"Why can't we just leave Berlin," I ask Ben who's in the front seat driving. I'm sitting in the back with Emi and Lina's in the front with Ben. We've been driving for awhile after losing the witch hunters. I wasn't sure if Ben even knew where he was taking us.
After I killed those three men in the apartment, Ben told me that they always send in the first crew to see if they'd be killed. If they're killed, then they know witches live there. It's pretty monstrous, sending other people to risk their lives just so they can kill witches. And they call us evil?
We packed our stuff and hurried up and left the apartment. We were too slow and we were chased by witch hunters for half an hour before we were able to lose them. Now, Ben is just roaming around, not knowing where to go.
"We can't leave Berlin. Our ancestors are buried here, so we have to stay here. If we leave we won't be able to use magic. We'll be like normal humans. Powerless." I've never heard this before, but I guess that's because we don't have witch covens in the U.S. We're not bound by certain rules.
"So, then where are we going," I ask him. Moments later he turns into a dark alley and drives slowly. He stops in front of a door. "You really love dark alleys," I say sarcastically.
"This is where we're staying," Ben says.
"In a dark alley," Emi asks him in horror. Ben looks back at her and rolls his eyes.
"No, Emi. Inside the building we're parked next to. Come on, everyone. Lets get out of the car." Ben leads the way and we all brag our belongings. He knocks on the door and after a few seconds, it opens.
The girl that opened the door looks shocked to see all of us, but she gives Ben a huge grin. The colorful lights from inside shine on her chocolate skin, her hair is in a gorgeous fro, and she has the perfect smile.
"Hey, my lover. What do I owe the pleasure of this visit? Everyone come on in." She's like a bundle of joy, she keeps her shoulders high, and she leads us inside what looks like a bar. There's a stage smack in the middle and the bar is huge. The rest of the room is basically a dance floor. "Welcome to My Palace," She says doing a little twirl. The bar is empty right now, probably closed after a long night of a large crowd having fun.
"Cassandra this is my mother Lina, my niece Emilia, and our new friend Anne. Everyone, meet the witch doctor, Cassandra," Ben says, doing a dramatic introduction. Cassandra gives us a friendly wave.
"I'm a medicinal witch, so there's no need to fear that the cops with show up. All my magic comes from plants. So, how can I help you guys" she says. No wonder she's so joyful. She's a healing witch.
"Actually, I was wondering if we could stay here. The cops tracked us. We promise to not use magic while we're here."
"Anything for you hunny bunny. There's enough room downstairs for everyone," Cassandra says. Lina, Emi, and I look over at Ben to see him blush when Cassandra calls him hunny bunny. We laugh at him.
My lower region squeezes in a painful way and it makes me groan a little.
"Hey, are you ok," Cassandra asks. They all look at me with horror and worry.
"Yeah, it's ok," I say at the same time I feel another harsh squeeze and the baby kicks, knocking the breath out of me.
"Is she going to give birth? That would be very inconvenient," I hear Emilia say, but I just try to focus on not letting my stomach tear apart.
"Fuck," I scream. "Of course I'm not giving birth. It's too early. I'm only six months." I scream again when I feel another kick in the guts.
"Lets go downstairs so you can lay down," Cassandra says and Ben comes over to help me. He leads me downstairs with everyone following behind us. The downstairs area is like a lounge area to relax and listen to calming music.
"You probably should have calmed down on training when I suggested," Ben says.
"This isn't exactly the time to be discussing this, Ben. Just shut up," I scream at him.
Cassandra tells us to go to her bedroom. It's all clean and a girl boss room, but the moment they lay me down on the bed, I start to panic and feel claustrophobic.
"No no no," I scream and sit back up on the bed. "Goodness, I can't breathe." I feel like my throat is closing on me.
"Can everyone leave the room," Cassandra asks. They listen and leave, but I know they're not far away. Cassandra turns back to me and starts rubbing my back.
"Honey, you're having a panic attack. I need you to breathe," Cassandra tells me. I try, but I just feel like I'm going to pass out. She pulls a small serum tube from her pocket and opens it.
"Smell this," she says, holding it up to my nose. I breathe it in and it tingles my nose a little. I feel kind of hazy, but also clear minded. It helps me calm down. "Do you feel better?" I nod my head in an answer.
I start to tear up, hating how painful that last couple of minutes felt.
"I'm scared," I tell her, crying. I don't want to give birth anymore. Just a few squeezes and kicks from a little baby made me feel like I was dying.
"It's ok to be scared, but is it ok if I check you? We have to make sure you and the baby are ok." I hesitate at first, but nod my head in agreement. I pull my long, loose skirt up and pull off my underwear. I cover my face as she checks me.
She stays silent for a while.
"What's happening down there," I ask her when I feel like the silence is killing me.
"Your mucus plugs came out," she says.
"What does that mean?" She looks back up at me.
"It means it's almost time for you to give birth." The only thing I could say was....
"I just met you five minutes ago! I can't give birth on your bed. That's embarrassing," and I just cried like an emotion pregnant woman.