The Doctor and the Witch's Spell Ch. 02

"A magician cannot reveal his secrets." Chloe chuckled at her.

"Oh, come on," Veronica sniffled. "It's just not possible to be in two places at once."

"I'm a witch, Vonni. Remember?"

Chloe threw her phone in the back seat, shifting to a mellower ride with two hands on the steering wheel, and turned on the radio by pushing the dial. Fleetwood Mac's, Dreams, whispered through the speakers, Stevie's voice carrying over sweetly to help aid Veronica's quickening thoughts to slow.

"Chloe... I," Veronica began to weep, unable to control the emotions pouring out of her. Dylan had never acted that way with her, nor did she ever feel attacked or threatened by him in the past. However, the most disturbing part of the whole ordeal was how she had no control of her body, conscious, and feelings ever in her life than in that time frame. It was the most terrifying experience she'd ever had. And, the fact that it was her fiancé who had done this to her made her feel all the more alone in the universe.

She hugged her shoulders as the tears fell, feeling helpless.

Chloe glanced over at her, brushing her brow and hair with a few words that gave her a sense of calm.

"Shhh... I know. I know, Vonni. Don't worry. Sherron will see you soon."

Veronica gasped, the name of her lover shocking her senses to her core. Leaning her head back on the headrest, she looked out the sunroof window at the blue sky as her thoughts began to take form and shape again, not the chaotic schematics of before.

I hadn't thought of her this whole morning... she was in my mind completely up until we departed. How could I not have thought of her? ...I... I love her.

"Don't blame yourself for that, Veronica. It wasn't your doing. The love you two share will never falter or fail. Never give in to fear. After all, it's just a feeling. There are many things we feel aside from pain, after all, without pain, ask yourself: how would you know any other feeling? Everything else we feel was birthed out of pain, because we learn to grow, learn from our mistakes, learn what it means to be able to feel anything at all. We feel because we're human, but a feeling doesn't define you; it never has the final word. Your soul does. Never forget that." Chloe said, placing her sunglasses over her eyes.

"How'd you know-"

"Clairvoyance. Sherron isn't the only one who can read your mind." Chloe turned to her with a childish snicker that caused Veronica to giggle. Chloe smiled in return as she directed her attention back to the road.

The drive was a pleasant forty-minute ride for Vonni. It allowed her to clear her thoughts, to suppress the trauma she experienced a few hours ago and to not dwell on the aftermath. She awoke on the bench after all that had transpired to a dark, cold room with her scrubs on. Her memory failed her whenever she tried to recall what happened during Dylan's using her, of him walking away or if they parted with words, anything at all...

Veronica's phone began to vibrate in her bag impatiently as she began to dig around for it. An iron veil was lifted from her shoulders when she saw the seven-letter name pop up on the digital display, the burden of weight from the morning fading as she answered.

"Sherron."

"Vonni, sweetheart. Thank goodness you answered. I've been trying to reach you all morning!" Sherron choked out. Veronica could hear the panic in her voice so clearly.

"You tried to call me?" Veronica asked confused. She hadn't seen any texts, missed calls or notifications from her phone throughout the morning following into the afternoon.

"I felt something. It hurt me deeply, and that terrified me because I know you were the one who experienced it."

"Oh, Sher... I don't know how to even start, baby girl..." Veronica's voice broke momentarily, trying desperately to keep her tears at bay.

"Just hold on. You'll be here soon. I owe Chloe so much for this. I know you must feel abandoned by me that it is not I who is sitting beside you in the car you're riding in. This will be answered once you arrive, as well as all of your other questions that have been pending in the back of your mind. No more secrets. Not even if it means it jeopardizes the safety of this coven. I can't keep you in the dark anymore with this. Be strong, love. I'll see you soon." Sherron whispered to her, soothing her tears with emotion and feeling.

"Baby girl..."

"I love you." Sherron said. A single tear fell from her cheek, taking in a deep breath to steady her nerves.

"I love you so much." Vonni spoke to her softly, feeling joy when the Porsche zoomed past traffic to merge onto an exit ramp.

After ending the call and settling her phone on her lap, she wiped away the tears from before with the cuff of her jacket. She closed her eyes to rest for a short while, only to awaken from Chloe's hand on her shoulder to what felt like a minute later.

