Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Louis was five years old when it all began. Or, at least, that’s the earliest he can remember it happening. In the beginning, they were small, insignificant things that a child of that age could neither understand nor explain, so he hadn't given much importance to them. For him it was a sort of game.

Sometimes he felt like a hero with a superpower, like when he stopped Billy Ryan from spilling a glass of water over the drawing he was making for his grandfather, or when he turned his face just in time before Miley Cross kissed him on the cheek. Ew.

His grandfather, Leo, kept telling him how special he was, and even though Louis had never told him about his superpower, he was convinced that his grandfather knew about it and that was the reason for his praise. It was nice to have a secret of his own, something that only his imaginary friend knew about, and only because Louis had told her.

At the age of six, the episodes had become more frequent but were still trivial things in his eyes, like when a bad dream woke him up in the middle of the night and he went downstairs to turn the gas knob that his grandfather had forgotten to shut off.

The years had gone by in much the same way, the only difference being that the older he got, the more he realized that maybe he wasn't a normal person doing normal things. However, his inner voice told him not to tell anyone about it, because none of his friends at school seemed to be as weird as he was.

Everything had changed when he was ten years old, and for the first time the episode hadn't been as trivial as the others of the years before.

The weather that day was quite warm for a city like San Francisco, although it was still spring, and he had managed to persuade Leo to go to the park near their house for ice cream.

Louis looked up at the man with admiration. Despite his sixty years, he never took a break between work, taking care of him, housework or the hours he spent locked up in the attic. He never told Louis what he used to do up there, though, and after a while Louis gave up asking.

Louis had few memories of his mother. He knew she died in a car accident when he was five years old, and although he sometimes felt a little lonely when his classmates walked home from school with their mothers, Louis had never really missed the woman. He knew that was also because of his grandfather, who had never made him feel alone for a second.

His father had left home when Louis was six years old. Leo didn't like to talk about him, but Louis remembered the night his father had hugged him for the last time before closing the door behind him and never coming back. He also remembered his grandfather kneeling before him and hugging him, promising never to leave him.

And so it had been. He had raised him like a son, given him so much love that Louis sometimes didn’t know where to put that affection, and his heart ached for all the love he received from the man.

That's why Louis knew that Leo would never deny him eating ice cream together but looking back at it, at the end of that day, Louis regretted suggesting it.

It was afternoon and after finishing his homework, he ran to his room to put on his shoes and then hurried downstairs where his grandfather was already waiting for him at the door with a bright smile. Louis had insisted on walking, even though the walk from the ice cream parlor to the park was quite long, but he felt full of energy. Perhaps, in hindsight, it was simply fate that led him to that decision.

As always during his episodes, Louis was completely unaware of what was happening around him. That was the only thing that scared him about his superpower, the fact that when he had one of his episodes, it happened suddenly, whether he was sitting in a chair or walking in the middle of the street. It always happened against his will and he couldn’t control it or fight it. Whatever he was doing, he would suddenly stop and freeze, his eyes would close and images would swirl in his head as if he were watching a movie projected directly onto his closed eyelids. Only the movie didn't come from the outside, but directly from inside his head.

They had stopped at a red light and were waiting for the light to turn green. When the light turned green and Louis and Leo left the sidewalk to cross the street, it happened. He felt his body tense and his lungs suddenly inflate, like when a person takes a deep, sharp breath, and a series of images began to flash before his closed eyes.

A cat darted out into the street, dodging speeding cars, while a man next to him missed the basket and dropped his coffee cup on the floor.

A horn blared in the distance and a little boy came out from behind a red car on the sidewalk across the street. The boy was running, laughing and turning from time to time to look behind him, while a woman's voice called for him in a worried tone.

“Mike, don't run!” the woman yelled, but the boy didn't listen.

Mike looked up, smiling at the green light and shrugging when it turned yellow. He stepped off the sidewalk, and the woman's voice was now screaming his name as Mike started running up the street without looking around.

A black car rounded the corner at full speed. The tires squealed on the asphalt, impact, crash.

The woman screamed at the top of her lungs as Mike was thrown several dozen feet away and lay motionless on the asphalt. Dead.

Louis exhaled sharply, and the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes again was his grandfather leaning over him, holding him by the shoulders and shaking him, asking him what had happened and if he was all right.

Louis looked around and recognized the exact spot where he was standing as the place from the vision. He winced as the movie in his head began to become real before his eyes, because although he was used to his episodes by now, they had always been mundane, nothing like what he had just seen.

He turned around just in time to see a black cat dart across the streeet and then disappear around the corner. A man in a suit and tie walked past him, and Louis winced as he heard the glass crash to the ground with a sharp thud, spilling everything onto the sidewalk. The man cursed but didn’t pick it up. When a horn sounded in the distance, Louis spun around and saw the red car parked across the street, heard the familiar voice of a woman screaming and a child running on the opposite sidewalk.

It all happened so fast that Louis didn't even have time to think.

He shrugged to free himself from his grandfather, who was still looking at him apprehensively, and glanced at the traffic light as it changed from green to yellow. Without thinking long about the consequences, he ran into the middle of the street without looking around, just in time to see the boy he recognized as Mike stepped off the opposite sidewalk and ran in his direction. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the black car turning the corner.

Louis sprinted until he caught up with the boy in the middle of the street and lunged at him with all the strength he had in his little body. They jumped backwards and hit the sidewalk with a hard thud, just in time as the black car sped past them, honking continuously.

The woman joined them and froze beside them before dropping to her knees and hugging the boy tightly, looking at Louis with confusion and gratitude and muttering confused thanks. His grandfather joined them shortly after, grabbing him under the armpits and putting him on his feet. He looked at him with wide eyes and a gaping mouth in amazement before hugging him so tightly that he took his breath away.

They didn't go for ice cream that day, and his grandfather was so insistent on going home that Louis finally gave in, too tired and dazed by what had just happened to protest.

Leo made two cups of tea and made him sit on the sofa, then sat down next to him and watched him closely. He licked his lips before speaking, and although Louis was only ten years old, he recognized the concern in his tone.

“Louis, can you tell me what happened? How- how did you know?”

Louis hadn't told anyone about his superpower at that point, only his imaginary friend, and he didn't really know how to explain it, because even he didn't understand what happened in his head during those episodes or why it happened.

“I, uh…” he murmured as he stared at his cup of tea.

“Do you see things?” he asked softly.

Louis' head snapped, his mouth hanging open. “How- how do you know?”

Leo sighed and closed his eyes for a few seconds. “Can you tell me when it first happened and what do you see?”

Louis pursed his lips thoughtfully. “Uh, I don't know, a while ago.” He shrugged and out of the corner of his eye saw his grandfather wince. “I usually see silly things, like something falling before it happens, or something being said before it's said. Sometimes I see if I get bad grades or- or when you forget to turn off the gas in the kitchen.”

Leo brought a shaky hand to his lips. “Have you ever told anyone?”

Louis hesitated, then shook his head.

“Lou, you know we don't tell lies, right?”

Louis sighed and looked down. He wished he could at least keep that secret to himself, but his grandfather was right. “Only to Claire.”

The man frowned. “Who’s Claire?”

“She's, uh, she's a fairy. She comes to tell me stories before I go to sleep, and sometimes she plays with me after I do my homework.”

“Can you describe to me what Claire looks like?”

“Uh, she has very long white hair, up to here,” he pointed at the base of his back, “she has yellow eyes, but sometimes they turn red when she laughs, and- and she has no wings because she's a special fairy.”

Leo straightened up, a hard expression on his face that Louis had never seen before, and Louis backed away on the couch, concerned about the man's attitude. They were silent for a few minutes before the man smiled, although Louis could see that it wasn't a happy smile but that he actually looked a little sad and scared.

“Louis, I want you to promise not to tell anyone about this or what happened today,” he said in a stern tone that Louis had rarely heard.

“Uh, yeah. I promise,” he mumbled, confused.

Leo looked at him for a few seconds, then smiled and clapped his hands. “Okay, I'll make dinner now and then we'll watch TV, okay?”

“Can we watch cartoons?” Louis exclaimed, thrilled.

The man smiled and Louis knew he had won, but he also felt that the air was different between them, he had sensed the man's concern and distraction that evening. He didn't ask him any more questions, though, and they never spoke again about what had happened.

It didn't take long for Louis to realize that this was the last day he had a vision, and also the last time he saw Claire.

The years passed and as time went by, Louis had begun to feel more and more alone and less and less like a superhero. There was still his grandfather, the most important person in his life, but inside he felt as if something was missing, like a void that he couldn’t identify and fill. The more years passed, the more those memories began to fade, but never completely. Over time he forgot what his first vision had been or the little things he had prevented from happening, but he never forgot the day of that incident, he tucked it away in the back of his mind and left it there.

None of the people he had met had ever experienced anything like it, and while as a child he had felt like a superhero with a superpower, over the years he began to feel like a freak.

At fourteen, he entered high school and joined the soccer team. On the pitch, with the wind in his hair and a ball at his feet, he felt free for a few hours and managed to think of nothing, not even that emptiness inside him.

At fifteen, he realized that he liked boys and the first person he told was his grandfather, who hugged him with a knowing look and a smile on his lips, telling him how proud he was of him and how much he loved him.

At sixteen, he experienced his first crush and at seventeen his first heartbreak, which was slowly mended by what soon became his best friend, Andy.

Andy was like a breath of fresh air on a particularly hot day, or like a steaming cup of tea in the winter, with the snow slowly falling outside the window and a blanket wrapped around the shoulders in front of the burning fireplace. For his seventeenth birthday, which fell on Christmas Eve, his grandfather had given him his first phone. When he wasn't with Andy, they talked on the phone or texted each other. They had become inseparable, each one half of the other.

Louis had never thought of him as anything other than a friend, almost a brother, and thanks to him the emptiness had slowly begun to feel less noticeable, even if it had never completely disappeared.

At eighteen, he graduated from high school and went to college, hoping that studying psychology would help him find an answer to what had happened to him many years ago, or prove that he was insane. It never happened, he never found an answer to his questions. Only once did he try to talk to his grandfather about what had happened that day, when he had prevented Mike from being run over, but the man had avoided his questions and Louis had never asked again.

At twenty-two, he graduated with honors, and as he watched Andy enter the police academy and become a cop in a little over a year, he didn't know what to do with his own life. He had studied psychology, hoping to find answers he never found, and now he didn't know what to do with it. He changed jobs, first as a bartender then as a clerk, until he found himself working in a bookstore behind his house. He liked the job, it was fairly quiet and not too hectic, and during breaks he would sit in a hidden corner and read, sometimes losing track of time.

At twenty-four, Andy became a detective and Louis felt his heart burst with joy at the pride and love he felt for the man, but the more time went by the more he felt like he had accomplished nothing in his life and didn't really know what to do. He was still working at the bookstore and although he liked it, he felt lonely. He still lived with his grandfather in a house that was too big for two people, but they both loved it too much to ever leave it. Leo said the house had been his family’s for over a hundred years and that it was the most precious thing he owned, aside from Louis, of course.

The day he turned twenty-five, on Christmas Eve, everything changed. That morning, the void that had been his companion for years, always lurking like a wild animal ready to attack, broke free from the drawer in which it had been locked for too many years and attacked him fiercely.

Louis woke up in a cold sweat, short of breath and with a terrible feeling in his stomach that made him wince and cut off his breath. He jerked his head up when he heard a scream from the bottom of the stairs, noises, a thud.

Then silence.

He kicked off the covers and sprinted out of bed, running into the hallway and scurrying down the stairs. On the landing lay his grandfather, his body helpless and twisted, his hands pressed tightly to his chest. Louis felt inside that he was dead, he felt it under his skin and in every fiber of his body, but that didn't make the pain any more bearable.

