This hero stuff was hard.
Maybe I'm just not cut out for this, Genie thought as she dragged herself out of bed. Mariah had always been so confident. Mariah didn't wallow in self-doubt and confusion. She'd never been totally out of her depth... apart from the whole thing where she'd gotten involved with the Altos, and that scary Ms. H. Mariah didn't lead her friends into danger... apart from that one night and, really, she and Aadi followed Mariah willingly.
If only I was more like Mariah, Genie thought. Then we wouldn't be right back at the start... with no idea what to do next.
With a heavy sigh, Genie pulled herself up. She had work, and heroism, even if she had been cut out for it, didn't pay the rent.
Lost in her own thoughts, she was halfway across the apartment before she registered raised voices.
"I just can't believe you would do that without talking to me first!" Gabbie was shouting.
"You're giving me grief about this?!" Anthony recoiled. "Are you serious?!"
Distracted, Genie's first thought was - Oh good, they're both wearing pants. It was followed quickly by - Wait... am I wearing pants?
Having established that at least everyone was wearing pants, Genie's curiosity immediately got the better of her and she tried to unravel what the argument was about.
"Do you understand what kind of opportunity this is for me?" Anthony was saying.
"Of course it looks like a great opportunity," Gabbie snapped back. "I know that... but is it really. I mean, you're just out of college. Do you really think you have a chance?"
"Oh thanks for that!" Anthony groaned. "I know it's a long shot... but the Party could have tapped anyone for Baxter's seat. They chose me. I'm running for Council. Me! Even if lose... and I know I'll probably lose... it's a huge honor just to be nominated. Come on, babe. I need you with me."
"Oh, of course I'm with you, you moron," Gabbie laughed. "Sorry... Councilor Moron."
"Wait, hold on," Genie said. "Anthony... you are the new Unity Party candidate for Council?"
"I know," Anthony grinned. "Crazy, isn't it. They called me yesterday and offered me the nomination. Ms. Ojo said I was a rising star... and they wanted a young, new voice to represent the Party in the election."
"I bet no one else wanted to run after the Llama-man conspiracy nut," Gabbie put in.
"OK, that was maybe a factor, I'll admit," Anthony said, still grinning. "But, let's not overlook that I am the young, new voice of the Party... at least for the San My Council election."
"Can I get an interview?" Genie asked.
--------------
In another part of San My's Spice District, Jenny Poole was awoken by the persistent ring of her phone.
"Hello," she answered brightly. Even half-awake, she always tried to be cheerful on the phone. One never knew when a director or producer might call with some terrific opportunity, after all.
"What? Who?" she asked, blinking sleep from her eyes. "Oh... Oh! No... no, you're not bothering me. God, I'm so glad you called. Really. Please..."
She paused, listening.
"Look, why don't we meet?" Jenny said after a bit. "Better yet, you can come over here. No, please, it's no trouble. Come. I mean it. I'll text you the address."
"I'm sorry," Corrie stammered. "I didn't know who to call and Orange said... I shouldn't have..."
"Of course you should," Jenny said softly. She could see the bruises on the younger woman's face. Anger and grief tangled inside her, almost burying the faded memory of what that pain felt like. Pushing it all aside, letting the emotions motivate but not control her, Jenny simply added, "I told Orange to give you my number because I wanted you to call me."
"Why? You... you don't even know me," Corrie said, trying to hide her face.
"Because someone helped me, when I was in a bad spot," Jenny said. "More than once, actually. I've been in a few bad spots... and Cassie was always there to help me out."
"You... you really know Cassie Goth?" Corrie asked weakly.
"Like I said, she's helped me out a few times," Jenny said gently.
"He... he said he knew her," Corrie sobbed. "He said he was going to make me a star."
"Yeah, they say that a lot," Jenny said sadly, taking the younger woman in her arms. "Come inside. I'll see what we've got for breakfast and we can talk."
"He really scared me, last night," Corrie said, sitting nervously on Jenny's couch. "I mean, I've seen him get mad before. He... he gets mad a lot. He'll yell or curse... or he'll get quiet. It's... it's always bad... when he's quiet.
