=:= Christopher =:=

Christopher returned to his suite after spending most of the morning in the hotel's gym. He showered and changed, then sat down to check his laptop.

It was Tuesday now, and this was now the fourth day he and his men had been waiting for orders. Christopher spent most of his time either in the gym, or going out on hours-long runs. It was the only way to keep himself from losing his temper.

He hated being stuck in limbo like this. Either let him finish the job, or recall him. He'd already done some planning, so he'd be ready should his bosses decide to approve his idea.

It would only take him three days to source the explosives and steal a delivery truck. With Anthony's assistance, they'd use magic to force the driver to take the vehicle up to the front of the cultists' home. Christopher would trigger the blast remotely, from a secure vantage-point where he could witness the destruction.

All he needed was approval, and the job would be done in three days.

Instead, he and his men were left waiting.

Christopher had no idea what Anthony was up to during this wait. The old wizard rarely left his room, apart from occasional visits to the hotel's restaurant. He was probably catching up on his reading or something equally dull.

Gabriel and Michael on the other hand were taking advantage of the fact that they were staying in a casino resort. The two had been gambling, they'd taken in some shows, they'd even done some touring and sight-seeing.

Christopher didn't approve of any of those activities of course. But without orders, there wasn't anything else he could assign them to do. So he let them act like they were on vacation, Anthony kept to himself, and Christopher spent most of his time working out.

He scowled at the laptop. No emails. Nothing from his bosses, nothing from the Brotherhood.

Before he could decide what to do next, the room's phone started ringing.

Still scowling, Christopher moved to it and answered, "Yes?"

"Front desk, sir." a male voice stated. "You have an overnight package here, it was just delivered a few minutes ago."

"From where?" Christopher asked. He wasn't expecting anything, and as far as he knew nobody outside his bosses even knew where he was.

"It's a U.K. address, sir." The man replied.

That lifted Christopher's spirits. It had to be from the Brotherhood. Maybe they'd sent new orders via courier. "Have someone bring it up, please." He said, then hung up the phone.

When he turned back to his laptop, he smiled. There was a new email from his boss. Orders at last!

• • • • •

"Our orders," Christopher stated as he paced the room, "Are simple, but explicit. This comes directly from Alexander himself, and I'm sure I don't have to tell any of you how serious that is. If we screw this up, we may as well turn ourselves over to the cultists because they'll probably show us more mercy than Alexander will. Are we all on the same page?"

He looked at each of the three men. They all nodded, and from the looks on their faces Christopher knew he had their attention.

He gestured towards the desk, "Alexander sent this collar. Our orders are to get it around the neck of one of the cultists. Not the priestess, and not the vessel. Outside of those two, it can be anyone at all."

The collar was a simple, unadorned metal circlet. It looked to be made of iron or steel. There was a hinge that allowed it to open and close, and a simple catch mechanism to hold it closed. Christopher hadn't been able to sense any magic or enchantment on it, but coming from Alexander, he suspected that meant it was so powerfully enspelled that it was beyond any normal detection methods.

Christopher continued, "Since it doesn't matter which cultist we take, and we're already operating with reduced manpower, I've decided we'll be going after the softest targets available. We will be placing the collar around the neck of one of the three seventeen-year-old high-school students. The orders are clear that the cultist must be alive of course, they're no use to us dead. Once we have the collar on one of the three, we have permission to go ahead and kill the other two."

He was pacing again, "They won't be expecting us to come at them while they're at school. It's a crowded, public location. I think it will be ideal though. All three will be in the same place at the same time. We can corner them somewhere in the building, have our pick of the three, and then eliminate the others."

"Anthony," Christopher stopped pacing and looked at the wizard. "I want you to put together a map of the school. Focus on their lunchroom facilities. I think that will be the ideal spot for us to strike. Regardless of what classes they have, they'll probably all be together in the lunchroom at midday."

