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[color=darkcyan]“[i]Vaati?[/i]”[/color] repeated Vashti with a huff. It was nice for something she said to actually be agreed upon for once, and she thought that perhaps she was gaining some clout with the Coven. Then again, if she had any clout then Quinn would’ve known her name. Vashti was still a bottom tier witch bitch. She was pretty sure Chompy outranked her. She squinted at the “familiar” sunning by the pool before visibly wincing. Imagine being jealous of an alligator. God, where’d she go wrong?

Right. Meeting a stranger on the Internet to learn magic. That’s where she’d gone wrong.

"... Maybe she doesn't want to kill all of us," Emily started, "Maybe Izzy stumbled upon something she shouldn't have... or knowing her, she was having an affair with Liao and she iced Izzy before it could be made public."

[color=darkcyan]“That’s!”[/color] Vashti pointed her finger at Emily as if she were about to object, but then dropped it. She tilted her head as she rubbed her chin. [color=darkcyan]“Possible. I mean, the idea that anyone in DENS was screwing around with any of us is just ridiculous but Izzy could’ve learned something she shouldn’t have.”[/color]. 

The flash of a grin was covered by her hand, but Vashti couldn’t mask the twinkle in her eye. Izzy’s death could end up being a full-blown conspiracy. How many of Annabelle’s victims were truly government inside jobs to take out enemies of the police state? Perhaps another girl in the Coven had ratted her out. DENS seemed pretty damn capable of finding them. Then again, they wouldn’t really need a mole when they could just track their phones. They should throw all of their cells on a Greyhound bus to New York just in case. Go off the grid, get new identities, move to Cuba, and—Vashti shook her head and returned to reality. 

"... I found a lead on Babylon."

Vashti cocked an eyebrow that quickly warped into a look of disgust as Emily elaborated on her unquestionably worse half. Plus, who was Molly? Had a member of the Coven died before Vashti had joined? Vashti frowned as she thought of the potential body count. She was about to voice her concern when Lyss powered through her hangover and spoke up. Normally, Vashti would’ve been all about a cult created monster ripping and tearing its way through Florida, but being somehow involved in all of the carnage made it less fun. 

Claudette suggested the Coven train. While perhaps a terrific idea for a majority of the girls, it was the last thing in the world Vashti wanted. After all, her ability wasn’t really the kind she could finely hone. She’d much rather they just focus on finding someone who could remove curses. Her hand was the first to shoot up after Claudette asked if there were any concerns. 

At least, Vashti had thought it was. Instead, it stayed firmly glued to the windowsill, biting deeply into the wood. She found herself unable to open her mouth, her tongue pushing against her sealed lips like she was trying to unlodge a piece of meat stuck between her teeth. Perhaps the Leviathan wanted to go to the wood, although Vashti could not tell why. She closed her eyes and listened to her heartbeat. It would be okay. The Leviathan seemed to fear Lyss; her presence would keep it in check. 

When she reconnected with reality one of the new girls was speaking. Wait, new girl? Vashti did a double take, her eyebrows jumping as Mariah snapped her fan open. Reflexively, she found herself straightening up as if Mariah had caught her gawking. She looked away so fast that she heard a pop coming from her neck. Her eyes slowly crept back as Mariah continued to talk, her sheltered mind and her conservative, religious upbringing slowly fading away as the girl introduced herself. Vashti smiled at her. It was nice that they had new members. It meant she now wasn’t the only one underneath the fucking alligator.

[color=darkcyan]“Nice to meet you. I like your fan. I’m”[/color]—she glanced at Quinn as Maya tore into her and took a few steps forward to block yet another classic Coven meltdown—[color=darkcyan]“[i]Vashti.[/i] I’d like to say that our meetings aren’t always like this.”[/color] Typically, they went much worse, but there was still time for a bunch of sea creatures to break down the door or a nosy neighbor to call the cops. [color=darkcyan]“I’m sure Claudette was just about to introduce the two of you.”[/color]

If she had meant it as a biting remark to question Claudette’s leadership, Vashti managed to keep the venom hidden. She turned to Kara, [color=darkcyan]“No need to be so shy. We’re not as bad as we seem.”[/color] Worse, actually, yet Vashti still managed to keep the car salesman smile. [color=darkcyan]“What’s your name?”[/color]