September 3, 2003 – 21:45
"Repeat that, please?" said Frank, quickly turning his attention to him.
"The US posted a list of 50 witches that are to be killed on sight, and another one called Other Ones of Interest that are to be arrested for questioning. Me and my brother aren't on them, neither are Sebastian and Gus, but Blue is," said Henry.
"We knew that I'd be a target if a war were to break out, can't say I'm surprised, but 19th out of 50 names?"
Frank passed his arm around her shoulders. She was leaning her elbows on her knees.
"Most of the names listed aren't even witches. Some of them should be on that list, yes, but most of those posted on their lists are elementals that stood against radicals," said Erik.
Henry pushed the lists into the hologram so that Coralis, Frank and their guests could see it.
"Holy gods from above! Andrew is 26th and Sonylla is 48th. Eva and Veronica are listed on their other list," said Coralis.
"Why are you ranked higher than your mentor?" said Sebastian as he sat on the armrest left of Stephanie.
"I'm not sure. Andrew being on that list isn't surprising. As far as I know, however, it makes no sense that the US would be targeting him… unless this is, in fact, a betrayal from within."
"I could see the EBEE elders whispering names to various intelligence agencies. Those you had contact with know what you are. Even if they know you've been working on their side all along, it wouldn't be hard for some elemental elders to convince them that you've been plotting against humans the entire time," said Gus.
"I knew neither of them could be trusted and that they wanted you dead," said Sebastian, looking at her.
"I agree with you sis, this is a betrayal from our own people. If governments ever managed to kill the 50 people on their most wanted list… the humans would stand no chance," said Erik.
Coralis glanced at Frank and got up to grab a bottle of vodka from the liquor cabinet and took out four glasses.
"What I worried about the most at the moment," she said as she filled the glasses, "is Frank. This means that everyone will be watching me closely, wherever I go, and that it's probably a matter of time before any of the human governmental institutions who want me dead find out about him and capture him for questioning."
Frank stared at her, wondering how he could reassure her. He knew well that she never was the monster governments claimed her to be.
"We'll get through this, luv. I understand the risks, but you know that I'd never rat you out."
She handed a glass of liquor to Frank, Stephanie and Sebastian.
"That's not what I'm worried about. If they even lay a finger on you…"
"That's also why we are about to fly to your apartment. Trust us, sis, we are going to ward the living gods out of his car and comb human and elemental records just to make sure no one can ever associate Coralis Golmar to Blue Thunder… except maybe the sealed vault of CMMA Department of Family Affairs. We probably won't be able to get into that one," said Henry.
"I'll monitor the EBEE activities and try to plant an ear into major intelligence agencies. If I ever see Frank's name being brought up, I'll let you know," said Gus.
"We got you, sis. We'll also make sure to blur all trails leading to you both. You too, Sebastian. You may not be listed, but you and Blue are pretty much family now. You and your fiancée are just as likely to be captured to get to her or lure her out as Frank is," said Erik.
"The British EBEE is afraid of you, and they should if we're being honest. I'd consider it a compliment if I were you. They see you as a threat to them," said Gus.
"For the first time in my life, I think I'm going to portal my ass to Dallas right before the game starts," said Coralis after ending her hologram call. "I'm also planning on skipping the training time that day. I don't want to spend more time there than I need."
"Can you just miss the game?" said Stephanie.
"I could probably be excused, but I also need to show my people to not be afraid. I might be persecuted by just about everyone, but life goes on and I refuse to live in fear. You know I can't hide, even if I wanted to."
"I'll open you a portal leading to the locker room. I'll need to get proper authorization from the CMMA to open one from within the players' area, and you know they won't tell us no. We'll take one back here as soon as the game ends."
"Which makes me think. Neither of you ever told us why you hate portals so much," said Stephanie.
Coralis chuckled above her drink and Sebastian nearly spit his. They glanced at each other before turning their attention to Stephanie and Frank, who were also looking at them.
"Portals are risky business. When not done right, you could end up where you shouldn't be and possibly not in one piece," said Coralis.
"They give me nausea. Think about what the both of us do for a living. We both earn a considerable amount of money to play professional sports on a flying stick. You won't see any flyball players using portals just because they can," said Sebastian.
"I guess that makes sense, flying is like a part of you," said Frank.
"Have you ever flown with her?" said Stephanie to her brother.
"Not yet, no."
A few hours later, Erik, Henry and Gus arrived. Stephanie and Sebastian decided to stay the night. Frank had to go to work the next morning. He didn't want to go, but Henry and Coralis convinced him to. If he doesn't, it could raise unnecessary suspicions. Same for Stephanie.
"They're right, my love. We need to act as normal as possible, despite the hellhound poop going on right now. If people believe witches are out there summoning demons against them, they'll start questioning everything they see and reporting anything they deem suspicious," said Sebastian to Stephanie.
"I have to be at Healing Moon in the afternoon, bet I'll be asked questions by Emma and Jessica," said Stephanie, looking at Coralis. "I'm sure neither of them will ever rat you out."
"I'm sure they won't, but I don't know who I can trust anymore. At this point, I can only hope there won't be more people who will betray me. I know I should stay far from EBEE, but if we are to act normal, I'll still need to report to them, otherwise, they'll know right away that I'm onto them."
Coralis' cellphone, which was on the living room table next to her hologram, vibrated.
"SIS! Did you hear the news?" said Veronica from the other end of the line.
"Yes, I'm now a wanted witch and you're also on their radar. Are we really surprised?"
"I'm not talking about that. I mean, yes, I am, but did you see what else surfaced on the news?"
"What else came out, besides the list of witches that are to be killed on sight or to be captured?"
"Remember the war we fought together the night your faked vase got stolen?"
"How can I forget!"
"Pictures of two dead vampires from that night are being published in some local papers. The articles said they're the humans you killed in Clear Valley a few months ago."