Chapter 23

"Jason's got something he wants to talk to us about," Richie said as soon as the original four Harbingers had gathered upon the gravel-covered parking lot of Haven High School. "And it better fucking be where he told his mother to stick that job."

Jason cast a forlorn look at his friend. He let out a small sigh, his breath fogging the air as snowflakes drifted down from a white-gray sky.

"What job?" Melinda demanded. "Was something posted?"

Jason's arm tightened around Melinda, and she snuggled closer as if sensing his distress. He wished he could spend the rest of the day like this and make up for so much lost time. "I want to wait until everyone is here."

"But it's not about the job, right? You're not going to take it. You can't."

Jason looked to Heather in a silent bid for assistance, but she was paying him no mind. Instead, her gaze was directed towards another school bus pulling into the lot.

"For crying out loud, pipsqueak, give your boyfriend some space," Richie said.

"Get bent, Richie," Melinda declared.

"Diane!" Heather suddenly called out.

Diane stepped off the other bus and jogged towards them as fast as the snow-covered ground would allow. Heather rushed forward and met her halfway, the two embracing each other.

"God, I've missed you, Heather," Diane said in a choked voice. "I keep worrying that you won't show up and -- mmph!" Heather kissed Diane full on the lips and held it until Diane uttered a tiny moan into Heather's mouth. By the time they broke off, both were panting slightly. "I missed that, too," Diane said in a softer voice.

"Okay, morning lezzie show over," Richie said. "Jason has--"

"I need Cassie here, Richie," Jason said in an irritated voice. He almost added "stop helping me" but supposed he should be glad Richie was showing interest.

Heather and Diane rejoined the group, each with an arm around the other, just as Jason caught sight of Cassie's limo pulling into the parking lot. He took a slow, deep breath, but it did little to calm him or get rid of the twisted knot in his stomach.

Jason noted the urgency in Cassie's step and believed she had something to tell him. He was going to have to disappoint her; he could not risk learning anything more about his fellow Harbingers which he could use to compromise them later.

Cassie spoke as soon as she was within earshot. "Jason, when you have a minute, I need to talk to you about--"

"It will have to wait, Cassie, I'm sorry," Jason said.

"Something up, kemosabe?" Ned drawled.

"Yeah, you could say that."

"Jason, please, is this about--" Melinda started.

"Melinda, stop making this harder than it already is!" Jason exclaimed.

Melinda fell silent, eyes wide and shimmering. Her lower lip trembled when Jason extricated himself from her embrace.

"I'm sorry, this is easier with my arms free," Jason said, though it was only half the truth. He did not want to be reminded of what he was leaving behind.

The others were staring at him, Cassie with the same sense of foreboding that Melinda's gaze held. Diane drew Heather closer, and Ned closed up ranks.

Jason glanced from one to the other and thought he would not have the nerve to say what needed to be said. He could not bring himself to meet Melinda's eyes. His prepared words dissolved like so much mist, and when he looked at Cassie, he felt the need to defend himself. "I don't have any choice. I have to do this."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Richie demanded.

"Richie, stop being such a dumbass for five seconds!" Melinda screeched. "He is talking about a job at the Inn!"

"I know that!" Richie roared. "Why the fuck is he gonna take it?"

Cassie gasped and buried her face in Ned's chest. Jason heard her whispering "he can't" over and over and swallowed hard. "L-look, this isn't easy for me. Don't make it harder. I'm not going to waste my breath explaining it all again."

"Like hell you're not!" Heather suddenly cried. "Don't assume I know everything that's going on or that Melinda was able to tell me everything."

"I told you everything I know!" Melinda cried, wiping tears from her eyes. She rounded on Jason and shoved him in the chest. "And I want to know what the hell you're thinking, Jason! You can't just go walking in there and--"

"Melinda, you saw my mother with your own damn eyes!" Jason shouted. "What difference does it make if I do it now or later? She's going to force me to do it no matter what! Maybe if I do this willingly, I can spare her the trauma of making me do it."

Jason was careful to avoid looking at Richie, but he heard his friend seething off to the side. Any consternation he felt paled in comparison to the tears in Melinda's eyes.

