from the desk.

"Perry? Porter? Shouldn't one of you be in school?" Alan says. "Why are you not in school, again, Perry?"

"It's fine. If they call for truancy, they'll literally just call you." I say.

"That's not funny." Penny interjects.

"Something happened at school that made us look for you at home. Imagine our surprise to find an unpleasant surprise in our house." Porter says.

"You were at the school? Why?" Penny asks.

"I was worried, and luckily, I went to check on him. He had a panic attack and caused a storm."

Penny gasps before speaking. "You caused the storm?! I knew it felt unnatural."

"That's the least strange thing that happened. The new guidance counselor is a vampire, if you'll remember. Well, she wants the dagger, too." Porter explains. "And then we went home after our confrontation with her and ran into Auntie Nat, who threatened us."

"Natalia Renner was in my house?! Did you know about this, Alan?" Penny says.

Alan clears his throat. "She was here, but I thought she left a while ago. Any other bad news?"

"If we wait a couple minutes, I'm sure something will happen." I say.

"Is it just me or is this terrifying? Shouldn't we be more worried about the vampire and the huntress?" Porter asks.

"Yes." Alan and Penny say simultaneously.

"Oh, come on! I'm trembling slightly at Little Ms. Kills-a-lot, but Auntie Dear isn't so scary. Well, she's a little whack-a-doo." I say.

"You can't take this lightly, Perry. Hunters have a strict moral code against supernatural creatures, specifically ones that are deemed dangerous beyond the norm." Alan says.

"You mean me? The Zion me or the witch me?" I ask.

"They're not different, Perry. And they both have what the Hunters want: the dagger." Alan says.

Alan's tone strikes me. His fear effortlessly becomes my fear. The stoic patriarch of our family is rarely dire, but his tone suggests he fears for my safety.

It rings an alarm for me.

A knock on the door interrupts the pause in our conversation. A cadet named Christopher Proctor sticks pointed nose through the door.

Christopher is a friend of Porter's who graduated a year before him. His usually messy auburn hair is slick with gel now. His clothes are pressed, unlike any previous time I have seen him before.

Christopher apologizes for interrupting but informs Alan there was another incident. Alan has taken to calling the 'animal' maulings 'incidents' instead of the supernatural attacks they truly are.

Alan excuses himself, leaving Porter, Penny and I to discuss today's events. He mentions that the conversation is not over. Penny and Porter begin discussing my powers as I drift off.

My attention is drawn to a shadow in the corner. The light shining through the windows illuminates the corner the shadows rests in, causing a paradox in my brain. The shadows dance slowly as a faint whispering hits my ears.

The shadow feels as if it is pulling energy from me.

"Perry!" Porter asks.

I shake my head to clear my head. Penny and Porter stare at me with concern as I look back to the corner. "You didn't hear that?" I ask.

"Hear what, baby?" Penny asks.

I look to my mother with a smile. "I'm sorry, I zoned." I say. "I missed the conversation. Can you repeat the question?"

"I said it's time you learned to channel your magic properly. We need to start training you on how to effectively use your magic." Penny says.

"Yeah! I agree—do you mind if I go to get food? I'm starving." I say.

"Sure. Do you want Porter or I to drop you off?" Penny asks.

"No! I'll walk. Run. One of those. Just need some air." I say.

I flash a quick smile as I slide out of the office. Something about the shadow frightens me. It felt cold, as if all the air was sucked out of the room.

With everything else going on, the last thing they could handle is me seeing things that are not there.