The funeral was heartbreaking, shaking hands with people he didn't know and speaking in front of everyone, searching for words that conveyed how much the man meant to him and how much he would miss him, keeping to himself the fact that he was truly alone now. He had Andy with him, and his friend was by his side day and night, never leaving him alone, but the most important piece of Louis' life no longer existed and he felt as if someone had opened his chest and ripped out his heart with bare, cruel hands.

Since his grandfather's death, he had received several calls from people willing to pay millions of dollars for the house, but even though it was too big for him, he would never sell what his grandfather considered so precious, even though the empty house and the deafening silence inside only amplified his pain and loneliness.

Louis hadn't even had the strength to pack up his grandfather's clothes and belongings; he had left everything as it was.

After days, Andy had persuaded him to go up to the attic, and although Louis wasn't convinced, curiosity won out in the end. That was his grandfather's favorite room, the one where he stayed locked up for hours and he never allowed Louis to enter, so there had to be something that really meant something to the man that could help Louis feel closer to him again, and he wanted to find out what it was. They tried everything they could think of to open the door. They used different keys they had found in the house, and even dismantled the lock. When nothing worked, they called a locksmith, but despite hours of trying, no one was able to open the door, and eventually they just gave up.

⛥

Two weeks had passed since the funeral and Louis wasn’t feeling any better. In addition, Andy was constantly on edge about a case he and his partner Liam had been working on for weeks, a serial killer who was murdering young women by stabbing them in backyards.

Louis smiled as he opened the door to Andy, who was soaked from head to toe. “I suppose you'll be staying here tonight, too, won't you?”

“Yeah, and I'll stay until we catch this asshole.” Andy entered the house, shrugging off his soaked coat and accepting the towel Louis was handing him.

Louis shrugged at Andy's useless excuse. The victims were all women, so he wasn't in danger, but he liked having company in that too-big house.

“There's tea in the living room, I just made it.”

Andy smiled and put an arm around his shoulders. “If I were gay, I'm sure you’d be the first person on my list.”

Louis gagged and pushed him away, shaking his head with a tender smile as the other man ran up the stairs. He returned after a few minutes, his short brown hair still damp but his clothes were now dry and his feet covered in thick colorful socks.

Louis wiggled his eyebrows with a teasing smirk. “For a straight guy, those rainbow socks look pretty good on you.”

Andy chuckled. “Actually, they’re yours.”

“Ah.” Louis shrugged. “Anything new on the case?”

“No. Forensics is swamped with work and it's taking forever to get the results on the latest victim. Liam is on the verge of a nervous breakdown,” he huffed as he slumped back in his chair and reached for his cup of tea. “What's that?” he then asked, nodding as he pointed to a wooden board on the table with irregular contours, numbers and letters engraved on it, and a pointer made of the same material in the shape of a drop resting on top of it.

“It's a spirit board. It belonged to my grandad, I found it in a box in his room. Read the inscription on the back.”

Andy took the board in his hands and turned it over. “To my beautiful boy, may this give you the light to find the shadows. The power of love will set you free. Love, Gramps,” he read aloud. “What does it mean?”

Louis shrugged. “I don't know, but the writing is my Gramps’. Sometimes I’d find him sitting here and using it.”

“And, uh, did he ever talk to anyone?” Andy asked, shifting nervously in his chair.

Louis cocked his head and narrowed his gaze. “You believe in ghosts?”

“Well, why not? I mean, a lot of strange things happen in my job and I don't always find an answer. There are a lot of ghost stories out there, what's wrong with believing in them?”

Louis looked at him for a few seconds. “Yeah, unexplainable things.”

His mind wandered to those distant memories, to the void that had been freed after his grandfather's death and that he had never been able to close again, that prevented him from sleeping at night and always left him with a feeling under his skin, like when one knows one’s forgotten something important and has the thought in mind, but can't grasp it and shape it.

“Have you tried it?” Andy asked as he carefully placed the board on the table and put the pointer in the center.

“Yeah, but nothing happened,” Louis replied, pursing his lips in a grimace.

“Let's try it, come here,” Andy said, patting the chair next to him. Louis sighed and sat down. “Wait, I'll make some more tea.” Andy got up and grabbed the now empty cups.

Louis stared at the board for a few seconds, then shrugged and placed his fingers on the pointer, realizing how much they were shaking. He inhaled and tilted his neck from side to side, stretching out the tense muscles.

Part of him felt wary and fearful, as if he knew something was going to happen, when he placed his fingers lightly on the pointer. When nothing happened he huffed, feeling his cheeks redden with embarrassment at having thought something might have happened.

Until something, eventually, did happen.

He jumped up from the chair and screamed as the pointer moved under his fingers, sliding slowly across the wooden board to rest on the letter A.

“Andy, get over here right now!” he cried in a trembling voice as the pointer moved again, sliding lower to rest on the letter T.

He ran to grab a pen and paper from a drawer and when he returned, he saw the pointer slowly starting to move again, returning to the center of the table and then sliding again onto the letter T.

Andy ran to him with a concerned expression on his face, blue eyes looking at him worriedly. “What happened?”

“The- the pointer. It- it… moved?” he mumbled, not taking his eyes off the object still standing on the letter T.

“Lou, man, that's not funny,” Andy muttered as he set the teacups down on the table.

“Andy, I’m telling you it moved! It pointed to the letters A, T, T,” he shouted, scribbling them on the paper.

Andy slumped back in his chair and sighed, shaking his head. “Lou, I said I believe in ghosts, but-” He jumped up from his chair and knocked it over, screaming as the pointer started moving again, faster this time, before returning to the center of the board and pointing to a different letter each time. “What the fuck!?”

Louis followed the frantic movement of the pointer and quickly wrote the indicated letters, until it returned to the center of the board and stopped for good. They both stood staring at the board, wide-eyed and gasping for breath, while Louis' heart thumped painfully in his chest.

“What- what does it say?” Andy whispered in a shaking voice.

Louis grabbed the note, lifted it and turned it toward him so he could read it. “Attic.”

They yelled in unison and jumped up as the lights flickered and suddenly went out.

“Lou… Louis, if this is a joke, it's- it's not funny,” Andy stammered with a terrified look Louis had never seen before.

“I think… I think we should go to the attic.” He swallowed hard and walked on shaky legs to the stairs.

“What? No! You- I- No.”

Louis turned to look at him and chuckled wryly. “You’re scared?”

“Of course I'm fucking scared! I saw the pointer move, Louis. And if that wasn't enough, now the power's out. We're not going to the attic,” Andy exclaimed, crossing his arms over his chest and looking a little frantic. “And anyway, I remind you that we've been trying to get the door open for days and haven't been able to."

Louis shrugged. “Do what you want, I'm going to the attic.”

It's not that Louis wasn't scared, but he also felt a sort of calm aura around him. He didn't feel that what had just happened was something bad or dangerous. He still remembered the episodes he'd had for years as a child, and at that moment he wondered if what he jokingly called a superpower actually was one. He had always been fascinated by the paranormal and vividly remembered the times his grandfather would talk to him about the spirits he communicated with through the board, or about the potions he loved to make, although Louis always thought he was talking about cooking recipes since he was an excellent cook.

Andy grunted and snorted, but after a few seconds of hesitation and muttered cursing, he followed. Louis turned on the flashlight on the phone and together they climbed the first two flights of stairs that led to the floor with the bedrooms, then the other two that led to the second floor of the house, to the attic.

“What a brave detective,” Louis chuckled as Andy squeezed his arm painfully.

“Fuck you,” he mumbled, tightening his grip.

They climbed the last few steps and arrived in front of the attic door, which was closed as usual. Louis tried to turn the handle and push, but it didn't open.

“See? I told you,” Andy muttered behind him.

Louis sighed in disappointment and turned away. He walked slowly down the stairs, wondering what was the point of making the word 'attic' appear on the board if the door wouldn't open. Maybe he should’ve found another way, maybe he could try climbing up two floors from the outside, or maybe-

A click and a creak.

The two men gasped and whirled around, staring with gaping mouths at the door as it slowly opened, creaking on its hinges.

“Louis, I don't like it.”

“What? Are you afraid there’s a monster hiding in the attic?” Louis scoffed, walking quickly up the stairs and pushing the door all the way open.

Louis had imagined that room many times. For years he had imagined who knew what secret was hiding behind that door, and as soon as he crossed the threshold, a hint of disappointment was drawn on his face. But he also felt utterly fascinated, as if the attic was calling him to itself.

The room smelled of roses and talcum powder, reminding him of his grandfather's perfume that he loved so much, it was ingrained in the air. He took a deep breath and squinted to drive away the tears. It was as if the memories were amplified in the attic.

The floor was dark wood, like the rest of the house, and a thick red carpet covered it in the middle. A few dressers were scattered here and there, their drawers closed and small objects displayed above them: candelabras with consumed candles stood on white lace tablecloths, small colorful crystals and pendants in the shape of pentacles lay scattered, bottles full of small objects, and various ornaments. Louis ran his fingertips reverently over the items as if they were important.

To one side of the room was an empty lecter, and behind it Louis spotted a large box illuminated by a moonbeam that filtered through the window that covered one of the walls. He walked slowly toward it, as if a force were pulling him, as if he had to. He bent down and traced the intricate carvings on the smooth dark wood with his fingers, then lifted the heavy lid and opened it, holding his breath. He wasn't sure what he expected to find.

His hands rummaged around inside, pushing items back and forth, examining them one by one. There were white tablecloths and candles, glass vials containing liquids of various colors, a silver dagger with an inlaid handle decorated with gems, herbs and other vials containing spices. He wrinkled his nose and dropped the object in his hand when he realized it was a cat skull, and heard Andy gasp beside him.

“What’s that?” he asked, pointing to a thick book, the only one in the box.

Louis picked it up and weighed it in his hands, noting how heavy it was. The cover was dark green leather and a large golden symbol he didn't recognize was embossed on the hardcover. He opened it carefully and frowned as he read the first page.

“Book of Shadows,” he read aloud.

The letters B and S were decorated by hand with intricate patterns, and the rest of the letters were written in black ink. In the center of the page was the same symbol as on the cover, and below the writing was the date 1693. He turned the page and found writing on the next one, the elegant calligraphy standing out on the thick, yellowed sheet, finer than papyrus but reminiscent of it.

“What's written?” Andy whispered, as if afraid to speak aloud.

Louis shone the phone's flashlight on the page and squinted. “Hear now the words of the witch, the secrets I hid in the night. The oldest of gods are invoked here, the great work of magic is sought. In this night and in this hour, I call upon the ancient power. Bring your powers to me, I want the power, give me the power.”

The crash of a thunder broke the silence of the night, and the two men yelled with a jolt and looked at each other for a few seconds, then Louis burst out laughing.

“You should see your face!” he giggled, holding his belly with one hand.

“That's not fucking funny,” Andy muttered. “Give me the power? What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Why did you read it out loud?” he asked in a shrill voice.

Louis looked at him baffled, his eyes wide. “Are you serious? It's just a poem, Andy. Chill out.”

“Yeah, but- I… I don't wanna stay here tonight. Let's go to my place.”

“What? Andy, it's midnight, it's pouring and there's a serial killer outside.”

“I have a gun.”

Louis stifled a laugh. “That's what everyone says before they get killed. C’mon, let's go to sleep.”

He slammed the Book shut and tucked it under his arm before marching out of the attic with his friend clinging to his sweatshirt.

So much for a detective.

Andy tried to coax him a little more to go to his house, but in the end he gave up and with his head down and shoulders hunched, he went into the room that had been his for years while Louis locked himself in his own.

He quickly undressed and put on the sweatshirt he used as pajamas, covered his feet with thick socks and turned on the fairy lights hanging above the headboard of the bed, moaning satisfied when he tucked himself under the covers. He arranged the pillows behind him to be more comfortable and sighed when he found the right position, then stretched out his legs and put the Book on his lap.

