AIDAN

I propped the door up the best I could and secured it with duct tape. The quick-fix would buy me a few minutes to talk to Nadia. Heading to the kitchen, I found her pulling out pans, bowls, and cooking utensils. She threw each item onto the counter, not caring where it landed. Carefully stepping in, I kept my distance. “What’s going on, hun? I haven’t seen you this upset since the time David broke up with you in seventh grade.”

Nadia stopped and placed both hands on the counter while looking away from me. “I just haven’t been myself since the cathedral.” She tilted her head back and sniffled. “I’m scared all the time. Okay? They didn’t just try to kill me. First, they toyed with me, and then they ridiculed me.” She turned around, face tight trying to keep her tears in. “It’s like they took a part of me that night and all I want is to get that piece back.”

My chest tightened and my face twisted from sadness. Tears welled up in my eyes as I reached my hands out and walked toward her. Nadia looked startled before embracing me. “I’m so sorry! All I’ve been doing is thinking about how this whole thing has affected me. I should’ve realized how hard it’s been for you.” My tears wet her shoulder as I sobbed.

Nadia patted my back before giving me a slight push. Eyes dry, she gave me a sad smile. “Poodle, I appreciate what you’re saying, but you turn into a homicidal monster. I’d be worried if you weren’t prioritizing that. Now, help me make these biscuits and gravy. I’m hungry and hungover as hell.” She started to turn to the stove but stopped. “Oh, my god. I just remembered I fought someone last night.”

I blinked my eyes dry. “Uh, yea—yeah. You definitely beat the hell out of some chick and then got thrown out, but you’ve been in bar brawls before.”

Nadia sucked at her teeth. “Yeah, but not like that. I think I was pretty raw after that crazy chick with the teeth last night.”

A chill ran down my spine. “Nadia.”

She was pouring far too much milk into the flour. "What?"

“Do you find it a little strange that Lana was the only thing Hot Pants was interested in? It was like she didn't even care about the necklace. In fact, it seemed like she got you and I out of the way so she could focus on Lana.”

Nadia stopped mixing the batter and sighed. “Well, when you put it like that, I’d say it’s a little more than strange. Last night was a mess. Between Lana almost getting eaten and then our little trip to the past after you froze—wait!” She raised a hand, palm out. “Why did the necklace freeze the whole city except for me and Lana?”

I was about to respond when a very loud bang came from the foyer. I stepped out of the kitchen and looked down the down hallway. The front door was on the floor while Lana walked over it.

Her head turned in every direction, scanning the front of the house. “Holy crap! Are you guys, okay?”

I met her in the foyer. “Hey, we were just talking about you. What are you doing here?”

Lana was breathless. “I told you last night I’d bring you to get your car fixed today. What happened in here? Did that chick from last night show up again? Is Nadia okay?”

I tilted my head from side to side. “Not exactly. But, Nadia’s fine. She’s in the kitchen cooking. I’m surprised you couldn’t smell that for yourself.”

***

After eating breakfast, we tried our best at rehabilitating the house, using actual tools to fix the front door.

Lana placed a vase over the scorch mark where the wedding album used to be. “You guys might want to get insurance on some of your stuff. How many times have y’all been attacked here?"

Sweeping up debris, I stopped to contemplate. “Uh, I guess three attacks and some other crazy stuff.”

Nadia entered the dining room in a form-fitting white sundress. “Let’s go shopping. I need the kind of normalcy only shoes can provide.” The only thing I could do was sigh. Shopping with them was like having teeth pulled. Painful and expensive.

Lana’s face was dead serious. “Yes, because I have to find an outfit for Jackson’s party on Friday.”

I would need something for Friday as well, along with every other day of my life. “I guess you guys are right. God knows I can't fit ninety percent of my wardrobe. We just have to avoid dressing rooms. If I see my reflection, I’ll go monster mode.”

Lana looked from me to Nadia. “The mall?”

My head jerked in their direction. “Please, no.” I was a little too dramatic. “I would rather listen to myself being shot in the face.”

Nadia rolled her eyes at me. “Let’s just go to Magazine—.” Mr. Serious materialized behind Lana. She noticed us looking behind her, before turning and screaming.

Breathing deeply, I rested a hand on Lana to calm her down. “It’s all good. This one is friend, not foe.” I stopped to contemplate my statement. “I’m pretty sure.”

