Witch Juice Ch. 10

Eventually, after a few more doors to random maintenance closets and empty study rooms, Vincent's key finally gave out a satisfying click on a doorknob.

"Yes!" Lilith celebrated.

"Finally," Emmett groaned. "So what now?"

"Not sure." Lilith left the key in the doorknob.

"Should we... open it?" Emmett looked around. The doors to the other study rooms were shut and no one was walking about. "Coast seems clear."

"Hmm..." Lilith continued to stare intently at the doorknob.

"Scared?" Emmett taunted.

"No, just... thinking if this is a trap."

"Like you said, we have insurance."

"...Right..." Lilith said softly. Emmett was taken aback, as Lilith's resolve seemed to fade.

"Listen, if we can beat Valdrina... then we can tackle whatever might be beyond this door."

Lilith scoffed weakly. "Right, how uplifting."

"Just... trying to inspire some confidence."

Lilith breathed out, trying to calm herself. "...alright, I know. Sorry, I'm just a little on edge. This is all weird, even for me. Lots of weird shit has been going on."

Emmett raised his hand over her shoulder as she looked down at the lock, contemplating whether or not he should comfort her. His hand finally met her shoulder, but his prior hesitation caused it to slap down with more force than he expected.

"Wha-! Fuck, what the fuck are you doing?" Lilith shouted, startled by Emmett's gesture.

"I was just trying to make you feel better!"

"Jesus fucking Christ, by murdering me?"

"Oh, look at the big bad witch now, can't handle a little touch from a human," Emmett teased.

"That was a hard slap!" Lilith whined.

"Oh, just open the door already."

"Jeez, fine... if you're gonna kill me over it..." Lilith finally cracked the door open. As it creaked open, they could see a ray of white reflect out into the hallway. As it did, Emmett nervously checked all around, still on the lookout for any onlookers. Finally, Lilith opened it all the way to reveal a slick, glossy, white panel that covered the entire entryway.

"What the fuck is this?" Lilith whispered.

"It looks like... frozen milk."

Lilith squinted at Emmett's strange comparison. "It's more like white ice."

"What the hell is 'white ice?'" he squinted back at her in confusion.

"It's ice... that's white, obviously," she responded like an expert on the matter.

"I think frozen milk is more apt."

"Nobody freezes milk-"

"Can we just go?"

"Go where? This is just a slab of white glass or something!"

Lilith reached her hand out in an attempt to touch it, but Emmett grabbed her wrist to stop her.

"We don't even know what this is!" he hissed.

"I know, but... we have to try something!"

Emmett rolled his eyes while letting go of her, "Fine, try."

Lilith reached her hand out again. As her shaky fingers approached the white slab, the glossy surface began to emit a low hum. Finally, when she touched the surface, her hand began to pass right through the slab as ripples began to radiate through the material.

She grinned and nodded her head. "Ah, I see... it's like... a portal, I guess. That makes sense."

"So... it's safe?"

Lilith continued through, walking right through the white slab, the entire structure wavering, the flat surface disturbed like a stone thrown in a lake. Emmett shrugged and sighed, instinctively holding his breath in as he made his way through.