He flipped through the pages, his eyes darting between the elegant writing and pausing to reread the things he didn't understand. He found drawings of scary creatures, demons and evil sorcerers, as they were called. Different potion recipes depending on the purpose, to make people fall in love or forget, to defeat certain demons or to remove powers.

To remove powers. He reread the potion recipe written on the last page he had opened, the title caught his eye and the ingredients were so familiar.

A memory resurfaced in his mind and overwhelmed him, making his breath catch in his throat.

Louis was thrilled, they would have dinner and then watch cartoons together, the conversation they had about what had happened already forgotten, though he was still shaken. He had saved a person. Not only had he predicted what was going to happen, but he had prevented it, he had saved a child. Why didn't his grandfather want to talk about it, and why did he look so scared?

Louis sighed and joined his grandfather in the kitchen, finding him in front of the stove, cooking intently.

“What are you cooking?” Louis asked, sitting down on a chair, his gaze curious.

“Huh? Oh, it's a new herbal tea I'm experimenting with. I think you might like it,” Leo said absently.

He liked his grandfather's herbal teas. Every once in a while he would prepare a new one, using the herbs he kept in bottles that stood neatly in a cupboard. Sometimes he let Louis help him by putting measured doses of the ingredients in his hand and letting them slide into the boiling water in the pot. He explained to him what each ingredient was for, and Louis always listened to him with admiration and curiosity.

“What's in it?” he asked, walking up to his grandfather, who put an arm around his shoulders and hugged him.

“Rose seeds, rosemary, two drops of almond oil, anise, hemlock, mandrake root and belladonna.”

The man smiled sadly at him and looked into his eyes for a few seconds before returning his gaze to the boiling water, muttering words under his breath that Louis didn't understand.

Louis gasped as he read the ingredients written on the page over and over. His gaze then fell to the bottom where someone suggested that the spell should be recited when the potion began to boil.

Disempower a witch

Before the passing

Of this hour,

Take away 

All the powers.

The powers… The ingredients were the same that his grandfather had used that night, the last time he had a vision.

His grandfather had taken away his powers.

Louis didn't know if he should be more shocked by the fact that he had powers or by the fact that his grandfather had taken them away and never told him about them, that he had taken something that was his and snatched it from him without his consent, leaving an emptiness in him that he could never explain.

At that moment he realized something that he hadn't given much importance to, too overwhelmed by the pain of loss.

That void, the one he’d locked up and after years of complete silence in which it had remained ever present but dormant, had violently emerged on the very morning that his grandfather died.

He flipped quickly through the pages until he found one in particular. The handwriting was different from the pages he had read so far, but still elegant and delicate.

‘Spells and potions can be made, if you know how. You can mix and make mistakes, try and try again. You can do whatever you want, but do it wisely. Powers should be used to do good and to help. Never use them for personal gain, or there will be consequences. Spells and potions can cause harm or damage. Spells are the most dangerous, one wrong word can have disastrous consequences. So be careful how you cast them and remember that there are only two ways to undo a spell: either you cast another one to undo it, or the witch who cast it must die.’

Louis shivered and felt his blood freeze in his veins as he read the last words again.

The void had reappeared when his grandfather died and if he had cast the spell to disempower him, the spell had died with him. So why hadn't he had visions during those weeks?

He thought back to what he had read on the first page, ‘Bring your powers to me, I want the power, give me the power.’ Maybe his grandfather's death wasn't enough to get them back, but it also required the spell? 

In any case, Louis didn't believe in coincidences. The spirit board, the writing that had prompted him to go to the attic, the door that had mysteriously opened, and the moonbeam that had illuminated the box that contained the Book.

Another memory surfaced. The memory of someone, or something, that had disappeared the same day he had drunk the potion: Claire, his imaginary friend, the fairy. If his grandfather had really taken away his powers, then that was probably why he hadn't seen her since.

He flipped quickly through the pages and stopped abruptly when his attention was drawn to one in particular, his eyes widening and his breath catching in his throat. With trembling fingers he traced the drawn figure of a woman with long silver hair and yellow eyes, wearing a long white dress that fell softly to her feet. Above it and in the middle was the writing 'Grimlock'.

‘Grimlocks are demons, usually female, with long silver hair and yellow eyes that turn red when they absorb a witch's powers. The process is so slow that the victim usually doesn't notice. Due to the progressive withdrawal of powers, the victim may feel a great fatigue but usually doesn’t attach any importance to it, since the Grimlocks usually attack at night or during sleep.’

“What the fuck?” Louis muttered in shock.

It was her, the drawn figure was identical to Claire and he had never imagined her, she had always been real. She had never been a friend, she was trying to steal his powers.

He shuddered at the thought that such a creature had come so close to him, gaining his trust only to be able to hurt him undisturbed without him noticing. He wondered how many more times he had encountered a demon without realizing it, whether these creatures could walk the earth peacefully and undisturbed, pretending to be humans, and whether what he thought were humans were in fact nothing more than fearsome creatures. How would he be able to tell them apart?

Louis was terrified.

He decided to read something less disturbing and painful to shake off the disappointment of what his grandfather had done and the subsequent guilt he felt for thinking it. After all, he knew absolutely nothing about this world while his grandfather obviously did, so if he had done it, he must have had his reasons.

He went back to the beginning of the Book, ignoring the pages where scary creatures were drawn, and found one filled with messy writing.

The person writing was named Logan Tomlinson, and Louis guessed from the name that he was his grandfather's great-grandfather, who had lived in the late 19th century and built the house he now lived in.

Logan told of their family's origins and of their powers by telling the story of Lewis Tomlinson, who had lived in Salem, Massachusetts, in the 17th century and who had been the first of their dynasty to receive the powers. He didn’t explain how or from whom Lewis had received them, but wrote that the powers were passed on only from fathers to male descendants.

He also explained that the symbol on the cover was a triquetra, a figure consisting of three intertwined arcs surrounded by a circle. The circle represents eternity, while the three arches represent the powers of their family.

Then he told that there were three types of powers: telekinesis, the power to move objects with the mind; molecular immobilization or combustion, the power to immobilize objects or people or cause them to explode; premonition, the ability to see future events that have not yet occurred or past events.

Louis read the last sentence over and over. He had always had premonitions of future events, he had never seen the past. So would he get both abilities, or could a person only see one of them? He huffed in frustration because there were so many questions running through his mind and he had no one to ask them to. But at least now he had a name for what he had always simply called ‘episodes’.

Logan also wrote that powers should be used only for good and never for personal purposes, and that there could be terrible consequences if they were used for the latter reason. He also explained that the Book of Shadows was a sort of encyclopedia that contained potions and spells written by each person of their family, and that it was protected by a very powerful spell so that no evil being could ever touch it.

Louis stopped for a few minutes and stared at the page, digesting all the information he had just absorbed. And although it all seemed crazy, everything he had read explained many things perfectly, including his premonitions.

He jumped when he heard a knock on his bedroom door and only then, looking out the window, did he realize it was dawn. He had been up all night reading and wasn't tired in the slightest.

“Good morning,” Andy yawned, curling up on the bed and handing him a cup of steaming tea. “You didn’t sleep?”

“Mm, no. I was reading and lost track of time.” He blew on the boiling liquid, moaning as the heat warmed him.

“The- the Book of…?” Andy murmured in a whisper.

“Shadows? And why are you whispering? Are you afraid to say it out loud?” Louis scoffed.

Andy punched him on the shoulder, making him laugh, and glared at him. “May I?” he asked then, pointing to the Book, and Louis nodded.

He took it in his hand anxiously, as if afraid that it might transform and devour him at any moment, and leafed through it carefully.

“Read here.” Louis flipped to the second page where he had read what Logan had written.

Andy settled back on the bed and read quickly, then frowned in confusion. “You don't believe it's true, do you? I mean, did your grandad have powers or did he ever tell you about them?”

Louis pursed his lips, staring at the cup of tea in his hands. He knew he could trust Andy, the man had been by his side for almost half his life and had never shown anything but loyalty, but the night of the accident he had promised his grandfather not to tell anyone, and Louis knew so little about this new world that he wasn't sure about anything.

“Mm, no. Of course not,” he murmured, forcing a smile. “It’s just interesting.”

Andy studied him for a few seconds and Louis averted his gaze, well aware that his friend knew him like the back of his hand and probably sensed he was hiding something from him, but he just smiled kindly at Louis.

“Okay. I have to go to work, Liam called to say they found another victim tonight,” he said, getting out of bed, but before leaving the room he turned around and looked at him with his usual look that reminded Louis of a hug at the end of a terrible day. “You know you can trust me, right? And that I’ll always be here for you.”

Louis bit his lip to fight back tears and simply nodded. He gave him a sweet and grateful smile before the other man closed the door behind him.

His brows furrowed as he thought of Andy's question about his grandfather. He hurriedly picked up the Book and reread the top of the page, because the first time he hadn't given much importance to that information.

‘Powers are passed on only from fathers to male descendants.'

So his father was also a witch. Since he was his grandfather's son, that had to be the case. Was that the reason why he had left only a year after Louis' mother's death?

Louis had so many questions and no answers, and he knew that the only person who could give them to him was gone now. Or maybe…?

He quickly leafed through the pages of the Book, remembering reading a spell about it, and when he found it, he stared indecisively at the page with his lip clamped between his teeth. It wasn't a spell for personal gain, was it? Wouldn't it backfire or cause bad consequences, as Logan said? He wasn't doing it for personal gain, but only to get more answers and be prepared in case all this nonsense was true.

Well, he had no choice, after all.

He slammed the Book shut and rolled out of bed, rushing to the attic and opening the door, noting that everything was like the night before and nothing was out of place. With trembling hands, he placed the Book on the lectern and jumped as the golden triquetra on the cover lit up. He took a deep breath and opened it again to the page he had found: ‘Summoning the Dead’.

The spell said to place five white candles in a circle on the floor and light them, then to recite the spell.

Louis opened the box in which he had found the Book of Shadows, rummaged around until he found five white candles and a box of matches. He placed them in a circle on the floor and lit them.

He walked back to the lectern and took a deep breath before reading aloud. “Hear these words, hear my cries, spirit from the other side. Come to me, I summon thee. Cross now the great divide.”

He held his breath, his eyes staring at the circle before him as he hoped that if it worked, he wouldn't summon someone unsolicited because then he wouldn't know how to send it away. He cursed, because he should’ve thought of it earlier, but maybe blowing out the candles would’ve been enough or-

Small white lights appeared in front of him and floated in the circle, then a white shadow appeared and slowly took shape.

Louis had to hold on to the lectern to keep from falling to his knees, a hand clutching his mouth tightly and tears running uncontrollably down his face.

“Hello, my boy.”

There, standing before him, was his grandfather. It was him, in the flesh. Well, not really in the flesh because he was transparent like a ghost, but it was him and he was talking and looking at him with such a loving gaze that Louis didn't know what to do with his life at that moment.

“Gramps,” he whispered, stifling a sob and moving away from the lectern only when he was sure his legs would hold, then he passed it and walked to the edge of the circle.

Leo smiled at him and waved him back. Louis frowned but complied, and the man walked out of the circle.

Louis at that point couldn't hold anymore and would’ve fallen to the ground if his grandfather's hands hadn't supported him, because he had just become flesh and blood.

“But- but how…?” he murmured, looking at him with wide eyes.

“We can take shape when we step out of the circle,” he explained, keeping his hands on his nephew's arms.

Louis stared at him for a few more seconds before throwing himself on him, hugging him tightly. The man laughed - oh, how he had missed that sound - and wrapped his arms around him, stroking his back and waiting patiently for him to stop crying and calm down.

“So- so I can call you whenever I want?” Louis murmured, sniffling and wiping his face with his sleeve when he calmed down and found the strength to pull away from the hug.

Leo sighed and smiled gently. “It's not good to linger in death, Louis. You can, but I have a life, things to do, and you have a life here.”

Louis’ brow furrowed. “But- but you're dead. What do you have to do?”