"He was quiet the whole drive back from the club," she continued. "Like really, really quiet. Like, he just looked out the window and didn't say anything. All the way back to the apartment. All the way up in the elevator... just... quiet. I don't even think he really knew I was there. You know."
"I know," Jenny said, remembering how George had forgotten her, forgotten everything, at the sight of Cassie Goth. Remembering how glad she had been to be forgotten.
"I was so scared," Corrie went on. "Seeing Cassie... oh God, he told me knew her... but it shook him. It really shook him like nothing I've ever seen... and I knew... I just knew, he was going to do something... something to... to..."
"To get control back," Jenny breathed softly.
Corrie nodded, wide-eyed.
"I snuck away," she said. "I left him with Damien. Damien can talk him down sometimes... and I... I couldn't be there. I couldn't."
"It's ok," Jenny reassured her.
"Later, when... when he came to bed he... he wanted me to... to be like Cassie," Corrie stammered. "He says I look like her... that I remind him of her... he wanted me to... to..."
Jenny just nodded, understanding exactly what George T had wanted.
"I... I... I just snapped," Corrie said, clearly shocked with herself. "I... I... I yelled at him. I call him a liar and a... a perv... I told him he didn't know Cassie... Cassie hated him! She would never... never do... do those things with him... and neither would I. I said I knew he would never make me a star."
"He... he pushed me and I... Oh God!" Corrie somehow combined horror and joy in a single wild expression. Softly, she said, "I hit him. I hit him!"
"Wow," Jenny blinked, shocked. "You go girl."
"Well... he hit me back, really hard," Corrie said, looking downcast. "I fought... I really fought, or I tried to but... he's so strong. He's just so strong."
"I know," Jenny said, suppressing an inward shudder. "I know."
"First thing this morning," Corrie continued, "while he was sleeping, I grabbed some clothes and my phone and I called you. I'm sorry, I couldn't think of who else to call. I know Orange gave me the number of a women's shelter but I..."
"It's OK," Jenny said. "It's OK that you called me. We'll figure it out."
"I just..." Corrie started.
She was interrupted by a sudden, loud pounding on the apartment door.
"Oh God!" Corrie shrieked. "He found me!"
"Get in the bedroom... through there," Jenny said quickly. "Stay quiet. Stay in there. I'll handle whoever it is. Don't worry. I won't let anyone hurt you."
Summoning up every ounce of confidence she had ever pretended to have, every breath of cool composure she'd ever seen Cassie Goth wear like a tailor-made dress, and every knife-edged look of savage disdain she'd ever seen the great Judith Ward use to flay the paparazzi, Jenny opened her door.
"Where is she?!" the crewcut man demanded as he pushed into the apartment.
"What do you think..." Jenny gasped out, startled.
"I know Corrie's here," Crewcut snapped. "You'll get her out here right now if you know what's good for you."
"Hey, this is my apartment," Jenny said coolly, quickly recovering her balance. "You don't come barging in here demanding anything!"
"Oh yeah," Crewcut sneered.
"Yeah," Jenny said, then in her best Judith Ward voice she added, "Do you know who I am?"
"Yeah, you're Jenny Poole," Crewcut grinned. "I've seen your tits on WickedHub."
"Yeah, I'm Jenny Poole," Jenny said, calling on Cassie's cool composure. "I studied under the Raven Witch." The lights in the apartment dimmed. The lingering summer heat vanished so quickly ice rimmed the walls. An otherworldly glow filled the room, deepening rather than driving back the shadows. "You do not come into MY HOME and threaten ME!"
"Problem, Jenny?" Bob asked as the panicked-looking crewcut man shoved past him and disappeared into the elevator.
"I handled it, but thanks Bob," Jenny smiled thinly. "If you see that guy around again, do me a favor and call the cops. Don't approach him or anything. Just go inside, lock the door and call the cops. OK?"
"OK, I can do that," Bob said. "You sure you're OK."
"Yeah," Jenny nodded.
With exaggerated care, she closed her apartment door again. Deep breaths, she thought, pushing down the panic that threatened to overwhelm her. Why did she always get stage fight after the scene, she wondered.
"Thanks for having my back there," Jenny whispered to the room behind her.
"Always," a voice more felt than heard whispered back.
Living in a haunted apartment has its up sides, Jenny thought with a smile.
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