"Hey, sleepyhead. We're here."

Veronica opened her eyes tentatively, rubbing the sleep out of them due to her groggy state. Upon reopening them, she momentarily faulted of breath and gasped. The house they arrived at was a colonial two-story brick residence with a charming patio to the side of the home. The grass in the yard was as green as her eyes, leading her sight to a beautiful garden with vines that decorated the front of the household. She noticed white flowers guarding the entrance, their trail kissing the terrain from the gate, and a small wind chime that hung above the doorstep, ringing sweetly in her ears.

Veronica collected her bag, shutting the car door while still overawed by the sight she beheld. The front door opened, unleashing the hounds as they ran in the yard, frolicking in the grass and playing with Chloe. Sherron walked out in a tank top and jeans, her hand on the frame of the front door, looking towards the parked sports car. Veronica immediately felt their eyes being drawn to each other, their emotions conversing with their minds.

They ran to each other as fast as their limbs could propel them, her body crashing into Sherron's as she threw her arms over her shoulders, hugging her fiercely. Arms gripped her tight from her waist, with Sherron's hand on the hollow of her back pressing her body closer to her own.

"I've missed you so much." Sherron whispered in her ear. It had only been a handful of hours since they had seen one another, yet it felt as though the absence had been a week of misery squeezed into the short time that had expired.

"Just hold me." Veronica said to her, closing her eyes, never wanting to let go of the feeling inside that she felt. It filled her to her core, the love that was exuding from them both.

"And, never let me go."

"I don't plan on it." Sherron whispered to her ear, kissing her cheek.

* * * * *

The cozy atmosphere of the living room was inviting due to the fireplace crackling with a new batch of firewood adjacent to the furniture. Veronica was resting on the oversized sofa that resided near the large open window. Sherron laid her head on her lover's, her cheek flat against Veronica's chilled skin. Chloe lounged in the far corner of the elaborately decorated room, including paintings Vonni had a funny feeling were art pieces from at least two hundred years ago or more.

Sherron turned to Vonni and smiled, yet her eyes did not reflect happiness or joy. Instead, all she saw was concern and worry. The Scottish fox leering at her with an upturned nose said in a playful way, "Why don't I play psychiatrist on you and ask you why the hell you're looking at me like that." She kidded, at first. And, then, as the seconds drew to minutes, the silence of Sherron's response was excruciating to her.

"You said no more bloody secrets. Then tell me what the fuck is going on. Now!" Veronica roared, the fire in her eyes evident. Sherron's face turned to one of fright, worry, then suspicion, as her eyes looked over her lover searchingly.

"What?!" Veronica exclaimed.

"Your anger, it's getting out of hand. No?"

"How'd you know th... Never mind, I'll answer my own question that I already know the correct answer to. But, yes. Yes, it is getting out of hand." Veronica admitted.

Sherron looked longingly in her eyes, wanting to help her in any way possible through her power and capability. Then her sight fell upon Vonni's engagement ring, the ruby garnet surrounded by diamonds that Dylan had given to her.

"Vonni, do you trust me?" Sher asked her.

"Of course I do." Veronica answered without hesitation.

"Good, give me your engagement ring. I'll explain once you take it off." Sherron said to her gently, petting her hair, and raking her fingers through it. Not in a sexual manner at all, just soothing and calming in nature.

Veronica's response was delayed, as she weighed her decision to go through with her newly appointed task. Breathing deeply, and trusting Sherron despite what she felt towards the ring, she gave it to her.

Sherron held it in her palm, not within view of Veronica to her enclosed fist. Veronica felt lightheaded at first, then the off-putting sensation overcame her that something had been sucking her energy; she felt as though invisible weights were being lifted from her burdened shoulders, a dark magic finally leaving her.

"How do you feel?" Sherron asked with a curious upturned brow.

"So... much. I haven't felt this still and lucid in awhile, or what felt like it, at least. But," Veronica began, then faltered due to the recent knowledge she'd acquired of the connection between her engagement ring and it itself coming from her fiancé. "How could he do such a... a terrible thing! I can barely recall anything of the incident, except for bits and pieces, the stuff I endured by his hand. It was so... hurtful." Veronica's face was a mask of the true emotions she was hiding, only out of fear of losing control over them.