The man chuckled. “More than you can imagine. Do you know how many people die every day? They need to be helped and guided to peace, otherwise they risk being trapped on earth, never finding it and tormenting others out of frustration. They could become dangerous and harmful, like poltergeists.”

Louis remembered reading about them in the Book and hoped he would never encounter the creatures.

“Oh, uh, I have so many questions. I- Why do you- Have I always had powers? That incident when I was ten and the things I saw were premonitions, weren't they?”

Leo sighed and walked around the attic, his blue shoes silent on the hardwood floor, and Louis noticed the same faded jeans and green sweater he was wearing the day he died. He sat down on a small couch in the back of the room and patted the seat next to him. Louis hurried over to him, still staring at him in amazement, having not yet processed the fact that he was really there in the flesh.

“Powers aren't acquired at a certain point in time, we’re born with them,” he began to explain. “I knew you would get them too, just like every other male member of our family.” He glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, anticipating the question that was on Louis' tongue. “Yes, your father had powers too, he could freeze objects or make them explode. Did you read anything about that in the Book of Shadows?“

Louis nodded in amazement.

“The powers are received randomly. There’s no pattern, so we didn't know what power you would receive. I watched you closely but never suspected anything, at least until that day. Do you remember when it started?”

Louis frowned thoughtfully. “Uh, I think when I was five.”

Leo's eyes widened. “The accident happened when you were ten. How come I never noticed it?”

“Uh, well, I never told anyone about it and the things I saw were always stupid, like a glass falling before it dropped or a bad grade in school. The… premonition I had about that kid was the first one that concerned something… serious.”

“I should’ve noticed. I could’ve avoided it.”

“Why did you do that? Why did you take away my powers?” he asked, indignation creeping into his voice. He still couldn't accept that his grandfather had done such a thing without explaining it to him first and giving him a choice.

The man took Louis’ hands in his and squeezed them tightly. “Louis, powers are a great responsibility and no child should see the things you saw. Besides, powers attract evil. The purpose of demons is to kill witches, sometimes to steal their powers, and I couldn't risk anything happening to you.”

Louis swallowed, fear twisting in his stomach. “Does that mean that- that now they're gonna find me and try to kill me?”

“Yes,” Leo replied, gripping his hands tighter. “I should’ve given you back your powers earlier and taught you. I knew that if I died the spell would be reversed, I just didn’t think it would happen so soon. I was wrong, and I'm sorry, but you don't have time now. You have to study, memorize spells and potions so you’re always prepared for anything. The Book of Shadows won't always be there when you need it.”

“But… demons have powers, real powers, I can only see the future. How- how am I supposed to defend myself?” he stammered shrilly, on the verge of panic.

“'There are spells for that. Some are in the Book, others you can create yourself.”

Louis' eyes widened. “Create them? And how am I supposed to do that?”

“Paper, pen and some rhymes. The spell has to fit what you're trying to accomplish, so be careful when you cast it.” His grandfather looked around and narrowed his gaze, then pointed to an object lying on a dresser next to them. “See that candle? Light it up.”

Louis inhaled sharply, his mind blank and his blue eyes still wide because it was too much information to digest, but this was his life now and his grandfather next to him shaking his hands was concrete proof that it was all real and not just a figment of his imagination.

He took a deep breath and pursed his lips, focusing on finding the right words. “In the dark I’m lost, give me a… light. The candle at any cost, um, let it… let it be bright.”

As the candle lit, Leo clapped his hands enthusiastically and hugged him, while Louis stared in amazement at the flame.

“Yes! I knew you'd be great!” he exclaimed, kissing his temple.

“Fucking hell,” Louis murmured, mesmerized by the strong light of the flame as it slowly burned the wax.

“Watch your mouth,” he admonished, giving him a stern look.

“Yeah, uh, sorry. It's just too much to digest,” Louis sighed, rubbing his hands over his face. “Can I ask you something?” he then asked and the man nodded. “My father… You said he had powers, too.”

Leo averted his eyes and frowned, as if he were lost in memories. “As I told you, powers are a gift. You have to use them to defeat evil and even if you don't want to, it'll always find you because that's the demons' purpose, to kill us. Your father never really accepted his powers and never used them, he always had me fight for him, and it cost him dearly.”

“Wh-what do you mean?”

The man sighed and met his gaze, sadness painted in his blue eyes. “Your mother. She… she didn't die in a car accident.”

Though Louis had almost no memories of the woman, except for a few faded fragments here and there, he had never suffered from the absence of a mother figure in his life. And though he had never really hated his father for leaving him, a rage he had never felt before gripped him at that moment, because he already knew where the conversation would lead.

“Your mother knew about his powers, and until the last moment they had hoped to have a daughter because they were afraid something might happen to you. When you were born, he could never really accept it, especially since he refused to use his powers. He was convinced that if he didn't, the demons wouldn't find him, but that also meant he couldn't protect you. That's why you all lived here, so that I could protect you, even though that's contradictory, since I had powers and the demons were hunting me too,” he said with a lost look. “But of course I couldn't always be there. I always thought that the demon was after me that day, but… Your mother died when you were five, and you said the premonitions started at that age.”

Louis gaped in shock, his wide eyes filled with tears and his lip began to tremble. “She- Did she die because of me?”

His grandfather jerked his head up, his gaze stern, and he reached out to hold Louis’ hands in his. “No, don't even think about that for a second. You were just a child and it was his job to protect you. When the demon entered the house, he panicked and ran to the attic. He found a potion in a box and used it against the demon, but by then it had already killed your mother and the potion didn't work anyway, so the demon fled.”

“But- but how do you know he could've stopped it if he had used his powers?”

“Your father could freeze objects and people or make them explode. There are different kinds of demons, and the high-level ones can only be killed with a spell or a potion, both at the same time if necessary. The demon that attacked you was a high-level demon, so he could've blocked it to have time to find the spell to kill it in the Book, but he didn't because he didn't know that information and how to use his powers. That's why you have to learn, Louis, it's important.”

Louis took a shaky breath and pressed his palms to his eyes to stop the incessant tears. “Can I- can I see her?” he murmured, barely a whisper.

“No, darling, but I'll explain this another day,” Leo replied with a wistful smile. “You have too much information to digest."

Louis nodded, then frowned thoughtfully. “Gramps… The Book says it’s protected by a spell.”

“Yes, no evil creature or sorcerer can touch it. The Book is sacred, Louis, you mustn't let anyone touch it or steal it. Your magic is bound to it as well, and in the wrong hands it can do terrible things. You could lose your powers and be vulnerable,” he explained in a stern, warning tone, his voice so deep that Louis shuddered.

“Uh…” he mumbled, averting his eyes.

“What, did someone see it?”

“Andy. He- he was here when- Wait. Did you move the pointer on the spirit board?”

The man smiled proudly. “Yes. But tell me about Andy.”

“Well, uh, he was with me and he saw it and… He touched it, but nothing happened.”

“Yeah, I was sure of it. I never doubted him or I wouldn't have let him get near you. You can trust Andy, he's a good friend,” his grandfather reassured him, squeezing his hand.

“Do you think I can tell him? About my powers, I mean. I promised you not to tell anyone about them.”

His grandfather thought about his answer, then nodded. “I think you can trust him. Who knows, you might even find your way. I know you've never been satisfied with your life and maybe you could work with Andy, since he's a detective, and help him solve some cases or something.”

“You think I can do that?” Louis asked, his hands itching with excitement.

“Yes, if you’re on your guard and careful. The most important thing is that your secret is safe. And remember that not everyone Andy deals with is… human.”

His blue eyes widened unimaginably. “You mean there are demons criminals?”

Leo chuckled as if amused by his naivety. “Oh, yes! Many stay in prison and those sentenced to death don't really die unless they're killed with magic. Their powers leave their bodies and reincarnate into the next demon, but don't think about the black smoke and other nonsense. Demons can take a thousand forms, including human, and like us they're born with powers. Some demons can take possession of humans, but that is rare.”

“And- and how do I recognize them if they have a human form?”

“It depends. Some have a very strong aura that you can feel, others blend in better. That's why you have to be absolutely sure it’s a demon and not a human before using a spell or potion.”

“I don't wanna kill anyone,” Louis muttered, head bowed and stomach twisting at the thought.

The man burst out laughing and Louis jerked his head up, looking at him in surprise. “Oh, honey, that's what I said, too. But I assure you, when you have a demon in front of you, you'll look forward to doing it.”

Louis wrinkled his nose at the idea, he really didn't know what to expect. He had read the whole Book and looked at the figures representing demons, but he was sure that seeing them live would be something else, and he didn't know if he was ready for that.

“Have you had any premonitions since you cast the spell to gain the powers?” Leo asked after a few moments.

“Uh, no, nothing.”

His grandfather was thoughtfully silent for a few seconds. “You must've read in the Book that powers are linked to emotions, so that could be why. Grief has momentarily blocked your powers even though you cast the spell to regain them. You managed to light the candle, though, so they're there. You just have to accept them and accept the loss.”

Louis licked his lips and sighed. “I think… maybe this,” he waved his hand, “seeing you here and knowing you're okay, will help me… accept it.”

Leo gave him a tender smile. “I’ll always be here, even if you don't see me. I'll help you as much as I can, and you'll never be alone, okay? I know you're not a genius in the kitchen, but try to practice potions. If you can't, remember that spells will help you in almost any situation, but potions are necessary to defeat certain demons,” he explained. “Oh, and be careful. Some potions are corrosive when they come in contact with skin or common objects. You can use any tools you find in the kitchen, they’re protected by spells so they won't corrode.”

Louis nodded, though he wasn't quite sure he understood.

The man clapped his hands and stood up. “Well, I have to go now. I have a lot of work to do.”

Louis stood up and gave him a sad look. He bit his lip, but he remembered what he had been told about not lingering in death, and Louis trusted him. Now that Louis had seen him again, knew he was okay, and that he had found answers and filled the void he had felt inside for years, he felt like he had been reborn and like he had finally found meaning in life.

“I'm gonna miss you so much,” Louis murmured, and Leo pulled him into a hug.

Louis buried his face in the hollow of his neck, squeezing him perhaps harder than he had ever done before. Even though there was no smell coming from him, the room was filled with what had once been his perfume: roses and talcum powder.

He hadn't had a chance to really experience his powers yet, he'd only gotten a taste so far, but despite all the horrible things he'd discovered in the world that would likely take him down, Louis couldn't bring himself to think of it all as a curse. The fact that he could hug his grandfather again, that he had a second chance to see him, was a gift to him.

He pulled away from the hug when he felt ready, and let the man go back into the circle before standing in front of him.

“Be blessed, my boy. I love you,” Leo said with a smile, reaching out a hand as if to caress him.

“I love you too,” Louis whispered, his eyes watering.

He bent down and after taking a deep breath, he blew out one of the candles and broke the circle, making his grandfather disappear.

He wanted to cry, the loneliness making its way back into his stomach and up to his heart and twisting it, but he didn't feel sad. He hadn't felt this happy and at peace in weeks. 

Louis could feel a new strength coursing through his veins, and along with the desire to make his grandfather and himself proud came the realization that perhaps he had found a purpose in his life.

⛥

The rest of the day passed slowly. It was Saturday, so he wouldn't be working for the next two days and that would give him time to do what his grandfather told him. Fear gripped his stomach at every little sound that came from the house, at the idea that at any moment a demon or some other scary creature might materialize in front of him and hurt him, or worse, kill him.

Louis was grateful that Andy would be working all day so that he could study and experiment in peace, and also because he wanted to talk to his friend over a cup of tea and explain everything to him before anything could happen.

He was also afraid that something might happen to Andy. His grandfather had told him that his mother had died in the house, which meant it wasn't protected by spells and anyone could have access. He had read something in the Book about special crystals that he could place around the house to create a sort of protective circle. No creature could penetrate it from the outside and anyone inside could leave it by moving one of the crystals, but only if they were a good witch.

