The Cauldron Coven

Chapter 3 - Death's Shroud

Death is inevitable. That was something Laci Valentine learned on the streets over the past eight years. Except for her, of course. She knew, because she tried to kill herself several times just to end the nightmare of her existence. Ripped from her home at sixteen by Jerome Williams to become a w***e of his, working his streets, she wanted to end her life just to rid herself of the guilt and disgust that filled her daily. She almost succeeded once, but then Jerome found her and threatened her with the one thing with which he always threatened her—her sister.

She felt the sting against her face as her head snapped to the side from his smack, tears streaming down her face. “If you ever try that bullshit again, if you go for help, if you run away, if you do anything except what I tell you to do, I'll go straight for that precious little sister of yours. She'll be working my streets, and I swear, I won't be nearly as nice to her as I am to you. I'll turn her into a strung out w***e, used up before she's twenty. She'll never see the light of day as I bring john after john in here to use her. Do you understand me, b***h?" He slapped her again for good measure.

Laci—Buttercup back then—understood all too well. Jerome always made good on his threats.

Her life only grew more complicated from there. Pastor Adrian Michaels threatened to kill her, sending gargoyles to end her life at Mark Shepherd Park. She hadn't even known gargoyles existed! That's when she entered the world of Rhychard Bartlett and his team of faerie creatures and when death covered her like a cloak, wrapping her in its frigid grip and dragging her into a deep despair. First, the people of Harvest Fellowship died, followed by the Warrior's girlfriend, Renny Saunders. Adrian Michaels died that day as well, and before it was over, Laci killed the demon, Vargas, with a flagpole through his chest. Rhychard killed Jerome, freeing Laci forever.

However, death followed her from that place to the Leary Building where she watched the deaths of Emily Jenkins and her family followed by the witch, Rose Tillery. Several in the Bottoms died that night as well, and death still wasn't finished with Laci.

No, death is an insatiable entity. Just a few short days ago, it claimed Alex Barrister, the only male witch in the Cauldron Coven. Death covered Laci, but never swallowed her. Instead, death took everyone around her, the evil and the good, leaving her as a witness to its passing. Laci was tired of being death's witness.

While their mother piddled in the kitchen fixing them a plate of fajitas, the Valentine sisters sat on the living room sofa, legs folded under them. Maria Valentine put most of the house back in order after Baltabek's attack, the demon who threatened to tear up their world for crimes done against it a million or more years ago, but the destruction remained obvious to Laci. She held tight to her sister ever since the Summerlands, the realm where the dead go to await their next journey, scared to let her go. Jayden, of course, fussed at her to stop being a mother hen.

Once everyone arrived back at Rhychard's Thinking Rock, a place Renny decided would cause the least amount of sightseers, the witches and Famallumi returned to The Murky Cauldron while Rhychard placed a still-weak Jayden in the back of Laci's car. The eldest Valentine wasted no time or words as she headed straight for home.

“I almost lost you," Laci said. “I don't know what I would have done if that happened."

“Probably moved into my room since it's the biggest," Jayden said with a shrug.

“That's not even funny," Laci snapped, shoving Jayden's hand away from her in disgust.

Jayden rolled her eyes. “What do you want me to say? Look, I know what we went through was scary as hell, but it turned out all right. We saved the day, like we always do."

“We didn't save the day. We lost Alex and almost lost you, Kayla, and Wanda. As it is, Alex and Rose sacrificed themselves to rebuild the Nether. That's not really a win."

“Sacrifice comes with being who we are," Jayden said. “We can't just turn our backs when we know something bad is happening. I can't do that. I won't do that."

Laci shook her head. “I can't do it anymore. I'm tired and just need to step away. I'm sorry. It's just too much loss for me."

Jayden nodded her head. “And that's you. I don't like it, but I won't force you to remain with the coven if that's not where your heart is. However, I'm not leaving the witches, and while I hope it doesn't, this may very well happen again, especially since the universe dumped us into the world of the Warrior."