"Veronica..." Chloe began.

"What?"

Sherron and Chloe both looked at each other unreadily, then back to Veronica in unison. The reality of the event was that the two friends were unsure of how exactly she would take the news. Sherron's own temper flared as she shot up from her seat, kicking the floor.

"Damn it, Chloe! She's not ready to hear this... it'll only traumatize her more."

"We have to take risks every once in awhile, Sherron. She needs to know."

"Needs to know what?" Veronica chimed in; mainly for hearing others speak about matters that should be confronted by all involved.

"Vero..."

The doctor shook her head blindly, determined to have an answer at all costs.

"You either tell me, Chloe, or Sherron will. Both of you brought me into this mess, and I think I deserve a way out. Don't you?" Veronica stared at the two women, one on the brink of tears, the other turning her head out of shame.

"Veronica," Chloe began, "you just don't understand, nor have you been given the accurate information to understand. Sherron doesn't want to tell you, however, she is cognizant that the truth of the matter will set you free." The blond's face fell shortly after concluding her sentence; a pitiful half smile meant to reassure Veronica only deepened her confusion.

"Babysweet," Sherron said to Veronica, her endearment and her voice the only comfort in the room to her. "If you trust me completely, then try to ease your mind, slow your thoughts, and guard your heart to what I tell you. Do you recall ever seeing Dylan's face throughout that ordeal? I know it's painful, Veronica, but I need to know from you."

"Couldn't you just read my mind?" Veronica inquired, the fear and anxiety visible on her transparent mask of emotions. Her lover smiled at her, shook her head, and sighed.

"That right I do not have until trust resides where your heart is. Yes, we can read each other's minds, hear our thoughts, however, I refuse to do that now. It would be an invasion of privacy, because of this recent trauma. That's why you were crying while on the road with Chloe. Yes, anyone would shed tears experiencing such a inhumane act, but the main reason you cried, darling... The main reason is because Chloe read your thoughts."

Veronica rotated her head towards Chloe, her face cushioned by her hand and the same half smile that adorned her features grew into an abject despairing glance to her greens.

"And, it's because of that we need to know for certain who it was that hurt you. Von, these trials you've experienced that have befallen you are a test or sorts, a test of your discipline to this individual who is causing the harm. This is no more than a mere game to him, as if he were hunting game, Veronica... literally."

"What are you saying? I'm being chased like a wild boar?" Veronica exclaimed, utter disbelief in her voice.

"That's exactly what I'm saying, Von. And, I think you meeting me was the one occurrence that has thrown him off his own game."

"But," Veronica began, "How could this possibly be Dylan's doing? He would never hurt me. He would never..." And, then, a look of sheer disbelief shadowed her reaction, consuming her to the core. She looked around herself, her watered eyes looking for comfort during her terrible realization.

"It... It was never Dylan the whole time, was it?" She said in a soft tone, whispering.

"No, sweetheart. It was never Dylan. He's been at the apartment you two have the whole time. Meg has been keeping tabs on him, because..." She looked to Chloe for help easing this pain on the one person she loved more than life itself in this world, but there were no healing words to be said.

"What you experienced today, Vonni, was mind control. The same Dylan experienced last night, which is why we appointed Meg to watch over your house while you were safe with me. This was all caused by... Jesus, Chloe, even saying his name is like inviting a sickness into your heart. How is it we never have seen this? We've known him for close to a decade!" Sherron voiced to Chloe, wanting to avoid telling Veronica at all costs.

"Sherron." Chloe said aloud, directing her sight to Sher. "She needs to know. Tell her."

An ashamed Sherron lowered her head from Veronica's sight, the tears falling silently. Returning her stare once she had lifted her head, she respired, exhaled a shaky breath as she spoke the one name that had never sat well with Veronica from the beginning of knowing him.

"Allen."

* * * * *

Within seconds, Veronica's line of sight went dark; taking her back to the moment she had entered in the locker room. Only this time, she was an observer to the painted picture. When the figure confronted her, restraining her will to fading flicker, she gasped when she saw the face of the abuser. It was none other than Allen, his black hair and murky swamp pools for irises that polluted all around him.

