The elevator ride took ages. Amara's heart was racing the entire time, and she was terrified the cult might have a way to stop the elevator or call it back. There was also the demon; what could it do? Could it race up the elevator shaft and break in? Was she ready to fight another demon? She tried to stare at her reflection in the polished walls, and flinched when she saw Mr. Luxnor's face staring back at her. For a moment, she thought about returning to her own form, but she knew Nick's clothes wouldn't change with her. She instead shifted into Nick's body; at least the clothes would fit comfortably if someone attacked her.
Thankfully, by the time she landed on the ground floor of Lysander Hall, there had been no disruptions to her escape. She quickly broke into a sprint, leaving the building and rushing to her designated meeting spot with Tessa. After a few minutes of heavy sprinting, she found the witch yawning against the side of a building.
"Tessa!" Amara said, panting.
"Nick?" Tessa looked up, momentarily surprised, then paused to narrow her eyes. "No, wait, Amara?"
"Yes, Amara! I just left the stupid cult meeting, and it's bad, Tessa. They're not just summoning one demon; they're bringing over dozens!"
"Well... fuck."
"C'mon, let's get back to my place so we can chat with Nick. We need to figure out what our next step is, and he's way better at that than I am."
Tessa nodded, pocketing her phone before starting the walk back to Amara's place. The two girls walked in silence for a while, which Amara found odd, but every time she looked at Tessa, the witch was deep in thought. They had crossed half the campus before she finally spoke up again.
"How do I know you're really you? That another demon isn't disguised as Nick, pretending to be you?"
"C'mon Tessa, what kind of... actually, you know what? I take it back, that's a really good question. Well, you love that thing I do with my tail, you're the first person to fuck my ass, and-- Oh! My fire!" Amara lit her hands on fire, focusing to increase its intensity. As she did, the flames turned purple, and she gave an expectant look at Tessa.
"Alright, I'm convinced. Still, put that fire out before someone thinks Nick is an arsonist." Tessa smirked, then went silent again for a moment before continuing her train of thought. "We should have a code word. A shorthand we can ask each other to confirm our identities."
"Like what? Favorite candy? First partner?" Amara asked.
"Ideally something a little more abstract, so a potential doppelganger can't get it right on a guess. Though, it also shouldn't be too obvious that it's a probing question... hm." The witch paused again. "What's for dinner tonight?"
"What? Tess, we already ate." After a look from Tessa, Amara pieced together what her friend meant. "Ohh, I see. That won't get confusing?"
"I mean, it would be pretty easy to find other ways to talk about food."
"Good point. Hm. How about hand-seared chicken?" Amara smirked, a few flames subtly dancing across her palm.
Tessa chuckled before continuing. "Good one. I'll say lentil soup."
"Short, but to the point, I like it. Do you actually--"
"I fucking hate lentil soup." Tessa said. The girls laughed again, and soon enough found themselves back at Amara's apartment. Tessa had texted Nick ahead of time, so the door was open by the time they arrived.
Over the course of the next half hour, Amara explained everything she saw at the ritual. She did her best to describe all the people, the design of the magic circle, and the surprise appearance of Brandon. She explained Mr. Wellington's goals, as well as the music teacher that became a vessel for a demon. She ended with the cult leader's promise that his own ascension would happen in one week's time, which sent chills through her two friends.
"A week?!" Tessa said. "How are we supposed to stop this in less than a week?!"
"Alright, I'm going to ask the stupid question here." Nick started. "Why can't we call the cops? If we leave out the magic stuff, we could simply say they're holding people hostage. Maybe Amara poses as someone that escaped."
"Nick, I know you're new to all this, so I'll try to be nice; cops and magic do not mix well," Tessa continued. "On a broad scale, we don't want large institutions learning about magic, and often witches put in serious effort to keep everything hidden from cops and the government. On a smaller scale? We already know that Mr. Wellington has paid off cops in the past, and what if these demons can jump hosts? Suddenly they're armed with guns, body armor, and all sorts of nonsense."
"Okay, fine, I was just asking." Nick raised his hands in defeat.
"Let's focus on what we know." Amara said, interjecting. "We've completely lost the element of surprise; demons can sniff each other out, and Brandon will have already shared that I'm a succubus and you're a witch. My presence at this meeting also means they know we're trying to stop them. What is our actual goal here?"
"We have to shut down the portal." Tessa said. "I've gotten pretty good at reading the signatures of these circles, and I think I could reverse the changes they made if I had enough time."
"Time is gonna be pretty hard to get. There's no way they let us waltz in there and spend a few hours studying the damn thing. Can you fight at all?" Amara asked.
"Sure, I can fight, but there's a big difference between getting in random scrapes as a kid and fighting actual demons. My telekinesis won't be able to affect them directly, and if I were forced to defend myself, I have a knife." The tattoos on Tessa's head began to glow, and her switchblade floated out of her bag. It opened on its own, then ominously made a few pretend stabs at the air in front of her. "Realistically? I'm batting way outside my league here. Even if I were stronger, or had better magic, I can't fight if I'm focusing on reverse engineering the circle."
"So, I'd have to keep you safe the whole time." Amara sighed. The task in front of them seemed nigh impossible. "I don't know if I can keep you safe that long, especially against a whole army. I have no idea how strong they are, or if they're resistant to fire like I am. Plus, what if the people are still alive somewhere inside? The thought of turning into a killer, I... I don't think I can handle that."
"They're asking for it!" Tessa shouted. "They're turning over their souls to this stupid cult, and they're doing it happily. Killing them is the kindest thing you can do!"
"But they're people! Living, breathing, people that are trying to find their place in the world!" Amara briefly flashed back to her actions on Halloween, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "They deserve a second chance. Everyone does."
"News flash, Amara, but they don't give a fuck about you! If you hesitate, even for a moment, they will kill you. Or worse, they'll force you into slavery, just like Brandon tried to do! Have you forgotten that he's in this cult now? Does he deserve a second chance after everything he's done?"
"I'm not a killer, Tessa." Amara locked eyes with Tessa, and doubt crept into her voice. "But... I'm willing to defend myself. If they force my hand... I don't know."
