The Forgotten Part 2

Lawrence got out of this car, walking up to the townhouse door. He opened it, ignoring the cluttered look of the place, laying his guitar in a chair. He walked over to the phone pressing a button on the answering machine, before picking up some clothes off the floor with an irratated growl. He threw them down the small flight of stairs, his roommate’s mess, “no new messages…”
He walked up to his room, grabbing a thick folder off his desk, he sat down on the floor. He started going through it when he heard the door open. He shoved the papers back in the folder and threw the folder onto the desk. The folder sliding behind it, he shook his head, walking cautiously to the stairway.
He saw brown untamed hair a little longer than his own. He strode over with a sigh. His roommate had returned. The familiar young man wore black dress pants and a button down shirt, he turned to Lawrence a smile.
“Hey Shae, how’d it go?” Lawrence asked sitting on the third to top step.
“The usual, not much… no big myths around here to go on, no strange sightings… nothing but a few whispers of urban legends of the occasional haunted house. This coven knows how to keep itself out of sight, out of mind… not a snitch anywhere…” Shae shrugged, walking over to sit in the chair, he noticed Lawrence’s guitar. He laid it on the couch, “were you playing again?” Lawrence nodded, “geeze… I missed it,” he lad back in the chair, “What do you think Lawr…?”
“I think…” Lawrence stated going back into the room and picking up the folder from under the desk. He came back, and threw the folder at Shae, “that we are looking in all the wrong places. This coven has been in America since the 1600’s, the time of Plymouth Rock, whose to say how long it had existed before that in Europe. The Circle of Dawn had already tracked down five members … killed five members. Since then the coven had gone into hiding and The Circle had lost scent of them, “I think we need to stop checking lore and start checking fact… We know the mark of the coven so we should look up the coat of arms from families in the area though I doubt we’ll find anything. Ask about history… we need to dig deeper, “Lawr pointed out as he looked at the profiles of the five members, “all women…” he just realized, he had never investigated a coven that didn’t have any male members before… he had heard about legends and of course the Salem witch trials the victims were predominately female, but those were victims, not predators. Something in his instincts said that this older coven might be all female… he didn’t know how to take that.
“What?” Shae leapt to his feet looking over at Lawr’s shoulders with a curious expression, “something unusual about the cases?” Shae’s eyes scanned over the pages. He looked at the different pentacles around there necks, amulet of power. It made Shaewish that they all looked like the witches out of storybooks, he mumbled something about warts, cauldrons and pentagrams.
This reminded Lawr of something he had heard once from his mentor, “all legends have some basis in fact…”
“What’s that got to do with anything?” Shaw asked, pulled from his thoughts. Lawr stood up, as well as Shae. Shae stood almost a foot and a half taller than Lawr, showing Lawrence’s oriental heritage.
Shae had green eyes and shaggy brown hair, he had always been apart of the Circle. Lawrence had been apart of the circle almost as long. He had been taken from his parents shrine by a missionary.
Lawrence decided to workd the next day in one of the books that bordered one side of the coffee shop, nothing conspicuous, a notebook, a pen and a book about witches that was covered with a science fiction book cover, could never be too careful.
“What’s the matter?” Rosalyn sat next to her sister Rannon, the two of them actually sisters by blood. Rannon red haired and Rosalyn white haired, “you look distressed to say the least…” she ran a hand through her sisters hair.
“A patron is coming here…” Rannon whispered, “I’m afraid… I shouldn’t be, should I?” Rannon asked, head in her hands.
“Its alright…” Rosalyn rubbed circles on her sister’s back, “why don’t go out for a while and clear your head… I’ll cover for you… “ Rannon looked up.
“I think that’s a good idea…” Rannon sighed, “thank you, “ she hugged her sister before getting up to leave.
Rosalyn gave her own heavy sigh, her sister was different from the rest of the them. A kind heart and a deep fear of darkness. She wouldn’t condemn that innocence to the fate that she was sure awaited Kalyca and the others. She had a inkling of seer in her, that was why her hair was white, she could sense on coming events. She watched Rannon walk out, sensing hardship on the way for her.
Rannon reached the door unnoticed, cooking going on in the kitchen keeping the other women busy. She slipped out and headed to her sanctuary, the coffee shop. She picked up her pace to a jog, she hurried inside once she arrived a poet in the middle of an act. It was Friday, many of the tables were filled, she scanned over looking for an empty table, her eyes falling on him. Lawrence seemed to be caught up in, she tilted her head to read the title, “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by: Philip K. dick…” she thought for a minute about title before she realized she had walked over to his table.
He looked up at her with raised eyebrows, “’ello…” she whispered.
“Yo…” he returned in a low whisper, setting down his book as the poem ended and a series of snaps filled the room for a moment.
“What are you doing here…?” she asked, half curious, half irritated.
“Isn’t it obvious?” He held up his book.
“That’s not what I meant…” she pouted at him.
“What did you mean then?” he sat with his chin in his arms, his head tilted at her with a smile.
Rannon growled, hands on the table, “I’m not in the mood to be mocked,” she stated impressively.
Lawrence on the contrary seemed amused, “have a seat...” he motioned to the seat across the little café table. She flopped angrily into the seat, “ so… what’s the matter?” he closed his book.
She crossed her arms, “You’re so… annoying…” she stressed shaking her head.
He raised an eyebrow, “you were upset the moment you came in, “ he replied with a large bout of confidence.
“And how did you come to that conclusion?” she hissed leaning on the table.
“The door hit the wall when you came in showing that you used some force, then even before I said anything you strode over and started interrogating me…” she attempted to interrupt him.
“You singled out the person you were the most familiar with and attempted to vent your frustrations that you had gained before entering,” he had returned to his book sometime during the conversation and was now looking over a page.
Rannon let out a heavy sigh. When he put it that way, “… don’t make yourself sound so innocent, “ she forced out, forehead resting on her arms, the reply coming out as more of a whine than a retort.
He turned the page examining the front and back as he asked, “so… what’s the matter?”
She looked up at him, the very nerve this newcomer had. She thought a moment trying to figure out some half-truth, “we’re having a family get together…” she took a deep breath.
Lawr shrugged, “tell them you have plans,” he really didn’t know what to tell her.
“Its not that simple,” she shot back, “I don’t think lying is going to help,” she resisted the urge to shiver, the patron knows all.
A crazy idea was forming in his mind, something about her made him act bolder than he usually was, “don’t lie then, make plans…”
“Like what?” she asked feeling more and more defeated.
“Come and see me play again…” he spat out, not exactly the nonchalant way he had pictured saying it. Rannon seemed to consider it, he blushed lightly, suddenly feeling foolish.
“Hm…” Rannon was piecing together how she could use the excuse to her advantage. She had to try, “…yes… that would work,” she told him in a sheepish tone.
“He swallowed in relief, “so…”he scratched his head, “try for seven then?”
She got up, “…yeah…” she smiled as she left the café.
Lawr sighed going back to his book and notes. He had so little information to go on, where could they hide? He flipped to the next section on rituals and festivals. He wasn’t looking for anything in particular, he read down the sections.