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Okay, I guess trying to avoid her all day was a bad idea. I start undoing my locks, trying to gather my thoughts. What will I even say to her? I’m still kind of freaking out about the whole Other World deal.
When I open the door, Jade gives me a challenging look. “Are you going to let me in?”
I nod. “Of course. Sorry, come in.”
She comes into the basement apartment and looks around. Jade winces. “By the Goddess, I know that I'm the one who found you this place, but man, it’s a shithole.”
“Be nice,” I reprimand lightly. “It’s all I have.”
“That’s gotta change soon. Now that you have protection, you won’t need this place much longer.” She turns to me. “You do have protection now, right?”
Wearily, I nod. “Yep. Thanks for the heads up about them being literal vampires, by the way. I was super prepared because of your thorough warning.” Maybe I’m not being fair with the sarcasm, but I am still kind of mad. Last night was terrifying. I head over to my futon, fiddling with it to put it up in the couch position. It’s the only place I have to sit in here.
Jade comes over and helps, doing the other side. “Look . . . I’m sorry about that. I told you I signed an NDA. I assume they told you about the Other World?”
“Yeah . . .” I say, a little hesitantly. I don’t know where she’s going with this.
“It was a magical contract. All the contracts the Fraternity uses are. Made by this terrifying bulldog of a techno-witch lawyer. If you break them, they immediately know, and you are punished for it. My NDA said that I couldn’t talk to anyone about the Fraternity’s dealings. Plus, since you’re human . . .”
“. . . and you’re not,” I point out, watching for her reaction.
She looks a little sheepish, but defensive. “Figured that out, did you?”
“Gaspard told me.”
“Gaspard? Told you I was Other?” Jade is looking pissed again.
“I asked, Jade.”
“That’s no excuse! We’re friends. You should have heard it from me. Gaspard knows better. He should have directed you back to me, so that I could tell you myself.” Jade’s eyes flash with fury.
“Would you have told me?” I ask curiously.
“Of course! You’re my best friend. I’ve been wanting to tell you for ages, but you were also dealing with a lot, and I didn’t want to dump a whole secret world on you.”
That makes sense, and I start to feel a little mollified. I haven’t really been in a position to deal with the world as I know it being a lie. “What kind of Other are you?” I ask. “Am I allowed to ask that question? Gaspard didn’t say.”
“I’m a witch. A hedgewitch, specifically. I’m not very strong, and I don’t have the patience for most potion-making, which is why I’m a dancer, not an herbalist, but my powers lie in plants and healing.”
That sounds benign enough. I sit on the end of my futon, and Jade sits with me.
“Sorry I didn’t answer your calls and texts today,” I say, feeling remorseful. “I was just overwhelmed by everything that happened last night, and when Gaspard told me you were Other too . . .”
“I’m going to kill him for that, by the way,” she says, still peevish.
“I’m sure you will,” I smile, thinking of the tiny, wiry Jade trying to fight the giant, built Gaspard. The only way she would get to him is if he let her. “But, anyway, I was just a little frightened and a lot overwhelmed and didn’t know how to handle it.”
“How did they tell you, by the way?” asks Jade. “About being vampires and blood contracts and stuff?”
“The head guy turned into a super scary-looking monster with glowing eyes and fangs.”
“What the fuck?” interjects Jade. “No easing you into it, just showing you their true form? No wonder you were feeling overwhelmed.”
“Do you have a true form?” I ask.
“We all do. Some are latent, like a vampire’s, that only show during the right circumstances. Others are always in their true forms, like faes, and have to use glamours to hide their authentic form if they want to mingle with humans. Witches are like vampires in that our true forms only show while we’re casting.”
“Can you show me?” I request, wanting to know more about this world I’ve found myself in.