He felt a trembling hand on his shoulder. "J-Jason, I'm sure you've thought this through," came Cassie's shaky voice. "But are you sure there isn't an alternative? You said you were close to something in Elizabeth's journal. Maybe we can find a way to delay..."

She trailed off when Jason turned around and unshouldered his backpack. He pulled out the set of manila folders, which he thrust at Cassie. Cassie cast a wide-eyed gaze at them and stepped back. Slowly, she grasped them and pulled them towards her.

"It was a dead end," Jason said in a low voice. "Apparently she was deluding herself all along. There was nothing to it."

"What?!" Cassie cried. "But that can't be right! That doesn't make any sense!"

"It explains why Mrs. Radson never used the information because there was nothing to be found. But the journal is still not safe for me to own, not if--" He stopped when his throat threatened to close up. "N-not if I get compromised."

"But Jason, what--?"

"Now wait a cotton-pickin' minute here!" Ned suddenly exclaimed, snatching the folders from Cassie's hands. "Journal notes ... hacking techniques? ... letter to--"

Jason snatched them back and handed them to Cassie. Without a word, he reached into his backpack again and pulled out the hard drive and a plastic bag, the contents of which rattled. He handed these as well to a dumbstruck Cassie.

"J-Jason ... what are... ?" She murmured in a tiny voice, though by the glistening in her eyes she had already guessed.

"The hard drive from my computer and all my backup tapes," Jason said in a toneless voice to several gasps behind him. "It's safer if I don't--"

A sudden sharp impact to his shoulder would have bowled him over had Ned not caught him. He turned around, rubbing his bruised arm, and saw Heather and Diane restraining a furious and cursing Melinda, her booted foot swinging at Richie. Richie still brandished the fist with which he had punched Jason. "What the FUCK?!" Richie bellowed. "What the flying FUCK are you doing?!"

Ned frowned. "While I think Richie needs ta take a sip from the ol' Well o' Chill, I kinda agree with the sentiment."

Jason was losing what little emotional control he had managed to establish. He thrust an arm at Heather and Melinda. "Go ask them how I tried to fuck up their family's utilities when we were all stepping over each other to use the power in the House. Don't you get it? I can't have a working computer if I get compromised. The damage I could cause--"

"Don't you dare hit him again, you asshole!" Melinda screamed.

"Richie, dude, seriously," Ned said in a flat voice. "Calm the fuck down."

Richie held his fist drawn back, his feet restless as if undecided as to whether to lunge -- or at whom to lunge -- before he finally threw up his hands. "Fine. FINE. Just give up, then. We'll just all fucking give up! Why the hell did I even care in the first place?"

"Richie, shut up, " Cassie hissed, surprising both Jason and Ned with her vehemence. "Stop making this harder on everyone."

Richie cast first a shocked look at Cassie, then an angry glare. He clenched his jaw as if holding back a retort. His gaze softened slightly before he looked back at Jason. "You're just giving up, man," he said in a lower but no less furious voice. "That's what it looks like to me. Right, Ned?"

Ned paused, his eyes darting between Richie and Cassie. "I gotta admit," he said slowly. "It kinda looks like that."

Only the calm tone of Ned's voice prevented Jason from boiling over, but only just. Cassie vented for him. "Ned, how can you say that? You think he wants to do this?"

Ned held up his hands. "I said it looks like that, babe, and I won't lie, that sticks in my craw. But I ain't comin' up with anythin' better, and I don't hear no one else spouting brilliant plans of derring-do. So, yeah, mebbe I was hot ta jump on the same bandwagon til I realized we're expectin' Jason ta come up with all the answers. Well, folks, guess what? Mebbe sometimes he don't have 'em."

Jason let out a small sigh of relief, and Cassie appeared as mollified as she could be. Now he was forced to look at Melinda, and his resolve almost dissolved again. Heather and Diane had let go of her, and tears were leaking down her face. "You can't do this," she said in a choked voice. "You j-just can't. Please."

"What is he supposed to do?" Cassie asked in a tired voice.

"Run away! Don't go back home!"

"No, Melinda," Heather said.

Melinda whirled around. "Don't you start, okay?!" she cried, wiping her face. "I don't have a choice now, but he does."