He walked slowly down the stairs, looking around every corner and wondering why he hadn't gained an active power like detonating objects instead of simple premonitions. He felt pretty useless. Not that he wasn't grateful. He had gotten a taste of his powers many years ago and knew what he could do with the right premonitions, such as saving lives or preventing disasters.

When he got to the kitchen, he laughed and shook his head. After all, what was the point of living in fear every second? If they found him, they found him. It is what it is, right?

He put the Book of Shadows on the kitchen counter, away from the sink so it wouldn't get wet, and flipped through the pages looking for a potion to experiment with, praying he wouldn't blow anything up in the meantime. One in particular caught his attention, ‘Explosive Potion’.

If he could make it, it might come in handy. He didn't have any active powers, but maybe he could reproduce some if he ever needed them. 

He quickly read the list of ingredients and opened a cabinet. He looked at the bottles, which were lined up in alphabetical order and had small, handwritten labels on them so he could more easily see what they contained.

He took the first ingredients listed in the Book: seeds of larkspur and rosary pea - small red berries that he knew were poisonous if ingested - and lavender. The recipe continued, indicating to add amethyst oil. He rummaged around in the vials but found no oil, so he opened the cabinet next to it and suppressed a gag.

He wondered why he had never opened that cabinet - perhaps because he didn't particularly like cooking - but he was grateful that he hadn't. Various liquids were lined up on the left side, some of the consistency of oil and others thicker, while disgusting things were displayed on the right. On the labels he read cockroach wings, spider eyes, various insects, crow's feet, dried flies, and others he refused to identify.

The Book said he needed flies, so he took those and the amethyst oil, and slammed the door shut, retching again. He took a spoon from the drawer, because he definitely didn't want to touch the flies with his bare hands, a mortar and pestle.

The instructions said to pour five larkspur seeds and two rosary pea seeds in the mortar and pestle them while boiling water in a pot. He lit the stove, put a pot on it and roughly crushed the ingredients while the water boiled, then poured the mixture in. In a drawer he found a dropper and added the amethyst oil, accidentally pouring in more than necessary but he just shrugged - only hoping not to cause a cataclysm - then added two dried flies, wrinkling his nose.

The last ingredient requested was a drop of blood but it didn't specify from whom, so he opened the cabinet again, but found nothing among the various vials. He sighed, bit his lip and took a sharp knife from the drawer.

“This better work,” he mumbled, pricking his finger and hissing at the burn. He poured a drop into the pot and waited.

Thick black smoke billowed from the pot, but nothing else happened. He huffed and frowned, reading the instructions in the Book again.

‘If the potion has been brewed correctly, it will explode and produce white smoke.’

Perfect, so he had done something wrong. He huffed again and turned off the stove, then dumped the mixture into the sink and rinsed the pot thoroughly before starting all over again. This time he chopped the ingredients well and then poured in two flies, the right amount of oil and a drop of blood. Again, nothing happened except black smoke.

“Fuck it,” he cursed through gritted teeth. He didn't understand what he had done wrong this time.

He read through the instructions one more time and cursed again when he realized what he had done wrong. He had reversed the order of two ingredients and put the flies in first, then the amethyst oil.

“How fussy you are,” he mumbled as he poured the mixture into the sink, then washed the pot and started over for the third time.

This time he followed the instructions thoroughly, and when he cut his finger and the drop of blood hit the boiling water, a small explosion followed by white smoke erupted from the mixture.

“Yes, fuck off!” he yelled, hopping around the kitchen and moving his hips in a not-at-all-embarrassing dance.

He remembered the box in the attic with the potions in vials, so he figured he could put his potion aside for safekeeping. He opened more cabinets until he found one full of empty glass vials and small corks to seal them, so he took one.

The Book recommended that the potion shouldn't be touched with bare hands or other objects, or there would be a risk of burning everything it came in contact with. It suggested using an enchanted object to pour it into the vials, and he remembered that his grandfather had already warned him about that. He opened a drawer and found more clean droppers. He took one, sucked the dark blue liquid from the pot, being careful not to touch it with his hands, poured it carefully into the vial and then plugged it with the small cork.

Now what?

He read through the page again. ‘Throw the potion at the creature or object you want to detonate’.

He looked around and saw a pillow resting on one of the chairs so he grabbed it and put it on the floor, then he moved a few feet away, not knowing how big the extent of the explosion would be. Should he throw the potion on the floor to break the vial, or would it explode on the pillow by itself? He shrugged and threw it on the soft fabric, but nothing happened and the bottle remained intact. He waited a few seconds because he really didn't intend to burn himself alive, and then picked it up.

He took a few steps back again, inhaled and threw the bottle on the floor in front of the pillow. When the vial hit the floor and broke, it exploded with force.

Louis turned away, covering his face with his hands and panting heavily before turning around and surveying the damage.

“Shit, fuck, fucking shit!” he cursed when he saw the burning pillow.

He ran to fill a pot with water and poured it over it, putting out the flames. When the fire died down, he pushed the pillow aside with one foot, put his hands on his hips, and sighed through his nose when he saw the shallow crater in the floor near where the bottle had broken. He shook his head and snorted.

Now he had learned three things: potions had to be prepared accurately and without reversing the order of the procedure; they actually worked; he had to figure out how the fuck he was going to explain the hole in the floor to Andy.

Louis shrugged. He had already decided to tell his friend what was going on.

He had read in the Book of Shadows that explosive potions could kill many demons, at least those that didn't need a special spell or potion, so he decided to prepare some more just in case. He carefully filled each vial and labeled them so as not to forget what they were for.

He also found an immobilizing potion that would immobilize any object or living being, and another that would cancel the effects of the immobilizing potion. He brewed one and tested it on a small bird perched on the kitchen windowsill, sighing in relief as the potion exploded in mid-air before hitting the ground and without hurting the poor animal. He himself was petrified with his mouth hanging open as the bird froze in midair, wings spread and legs folded as if about to take flight. When he threw the defrosting potion at it, it too exploded in the air without hurting the bird, and the animal flew away as if nothing had happened.

“Holy fucking hell,” he murmured, still staring at the spot where the animal had perched earlier.

Excitement coursed through his veins, and although he was just getting started and believed there was still so much to learn, he felt he had reached a small milestone.

He also made copious amounts of both of these potions, hopping around the kitchen and humming softly.

He decided to hide a couple of vials in each room, since he didn't know when the demons attacked and if they had a schedule for when they did. He chuckled, although that wasn't funny at all, because demons certainly didn't have schedules. He hesitated before entering Andy's room, and then decided to hide some there too, although he didn't know if they'd work if used by a human.

On his way back to the kitchen, he glanced at the grandfather clock in the living room, realizing that it was almost dinnertime and Andy would be back any minute.

He cleaned up the kitchen, rinsed and dried the pans and other tools, and put the spices and other ingredients back in their respective cabinets. When he was done, he looked around with satisfaction, putting his hands on his hips and wrinkling his nose at the blackened hole in the floor and the smell of burning that still lingered in the air.

Andy arrived shortly after, tossed his coat onto a chair in the kitchen and slumped over it, resting his head on his folded arms on the table.

“Did it go that bad?” Louis asked, gently massaging his scalp.

“Very. Stabbed and strangled like the others. She was younger, though, only eighteen.” Andy straightened up and rubbed his face with one hand then sighed, before something else caught his eye. “What the hell happened!? Are you okay?” he asked in a shrill voice, staring at the hole in the floor.

“Uh… Yeah,” Louis murmured, shifting his weight nervously from one foot to the other.

“Louis,” he admonished him, narrowing his eyes.

Louis sighed and sat down next to him. “There's something I need to tell you. I- I know this might sound crazy, but you have to listen to me, okay?”

Andy nodded and leaned back in his chair with his arms folded in front of his chest.

“I talked to Gramps,” he blurted out in one breath, closing his eyes as he waited for his friend to laugh in his face. When he didn't, he opened one eye and then the other, to find Andy watching him with the same impassive expression. “Uh… say something?” he said, more as if it were a question.

“What do you want me to say? If that's your way of dealing with grief, I-”

Louis shook his head, not really knowing how to explain it and having no way to show him he wasn't lying. “No, Andy, I actually talked to Gramps. It's hard to explain but I'm gonna tell you everything, so please let me finish even if it sounds crazy, okay?”

Andy nodded hesitantly, and after taking a deep breath, Louis told him everything. About when he was a child and the premonitions, about Claire the fairy and the kid he had saved thanks to a vision. About the Book of Shadows and all the things he had learned about his ancestors, the powers and the demons. He told about his grandfather and everything he had told him and explained, ending with the experiments in the kitchen and the morning he had spent preparing potions.

Andy had never once interrupted him, although Louis had to raise his hand now and then to stop him before he did. Sometimes his eyes would widen, and Louis didn't know how to read the expression on his face when he finished speaking. They stood staring at each other in silence, Louis occasionally averting his gaze and shifting restlessly in his chair.

“Are you insane?” he asked when he finally decided to speak.

Louis sighed, rubbing his temples and thinking about how to prove to him what he had just told him, then a light bulb clicked on in his mind.

“Wait here,” he said, running out of the kitchen and up the stairs to his room, then grabbed two vials and ran back down the steps two at a time. He had already tested them on the bird, so he was sure they wouldn't hurt Andy.

“This is an immobilizing potion,” he said, showing him the vial with the purple liquid, “this is a defrosting potion that will cancel its effects. I've already tried it on a bird, so-”

“Did you throw a glass bottle at a bird?” Andy yelled in a choked voice.

“No! I mean yes, but it exploded in mid-air, so it wasn't hurt.”

“If it hadn't exploded in the air, if that's true, you could’ve hurt it!”

Louis' eyes widened. “Uh, yeah, I guess so. But that’s not the point. What time is it?”

“Um, eight twenty-eight,” Andy replied, frowning at the watch on his wrist.

“Now I'm gonna throw the immobilizing potion at you, okay?”

“No, Louis, wait a-”

Louis ignored him, stood in front of him and threw the glass bottle at him, which exploded in mid-air with a small bang. The glass shards disintegrated in the air and Andy froze with his mouth open and arms raised as if to stop him. Louis chuckled at his friend's funny face and if it weren't for the fact that he couldn't use his powers for personal purposes, it would’ve been fun to play a prank on him.

He moved behind the kitchen counter and waited, checking the time on his phone screen impatiently. He decided to open the fridge for good measure, grabbed a bottle of water and closed it again, then made a coffee and a cup of tea and placed them on the table next to Andy. After ten minutes he returned behind the counter and from there he threw the potion at Andy, which again exploded in mid-air and its glass dissolved.

The man snapped instantly. “-minute, you can't-” he finished the sentence he was about to say before being immobilized, but broke off and let his gaze wander to the rest of the room until it landed back on his friend.

“What time is it?” Louis asked.

Andy glanced at his watch. “Eight thirty-nine,” he mumbled and his expression changed as he realized. “What the fuck!?”

Louis smiled and nodded, pointing to the cups and bottle on the table beside him.

Andy opened and closed his mouth several times, his gaze darting quickly from the table to Louis and back again. “You were in front of me, but now you're there and- How the hell did you do that? Is it a trick? As-”

“You want me to cast a spell?” Louis chuckled, amused at the expression on his friend’s face.

“What? No! What- what spell?” Andy looked at him warily and Louis understood, the laughter dying on his lips as he hunched his shoulders.

“You… you're not afraid of me, are you? You know- you know I'd never hurt you, right?” he murmured, crossing his arms in front of his chest because he wasn’t sure he could take rejection from Andy.

“What? Of course not, don't be silly. It's just… it's a lot,” he sighed, rubbing his eyes with his fingers.

“So you believe me?” he asked with a hint of hope in his voice.