The vision was smoky, the frame unfocused, as form transitioned to one of a foreign being, only his face and eyes recognizable among the muck and sludge she perceived his body in the nether world she found herself in. It wasn't until the memory shifted, the demon's eyes relocating its malevolent gaze to the intruder of the memory, Veronica herself. The green pools that were his eyes sunk deep into his skull, until nothing but a black void answered her stare, a terrible, high-pitched scream escaping its mouth.

There was mumbling as she regained consciousness, light finally peeking through her eyelids, trying desperately to escape the confines of her dream. Her body lay flat against the floor, obviously having fallen or fainted, Veronica surmised. Above her, she perceived shapes, which slowly converged into figures, morphing into faces of concern. Sherron's eyes vibrated with gold as Veronica came to, the irises a welcoming sight compared the pair she'd just witnessed.

"What did I just see?" Veronica croaked, her throat dry.

She felt a hand in her hair, combing it with delicate, nimble fingers, as the owner of the hand knelt further and kissed her brow, the spot directly between her eyes.

"You saw what's been hunting you since the beginning. Remember when I said to you this morning I would tell you how I came across that photograph of Marilyn?" Sherron whispered to her, easing Veronica's thoughts with her soothing tone and voice.

"Yes. But, how is that relevant?"

Sherron simply smiled at her, genuine happiness in her hazels as she implored Veronica with her sight to look further into her own.

"Weren't you ever curious why you stared at that photograph for so long when you first saw it?" Sherron questioned her. Veronica thought for a moment, looking off to the plethora of art and photography that lined the walls of her lover's home. She did recall looking at the photograph and being stunned. Astonished even, by the force of the power within Marilyn's eyes in the photo.

"Yes, I... I was always curious." Veronica turned to Sherron, feeling surreal in that moment. "Why is it so familiar?"

"It's so familiar to you, Veronica, because once upon a time you were her."

"What?" Veronica answered, shocked.

"You are Norma Jean Baker. The reason why you were stunned by that photograph is solely because you recognized yourself through her eyes. The color of them has changed, but not you." Sherron smiled heartedly at her, tears brimming the surface of her hazels.

"I don't... How...?" Veronica asked. The news had left her utterly flabbergasted.

"All the events of today were not new to you, even the traumatic one, Veronica. It's because you've experienced them before. Life has a way of repeating itself when we make the same mistakes and or rely upon knee-jerk reaction decision-making to better our lives, or putting us on the right path. It's all about remembering, Veronica. Life is about learning and remembering. You remember, but your life before was so wrought with despair that it's taken you years to come to terms with that. And, since you've begun to access those suppressed parts of your mind and memory, the universe has imparted a gift and a curse to you; It'll be easier to remember come this day hence forth, but the journey to that knowledge will be anything but easy. Simply because he wont allow that."

Veronica gulped audibly, the reality of the situation sinking into the recesses of her mind.

"And, he, being Allen?" Veronica questioned Sher.

"Yes." She nodded to her, raking her fingers through her soft hair.

"Sher, this is weird enough as it is. We're having an affair together, you're a witch, and we're all talking about my fiancé here as if he's in on it. It's just... I don't know. I was looking forward to keeping you two separate in my life. Even if cheating is bad in every sense of the word, it just feels strange that we're all sort of tied together in this... This love triangle of sorts."

Veronica looked off again warily, reminded of the fact that her life had been turned upside down over the course of a day and night dramatically. It all made sense to her: never being able to pinpoint Allen's behavior with her, not being able to remember the color of his hair, minute things that gave significance to his character. Veronica knew there was always something off about him; he masked the parts of himself he knew she'd recognize.

"His ostensible nature was his giveaway, Veronica. He's lied too often to you to be able to ignore his sly advances, his mute threats, anything and everything. Chloe has only just realized his true intentions solely because she feared the influence he had on Dylan. And, probably still does. She was controlled the same way you were earlier for the past three years, and only he knows how long he's been deceiving us, which is more than likely since the beginning."

Chloe nodded her head, adding, "Obbedire mio commando is what he would say to me if I resisted him."

Suddenly, without warning, Veronica's thoughts began to swim in her mind, licking the walls that were closing in on her. The abyss that enclosed her thoughts cocooned her in a bubble of memory, a memory suppressed long ago from another life.