"I can't go on arguing," Jason said, his voice cracking. "I've made my decision. Look, maybe there's something I missed in the journal. I haven't read past the point where she revealed the self-delusion. Maybe something will turn up there, but I'm not going to be in any position to examine it myself."

Jason watched with deepening despair as his words triggered a greater cascade of tears down Melinda's face. "No, this isn't right! This isn't fair! R-Richie's right, you're just giving up. How the hell are the rest of us supposed to keep going if you give up?!"

"I'm not ... it's not giving up," Jason said in a strained voice. "I'm not going to let them do whatever they want. I'm going to fight it as much as possible."

"Yeah, right, like you are now!"

"Melinda, I already explained it, I--"

"Shut up! Don't talk to me anymore! Just... !" She sobbed once and dashed towards the school.

"Melinda!" Heather called out, running after her with Diane in tow.

Jason clenched his jaw. He drew in a breath and let it go, covering his own choked sob with an awkward clearing of his throat.

Cassie placed a hand on his shoulder. "Jason, Melinda's not angry with you, she's--"

"I know," Jason said in a small voice.

"Well, I'm sure as fuck angry at you!" Richie shouted.

"Aw, give it a rest already," Ned grumbled.

"Fuck you, Ned! Fuck all of you! Maybe you should've let me keep hitting Jason to pound some sense into him! Just what the fuck do--"

"AHEM."

Richie fell silent, though his eyes still seethed with fury.

"Is there a problem here?" asked Vice Principal Seeger.

The question was voiced in a tone different from the one Seeger reserved for most troublesome students. His eyes betrayed genuine concern as they flitted between the members of the Harbingers.

"It's fine, Mr. Seeger," Jason said in a neutral if shaky voice. "Apologies if we were a bit loud."

"A vast understatement, Mr. Conner," Seeger said in a dry voice. He glanced around until a few lingering curiosity-seekers headed towards the school entrance. In a low voice he said, "I have tried to give the lot of you more ... more leeway than the other students."

"But we should not abuse the privilege. I understand."

"See that all of you do. And Mr. Gardner, I will excuse you striking Mr. Conner this once. Do not further test my generosity. Do I make myself clear?"

Richie uttered a grunt, still looking daggers at both him and Jason.

"I will take that as a 'yes.'" His gaze softened. "Is there anything I may help with? The younger Miss Sovert looked quite upset."

Jason was taken by the compassion in the man's voice. He sometimes still thought of Seeger as the gruff old man who considered teenagers to be lower life forms despite his assistance on the night of Halloween and his willingness to believe the truth behind extraordinary events at Haven High. "It's nothing that would affect the school, Mr. Seeger."

"I see," Seeger said in a neutral voice. "Very well. You all know where my office is if you need me. I suggest you all get inside now before you miss your first class."

Jason nodded and walked away before anyone could say another word. He imagined their departing stares gathering as leaden guilt around his shoulders. He wiped his eyes and rushed towards the school entrance. He had made the best decision given the situation; that he could not make the others understand changed nothing.

He closed his eyes for a moment and saw Melinda's anguished face. Now he had to convince himself that the best decision had been the right decision as well.

Diane emerged from her second class and rushed down the hall. She shuddered to a halt when she spotted Heather engaged in a conversation (or rather, from the volume, a shouting match) with her sister. Diane sighed and leaned against the lockers. For a fleeting moment, she felt as much enmity towards Jason as Richie had, as his predicament prevented her from having as much time with Heather as she wished.

She was about to turn away when Melinda stomped off in a huff, Heather calling to her sister in a frustrated voice to no avail. Heather stamped her foot and slammed a hand against the lockers. Diane edged away when Heather's gaze turned towards her.

"There you are!" Heather declared, and for a moment Diane was afraid Heather was angry with her. She let out a small sigh of relief when Heather slipped an arm around her waist and gave her a quick kiss. "You disappeared when we went inside the school. I thought you were right behind me."

"I didn't want to get in the way," Diane said. "Between you and Melinda, that is."

Heather rolled her eyes. "Not that it would've mattered. I swear, Diane, Melinda can be a pigheaded brat sometimes."

"She's upset about Jason. I mean, I would be, too, if I were in the same situation." She paused, and she said in a lower voice, "In a way, I am."

Heather gave her a hug and sighed in Diane's ear before drawing back. "I know, but you're not mad at me over it."