He turned his attention to the other two men. "Gabriel, Michael. I want you two to access the school's computers. Get me the cultists' course schedules, so we can anticipate their movements throughout the day." He added, "Michael, I'd also like you to review the information you have on the rest of their coven. I want to know where we can expect the others to be, so we know we won't have to contend with anyone else interfering."

Christopher paused, then stated, "You all have twenty-four hours. We'll meet again this time tomorrow with your reports, and we'll plan it out. Then on the sixteenth, we'll strike. Two days, gentlemen. In two days, we'll have one of the cultists collared and captured. Questions?"

"What does the collar do?" Anthony asked.

"No idea," Christopher stated. "Our orders didn't include that information, I assume it's on a need-to-know basis. And we do not need to know it. We just have to get the collar on one of the girls."

Gabriel asked, "Will it just be you and I carrying out the mission on Thursday?"

"That will depend on the layout of the school." Christopher stated. "If we need a third man, Anthony will accompany us. If necessary, all four of us will be involved."

Anthony started to protest, "Christopher I'm not a field man. I don't do field work. The only reason I'm here at all.."

"Noted." Christopher cut him off. "Nonetheless, if I need you, you will be coming along. We're talking about three teenage girls, Anthony. You're supposed to be one of the Brotherhood's most powerful wizards. If I need your involvement, then I expect you to shut up, man up, and get the job done."

He added, "That goes for you too, Michael. If I need you, you'll be there with us. No arguments."

Finally, he addressed all three of them in a firm, angry tone. "I'll say it again. This comes from Alexander himself. We cannot afford to fail this mission. It should be easy. We're going to walk into a high-school, and we're going to walk out again with a teenage girl. If possible, we'll be leaving a few bodies in our wake."

The others stayed quiet this time.

Christopher stated, "Dismissed. Now get to work!"

=:= Cindy =:=

"C'mon, cutie," Zoe said softly. "Try to relax and just enjoy the meal, ok?"

Cindy sighed. It was the fifteenth of November. Her birthday. She was officially nineteen now, but she wasn't in the mood to celebrate.

She was still hurting after Becky's death last week. Losing her friend had hit her especially hard, coming when her spirits were already low. Her birthday always reminded her of the worst time of her short life. The assault on Jessica, then being cursed by the Goddess, left to fend for herself as a tiny, weak, frightened, homeless teen. It was a miracle she'd survived that first week.

Cindy often wondered if that was the point. Rather than just kill her outright, she sometimes suspected the Goddess meant for her to meet an untimely and painful end on the streets. She'd certainly ensured Cindy was too weak to defend herself. And she was too easily frightened, so she couldn't think clearly enough to reason her way out of danger. About the only thing she could do was run and hide. And even that was difficult when her fear threatened to overcome her completely.

Those days were three years in the past now, but she felt like her birthday would always be tainted by the memories. And now Becky's death would be added to the list of horrible things she'd associate with this time of year.

She didn't get scared like she used to of course. She wasn't entirely sure when she stopped getting so scared, but figured it was probably around the same time she realized she was one of the more powerful witches in the coven. Being able to toss magic around and teleport out of danger made it hard to feel threatened by mundane hazards.

"Hey? Are you still with me?" Zoe asked, her voice drawing Cindy out of her reverie.

She sighed, "I'm here. Sorry Zoe. I told you I wouldn't be much fun tonight."

Zoe had dragged her out for dinner. The catgirl insisted they do something nice to celebrate Cindy's birthday and to help get her mood up. They'd come to a fancy restaurant at one of the nearby wineries.

Neither were dressed up, they were both just in their typical casual outfits. Leggings and an oversized top for Cindy, tight jeans and a t-shirt for Zoe. And of course Zoe had attracted all sorts of funny looks with her ears and tail, but she had a reservation so the hostess led the two of them to their little table by the window.