“Louis, fuck... I saw that damn pointer move on the spirit board, the attic door open on its own, and now- now this. I- I'm not sure I believe everything but… Shit, so demons really exist?”

Louis sighed, walked around the counter and dropped into the chair next to him. “Yeah. I hid some potions in your drawer. The explosive one should only be used if you’re absolutely sure you’re dealing with a demon. I tried it on a pillow and…” He pointed to the hole in the floor behind him. “Try it out, I don't know if it'll work with people who don't have my abilities.”

He got up and took out the one he had hidden in a drawer, put the pillow on the floor and filled a pot with water, then Andy got up and they walked a few feet away.

“It needs to crack, so throw it on the floor next to the pillow.”

Andy nodded uncertainly and threw it. The vial fell and broke, exploding instantly and enlarging the hole that was already there. His friend screamed in fright and backed away, putting a hand on his chest. He breathed shallowly and stared wide-eyed at the hole and the burning pillow, which Louis hastily extinguished with water.

“Wh-what the hell did you put in there? Gasoline? Explosives? Louis, damn it.”

“Seeds of larkspur and rosary pea, amethyst oil, dried flies and a drop of blood.”

“A drop of-” He broke off as his gaze fell on Louis' bandaged fingers and he took his hand in his. “Your blood!?”

Louis shrugged. “Well... yeah. I prepared some for emergencies, since my powers aren't active. I had to try a few times because the first ones didn’t work.”

Andy backed away until the back of his knees touched the chair and he slumped into it. “Louis, if you’d done something wrong, you could’ve blown up the house or worse, you could’ve injured yourself!”

“Uh, well I hadn't thought of that,” he hesitated, shifting his weight from one foot to the other and burying his hands in the sleeves of his sweatshirt, then he lifted his head and sat back down in front of his friend. “Andy, you've seen what they can do, what I can do. It's dangerous, okay? If- if this gets into the wrong hands, it could be really dangerous. I don't know if humans can make potions, but no one can know about my powers, much less the Book of Shadows. Is that clear? No one.”

Andy stared at him for a few seconds, then ran his tongue over his lower lip and took Louis’ hands in his. “Lou, I'm a detective, no one knows what people are capable of better than I do, and I know that this… information would be very dangerous in the wrong hands. Besides, I'd never betray your trust or put you in danger. I promise you, your secret is safe with me.”

Louis bit his lip and his eyes burned with tears. The love he felt for the man before him was overwhelming. Only once in his life had Louis felt such pure and unconditional love, for his grandfather, and he often wondered what good he had done in his life to deserve it. Not that he thought he didn't deserve it, but sometimes it was so much that he didn't know where to put it in his heart.

“Thank you. I love you Andy, I really do.”

“I love you, too. Come here, little witch.”

Andy pulled him into a breathtaking hug, squeezing him as if Louis were the most precious thing he had ever held in his hands.

They ate dinner and spent the evening lying on Louis' bed and talking. Andy had inundated him with questions, even though Louis couldn't answer them all. They fell asleep in each other's arms, cradled by the whisper of their voices and the love that filled the empty spaces and the unanswered questions.

⛥

Louis stretched, moaning softly as he felt his muscles twitch and relaxing again. He yawned, rubbing his eyes with his fingers. When he rolled over in bed, Andy wasn't there and his place was already cold, so he reached for the phone on the nightstand and saw to his amazement that it was already mid-morning. He hadn't slept this well since his grandfather died and now he felt so relaxed, as if a weight had slipped off him.

He kicked off the covers and decided to go to the kitchen to make himself some tea. He went down the first two steps but a feeling he had almost forgotten hit him, a feeling he hadn't felt in years, as if he were floating calmly in the water and suddenly a wave swept over him out of nowhere.

His lungs contracted and abruptly sucked in the air. He froze and his eyes closed, unable to control them, as images began to flow behind his closed lids like a movie projected directly onto them.

It was dark, a deserted street and the silence was broken only by the sound of footsteps slowly hitting the asphalt.

A red car drove by, then silence again.

She walked slowly, humming the lyrics of the song playing through headphones as she quickly typed a message on her phone. The reply came shortly after, her heart pounding and a small, loving smile curling her lips as she answered another message. Then she closed the app and smiled, looking at the photo on the phone's background, then she blocked it and put it back in her pocket.

Suddenly she felt something pressing hard against her mouth and she cried out, but the sound was muffled by what she quickly realized was a hand pressed against her mouth. An arm wrapped around her waist from behind with an iron grip and she was dragged from the main street into an alley, then into another and another until they were in a secluded, dimly lit alley with no exit or house's windows.

“If you scream, I'll kill you,” a deep, hoarse male voice she didn't recognize whispered in her ear.

She nodded quickly and her body shook violently as fear gripped her stomach. The man spun her around and pushed her violently against the wall so that she slammed her back against the brick, and her breath caught in her throat.

“Please, I- I'll give you anythi-”

She choked as a sharp pain shot through her chest, and she felt the heat slowly and inexorably trickled down. She brought a hand to the spot where the pain throbbed and looked down, seeing her blood on her hand before she could even process what had happened. Her knees buckled in pain as she realized she had been stabbed, but before she could collapse to the ground, the man grabbed her hard by the throat and held her firmly against the wall.

Another pang overwhelmed her and she gasped for air, but the more she tried to breathe, the more intense and agonizing the pain became. Another twinge came and then another, until she lost count.

The only thing she saw were blue eyes and short blond hair framing a young face, too young to hold so much hate inside, features too delicate to enjoy something so heinous.

She felt the grip around her neck loosen and she slid against the wall, collapsing to the ground quickly, and another pain shot through her head as it hit the hard concrete.

She could feel the man breathing heavily and then his weight on her, heavy and crushing. Fear now gave way to the knowledge of her impending death as she felt his hands tighten again into a steel grip around her throat, definitively blocking her breath until everything blurred and she sank into the blackest abyss.

Louis exhaled sharply and held on to the handrail as tightly as he could to keep from falling down the stairs. He squinted hard, trying to focus on regulating his heavy breathing as the images of death played over and over in his head. He knew what he had just seen, Andy had been talking about nothing but this case for weeks. It was the serial killer he, Liam and all the cops involved in the case were desperately looking for, but they had no clues or evidence, no DNA traces or possible suspects.

The unsub, as Andy called him, was meticulous and quick, almost a ghost. He attacked women who resembled each other, blondes with brown eyes, stabbing them repeatedly and then strangling them in secluded alleys in extremely remote areas of the city.

He rushed down the stairs, grabbed a pen and paper, and wrote down every single detail he could remember. He had never had such a strong and intense premonition, so he was particylarly anxious and upset. As a child, he had always seen everything in the third person - as if he were a spectator - or through his own eyes, but this time he had seen everything through the victim’s eyes. He was the victim.

He wanted to sit down and have some tea to relax, but he didn't have time. He had a job to do and he would never be able to do it alone, especially since he didn't know if the killer was human or a demon. He also knew that Andy would never forgive him if he went behind his back.

He started the call on his phone, his hands still shaking violently.

“Hello?” his friend answered after a few rings.

“Andy, you- you need to come home. Right now,” he said urgently.

“Louis, are you okay? Did something happen?” He heard footsteps and a door slamming. “Is it a demon or something-”

“No, no, I'm fine. I had a premonition. I- I can't explain it to you over the phone, you need to come home right now. Please,” he pleaded breathlessly.

Andy was silent for a few seconds. “Okay. I'll be there in ten minutes.”

Louis hung up without saying anything else. He paced around the kitchen wringing his hands, not knowing what to do.

What if it was a demon? What if they found the murder site and Andy went there to catch the unsub in the act and he died, killed by the demon, if it really was one? If the unsub killed with a modus operandi that any mortal psychopath would use, maybe it wasn't a demon. But what if these were ritual murders and the women were all similar for this reason?

“Ugh,” he growled in frustration, running his fingers through his short hair and tugging at a few strands.

He winced when he heard the front door slam and Andy call out to him. After he answered, the man joined him in the kitchen with a worried look on his face.

“Lou, what the fuck happened? What did you see?” he asked, putting his hands on Louis’ shoulders and scanning him quickly with his eyes as if to make sure he wasn't hurt.

“Sit down. I- I need to sit down,” Louis murmured, holding onto the table and collapsing into a chair, rubbing his face to regain the concentration and lucidity he needed.

Andy hurried to make a cup of tea and coffee, put one in front of him, sat down opposite him at the table and waited patiently.

“I saw the murder, the serial killer you’re looking for. No, wait, don't interrupt me,” Louis raised a hand as his friend's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to speak. “It was night, I didn't recognize the street but I could describe it. Usually I see things from the outside, but this time I saw it from… from the victim’s eyes, I was the victim.”

He sighed shakily and Andy gave him an encouraging nod.

“It was ten fifteen, I was texting someone named 'Kate'. When I ended the app, I saw the phone wallpaper. It was a picture of two women, one blonde with brown eyes and the other brunette with green eyes. I think- I think I can describe them. Anyway… I was walking and at some point someone grabbed me from behind and dragged me into an alley, telling me not to scream or he would kill me. He held me by the throat- No, he stabbed me once and then held me against the wall by the throat, I think to keep me on my feet. He stabbed me another, uh, I think four times. I fell and hit my head, so he straddled me and strangled me and then- then I think I… I think I died,” he finished in a whisper, biting his lip to hold back tears.

He looked up and saw Andy gaping at him with wide eyes and astonishment painted on his face.

“You- How... Nobody knows that victims are stabbed five times,” he finally muttered.

Louis snorted dryly. “I thought you believed me.”

Andy shook his head. “Yeah, of course I believe you, but- Shit Lou, you saw the murder.”

“That's not all. I saw the killer too.”

Andy straightened up. “Can you describe him? Wait, how do you know it's the next victim and not one who's already been killed?”

Louis gave him a half-smile. “The date on the phone. It's today's date.”

Andy leaped to his feet. “Shit. Fuck Lou, what are we gonna do? I can't go to the station. What the hell am I supposed to say?”

Louis sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I can make a sketch of the woman and the killer, we have no choice. Say I'm a witness or something, that I witnessed one of the murders or whatever.”

Andy snorted in frustration. “And what am I supposed to do with a sketch? We don't have any evidence against him so even if I knew who he was, I couldn't arrest him. The only way would be to catch him in the act.”

Louis rubbed a hand over his face, Andy was right. “Okay, there's another problem. I don't know if he's a demon or a human. If you went there and it was a demon, it would kill you. And- and if it was, I would have to know what kind of demon it is in order to find a way to kill it.”

“Shit,” Andy sighed as he sat down in the chair, his leg bouncing on the floor and his face contorted into a thoughtful frown. “Could you ask your grandad how to find out?”

Louis inhaled sharply and jumped up from his seat. “I think so! Andy, you're a genius.”

He made his way to the stairs, taking two steps at a time. Once they reached the attic, he placed the candles on the floor and cast the spell to summon his grandfather who, like the first time, appeared in front of him after a few seconds.

“Holy shit,” Andy muttered next to him, mouth hanging open and eyes wide.

“Louis, what's going on?” Leo asked, stepping out of the circle and taking shape.

Andy screamed and jumped back, and Louis suppressed a laugh at his shocked expression.

“I don't have time to explain. I had a premonition about a serial killer, Andy has been working on the case for weeks. How do I know if it's a demon or a human? And even in the future, how am I supposed to figure out the difference?” he asked in one breath.

The man thought about it for a few seconds. “Well, demons kill with magical powers, such as fireballs, so if the body has suspicious burns, it could-”

“No, repeatedly stabbed and strangled,” Louis interrupted, shuffling his feet nervously.

“If they use weapons to kill, it's usually daggers or blades of some kind. I've never heard of a demon using guns or killing like you said. When they use blades, they usually carve a symbol on the body, for example the symbol of their coven or a pentacle, things like that,” Leo replied, turning his gaze to Andy, who was still standing petrified next to Louis with a shocked face.