"No, of course not."

"Well, try telling that to her."

"Do you really think Jason's right, that he had no choice? I mean, I can't imagine ever walking into something like that, not after what happened to me."

"I know, it doesn't make any sense to me, either."

"But what is he expecting us to do? Figure out a way to rescue him?"

Heather gave Diane what she interpreted as an expectant look, and her heart plunged into her stomach. Was this where the other Harbingers expected her to use her new powers to save Jason?

"Maybe you can ask Mrs. Radson about it," Heather said.

"I can ... what?"

"I ran into Cassie after first class. She mentioned you were taking some sort of lessons with Mrs. Radson, that you had a new ability you were learning to use." She paused and smiled. "Is that what you did yesterday morning?"

Diane nodded, not daring to trust her voice.

Heather again looked expectant, but Diane could not bring herself to speak about it. "Well, you can tell me later. So can you talk to her about this?"

"I'll try," Diane said. "Um, Heather? You understand ... I mean ... this thing I'm doing, it will cut into my time with you."

"I know," Heather said, and Diane heard the disappointment in Heather's voice despite Heather's attempt to hide it. "But you've always been talking about needing to boost your own confidence. Maybe this will help."

Diane let out a relieved sigh and nodded. "I still want to see you, but this is important to me."

Heather took Diane's hand and squeezed it. "I know, and that's why I'm cool with it," she said in a soft voice.

Diane managed a small smile and squeezed Heather's hand in return.

"We better get to our next class." Heather let go of Diane's hand and started away.

"Heather, wait!"

Heather stopped and turned. "What is it?"

"I have to ask you something ... well ... actually, my mother is asking something."

Heather looked askance at Diane. "Your mother?"

"She wants me to invite you over to dinner one night this week. Wednesday or Thursday."

Heather stared. "Are you serious? Does she know about us?"

"Yes, I told you that."

"No, you said you told your Mom that you're a lesbian. You never said if you told her about us."

"Well, I did, so yes, she knows about us. It's the reason why she wants you over. Well, that and ... um..."

"What?"

Diane stepped closer. "I don't know how, Heather, but I think my mother knows about you and Ms. Bendon."

Heather's eyes widened. "How?"

"Not from me, " Diane declared. "But, remember, she had some sort of run-in with the principal during that whole Nyssa mess. Ms. Bendon did something to her, and it's like she's facing it only now. So when I told her you were spending every other week at Ms. Bendon's house--"

Heather gasped. "You told her what?"

Diane cringed. "I didn't tell her what you were doing! Please, Heather, you know how hard a time I have lying to my mother. I told her you were being tutored, but then she started asking me if Ms. Bendon ever, well, ever touched me. So I think she's guessed something of what's going on."

Heather sighed and leaned against the lockers. "So is she worried I'm going to do something to you?"

"No. In fact, she's worried about you. I think she wants to see for herself if you're okay. I wouldn't have agreed to ask you if I thought my mother wanted to get on your case about anything."

Heather let out a long sigh. "I'm not sure about this, Diane."

"Maybe if she sees you acting normal, she'll let it go." Diane certainly hoped so. After seeing what happened to other Harbingers' parents when they became involved, the last thing she wanted was her own mother poking around. "And then she'll stop hounding me about it."

"Okay, I'll do this on one condition: you tell me exactly what this new power of yours is supposed to be."

Diane bit her lip.

"It doesn't have to be right now, but Cassie wouldn't tell me. She said you were sensitive about it, and she'd rather I hear it from you."

"Okay," Diane said. "I really shouldn't be keeping things from you anyway."

Heather nodded. She gave Diane another quick kiss. "I'll see you at lunch time, you can tell me then," she said as she headed away.

Diane managed a small smile and waved before heading to her next class. Despite having shed the burden of this task, she still felt like nothing was in her control. Events were simply carrying her along like a raging river, and she struggled to keep her head above water.

Ned caught a glimpse of Cassie down the hall working the combination of her locker after third period. He wound and dodged through the crowd of students until a gaggle of gossiping girls suddenly emerged from a classroom and blocked both the view and his way.

Ned turned sideways and knifed through them. "'Scusa, my loquacious lovelies," he drawled as he went by.

