Witch Doctors Inc: SEASON ONE (Completed!)

Part 6.1

ADDY

"Why did she disappear like that?" Maya asks, scrutinising the cherry tea under her nose.

Addy rubs her eyes before replying. There are suspicious wet stains around them, resembling dried tears. "It's her teleportation power. There's no use hiding it anymore, I suppose, now that you've both seen...what happened. Lily is a witch."

"YES!" Ruby shouts. "I KNEW IT!"

Maya gives her a stern look.

"I mean, I...I'm not happy about it or anything. I'm just saying...I knew it." Ruby scratches her head sheepishly.

Addy turns to Maya. "Did you already know?"

"I suspected something like that, but I didn't know the details." Maya takes a sip of her cherry tea, cringes, then adds a spoonful of sugar. "I know she lied about the alien case you two worked for me. I was pretty sure there was something magical, or at least out of the ordinary, about her."

"I always knew," Ruby brags, "right from the fire incident. I mean, come on - everything around her blows up or produces frogs. That's not normal."

"Lily knew you were onto her," Addy tells her. "She knew about the investigation squad too."

Ruby shrugs. "Why keep it a secret though? What's wrong with being a witch anyway?"

Maya takes another sip of her cherry tea. "People don't exactly have high opinions of witches." She places the teacup of Addy's tea table, and leans back into the sofa.

Onyx pounces on Addy's pink glitter cushions.

Ruby peers at him with interest. "Witches have been persecuted for a thousand years, but it was mostly just silly prejudice," she says. She gives Onyx a shrewd look. "Addy, I thought you said this cat can talk."

"He can! Onyx, say hello to Ruby and Maya."

Onyx looks up from the pillows innocently. Meow, he says.

"Oh Onyx, don't be like that..."

Maya, finished with her tea, fixes Addy with an impassive stare. "None of this explains why Lily bolted without even saying goodbye."

An uncomfortable silence fills Addy's quarters. She squirms a little before answering. "Lily wasn't herself," she admits quietly. "She acted like she didn't care about us. Like we were nothing to her. I'm worried. She... tried a really dangerous spell, and..."

Maya, seeing Addy's eyes fill with tears, puts a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure Lily just needed her space," she says.

Addy shakes her head. "There's something about Lily you need to know. She's a reincarnation."

Ruby's eyes widen. "I think we're going to need more tea," she says.

"Agreed." Maya pours some more out of the flask. "Why don't you start from the beginning, Addy."

"Okay."

Onyx hops into Addy's lap. She puts her chin on his warm forehead, takes a deep breath, and begins. "A long time ago, there was a planet called Phaedra..."