The detective closed his mouth several times before clearing his throat. “Um, hello Leo. No, nothing like that. Just stabbed and strangled, no suspicious marks on the bodies or at the crime scenes.”

“Hi, Andy. It's good to see you and I want to thank you personally for taking care of my Louis in my absence,” he said, giving him a warm smile, and Andy nodded, smiling back. “Do you know what kind of knife he uses?” the man continued.

“Uh, yes, we were able to identify the weapon after the third victim. It's a classic kitchen knife, he used it on all the victims.”

“Then it's definitely not a demon,” Leo replied confidently. “They usually use daggers, axes or swords. Certainly not a kitchen knife.”

“Gramps, are you sure? If Andy goes there to stop him and it’s a demon, he could die,” Louis interjected.

The man smiled gently at him and nodded. “I'm more than sure.”

“Okay. But then why did I have a premonition if it’s not demon?”

“Premonitions aren't just about demons. You know the case through Andy, with whom you are emotionally connected, and if, as he said, there are no clues or evidence, who knows how many more people would die before you stop him. Premonitions often come from touching an object or person that has to do with what's to come.”

Louis frowned. “Uh, but I was walking down the stairs and I was alone.”

“Did you have any of Andy's items in your hand or were you thinking about him intently?” he asked, and Louis shook his head in denial. “Well, I told you, you don't always have to touch an object to get a premonition, and it's not always about demons. The good thing to focus on right now is the fact that your powers are back.”

He smiled with a wink and then walked back inside the circle. Louis watched him for a few seconds, then his heart warmed and his face lit up, his grandfather's words still fresh in his mind.

‘Powers are tied to emotions… Grief has temporarily blocked your powers. You just have to accept them and accept the loss.’

Louis nodded resolutely and smiled back. “Thank you, Gramps,” he greeted him, bending down and blowing out the candle, whereupon the man dissolved into dozens of white sparks.

“Are you okay?” Andy asked after a few seconds of silence.

Louis took a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah, I'm fine,” he replied sincerely. “C’mon, we have a job to do.”

They returned to the kitchen and sat down at the table with the laptop, a map of the city, pen and paper. Andy plotted the locations of previous murders on the map, pinning down the area where the unsub had killed his victims in a seven-mile radius.

Louis glanced nervously at the watch from time to time as the hours ticked by and the morning faded into afternoon. They didn't eat lunch or get up from the table for hours until they both huffed and slumped back in their chairs, exhausted.

“We'll never fucking find him,” Louis groaned in frustration.

Andy rubbed his tired, red eyes. “Do you remember anything else?”

“No, I told you, there was nothing around. Stores, banks, street names. Nothing,” he huffed, tapping the pen rhythmically on the table. “Wait,” he snapped, “a car drove by, right at the beginning of the premonition.”

Andy shifted nervously. “Do you think it's the killer's?”

Louis shook his head. “No, I don't think so. So why did I see it? Why didn't I just see the aggression? I think I saw the messages on the phone to read the date and figure out that’s gonna happen today, but the car had no relevance.”

“And how could it help us?”

Louis shrugged. “I don't know how premonitions work and I'm just speculating, maybe it won't lead to anything. But if the car, like, traveled the same route every day at that specific time and had a GPS, we could find the crime scene.”

Andy stared at him for a few seconds with an impassive expression. “You'd make a great cop, you know?”

Louis chuckled. “Well, I feel a little bit like that now.”

“Okay, remember the license plate?”

“Um, no,” he said, frowning. “I could… try to get the premonition back?” he asked as if Andy knew the answer, even if he didn’t know it himself.

Andy nodded uncertainly, but gave him an encouraging look.

Louis closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He thought back to that morning, happily walking down the stairs, when he suddenly froze and inhaled sharply as an invisible force catapulted his mind against his will into another space and time. His closed eyelids trembled and the same images he had already seen reappeared behind them like a projected movie, the red car speeding across the asphalt, a San Francisco license plate on the back, and the sound of footsteps pounding on the sidewalk.

He used all his mental strength to stop the images and not relive them, then exhaled abruptly as he returned to reality. He grabbed a pen and paper and wrote down the plate number under the astonished gaze of Andy.

“Louis, if we catch this son of a bitch, I swear I'll do the dishes for a month.”

Louis burst out laughing. “You're not thinking of continuing to live here, are you?”

“Uh,” he muttered, averting his eyes. “No, of course not. I told you I'd stay here until the case was closed and- and to help you after your grandad…”

“Andy, I was kidding,” he smiled, reaching out a hand and taking the other's between his. “You can stay here as long as you want, but- I don't know how safe this house is for you.”

“Hmm, can you put in those crystals you told me about? At least we can sleep peacefully at night, but you don't have to-”

“Andy,” he interrupted softly. “I'm alone, okay? And this house is too big for me. If you want, you can stay as long as you want.”

His friend smiled and nodded, kissing his cheek. Louis grimaced in disgust and pushed him away, muttering about how corny he was while wiping his cheek with the sleeve of his sweater.

“C’mon, find that damn car, Mr. Detective.”

Andy stretched out his arms and cracked his fingers before logging into the San Francisco Police Department's system and typing the license plate number into the search engine.

“Found it! The owner of the car is Michael Smith, but I don't have access to the GPS, and I'd need a damn warrant to get it anyway.”

Louis pursed his lips thoughtfully. “What about his job?”

Andy did a quick search on the internet, scrolling through the various pages. “Uh, it looks like him in the photo. He has a grocery store downtown, right… here,” he said as he circled the spot on the map.

“Okay, now look up where he lives based on the address on his driver's license, hoping it's still the same.”

The man circled another point on the map after finding the home address. “Now what?”

“Hmm,” Louis muttered thoughtfully, lip pressed between his teeth. “The website says the store closes at eight thirty, right? Time to clean and stuff like that… How long does it take, an hour or two? In the premonition, it was ten fifteen. Let's say he was driving home from work, so draw on the map the route he should take to get home.”

Andy pushed the laptop aside and reached for the map. He looked at it closely and traced different routes with his fingers, taking into account one-way streets and dead ends, then took a pen and drew a few lines.

“Here, this could be it,” Andy said, picking up the computer and entering the start and destination addresses, switching from the aerial view to the live satellite view and moving the cursor through the city streets.

Louis shook his head every time the street didn't match. His impatience and disappointment grew more and more until Andy turned left onto a street in particular.

“Wait, that's it!” Louis exclaimed, jumping up from his chair.

Andy froze and locked eyes with him. “Are you sure?” he whispered, as if afraid of a negative answer.

“Yes! I remember these two street lamps, it was dark but I'm 100% sure. Look…” He slid his finger across the trackpad, walking a few feet down the street and pointing to a spot on the screen. “That's the alley. Not the one where he killed her… or is gonna kill her… or will try to… Fuck, you know what I mean. But he dragged her here and then to other alleys, I'm sure of it. Andy, this is where it's gonna happen.”

Andy stared at him for a few seconds, but Louis knew there was no indecision or doubt in his gaze. “Okay, it's eight-thirty. What do we do?”

Louis frowned. “What do you mean? Let's go and arrest him!”

Andy snorted. “First of all, you can't arrest anyone. Second, I can't go there alone, and what the fuck am I supposed to say? That I stumbled across the killer of the case I'm working on in some godforsaken place? Third, you're not gonna come with me, it's too dangerous.”

“Of course I'm coming with you! And no, before you say anything about it, this is non-negotiable. I promise I'll stay in the car, but I'm coming with you,” he said adamantly. “You could, uh, you could tell Liam?”

“And what would that solve? What am I supposed to tell him?”

Louis shrugged and threw his hands in the air. “Tell him the truth if you have to! I don't care, okay? We have to save that girl.”

“Louis, I can't tell him that you have powers and that we found out through a premonition.”

“Why not? You heard my grandpa, I can have premonitions when I touch objects or whatever, I could help you with cases, Andy. Sooner or later you have to tell him, you can't always use an excuse to protect me.”

Andy looked at him undecided, pinching his lip between his fingers. “Okay, let's say I do tell Liam. Then what? How the hell am I supposed to explain to my superiors how I got the information?”

Louis snorted. “You’re so argumentative, damn it. Don't think about it now, okay? We’ll think about it another time, right now we need to save that girl. Call Liam, or I will.”

Andy sighed reluctantly, and Louis smiled because he could tell by the look on his face that he had won. He called his colleague and asked him to meet at Louis' place as soon as possible because he had important information without saying what it was, in case Liam was not alone.

⛥

“I don't wanna sound offensive, but I think you two should… I don't know, talk to a therapist or hang out more,” Liam mumbled from the passenger side.

They were on the street that ran perpendicular to the one Louis had seen in his premonition and with the alley in front of them, but at a safe distance so as not to be seen. Andy glared at him and Louis ignored him, since it was at least the tenth time he'd said that.

Liam had arrived at Louis' house and they had explained everything to him, without going too much into the subject of demons and not mentioning the Book of Shadows at all. But even though Louis had repeated the spell to light the candle and Liam had stared at him petrified for a few minutes, even though Liam had tried the explosive potion and the immobilizing and defrosting potion, the man was still quite skeptical. Louis had then told him everything he had seen and how they had managed to find the alley from his premonition, but Liam had only agreed to go with them because Andy had threatened to tell his boyfriend that he secretly watched porn videos on Saturday nights. Liam had glared at him and had muttered something unintelligible, then snorted and reluctantly agreed.

Andy talked after glancing at the clock on the dashboard. “It's ten thirteen, four minutes to go.”

Louis was perched in the back seat, resting his chin on the back of the passenger seat and eyes narrowed in alertness.

“Louis, could you hold that leg still? You're making the whole car shake,” Liam snapped, huffing in annoyance.

“I can't, okay? How can you be so calm? I'm about to have a heart attack,” he retorted shrilly.

He looked at the time on his phone's screen. It was ten fifteen.

“You said she passed the alley at ten fifteen, right?” Andy asked, turning to see if anyone was coming from behind the car.

“No, I said when she answered the text, it was ten fifteen, she walked a few more feet… about ten, then she was attacked. How many more times do you have to ask me? I think sometimes-” Louis stopped abruptly and jumped on the seat. “Guys, fuck, it's her!”

Andy whirled around to look at him, then turned his gaze back to the girl walking on the sidewalk across the street. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I recognize the shoes and- Fuck, the red car!” he exclaimed, pointing to the car that had just passed in front of them.

Liam stood still. “What the fuck…”

“Guys, it's about to happen right after the car passes. No time for-”

“Shit!” Andy yelled when suddenly a man appeared out of nowhere and grabbed the woman from behind.

Andy told Louis to stay in the car, then he and Liam hurriedly got out and pulled their guns from their holsters. They ran wildly up and across the street, ducking into the alley where the man and woman had disappeared.

Louis struggled with indecision about whether to stay in the car or get out to see what was going on, biting his nails in fear and frustration. He trusted his grandfather. If he said the unsub wasn't a demon then that was it, but still, the anguish was eating him up.

“Fuck it,” he muttered to himself.

He reached for the handle to open the door, but then stopped when he saw Liam coming out of the alley with the woman slumped against his side and Andy behind him, holding firmly behind the back the bound hands of the same man Louis had seen in his vision. He sighed heavily as he squinted his eyes, and let himself sink back into the car seat. Then he burst into a slightly hysterical laugh as never-before-experienced emotions coursed through his veins: satisfaction and victory, pride for himself and relief at having saved a life.

A light breeze ruffled his hair. He opened his eyes and blinked a few times before noticing that all the windows were closed.

“Thank you, Gramps.”

He smiled and relaxed. He had finally found a purpose in his life.

⛥

When they arrived at the station, Louis had been sitting aloofly in the break room all along, his eyes fixed on the cup of steaming tea in front of him and a smile that had yet to leave his lips. He looked up when he heard the door open and saw Andy come in, followed by Liam, who with shaking hands loosened the ties around their necks as they slumped into the chairs in front of him.

