The mysterious mate

Truth

Once Jasmine let her go, Ethan told her to get ready for a trip at dawn and threw his phone to Henry, who seemed to know exactly what to do. She obliged confused and frustrated. Was she in trouble? Why wait if she was? Why not punishing her now? She snapped her fingers, making Tish appear. Before Henry's sister could say anything, she discreetly pointed to Ethan and Henry before she left.

She went nervously into her room to pack some changes of clothes in case they slept away, her extra toothbrush, her mirror, some iron bottle filled with holy water and a pouch of salt. When she was done, she installed a mirror over her drawer so she could pick some things up later. She watered the plants she put there three weeks ago. Sage, dill, rue, oregano, rosemary, thyme and other witchcraft plants to repel evil. She had hanged some sages earlier this month to dry them and she put them in the drawer after preparing them. Tishanna joined her not long after. She noticed how stressed she looked and how she seemed to shake while doing her chores.

Tishanna: Girl, you need to take a chill pill. You are making me spy on your boyfriend.

Darcy: I can't, I think they know...

Tishanna: And you're worried because?

Darcy: What if they send me back? I've been living a dream here... They are nice to me and I can't disappoint them. What are they going to do to me if they know? We could never see eachother ever again and I could loose him to fear!

Tishanna sat on the bed, deflated. She pouted a little, then smacked her thick lips apart.

Tishanna: He's not going to send you back, girl. B*tch he likes you! Don't tell me you didn't notice. You're such a prude! I mean, you don't even have s*x with him, for goddess sake! I'm sure he's a god in bed.

Darcy impatiently put back the gallon of water she used to fill her bottle.

Darcy: I don't know what that means! Just tell me about what he said, already...

Tishanna: Chill, b*tch! I didn't do anything wrong. Try to cheer you up a bit, goddess. I'm not even telling you! But, I asked around and the only dead that could give us info about the demon, well, guess what? He was bound to Rebecca. So if the demon got her, he probably got him too.

Darcy: It took Oliver? Ah! That demon knew I was about to figure out who it was...

Jasmine: Who are you talking to?

Darcy jumped and shook her head, pointing to herself. Jasmine doubted it, she went inside the room and checked it. She kind of cringed, looking at her desk. There were some weird drawings and little bottles with powder in them. Some hand handmade cross that Darcy made out of wood, a carved necklace with strange symbols on it, papers with enchantments. Oliver told her how to do all this a while ago. He told her everything he knew about witchcraft since she moved there. He was an ex-hidden-sorcerer and Rebecca's grand-father. She lived in the manor, so it was easy for him to join Darcy from time to time, but Rebecca was gone and so was he. They were about to build a demon trap together, now she had to find another way to catch the monster. First, she needed to be able to read fluently and William Rivera, Ethan's dead uncle, was teaching her when she was alone in the library. One step at a time.

Jasmine looked at her with wonder. She has spent a lot of time in her room for the past month. Every time she was alone, she would spend it there, but she and the others thought she could use some privacy, so they never went in her room. Yet, all of this was weird to her. She noticed the gallon of water next to her door.

Jasmine: What's that?

Darcy: Water...

It was indeed water, she simply didn't say it was holy.

She nodded softly. Her eyes shifted to the mirrors. There were a lot. At least five in her room. She felt uneasy, watched. Suddenly, her heart stopped when she saw Tishanna's reflection on the bed. She turned around to see nothing. She grabbed Darcy's hand and stepped back slowly.

Jasmine: What is going on?

She stared at the bed, noticing the sheets were moving, as if someone stood from it.

Jasmine: Tishanna?

Tish and Darcy looked at each other.

Tishanna: Sometimes, even non-witches can catch a glimpse of the dead. People freak out over such little things.

Right when Jasmine got out of the room, Ethan got in the apartment with Henry. Seeing them, Jasmine, fearless Jasmine, gave them a fearful look.

Jasmine: I don't think it's safe here! I saw Tish right there on the bed!

Henry's eyes widened, Ethan rubbed the back of his neck with his palm and shrugged.

Ethan: I don't know about that, Jazz. To me, its obvious this room is the safest place in the manor.

He was right. All of those incantations, insents and all of those plants around made this room safe from evil spirit. He had a long conversation with Henry and he thought it was the right time to pull the truth out of her.

He went into her bedroom and sat down on her bed, noticing all of the witchcraft stuff in there. He wanted to slap his forehead for not understanding earlier she was a witch. "Oh my goddess, how stupid am I?" . For the last three days, Ethan hadn't had any nightmares. He thought it was due to her. They all went in except for Jasmine, who stood not far from the door frame. Ethan noticed there was no salt there.

Ethan: Does salt stop spirits from entering the room?

Darcy looked away but nodded.

Ethan: Do you know some girls had disappeared?

She nodded again, Tishanna didn't forget to tell her that, about Henry and Ethan's failed plans.

Ethan: Do you know the cause?

She gave a desperate look at Tishanna who pointed at him with her chin. She wanted her to spill the truth.

She shrugged and nodded.

Ethan crossed his arms, giving her a look. That look meant : "do continue." She then took a notebook that she handed to him. She drew a black figure he recognized very well. He has seen it in his nightmare countless times.

Ethan: You think this thing did it? How?

Darcy looked at Tishanna again. She lost patience.

Tishanna: Come on, b*tch! Just tell him! I swear on my soul, he is not going to reject you!

Darcy took a deep breath.

Darcy: It's a Demon. I don't know it's name... I have to know its name in order to exorcise him. Although I don't know how. All I know is that... he might have possessed someone in the manor to kidnap those girls. Demons are powerful creatures that feed on fear and pain, but this one seems to be feeding on low self-esteem and loneliness. They can read the minds of the weak and use their weakness against them to lure them.

Ethan: and how do you know all of this?

She looked down.

Darcy: Oliver Raven taught me... William Rivera is teaching me how to read and I read those books in the library. And... Tishanna is giving me information about... your... meetings and the disappeared ones. And the stuff going on within the walls of the manor, well, a lot of them pitch in to give me information. I am sorry ... please do not send me back... I'll be good, I promise.

The room fell silent. She closed her eyes, not knowing what was going to happen. She thought that was it. She was going to be sent away. But a slight touch made her eye lid open. She glared at Henry, he looked sad, yet he smiled.

Henry: She talks too much isn't it?

Tishanna's face changed into a melodramatic outraged look.

Tishanna: EXCUSE ME, b*tch? B*tch how dare you talk bout' your sister like that? I cannot believe you. B*tch, you know what? I used to change his diapers when he was a baby! That ungratefull b*tch! Fourteen years old, he fell off his bike in a cliff and his butt was scraped and all red, his pants were all shredded, you could only see his butt cheeks, he looked like a Macaque. He was all crying, right here on my shoulder, snot everywhere! We called him Monkey butt after that! Tell him! Call him "Monkey butt"! B*tch, man, I can't believe this son of a b*tch! Come on, girl! Call him "Monkey butt"!

Darcy let a slight smile on her face before she pulled her lips in her mouth, trying not to laugh. Henry let a nostalgic smile spread. "my sister must give her a hard time, huh?"

Darcy: Monkey butt.

Ethan burst into laughter when he remembered the "monkey butt" story. Henry's face became red as he hid behind his hands. Jasmine was wheezing but still wouldn't dare to enter the room.