The World I Knew Isn't The Same Anymore

Chapter 19 Calming Before the Storm

"There's one more thing I didn't tell you," Chase's deep voice is carried along the morning chilly wind. His lips barely on top of his turtle neck sweater and he shoves his hands in the pockets of his furry jacket, both to keep warm and because of the uncomfortable truth he still hadn't told Bree.

Lacey seems to huff and her breath is a cloud of smoke, "what is it?" Her shimmering bright blue eyes look forward as her gloved hands fiddle with the end of her scarf. It's been almost two years since she's gone to Francine's office.

"You like Bree, right?" Chase fingers tap against his hips from the inside of his warm pockets.

His question has made the tall blonde girl giggle, easing some of her nerves by such a simple question. "Of course, she's amazing," then snaps her neck to give him a side glare grin. "I'm sure you like her too... a lot."

He ignores the last of her comment and chooses to say his next words fast, like ripping off a bandage. "She has demon blood in her. Francine knows it, and I'm sure Arthur and his family do too, and I think that's why they're so weary."

"What?" Lacey has stopped dead in her tracks, only a couple feet away from the building where Francine's office is. Not because she's afraid or suddenly thinks different of Bree, but more so out of curiosity. "How's that possible? I thought only down worlders and cursed magic users can have that... and does she not know?" Lacey narrows her eyes at her last question.

Chase turns around to face her, stopping now to a couple feet ahead of her. He shakes his head no. "I mean it's not impossible, it's rare as hell but certainly possible. Genevieve had the same thing. Either way she also has goddess blood in her, which alone makes her incredibly powerful."

Lacey recalls the few times she's seen Bree actually use magic - when she busted up the robot demon and kicked Monica out of her head - and agrees with Chase. "You should tell her before she finds out another way. She might not freak out if you explain that it doesn't automatically make her bad, but if she finds out then she might spiral," her feet pick up and fall inline with Chase again, both continuing to Francine's office.

Chase huff's out in the annoyance that Lacey's right, she's always been keen at empathizing with others emotions. "You're right," he says in defeat and guilt of having kept this for so long. "I'll tell her today."

The pair look up at the much shorter, but also much wider, building. Out of all the buildings at Shoreline, this was seems the most basic. Its rectangular shaped with just a slight curve in the roof, the bay windows leading into the entry way is a nice touch though. Once they enter they immediately unbutton their winter gear as the heaters drastically change the temperature. They give a warm smile to the old lady, Shelly, who seems to have been working here for centuries. They never have asked why she's still here or what she is, instead they make a straight beeline before stopping at the door with a gold plate labeled Francine.

"You're gonna do most of the talking, right?" Her lips curl into a wide tooth smile as she crunches her eyes together.

"Sure," he replies almost catatonically before knocking on the door.

It doesn't take long before the two hear rustling of footsteps before the golden knob turns and Francine cracks the door open. When she realizes it's two students, she opens it wider and gestures for them to come. Francine looks more vibrant today than the previous times Chase has seen her. Her skin is flawless and almost seems to have a glow, and her platinum blonde hair is almost as white as the snow that was once on the ground.

Lacey and Chase take a seat across her desk, and Francine repeats her familiar movements of folding her hands together upon the wooden top, staring straight at the two offering a small smile. Chase doesn't doubt that Francine is intelligent, and he watches as she looks more towards Lacey than she does him, and that's because she's fully aware of Lacey's power.