Page 42 of Poltergeists & Change of Life

Lyra narrowed her eyes and extended her arms out in front of her body. “They won’t win this time,” she promised as she grabbed hold of something and pulled. Panic made my mind go blank as I pitched forward. The only thought I could muster was, “We were all screwed.”

CHAPTER 19

You know how they say, ‘The night is darkest just before the dawn?’ Whoever said that clearly never fought an evil witch hell-bent on stealing your power along with your unborn babies. It goes without saying that night was getting darker by the second. Dawn felt about as likely as me suddenly developing a craving for kale smoothies.

One moment, I was face-down on the asylum floor. The next, I felt an invisible force yank me forward. It was like a cosmic fish hook had lodged itself in my belly button. My hands instinctively cradled my swollen stomach as I was dragged across the floor towards Lyra. My yelp was higher pitched than a boy going through puberty.

"Phoebe!" I heard Aidon's panicked voice behind me, but he sounded miles away. All I could focus on was Lyra's triumphant sneer as she reeled me in like the catch of the day.

"That's it, little witch," Lyra crooned. Her eyes gleamed with a hunger that made my skin crawl. "Prepare to give up your power."

"Sorry," I grunted. I tried and failed to find purchase on the smooth floor, "not gonna happen." The babies’ protective powerpulled hotter the closer I got. I hated to rely on them to keep me whole, but I was out of options at the moment.

Lyra's laughter echoed off the walls. The sound belonged in nightmares, not reality. "Oh, Phoebe. Let's see how funny you are when I'm done with you."

The triplets' power surged within me. Their protective bubble expanded and contracted like they were preparing for battle. Which, given our current situation, wasn't far from the truth.

Lyra's fingers were just about to close around my arm when a familiar voice cut through the chaos. "No!" I turned my head to see Hattie - the real Hattie - fighting against Lyra's control. Her spectral form flickered like a bad TV signal, as did her gaze.

"You... won't... have her," Hattie ground out, each word seeming to cost her immense effort.

Lyra's grip on me faltered for a moment. It was long enough to allow me to seize the opportunity to roll away. My pregnant belly made the maneuver about as graceful as a rhinoceros attempting the cha-cha.

"Hattie!" I called out. My heart soared at the sight of her fighting back. "That's it! Don't let her win!"

But my joy was short-lived. Lyra's face contorted with rage. She turned her attention to Hattie. "Insolent spirit," she snarled. "I'll teach you to defy me."

What happened next was like watching a tug-of-war between good and evil where Hattie's soul was the rope. Lyra's dark magic poured into Hattie's spectral form and overwhelmed Hattie's willpower. Her essence flickered between the woman I knew and loved and a twisted, shadowy mockery of herself.

"Hattie!" Stella screamed as I struggled to my feet. "Remember who you are!"

As the words left her mouth, I could see we were losing. Hattie's eyes became empty, lifeless pools of darkness. Lyra'striumphant laugh rang out. She had no idea she no longer had a hold of me and I tried to make myself as small as possible while I regrouped and came up with a plan.

Lyra turned her full attention to her newly reclaimed puppet. "There," she purred, stroking Hattie's cheek in a grotesque parody of affection. "That's better, isn't it, my dear?"

I’d just gotten to my feet when my knees gave out. Aidon caught me that time. A sob caught in my throat. We'd lost Hattie. Again. And this time, it felt terrifyingly final. "Now then," Lyra said and turned back to me with a smile that promised nothing but pain. "Where were we?"

Hattie smiled. It was the kind that made you want to run screaming in the opposite direction. Preferably to another continent. "It’s time to return my power to me, Phoebe. It doesn’t belong to you. You’re nothing more than a fraud and a thief."

I swallowed hard, and the triplets stirred restlessly within me. Like me, they sensed the wrongness. "Hattie? I know the real you is in there somewhere. You have to push her back."

The thing wearing Hattie's face laughed. "Oh, Phoebe. Sweet, naive Phoebe. Do you really think it’s that easy? That you could just... set me free?"

Anger surged through me, hot and fierce. I turned my glare to the woman responsible for this abomination. "Let her go, Lyra. Haven't you done enough? Wasn't conducting experiments on my mom and kidnapping me and Stella enough of a villain resume for you? What's next, kicking puppies and stealing candy from babies?"

Lyra's smile widened and showed too many teeth. "Oh, but I'm just getting started. You see, Phoebe, Hattie here is my insurance policy. She can reclaim her power and give it to me. And you can’t stop her." The words hit me like a fist and it took asecond for me to see through the lies. If that was possible, Hattie would have taken her power back days ago.

My magic rose and responded to my fury. The air around me crackled with energy. From the corner of my eye, I saw Nana take a step back. Smart move, really. Hell hath no fury like a pregnant witch with heartburn and a bone to pick with a bitch trying to take everything.

"Listen here, you bargain bin Voldemort," I snarled and waddled forward with all the menace a heavily pregnant woman can muster (which, let me tell you, is a surprising amount). "I've had just about enough of your bullshit. Let Hattie go, or I swear I'll..."

"You'll what?" Lyra's voice cut through my tirade, dripping with amusement. "Snark me to death? Face it, Phoebe. You're out of your league. But don't worry, I'll take good care of those babies of yours. They'll make excellent batteries for my new world order."

"Batteries?" I scoffed, trying to mask my fear with bravado. "Sorry to break it to you, but my kids are more 'future saviors of reality' and less 'Duracell’. Though I'll admit, the way they're kicking right now, they might have a future in soccer."

With a wave of her hand, Lyra sent a blast of dark energy hurtling towards us. Aidon barely had time to throw up a divine shield before it hit. The impact sent shockwaves through the room. "Scatter!" I yelled. I was already moving as fast as my pregnant body would allow towards the nearest table for cover. "And someone get me a snack! This fight is lasting entirely too long." This was not how I'd planned to spend my Friday night.

The asylum erupted into chaos as Tainted witches and demons swarmed the room like a plague of magical cockroaches. Stella, Aidon, and Nana were quickly overwhelmed. They disappeared under a writhing mass of corrupted flesh and darkmagic. It made my heart race as panic threatened to overwhelm me.

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