"I know, cutie." Zoe sighed. "I know it's a rough time of the year for you, and the past few weeks have been an extra helping of crap. But it's not all bad. I just want to make sure you remember that, there's still good things. Friends, chosen family, people who love you and care about you. And we're beating those guys. We're gonna win this."

Cindy shrugged slightly, "Thanks Zoe. I know... It's just hard sometimes."

The waiter came by and they placed their drinks orders. Cindy ordered a glass of cola, and Zoe asked for water.

As the waiter left, Zoe asked "You don't wanna try some wine or something? You're legal now, you can drink if you want."

"Nah," Cindy shook her head. "Nikki made me try wine a few times, I don't really like it. And you know I don't look nineteen. They probably wouldn't even believe my ID if I showed it to them."

Cindy knew Zoe didn't drink alcohol, or soda either. She always claimed alcohol was toxic because she was part cat, and she said that soda hurt her tongue. So she usually just drank water, or a little bit of milk now and then as a treat.

Zoe asked, "No changes at all this year? No birthday gift from the Goddess?"

"Nothing," Cindy replied, shaking her head.

Two years ago on her first post-curse birthday, she'd grown slightly taller and gained a few pounds. And last year, she hadn't gotten any taller, but added another couple pounds. In those first two years she'd gone from being sixteen but looking twelve or thirteen, to being eighteen and looking fifteen or sixteen. And now another year had passed, she was nineteen, but still looked about the same. Sixteen at most.

Zoe sighed again. She looked like she was trying to come up with something positive to say.

The waiter brought their drinks, then took their orders.

As he walked away again with their menus, Zoe gave Cindy a sad look. Her ears were drooping and her tail was tucked under her chair as she said "I'm sorry Cindy. I wish I could think of something I could say or do, to cheer you up."

Cindy shrugged, "It's ok Zoe."

Zoe's ears and tail were still down as she sighed once more. "I just hate to see my girlfriend so down, you know?"

That caught her attention. Cindy stared down at the table for a few moments. Then she slowly looked up at Zoe, as she felt her cheeks starting to warm up. "Are we girlfriends?"

The catgirl actually tilted her head to one side as she stared. From the look on her face and the shift in her ears and tail, Cindy could tell Zoe was trying to figure something out. After a few moments, Zoe's ears were both perked up and a wide smile settled on her face.

"You really didn't know that?" Zoe asked, sounding somewhere between amused and incredulous. "I mean, everyone else in the coven knows we're girlfriends. I've been calling you my girlfriend for months!"

Cindy could feel her cheeks rapidly turning red. "I... I thought we were just really good friends. I didn't know... I've never had a girlfriend before."

Zoe looked like she was struggling to suppress a fit of giggles now. She had a hand over her mouth, and she reached back with her other hand to pull her tail onto her lap to keep it from tripping anyone as it wanted to stick out straight behind her.

"Oh my Goddess Cindy!" Zoe was grinning ear to ear. "You're the reason there's so many memes about clueless lesbians!"

The catgirl tried to mimic Cindy's voice as she said "My friend and I have been living together for six months, we share a bed, have frequent sex, and go on vacation together, but I'm not really sure if she's actually into me or not."

"Does that mean this is a date?" Cindy asked, still blushing brightly.

Zoe snickered, "Yes Cindy! This is a date!"

"Oh..." Cindy was equal parts embarrassed and elated. She was smiling now as well, it was hard not to. "I just thought we were good friends..."

"Cutie, we're very good friends." Zoe giggled, still trying to keep herself quiet.

The two of them were making a bit of a scene, but Cindy didn't care. Her cheeks were still bright red but she had a huge smile on her face now.

She tried to keep quiet as she said, "Thanks Zoe. This is actually the best birthday I could ever imagine!"

"I'm glad you like it." Zoe smiled back at her. "After dinner when we get home, you can unwrap your gift."

Cindy shook her head, "You didn't hafta get me anything..."

