Aftermath

“Where is she?” Mary cried at the agent.

He was struggling to his feet looking as dazed as could be.

“What are you talking about?” He responded.

Mary pointed down the hallway towards the empty space where Luna had been standing. There was nothing there, not even a touch of magical dust.

“Oh shit,” the agent said under his breath.

“What did you do? What happened to her?” Mary cried.

“I didn’t do anything. She’s the one who opened fire,” the agent said, pointing his finger at the crumpled figure on the ground next to him.

As if on cue, Jillian Kent burst out of the fetal position and reached for her gun.

This time, the agent was faster on the draw.

“Aloroa Mappe!” He shouted, his finger pointing directly at the pistol.

The weapon flew off, well out of reach of the woman.

“You sure stick to that one spell like your life depends on it,” Jillian sneered.

Agent St. John grabbed a pair of handcuffs from his back pocket and rushed over to the blonde.

“Come on, kid, help me cuff her.”

Mary froze. The idea of handcuffing one of her fellow students seemed wrong, even if Jillian was armed.

Jillian snapped to her feet and got into a fighting stance.

“Just try, mall cop,” Jillian sneered.

The agent raised his casting hand.

“Don’t make me hurt you,” he said.

Mary watched in shock as her former teacher and classmate prepared to Duke it out in the hallway. All the while, Mary's best friend was missing in action. The image of Luna, terrified and saddened, burned in Mary's memory.

"Hey, stop it!" Mary cried out.

Neither Agent St. John nor Jillian paid her any attention.

Mary hated their indifference. How could they be thinking of fighting when an innocent girl was lost or even dead? Hot indignation washed over Mary.

"Stop fighting and help me find my friend!"

The agent put up a finger to quiet Mary, never breaking his eyes from Jillian. That really pissed Mary off.

"Aleroa Mappe!" Mary cried, pointing one hand at the agent and the other at Jillian.

Both of them turned suddenly to Mary, bracing for impact.

Nothing happened.

"Why isn't it working?" Mary demanded. "Aleroa Mappe!"

The agent shrugged and turned back to Jillian, who was already sidling over to her gun.

"Venta Rivo!" The agent snapped, his finger pointed at the gun.

The weapon slid between the pair at a high velocity, slamming into the opposite wall with a loud clatter. It was now closer to Mary than either the agent or Jillian.

He doesn't see me as a threat, Mary thought. Neither of them do.

As Jillian and St. John exchanged insults, Mary crept backwards until she was standing next to the gun. In the distance, she could hear approaching fire trucks. In front of her, the two combatants were seconds from exchanging blows.

Mary couldn't believe the decision she was about to make, but she couldn't deny that it was the only one staring her in the face. She needed to find Luna and it wouldn't do to have these two killing each other. Both seemed like they could help her a great deal.

Mary snatched up the gun and pointed it in the direction of the two.

"Listen up," she cried.

Neither of them spared a look.

"I have the gun," she added meekly.

The agent turned first, his eyes blazing with shock and anger.

"Goddamnit," he hissed.

Jillian used the momentary distraction to close in on Agent St. John, forcing Mary to train the gun squarely on her.

"I'll shoot you," Mary cried.

"No you won't," Jillian said, dismissively. However, she ceased her attack.

Good, Mary thought. I've got their attention.

"What do you hope to get out of this, Mary?" Agent St. John asked.

"My friend is hurt or worse. Either way, she's gone and you two dipshits are to blame. So you're gonna help me find her."

"Why?" Jillian sneered.

Mary hadn't considered much of a reason beyond threat of ****. She couldn't point the gun at them forever.

Come on Mary, think of something.

"The book! I bet both of you are here for it. It's dangerous and magical and I'm sure both of you would like to get your hands on it. Right now its in the hands of an angry, scared teenage girl. How do you think that's going to go?"

"Fair point," the agent said.

Jillian wasn't so convinced.

"Why do I need a balding FBI agent and a teenage girl to hunt down and kill a heretic?"

"You're not killing her!" Mary demanded.

Jillian flashed Mary a condescending smile.

"Keep telling yourself that, protestant cow."

"Either way," Mary said. "You don't know where to find her and I'm her best friend. I'm closer to her than anyone else on the planet, so you'll need me to track her down."

"Go on," Jillian said.

"She also kicked your ass. She's been practicing magic one fucking day and she sent all three of us flying. If either one you went up against her in a straight battle, she might rip you in two."

In the distance, the sounds of gruff voices echoed in the halls. The fire department had arrived.

"We don't have a lot of time," Mary said. "Can we make a deal?"

"Sure," the agent said.

"Fine," Jillian muttered. "But I want my gun back."

"Later," Mary said. "When we get out of here?"

"Fine," Jillian snarled.

"Cool," Agent St. John said. "Great conversation. Now let's get out of here before the fire department sees you with that glock."