"Hey, what the--!"

"You almost knocked my books to--!"

"Gawd, get that nose away from--!"

Ned emerged from the now indignant crowd of girls to see Cassie heave a sigh and twirl the dial again, her fingers twitching when she tried to align it on the right number.

"Don't know what the hell she sees in him," he heard a fading voice say behind him as Cassie yanked the handle of the locker to no avail. She thumped her fist against the door.

"You okay, babe?" Ned asked.

Cassie flinched and held her books against her bosom like a shield. She let out a windy sigh, and her shoulders slumped. "Goodness, Ned, it's been almost the whole morning and I'm still so rattled!"

"Yeah, I can tell." Ned twirled the combination dial to, fro, and to again. He thumped the locker with each fist, then turned and kicked it with a backwards sweep of his foot. The locker remained closed.

Cassie stared. "What are you doing?"

"Heh, it always works in the movies." He dialed the proper combination, lifted the latch, and swung the door open.

"Thank you," Cassie said in a subdued voice. She swapped books as she spoke. "Frankly, Ned, I don't know how you can even joke at a time like this."

"Keeps the bats from roostin' in my head and leavin' their droppin's in my noggin."

Cassie paused. "What?"

"That way I don't go batshit insane. Geddit?"

Cassie frowned and slammed the door shut. "No."

"Babe, look, it's either that or--"

"Do you realize what Jason gave me? Did you see that folder marked 'Letter for Melinda?' I'm supposed to give it to her once I'm sure that Jason is g-gone, that's he's never..."

Her voice broke up, and she covered her eyes with her hand. Ned stepped towards her, but she waved him off. She sniffled and wiped her eyes. "I can't do it, not now. I h-have to work this out so I can get through the rest of the day. If I let you comfort me now, I'll just lose it."

"Then ya know how I feel, jus' different emotion. Like I was 'bout ta say, it's either joke around or start gettin' all hot under the collar at Mrs. R."

"You can't blame her for this!"

"I know, but I don't got no one else ta be mad at. And she coulda warned Jason he was barkin' up the wrong tree."

Cassie sighed and leaned against the lockers. "This doesn't make any sense. My concentration was so bad during class that I peeked at some of the journal entries Jason had highlighted. I read the last entry and then the ones right before it. She did a complete reversal in two entries just a week apart!"

"Babe, she was pushin' sixty when she wrote them. Mebbe she had a few bats in her belfry. I had an aunt who started losin' her marbles early on in--"

"No. Ned, this was a woman who took a living spirit and merged it with a house. I refuse to believe she was delusional in the three years it took her to get to that point."

"Then lets go talk ta Mrs. R. after school," Ned declared. He still thought the journal to be no more than the ramblings of a woman who may have once been a great witch, but Cassie's statement forced him to hold out some hope.

It was better than doing nothing.

"I'll not have you yelling at her!" Cassie cried. "There's been enough of that today to last me a lifetime."

"But she was supposed ta have known the Good Witch o' the West," said Ned. "Mebbe she knows more than what's in the journal."

"She's giving those private lessons to Diane."

"Yeah, an' we can get over there before Diane. She's gotta go home by bus and then hoof it. We can be done by then."

Cassie let out a small sigh and said in a softer voice, "And it's something to do."

Ned smirked and placed a fingertip on his nose. "Right on the nose. Not that hard with me, though, ya gotta admit."

The corners of Cassie's mouth twitched, but that was all. Ned accepted it and did not push his luck. She turned her gaze down the empty hallway and drew her books to her bosom. "We better get to our next classes."

Ned glanced down the hall and grinned. "Heh, could feel Seeger's glare from here." He started to raise his hand, but Cassie slapped it away.

"No, just go," she said in an urgent voice, nudging him down the corridor. "Don't test his generosity, please."

Ned nodded and let himself be shepherded down the hall. He glanced over his shoulder, but Seeger was already gone. He let out a small sigh, his eyes melancholy. He realized he should be glad Seeger was on their side, but he felt he had lost something. The school had become alien to him, just a building with walls and a ceiling in which he spent a chunk of his day.

Without the school as a day-to-day battlefield, he had the disconcerting sense that their quarry had somehow escaped its confinement. Nowhere in Haven was safe anymore.