A sly look came over the catgirl's face as she replied, "Don't worry, it's nothing you wouldn't have gotten anyways."

"Oh," Cindy frowned a little. "Why, what is it then?"

Zoe flashed her a naughty grin and half-whispered, "It's your horny catgirl girlfriend, silly. You can unwrap me when we get home."

"Ohhhh!" That brought her blush back at full force, as Cindy grinned "I like that gift!"

=:= Maria =:=

It was about half past twelve on Thursday when Jessica popped her head in the door of Maria's office. "Maria? Trevor's come back. I think you should speak with him."

She was back at QSAW again this week. The protestors hadn't returned, and they were actually getting a few people dropping in each day. Maria was still worried about her girls but at least here she had things to do. Sitting around the house meant she was anxious and bored, which wasn't a good combination.

So she'd started coming into the support org again this week. It felt good to be returning to something normal and mundane, even if the threat was still out there. She kept her phone next to her on her desk of course, incase any of the girls needed her.

Maria hadn't met Trevor yet but Jess and Kara had filled her in on their two previous meetings with the young man. After the incident last Friday they'd been worried about his safety. From the tone in Jessica's voice now, Maria had a bad feeling that their concerns had been justified.

"Thanks Jess." Maria got up and exited her office, following the redhead out to the reception area.

Trevor was standing by the front desk, looking nervous, uneasy. He was tall, about five-foot-ten, and looked quite slim. Jess and Kara had described him as immaculately dressed and groomed, but not today. His trousers were wrinkled and his short hair was uncombed.

Most striking of all was the story his face told. His right eye was blackened and puffy, his lower lip was split and swollen. The injuries didn't appear to be fresh, but certainly within the last couple days.

Maria sighed. From everything she'd heard about the young man's situation, it wasn't hard to guess this was the work of his father. Probably retribution for failing to vandalize the place last week.

"Hello Trevor," she greeted him with a compassionate smile. "My name's Maria."

He nodded "Hi Maria." The nervousness she saw in his expression was present in his voice as well. "I uh, I guess I'm hoping you all can help me."

"Of course," she nodded. "Let's sit down and we can talk, ok?"

Maria looked to the other two and asked, "Kara would you mind staying here at the front desk? Jessica, you and I can talk with Trevor in the meeting room."

Kara nodded slightly, they probably weren't thrilled about being on 'receptionist' duty but they hadn't called in any of the other volunteers yet, so it was up to the three of them.

Jess and Maria led Trevor into the meeting room, and Jessica asked "Can I get you anything? Coffee, tea, water?"

"Some water please." Trevor asked quietly.

Maria and Trevor sat down in the meeting room while Jessica ducked into the break-room. She joined them a moment later, placing a bottle of water on the table infront of the young man, then she slipped into one of the other chairs.

Jess commented, "I'm glad you came back, Trevor. We've been worried about you."

He opened the water and had a sip, then just nodded. He was mostly staring at the table now. After a few moments, he said "It's... I don't know. I didn't know where else to turn or where to go. I guess it's pretty bad when the only place that seems safe is the place with the devil worshipers..."

"We don't actually do that, Trevor." Maria said softly.

He frowned, "I saw... I don't know what I saw. Weird symbols, markings on the door. That blocked my father, kept him out..."

Jessica sighed but said, "What you saw was magic, but it has nothing to do with devils or demons or whatever. That was protective magic, designed to keep out violent, dangerous people."

He had another sip of water, still frowning. It looked like he was thinking over Jessica's words, processing this news.

Finally he just nodded, "Ok. I guess it doesn't matter anyways. I mean... Whoever or whatever you all are, you people feel safer than my own parents. And I know you all helped my friend a few years ago." He frowned again, as he made a new connection. "Did you use magic to help her?"

Jess replied, "I can't say for sure, Trevor, I don't know who your friend is and I wasn't involved here at the time. But we might have."