They remained silent for a few moments, each lost in their own thoughts, Laci still debating her decision. If she hadn't been there, she worried that Tryna or Rhychard would have killed her sister to kill the demon. After a few moments, Laci said, “Kayla will need lots of support. She may even need a therapist." Kayla Lewell collapsed when they returned to the Land Above, breaking down in the parking lot of Rhychard's condo as the memories of what she did to Alex flooded back in on her. Tansy and Wanda scooped her up and carried her off, both telling her they were always there for her as they reminded her none of what happened was her fault.

Jayden nodded. “She has the Cauldron Coven, and Tansy will make sure Kayla gets whatever help she needs."

“How will Alex's parents even cope with this?" Laci asked. “They don't even have a body to bury, nothing to help them mourn."

“Famallumi offered to help with that." Jayden turned so she faced her sister. “He will use his power to conjure up Alex's likeness, so his parents can put him to rest. It won't be easy for them, but at least it's a form of closure."

Laci just nodded, not sure she agreed with her sister. There would be no Recapturing Ceremony this time, a ritual witches use to reclaim the residue of power leftover after one of their coven dies, since Alex used his power to seal the Nether. There truly was nothing of him left except his sacrifice. Over the past few weeks, there had been so much death that it clung to Laci like a dark shroud. She grew tired of death always surrounding her, the dark cloak almost suffocating her. She wondered if she would ever truly be free of it, even if she abandoned the Cauldron Coven.

“Dinner is ready," Maria Valentine called from the kitchen. “Come eat while it's hot."

Laci and Jayden pushed themselves off the couch and made their way to the kitchen. “What are you going to do now?" Jayden asked her sister. “I mean, you still don't have a job, you don't want to be in the coven any more, and you're basically starting over. Again. So what's your plan?"

They both slid into chairs around the small table as their mother put plates of the steaming fajitas in front of them. “Stop rushing her," she said to Jayden. “Laci doesn't need to make any decisions just yet. Give her time to breathe a little."

Laci watched Jayden roll her eyes. “Do you need time to breathe, Laci?" the youngest of the Valentines asked. “Breathing seems so mundane after everything we've been through."

“Which is why she needs it," their mother said as she joined them at the table, her own plate in her hands. “Sometimes, we all need to take some time and catch our breath. No need making decisions when stressed or because we feel we have to be doing something. Leave her be."

“Actually, I was thinking of going back to school," Laci said as she picked up her fajita with both hands. She shrugged. “I need to get my G.E.D., and then I want to take some college classes. I'm just not sure what I want to study yet."

Her mother glanced over at her as she lifted her glass of lemonade. “Well, what interests you? When you close your eyes and picture yourself doing something you enjoy, what do you see?"

Jayden grinned. “When I close my eyes, I see a group of buff firemen."

“Jayden," their mother hissed, shaking her head. She then laughed. “Stop being catty." She then turned to Laci. “Ignore your sister. What do you see?"

That was a good question. What did she see? Holding her fajita, Laci closed her eyes for a moment and tried to picture her future. She enjoyed helping people. There had been no one to help her when Jerome had her trapped in his clutches. She had been alone and scared, and she felt as if there was nowhere for her to go, no one who could offer her another way.

She opened her eyes, glancing over at her mother. “I want to help people on the streets, people who are just as trapped as I was."

“You want to be a social worker?" Jayden asked, her tone tinged with disgust. “You escaped that nightmare. Why would you want to walk back into that same environment? I'd think you'd want to be as far away from that life as possible. Won't it bring back some of your nightmares of what happened back then?"

“Probably," Laci admitted, noticing her mother staring at her. “But at least my nightmares are over. For many out there, their nightmares are still happening, and I want to show them there's a way out."

Her mother reached across the table, gripping Laci's wrist and smiling at her. “I think that's a wonderful idea. If anyone's strong enough to do it, it's my baby girl. Those people would be lucky to have you in their corner."

Laci nodded, trying to smile at her mother's words. She only hoped this was a way for her to bring people out of death's grip and into a new life. For her, it was penance, a way to make things right for the pain she caused her family. She hoped it was a way for her to cast off the shroud of death that enveloped her as well.