In this world, some people are inhabited by spirits from another realm, someone has to clean up the messes before all of us normal humans find out. But what with deaths, magic, stress, and the dangers of being full of spirits, how much can a person...
*Author's Note: The chapter starts with Lexi's perspective, then Diana, then Lexi again. I really have to find a better way to manage this POV thing.
Lexi, Allison, Taylor, and Corduroy stood across the street from the SAEPTA main building. Mr. M. had driven the Civic and trailer into the parking garage. It was breezy and cold. Normal weather, then. Allison ushered them towards a busy intersection. They stood there, watching traffic. It was taking forever. Lexi shuffled and pushed up her glasses. She was getting impatient. She needed the gateway now. Finally, the light turned and the cars stopped. The group walked across the street hurriedly. They stopped before SAEPTA's huge revolving glass doors. Allison sighed.
"We can't go through reception. There'd be questions. We'll take the parking garage elevators." She speed-walked farther down the block to SAEPTA's garage. Once to the elevators, she swiped her Regiment Major's ID in the slot. The doors dinged open. Everyone stepped inside. Lexi stared ahead as the doors closed again. She felt sick.
Diana stood in the middle of her floor, nervous. No messages. From anyone. Not at all. She wondered vaguely what Allison had meant. Her phone buzzed. She practically fell across the room, grabbing her phone with both hands and fumbling to unlock it.
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She stood and stared at her screen. It went black. She kept staring. Then, she thought, 'Yeah, Di, why not. You got nothing else to do. Bet this has something to do with that bitchlet. Bet Imma getta fix it. Yeah.' She walked stiffly to the stairs, and down to the Centre Room. She went to the nearest cubicle. Some 20-ish boy with too much hair and glasses looked up at her.
"Can I help-" She cut him off.
"I need to reserve Beseeching Room 7 for an indefinite amount of time. Do it." She slammed her hand down on his desk.
"On it, ma'am," he sighed. Diana spun on her heel and walked back to the BR on her floor, number seven. She pushed the door open and slumped against the wall. No new messages. The doors opened again.
Lexi stumbled inside BR7 and ran past Diana to her Patron't altar. There was an overturned box of chicken nuggets. She swiped them aside and laid her forehead on the altar.
'Please, please, please help me with this. Give me strength to go into the Fog. Help the others keep the door open. Please, please, please...'
She stood up and turned around. "Diana, game plan, here goes. You and Corduroy over here are gonna open a gateway to the fog-no, don't interrupt me, Diana-and hold it-yes, hold it-while I go in and rescue an Elemental Spig. You're not gonna let it close-I see that face-until I come out, dead or alive, got it?"
Diana's mouth hung open. "You're crazy. There's no way I'm doing that. No way. Nope, I'm out." She turned towards the door.
Allison stepped in front of it, stance wide and arms crossed. "No. No you're not, hon. My orders as your Major. Have you contacted your Patron lately?"
Diana twitched. "No."
Allison flung out a hand, pointing to the altars. "Go. Beg. You'll need it."
Diana flinched. So did Lexi, standing next to the altar Allison indicated. Deflating, Diana mumbled, "Yes, Haunch." Allison looked at her pointedly. Diana shrunk more. "Yes, Regiment Major" She slumped back to the shrine and knelt, avoiding Lexi's eye.
Lexi watched as Diana laid her forehead on the platform. Her vision began to telescope. What was she doing? This was a literal suicide mission. She was going to die. 'And if I do, who will remember me?' She shook herself and forced her eyes to focus on the top of Diana's head. She had to do it. Keeping her voice as steady as she could, she turned to Allison and said, "I'm going to be in the Fog until I rescue Lee or die, so keep the door open as long as possible. Diana, you're going to lead opening the door and-" Lexi's eyes fell on Corderoy, shuffling behind Allison. He looked at her warily. It dawned on her that he had no idea what was going on, hadn't gone to orientation, wasn't even a real member or SAEPTA, and probably was unqualified in a bunch of other ways. She tightened the corners of her mouth. "-and Allison, can you tell Corderoy what's going on? I need to use the bathroom." She took one step and her foot met chicken nugget. Grumbling under her breath, she sidestepped the carnage and walked swiftly out of the BR and to a bathroom down the hall.
On the toilet, Lexi stared at the door. This was impossible. This was crazy. She was going crazy.There was no way she could go into the Fog and rescue Jeanie Lee. She would die. Or maybe worse. Stories of the Fog were pretty inconsistent, considering nobody ever really told the tale. Someone opened the bathroom door. Chunky Converse stopped in front of her stall. Taylor's voice came softly from above the converse and behind the doors.
"Lexi, come out now. I have junk." He knocked lightly.
"Junk? What are you-?" Lexi had no intention of leaving the bathroom.
Taylor laughed. "No, no, oh my God-Junk food!" He laughed again. "I'd slide it under, but its, like, aids in here."
Lexi stifled a giggle. "Is it, though? Isn't the boy's room worse?"
Silence. Then Taylor said, "I don't know. I don't, like, use the boy's room here? Basically ever? Not because I'm not-I'm a boy, its just weird in there. There's always weird spirit residue and guys just hanging out and smoke and-well, there was a year and a half ago."
This time Lexi did giggle. "You haven't used SAEPTA's boy's room in a year and a half? What? That's some dedication!" She stood up. "Now, lemme at that trash food."
Glossary (In alphabetical order):
Beseeching Room: A room with altars to various spirits where Spigs can contact their Patrons, specifically to ask for more power or a favor etc.
Patron: A being, usually confined to the Fog that puts some of itself or its power into a person, no matter the motive or circumstance
SAEPTA: A company that hushes up Spiritual Activity among Barreds, trains Spigs, and does some other magicy stuff; The company Allison, Lexi, Taylor, and Mr.M work for; Directed by Pule (Spiritual Activity Erasure and Projection Training Association)
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