Maria added, "We couldn't discuss it even if we knew who you were referring to. We are very strict about client confidentiality." She changed the subject, "Let's talk about you, Trevor. What can we do for you?"

A sort of distant, thoughtful look came over his face. He drank some more water, then sighed, "I guess first thing is, I'm not safe at home. I managed to get away this morning, but if my father catches me I doubt I'll have a second chance. He was already talking about shipping me off to a religious camp. So I guess I'm hoping you can maybe find me somewhere else I can go?"

"I can make some calls," Maria nodded. She hesitated, then asked, "Is there anything else, Trevor? I'm assuming there's a reason you've come to an organization that's specifically for LGBTQ youths."

He was blushing now, still staring at the table. He drank the last of his water, then said softly "I uh... I think I might be trans... Like I told Jessica, after you helped my friend a few years ago I uh... It made me think of some things. Maybe I was a little envious of her..."

Maria nodded slowly, but before she could respond they heard Kara calling from the front desk.

"Looks like a couple cops, coming to pay us a visit."

Maria and Jessica both sighed.

"Trevor, please wait here." Maria said, as she got up and left the meeting room. Jess followed her, as the two of them moved up to the reception area.

Sure enough there was a police cruiser outside, illegally parked right infront of their door. Two policemen had emerged, and came inside. The wards didn't react, so the men didn't have ill intent. Though Maria knew as well as Jess and Kara, if they became belligerent after they were inside the wards couldn't help with that.

The officers looked at the three of them, then one of them asked, "Who's in charge here?"

"That would be me," Maria replied. "What can I do for you?"

The cop replied, "We're looking for Trevor Clark. We've been told he's here."

Maria asked, "Has he been accused of a crime?"

The other officer stated, "We've been told you people might be holding him here against his wishes. That he might be in danger here. We need to verify he's ok."

"I'm fine," Trevor stated, emerging from the meeting room behind Maria and Jessica.

The officers glanced at each other, then the first one said, "You don't look fine, son. You look like you've been hurt. Did these people do this?"

"No, my father did this." There was anger in the young man's voice now. "My father's been beating me and holding me prisoner. I escaped this morning. I'm fine now."

The cops exchanged another glance. "Those are some serious charges, son. I think you should come with us back to the station, so we can get a statement."

"No thank you," Trevor replied. "I don't want to press charges, I just want to be left alone."

Maria sensed some faint magic. Probably Jessica or Kara using a truth spell. She did the same, and it confirmed her suspicions. The police were planning on handing Trevor over to his father.

With some anger in her voice, she stated "Trevor has told you he's all right, and he doesn't want to press charges. You've done what you said you came here to do. I think you both should leave now."

The first cop stated "I'm not convinced that the boy's ok. He looks like he could use some medical assistance. And I think it would be best if we got a statement from him, somewhere private. Incase you people are influencing or threatening him."

"I'm not a boy." Trevor stated. "I'm eighteen, I'm an adult and I can make my own decisions."

Kara was on their feet now too, and Maria started to worry that the situation was about to escalate. She had no intention of allowing the police to deliver Trevor back into the hands of his abuser, but she was worried about a confrontation. She knew that would only lead to further trouble for all of them.

Then she felt another little tingle of magic in the air.

The cops exchanged another look.

"I think we're done here?" the first one asked.

The second one nodded, "Yeah, good job. I think we've earned a break."

"Donut time," the first one smiled.

The two of them turned around and left. Maria watched as they climbed back into their cruiser and drove off.

Maria glanced at Jess and Kara, not sure what just happened. Jess had a slight smile on her face, while Kara looked as confused as Maria felt.

Both she and Kara stared at Jessica.

The redhead grinned, "Cindy taught me a new trick a couple days ago."

"Ok..." Maria nodded slowly. Then she sighed and looked back at Trevor, "Let's continue our talk? Would you like some more water?"

She and Trevor returned to the meeting room with Jess following behind them, while Kara sat back down at the reception desk.