No Good Witches | ONC √

Negotiating With Terrorists

"I don't understand. It should've worked!"

"Not another word, Cassandra." Mallory growled. "I swear to god, if I die in this shit hole because of you, I'm taking back the tickling I did to your tonsils." Her voice was low—it had to be. There weren't as many shadows prowling the halls (it was more like a lurk at this point) but they were still out there and just as deadly.

We'd escaped to the basement and now moved slowly through it's depths to avoid detection.

I rolled my eyes. "Please. That kiss lasted like five seconds. I've been more intimate with my dentist." I swung out my phone flashlight and caught sight of it—the wisp of darkness. I pulled back, pressing flat against the wall beside me and watching Mallory do the same.

She tilted her head. "You go to the dentist? I couldn't tell."

I shook my head, peering past Mallory and to the shadow as it drifted passed the shelves and out of sight. "We put Alvarado's shadow back in her body. It doesn't make sense."

Jesse and Sofiane were with Alvarado. We think. Things got a bit messy but I was too busy being scared shitless to even think about a world in which they weren't okay.

Mallory turned her head away from me, looking in the same direction I was. Seeing the coast was clear she stepped away from me and continued into the darkness. "Have you considered the possibility that you don't know everything?"

"What?"

"Maybe it's not only Alvarado's shadow Rebecca's been carrying around. Maybe she's got demons of her own."

"No, she couldn't have—"

"How does that make any less sense than your theory?" She turned quick to look at me, what little I could see of her face in this darkness all thunder and lightning. "You assumed Rebecca was the damsel in distress and then ran off to save her without hesitation."

I frowned, flinching away from a woosh I heard in the distance. "Jesus, Mallory, are we really doing this now?"

She laughed, shaking her head. "I don't know why I'm surprised. You hold that girl up on a pedestal and get mad at me for calling you out. You never thought for even a second that she wasn't the victim?"

"You can't seriously be blaming Rebecca for all this."

"I seriously am!" Mallory (thankfully) had the tact to whisper yell. "She has her shit. Because of course she has her shit. So do I. For some reason you seem to believe you're the only one who gets dark and stormy. Like you've got the whole 'disenfranchised asshole' bit fucking patented."

"I don't—"

"Yes, you do." Mallory looked sharply away from me. "With your capital E empty reserves of empathy, you really have no place to be calling me a disney villain."

Wow. Felt that one. And it's not like what she was saying wasn't true. "...I'm sorry." I said. "I've been fucking awful to you, alright? Not that you haven't been awful too but. I guess that's not the point..."

"If you could get to it before we're murdered, please?"

"You are so—mm. Listen. I don't think you're a disney villain. Or, I do, but in a hot way."

She crossed her arms and looked me over. "Maleficent or Mother Gothel?"

"Oh Maleficent all the way."

She fought a smile. "Good answer."

We stood there for a moment before turning forward and continuing through the basement. Together.