He glided around Lana to face the three of us. “Aidan. Nadia. We need to talk.”

By this time, Lana had slowly moved over to the couches with Nadia. Mr. Serious gestured toward her while scanning her up and down. “Privately.”

Waving a hand at him, I turned to Lana. “Remember the killjoy we told you about last night? The one I was gonna ask about that weird phrase I heard in Hot Pants’ head?” I pointed at Mr. Serious. “Prepare to have your joy killed.”

Mr. Serious raised an eyebrow. “Clearly, we have more to discuss than I expected. What has happened?”

We filled him in on the prior night, from Hot Pants to the trip down memory lane. I made sure to add in the theory about our attacker being more interested in Lana.

Mr. Serious leaned against the post between the living room and the foyer before calmly addressing the room. “Matters have become exceedingly dangerous. So much so, I fear we cannot handle it." He crossed his arms and tapped the end of his chin. "Amon’s generals are planning a massacre. As it stands, neither of you are prepared to protect your city from what’s to come.”

I stood up straighter, already feeling anxious. “The city?!”

Mr. Serious' tone became soft but dark. “What you heard in your attacker’s mind, ‘Egestas a Tenebris.’ It’s Latin for ‘The Curse of Darkness.”

Nadia gave him a withering look as she picked up the bong we left on the table from the night before. “Baby, this is New Orleans. There’s voodoo and curses everywhere.”

I rolled my eyes and shook my head at her before turning back to Mr. Serious. “Please go on.”

Mr. Serious steadied his gaze with mine. “At the beginning of Amon’s reign, he unleashed this curse. Molded from his own dark essence, into a viral contagion.”

I grabbed the bong from Nadia to get her to pay more attention. “Like the flu, or something?”

Mr. Serious dropped his voice as he paced around the living room, regarding each of us as he did. “Yes. But far worse. The ritual of ‘Egestas a Tenebris’ first infects the city’s residents neurologically. People become irrational and violent. They lose all sense of logic and then turn on one another. Whole families will literally rip each other apart from uncontrollable rage. And that is only stage one.”

I stared in shock, taking deep breaths because my hands were shaking. “Then we just have to evacuate the city. Afterward, we can stop Amon’s generals without having to worry about the virus.”

Mr. Serious sighed as his expression became more rigid. “Like most common contagions, it only requires one person to become a pandemic. The ritual calls for the sacrifice of one born from the targeted city so that the entire populace would be affected. Furthermore, New Orleans is a city part of a larger portion. For all we know, choosing a sacrifice could affect not only every person in this city, but from the state, and even the country as a whole. There is no way to know the bounds by which the virus will be limited. Had it not been for the efforts of your previous incarnations, the human race would have been destroyed. If the generals are performing the ritual of ‘Egestas a Tenebris’, it means they are far more desperate to get the Nexus than we realized. Something must have changed for them to want it so badly.”

My breathing became heavy and beads of sweat formed on my forehead.

Nadia noticed my unease and moved over to me, linking an arm in mine. “I think the question on all of our minds is, when is this ‘ingest a ten brie’ going down and how do we stop it?”

Mr. Serious’ face twisted in confusion. “It is pronounced ‘Egestas a Tenebris.”

Nadia raised her eyebrows and tapped her foot.

It might've been my imagination, but Mr. Serious looked intimidated. “I have means of obtaining that information, but it will require a night or two."

I shook my head to focus. “Just as long as it doesn’t take too long. We were all born here and I am the last person that needs any more uncontrollable issues.”

Nadia took the bong from me and dragged a hit while looking at Mr. Serious. “You know what? You still haven’t told us who you are and how you know all of this. We’re taking a big leap of faith with you.”

Mr. Serious narrowed his eyes. “The same could be said of you. As I’ve mentioned, my name will do you no good. It is older than written history. And if I wanted either of you dead, I would have left Aidan to the shadow beast and you to Sophia.”

Lana stood from the couch and raised her hands. “Not to sound insensitive, but I don’t think I should be hearing any of this. Being a non-player leaves me squarely in the helpless resident pile.”

Mr. Serious turned to her. "Which brings us to our next order of business. I have some unfortunate news and then some worse news for you, Lana."