Richie used to be good at this. As his eyes darted over the stream of students, he recalled the thrill of past exploits. He stood in the short corridor leading to the counselor's office, which had remained vacant since Victor's "unexpected" departure. Now it served as a good place to wait for the right prey.

Some preferred to do it in groups, but he had always thought that lame. He didn't need an audience of sycophants to enjoy the visceral thrill it gave him. He never did it to make himself feel important or superior; he did it purely for the rush of the adrenaline high.

Or used to. He had given it up a long time ago. His formerly aimless anger over his home life had become more focused, thanks to his knowledge of the Darkness. Now his intent had purpose beyond his own amusement. Maybe someone else could have done this with flowery words or some kind of bogus pep-talk, but Richie could fall back only on what he knew.

He drew back as he spotted Jason in the crowd. He bent his legs so he could not be seen over the heads of the students. His eyes narrowed as he watched Jason pass and head towards his locker.

Richie scurried near the far wall, keeping his head ducked. As Jason reached for the combination lock, Richie dodged through an opening in the crowd on the balls of his feet, his footsteps lost in the general din of conversation and movement.

He crept up behind Jason and waited, his body tensed like a coiled spring. Jason started to open the locker, but Richie threw a kick which impacted with the bottom edge of the door. It was yanked from Jason's hand and slammed shut.

Jason glared at Richie. Without a word, he lifted the latch again. Richie jammed his palm into Jason's elbow, smashing Jason's fingers against the latch. A shocked Jason pulled his hand way, several fingers scraped and oozing blood. Richie brought his hands down upon Jason's other arm, scattering books to the floor.

Jason narrowed two blazing eyes at Richie. "Is there a point to this infantile behavior?"

Richie shoved him in the chest. Jason stumbled back, raking his upper arm across the handles of several lockers. "Just jogging your fucking memory."

"What the hell are you--"

Richie kicked one of Jason's textbooks down the hallway. "Reminding you how you used to get fucked over every day. You remember that, right? All the stuff the bullies used to do? I fucking stopped them by kicking their sorry asses! Remember that?!"

Jason sighed. "Richie, what's the point of--"

"I'll tell you the fucking point!" Richie shouted. By then, a semicircle of curious students had gathered. "I beat them for you! I went out on a limb for you! I ever tell you how one of them pulled a knife on me? You see me just throw up my hands and run away? Or let them keep whalin' on you? No, I stayed in the fight and kicked his fucking ass so far up you couldn't tell his mouth from his asshole. I didn't give in like a fucking coward!"

He kicked another book, forcing a startled spectator to jump out of the way. It slid until it struck a polished shoe. Several onlookers gasped.

Jason cast a cold look at Richie. "Coward, huh? So tell me, Richie. How's your father doing?"

Richie's eyes widened. "Wh-what?"

"I'm sure you've had a nice chat with him by now, since you have his phone number."

Richie shook and curled his hands into fists. His jaw clenched until pain lanced down his neck.

"Or maybe not. Maybe I'm not the--"

Richie grabbed Jason's shirt and slammed him against the locker.

"MR. GARDNER!" roared Seeger, both errant books in his hand.

Richie's head snapped to the side, and his eyes widened. He looked back to Jason, as if suddenly surprised to see his friend backed against the lockers. He swallowed and slowly let go, his hands shaking. He stumbled back a step, still staring at Jason.

Jason stared back, his eyes now betraying both shock and curiosity.

Seeger stepped forward, the other students parting for him. Some scurried away, but most riveted their attention on him. He glanced back at them, then focused a cool gaze upon Richie. "Detention, Mr. Gardner," he said in a strained voice. "Today."

Richie opened his mouth, but no sound came forth. He looked at Jason, whose face now held an apologetic look. Everything Richie had been thinking over the last few minutes replayed in his brain in a cruel loop.

(Don't be a dick)

His throat became too tight for words.

"And you, Mr. Conner," Seeger said. "Report to the nurse's station to get those scrapes treated, and then report to my office immediately."

Jason gave Seeger a surprised look. "But I have class now," he said in a somewhat sheepish voice.

"I've made my wishes clear, Mr. Conner. I am no mood to have them debated. The rest of you, get to class."