Witch, Missing (#3 in the Witches Trilogy) -ON HIATUS-

Chapter Four: Thinking Out Loud

//people fall in love in mysterious ways//

Vera

"This is probably way cooler than it should be." I admit.

"You see?" CJ jumps onto the enthusiasm bandwagon.

Kieran is still stubbornly on the hard-to-please train. I guess it's hard to be impressed by much after you've seen the last existing shrine to the Sprite Queen in the world. Still, this place is honestly amazing. It's the first place I've encountered that's so diversely magical, where you're just as likely to come across fairies as you are werewolves, and both are usually exclusive communities.

Speaking of which...

"Joshua." Russell yells as we go up to the lanky fairy. Joshua, the Fairy Queen's Secretary at the age of twenty-four, nearly drops the stuff he's carrying in surprise. When he sees us his face lights up. He does that guy-hug thing with Russell and then claps CJ on the back.

"I like how you guys never said a word to me."

CJ has a great poker face. "Some secrets are meant to be kept." But he winks.

Joshua pulls us into the nearest tent, a blue exco one that apparently belongs to him. Sarah and Parker trail in. "It's like a TARDIS." Sarah explains.

"Or a Pokeball," Parker follows up.

"Bigger on the inside." They finish off together with a laugh. You can tell they've done it several times before.

It is bigger on the inside, and somehow sturdy, too. It's a full out office, with a small division demarcating the sleeping area. It's crazy organised, though, papers neatly filed into labelled folders and stacked with more labels. 

"I was wondering when they were going to get you guys in." Joshua says. "I mean, come on. Everyone's dying to get the two of them in here, at the very least, just for the guarantee that the other side doesn't."

"Excuse me." Kieran says frostily.

Joshua shrugs, acknowledging his tactlessness. "It's true. Vera's a veritable magical powerhouse, and you're, well, no one quite knows, but you're something worth keeping an eye on."

The cold look doesn't melt off Kieran's face. Hard to, given that Joshua literally just told us to our faces we were only worth as much as our power. Russ frowns and nudges Joshua. The latter shrugs again. "Have you been to your own tents?"

"We're heading there now." CJ explains. 

We leave Joshua in his tent and go to find our new homes. "So, like, everyone gets their own tent?"

"More or less. Small kids get put with parents or siblings, usually, and sometimes people opt to be roomies. Tenties. Whatever. Here-they had a team put them up a couple minutes ago." CJ stops us by a spot at the bend of the stream, where a cluster of identical tents stand. "Yeah. There's one for each of you but if you want to share let me know. You can put up your own wards and all... just nothing that will kill trespassers, okay? Oh, yeah, and feel free to send a message to any of your other friends who'll want to come along. Once we clear them they're free to stay, too." 

Once CJ finishes his spiel he, Sarah and Parker go off, leaving the four of us standing there awkwardly. Finally Russell shrugs. "Well, pick a tent." 

Kieran predictably goes off for the one nearest the water. I pick the one next to it and wander into my TARDIS tent. Not an exco like Joshua's, it's plain off-white. Inside there's a basic cot, a shelf, a table, a light. Not very snazzy. Kieran pops his head in. "You haven't done your wards."