xxxi. witch-napped.

The biggest point of shame in my life was trying to tell Lux to hide themself, for fear of being caught. Every time we were in public I'd break out into a sweat. I didn't want either of us to get caught, and I thought that by keeping our magic lock and key, we could. We moved a lot, from city to city, state to state, but eventually Lux got tired. When we settled down in a small town in Oregon, I thought that maybe we'd be safe. As time passed, Lux got bolder, sometimes even practicing magic outside when nobody was around. I constantly told them to stop. I was scared. They stopped practicing magic around me, but in my heart, I knew that they did whatever they wanted when I wasn't around.

When our small house in Oregon was raided, they only took Lux. Someone had seen them practicing magic outside and reported them. As they dragged them away, they gave me a sad smile. The look in their eye told me that they expected this. If not then, then later down the road. I sobbed as they were taken away from me, even as a police officer put his hand on my shoulder and told me it "must have been tough to be deceived by a witch."

It took some processing to realize that I was thinking the wrong way. The first few weeks alone, all I could think was "how could they be so stupid?" It was countless replayings of Lux's expression in my mind that made me finally realize I was wrong. Lux lived and breathed magic. Even if they'd get caught one day, they'd never hold themself back. Their magic was the most gorgeous thing I'd ever witnessed, and I realized that I should have experienced all of it while I could have, instead of trying to suppress it.

Colette's head felt hazy, like a fog settled around her brain. She groaned as she sat up, looking around. Her surroundings were unfamiliar. She sat on a bed in a large bedroom, the covers having been pulled over her. Large windows lined the sides, covered with light covered curtains. She blinked, letting her eyes adjust.

The room was decorated well, if not a little boring. The furniture was all modern, with shiny sleek surfaces in various gray tones. The room looked like it was part of a luxury hotel. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, standing up.

She was supposed to be in the Blair House, so that she could attend the signing of an executive order with the President. The cold floor against her feet assured her that she wasn't dreaming. The sensation was too real. She tried to think of what had happened last night, but a thick, cloudy barrier enveloped her memory. The most she could remember was reading part of "Vicky the Witch's Spellbook" in bed.

The door opened, and somebody walked in. It was an old woman with twin braids hanging off her shoulders. She wore a white turtleneck and a poodle skirt, as if it was still the 1950's. She smiled warmly at Colette.

"I'm glad to see that you woke up," she said, "You must be hungry! Can I get you something to eat?"

Colette could feel emptiness gnawing at her stomach. Just how long had she been asleep?

She pushed the thoughts of food aside. "Where am I?" she asked.

The woman, her smile never faltering, answered. "You are in a sanctuary."

"How did I get here?" Colette stared at the woman, frowning, "I'm supposed to be in Washington D.C. with the president."

"Oh!" The woman's eyes widened as if she had just forgotten something important. "I should get Cesar! He will answer your questions."

Like a harpoon in the side of a fish, the name 'Cesar' pierced through the cloud of Colette's mind. She had been on a facetime call with Marisol in the Blair House. Cesar had walked into her room, apologized, and then something attacked her brain until she passed out. She realized now that it was magic that put her to sleep. She ran up to the window, moving the curtain.

Woodland surrounded the building, trees painted the landscape in the various warm colors of November. Ordinarily, Colette would appreciate the beauty of nature around her, but instead, the trees caused panic. There were no signs, roads, or buildings in the distance to indicate where she was. If she tried to escape, she had no idea where she would run.

The door swung open. She turned around. Entering the room with an easy smile on his face, was Cesar. Colette, not knowing what else to do, reached for magic inside of herself and held out her hands. Her hands glowed, red and hot, aimed right at Cesar.

Cesar only laughed, waving a hand. "I was able to knock you out, remember? Whatever you're trying to do won't work."

Colette released the energy from her hands, sending a scorching blast of energy towards Cesar.

With a wave of his hand, a cold blue light shone from his hands, and Colette's magic attack dissolved in the air, as it had never been casted in the first place. Still, Cesar smiled.

"I'm not going to fight you," Cesar said, "I just want to talk."

Colette dropped her hands by her sides. She wouldn't be able to take him in a fight. "Why did you kidnap me?" she asked, "Where am I?"

"We're in a sanctuary that I built years ago," he said, gesturing around the room, "Here, I hide away witches, so that the government won't be able to take them."

Colette narrowed her eyes. "But you work for the government. You were a bodyguard to the president."

His face twisted in disgust, his smile finally disappearing, "I'm not proud of that," he said, "But it was a means to an end. I was on a mission. I planned to mess things up until operations fell into chaos, and when everything was fragile and weak, I'd invite my fellow witches to take over."

"But now you don't have to," said Colette, "The president is going to sign an executive order to make magic legal. We won't have to hide anymore. I need to be there to show my support."

Cesar stepped forward, anger blooming on his face, "You want them to look like the good guys? After all they've done?" He picked Colette's hands up from her sides and clasped them in his frigid ones.

"They almost took you away at that protest," he said, "If not for you fighting back, you wouldn't be standing here with your powers today. You would have lost your soul. Rosie Richards doesn't care about you, she only wants to twist herself to be the good person for votes this coming election."

She yanked her hands away, holding them to her chest. "I know that already," she said, "But I don't care. Even if Rosie doesn't actually care, the magic will still be legalized. This isn't a time where I can afford to be stuck on my own morals."

"I brought you here so that you could choose your own morals and legalize magic," he said, "With you, I'm sure we could rally many witches to come out of hiding and join our cause, and then we can overturn the government together."

"I won't do that," Colette said, "I don't want to destroy the government. I don't want to hurt anybody. Even if I did decide to go with you, I wouldn't be able to fight. I'm not that strong."

"The best trained witches can sense magic in others," Cesar said. He held up his hand, a small ball of white light forming in it, "Those who combine that training with natural talent can sense how powerful other witches are." The ball of light expanded and contracted in a steady rhythm.

He held his hand forward, palm upwards, letting the ball of light shine between them. "If this is Joel Schultz's power..." The ball took up half of his palm. "Then yours would be this."

The ball of light expanded, growing larger than Cesar's hand, until it was about the size of his head. The light was so intense that Colette had to squint to prevent her eyes from burning. It was like the sun was trying to escape Cesar's grip, white-hot and blinding.

He must have been over exaggerating. Even when she had blasted the police in New York, she didn't think she was more powerful than Mr. Schultz. He stopped a waterfall right in front of her, and even now, it seemed like an impossible task for her. She backed up, her legs hitting the bed, forcing her to sit down. She shook her head, even as the light died down. "You're flattering me so that I'll join you."

Cesar laughed. "While I admit that I'm flattering you, I am not lying nor am I exaggerating. You are a wellspring of magic, just waiting to be unlocked. I can teach you to wield it so that you'll have anything you want within your reach." His voice was smooth and cunning, flowing out of his mouth like sickeningly sweet honey. Still, Colette turned her head away.

"I need some time to think about it," she lied, "Maybe once I have food and a change of clothes, I'll be able to answer you."

"Of course," he said, "You are an honored guest. I'll send Miss. Torin with everything you have requested."

He looked satisfied, as if for now, her hesitance is what he wanted. He walked out of the room, a smirk on his face, closing the door behind him.