“Well?” he asked expectantly.

Andy sighed as he got up to pour two cups of coffee while Liam rested his head on his folded arms on the table.

“They're moving him to jail in the morning to await trial. No bail and it should be pretty quick since he confessed.”

Louis saw Liam eyeing him suspiciously out of the corner of his eye. “What?” he asked, meeting his eyes.

The man licked his lips. “How did you know?”

Louis sighed, rubbing his fingers over his tired eyes. “I already told you, Liam.”

“No, look, it's not that I don't believe you. I would’ve thought of an anonymous tip, but- but the car that passed in front of us… I called the owner and he confirmed that he passed that spot around that time. And both the girl and the killer were wearing the same clothes that you described. I also checked the victim's phone and… everything was there. The messages with that woman, they wrote the same things you said, the phone background pic, the song she was listening to at the time of the attack.”

Louis tilted his head, confused. “So you believe me. Then why are you telling me?”

Liam moistened his lips again, moving his gaze from him to Andy and settled back in the chair, then lowered his voice. “Because if you were successful in stopping this murder and getting the killer arrested, you could… you could help us, you know what I mean?”

A smile spread across Louis’ face. “That's exactly what I intend to do.”

“No, it's too dangerous,” Andy interjected, shaking his head disapprovingly.

“Andy, we've already talked about this. I have a gift and I'm not gonna waste it. Today I felt… good, freer than I've ever felt before. I feel like I've found purpose in my life and I'm not gonna let people die if I can prevent it.” He inhaled. “I won’t be like my father.“

Silence fell between the three. He didn't know Liam that well, but Andy knew everything about him, his life and his parents. He had told him what his grandfather had said about his father, so Louis was sure his friend understood the depth of what he had just said.

They looked at each other intensely for a few seconds, then Andy sighed in resignation and rubbed his face with one hand.

“Okay, but if anything ever happens to you, our…. partnership ends immediately, is that clear?” Andy said in a firm, unyielding tone.

Louis jumped up in his chair and clapped his hands excitedly, causing laughter from the other two men.

“Okay, how do we do it?” Andy continued resignedly, but smiled. “He’s a civilian and the information he has is too detailed. We could barely justify what happened today.”

Liam rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Louis, your grandad told you that you can get premonitions by touching objects, right? We could register him as an informant so he’d have access to the evidence. If he sees things in too much detail that might arouse suspicion, like today, we keep that to ourselves and look for evidence that we can piece together, and find the suspect or victim before the crime is committed. Plan ahead, that is.”

“All right, let's try,” Andy said, then put on a stern face and turned to his colleague.

“Liam, we've been partners for years and I trust you blindly, that's why we decided to tell you about it. But you know how much Louis means to me, right?” Liam frowned and nodded. “Everything you know and have seen shall remain between us. If anyone found out, Louis would be publicly exposed and in extreme danger. And there is nothing, nothing I wouldn't do to protect him, even if I had to kill you to shut you up.”

Louis gaped at his friend's not at all veiled threat but Liam remained impassive, and from the look on his face Louis knew he had taken Andy's words seriously.

“I promise I won't tell anyone,” Liam said after a few seconds of silence, then turned to Louis. “I’ll protect you- we will always protect you, no matter what. This… mission is more important than anything else. I know how much is at stake and I would never put your life in danger, I promise.”

Louis smiled tenderly and nodded, knowing he could trust Andy blindly, and a feeling in his gut told him he could trust Liam too and that he would be safe with them, always.

⛥

Six months passed like nothing. Louis fell into the easy routine of working at the bookstore near his house in the mornings and helping Andy and Liam with whatever case they were working on in the evenings.

Sometimes he had to leave work abruptly because of an important premonition he couldn't ignore, like when he was reorganizing the books and had an intense premonition about a woman they were looking for who had kidnapped two children a week earlier. When he opened his eyes again, all the books he was carrying had fallen to the floor and he had to hold onto a shelf to keep from falling. He had rushed out of the library, hastily muttering an apology. The owner had always been patient. Louis had explained to her that he worked for the police and that he may have to leave suddenly from time to time, and the woman had never asked any questions.

In just six months, they had solved a little more than a dozen cases, including kidnappings, serial killers, bank robbers and psycho stalkers.

Louis had never felt happier than he did now, despite the stressful, hectic work and the horrific images he was forced to see.

Only two of the suspects in the cases they had worked on had actually turned out to be demons.

The first case had been a terrifying experience, perhaps because it was the first real demon Louis had seen, but all in all he had done quite well… More or less.

He recalled how the demon had changed shape before his eyes, transforming from a handsome middle-aged man into a creature with a worn face: sunken eyes and bright red irises, knobby hands with sharp fingers that spat flames. Louis had literally wet his pants and run away, not expecting it and not knowing what to do. He could’ve cast a spell but his mind had gone completely blank, especially because he remembered seeing the demon depicted in the Book of Shadows and knew he needed a potion to kill it.

Andy had become terribly angry because Louis had had a premonition of where the demon would attack and had gone there alone, only to run away and squeeze into the first cab he could find to get home. He had rushed to the attic to get the Book and hastily, but carefully, cooked the potion, when he suddenly had another premonition about the demon's whereabouts. Andy had been so insistent on going with him and not leaving him alone that Louis gave in, and his friend nearly burned alive when the demon flung a tongue of fire from its fingers. Louis had become so angry at that moment that he felt the rage rise up inside him, and he had hurled the small glass vial at it with all his strength.

After the potion had been thrown, came the satisfaction of seeing the demon writhe in pain and then explode in a cloud of black smoke.

The second demon he killed was a woman who kidnapped children to suck out their life energy. It didn't kill them, but the process caused permanent blindness in the victims and trauma that they would carry with them for the rest of their lives. Based on the MO, it was clear that it was a demon, so that time Louis was prepared and when he had a premonition that led them to locate the demon, they caught up with it and quickly killed it.

Six months into it all and Louis felt that he had found a balance in his life.

Andy had moved in with him permanently, and they had set up the crystals around the house to protect themselves while they slept. When Louis had positioned them at the four cardinal points and they lit up, he had touched a point in front of him with his fingertips to make sure the invisible shield was activated. A shock had passed through his hand and he had jerked it back, unable to cross the border of the house. Occasionally, Andy would forget to ask him to remove a crystal to break the circle before he left for work, so he bumped into an invisible force and fell on his butt on the floor. Those were some of the funniest moments in Louis' new life.

Liam had become his friend too. The three of them spent a lot of time together, both at work and in their free time, and Saturday nights had become a regular thing with pizza and a movie on Louis' couch, a night at the cinema or whatever else they could think of.

Both men had grown extremely protective of him and had deftly dodged questions from police officers at the station when Louis began working there. The department chief was skeptical at first, but after seeing how useful Louis was to the team, he stopped asking questions and agreed to register him as an informant, and over time everyone at headquarters grew fond of him.

Andy and Liam carefully weighed the information they shared with colleagues, and Louis had never felt safer.

⛥

The serial killer they were now investigating was perhaps the most ruthless they had ever dealt with, both them three and the police and the city as a whole.

They had assumed that the unsub was a man of no more than forty, but his modus operandi was unprecedented. They had managed to link him to minor crimes, two thefts and an assault, and everything had gotten worse when the police intervened at the scene after a 911 call, but the victims ended up being the police officers themselves.

With the first theft, two officers had intervened and when both arrived on the scene, they were brutally stabbed. The cameras attached to their uniforms had filmed everything, but the only thing they had achieved was a covered face and a robust stature.

At first they had just wrinkled their noses because although two policemen had died, the general impression was that everything had just gone out of hand and they had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. But when the same thing happened with the second theft, the group began to suspect that the reported crimes were just a pretext to lure cops to the crime scenes.

When a woman called the 911 number to report an assault and two police officers drove to the scene, the same thing happened again, attacked from behind and brutally stabbed.

The most suspicious thing about the whole thing was that every time police officers arrived at the crime scene, the victim who had called 911 was no longer there and a man was waiting for them in their place. The cops didn't even have time to react before being attacked and brutally killed.

After six dead officers, the police and the public were on high alert and scared to death because there was no way to prevent it. They couldn't ignore the 911 calls and the killer was like a ghost, who attacked silently and with such ferocity that even the strongest and fittest officers fell without a sound.

The situation had further escalated when the unsub had started attacking cruisers on night patrols at random, abandoning 911 calls and making the capture even more difficult.

After three weeks, there were nine officers dead and one in an irreversible coma.

As if that weren't enough, after killing them, the unsub would set fire to the patrol cars, likely to attract attention, a taunt to the forces chasing after him. The forensics unit had yet to identify the type of explosive used, even after hours of relentless investigation.

Louis had had a few premonitions here and there, but they lasted only a few seconds and had led to nothing that could help them. The only thing they knew for sure was that the unsub was a demon and that it blew up patrol cars with fire. Louis had seen the man from behind, a shadowy silhouette, stretch out his hand, make a fireball appear out of nowhere and throw it at the car, only to literally dissolve into nothingness, leaving not a single trace behind.

He had even talked to his grandfather, who told him that fireballs and the power to disappear were high-level demon powers, so to kill that demon he would need both a potion and a spell, but first he would have to find out what kind of demon it was. 

Louis had searched the Book of Shadows for days, finding a dozen demons that fit the description, and after hours of searching he managed to narrow down the list until he found what he was looking for. The only problem was that he didn't know how to find it.

That morning everything took a turn, when he was busy folding Andy's clean clothes to put in the drawers, and he had a premonition so intense that his legs gave out and he fell to his knees. They were only consecutive flashes of a few seconds each, but they were enough for Louis to understand the context and what was going to happen.

Liam was at his side. They were walking slowly, hearts pounding in their chests and breath short, an expanse of dry grass under their feet and an abandoned building in front of them.

The corridors followed each other as they hurried, pushing doors that opened to empty rooms.

A sound caught his attention.

They were in a room full of cages, women and children bleeding and with hungry faces were weeping behind bars, all lined up as if they had been put on display. He recognized the three women and two children as the ones who had been reported missing that morning.

He was shaking the bars of a cage in an empty room, pushing and pulling as hard as he could, but he couldn't move them an inch. Andy was behind the bars, his eyes wide in terror as he yelled at him to run.

Louis clung to the dresser, his knuckles white from the fierceness and desperation of his grip. Tears were streaming down his face and he exhaled sharply, trying to catch his breath, but it was useless. He squinted through the tears as he shook violently, feeling his heart threaten to explode in his chest.

He winced as the phone rang, and hesitated for a second as he reached for it. He was terrified of the reason for the call, afraid of having his premonition confirmed. He didn't want to answer it, he wanted to spare himself this suffering, but on the other hand a premonition meant that he could change the course of the future, that he had a chance to save Andy.

He picked up the phone that had fallen to the floor with him and swiped his trembling finger across the screen. “Hello?” he whispered in a low voice.

“Louis.” Liam's panicked voice made his heart ache. “Andy's is missing.”

Louis exhaled shakily and closed his eyes. “I know. I'll see you at my place in ten minutes.”

He ended the call, leaped to his feet and ran to the attic to get the Book of Shadows, even though he already knew he wouldn't find anything useful. He had to try again though, for Andy, had to search through his memories of the premonition for something, anything, that might help. The three women and two children he had seen hadn't been connected to the cop killer's case, and he couldn't explain why the modus operandi had changed or what the demon was trying to accomplish by capturing them.

Liam arrived shortly after, his face cadaverously pale and contorted with panic. Louis told him everything he had seen in the premonition while nervously pacing around the kitchen.

“He went from killing cops to kidnapping them along with random victims.”

“How do you know it's the cop killer? Maybe it's a different case and they're not connected,” Louis muttered, running his hands through his hair as he wracked his brain.

“Andy was with Masters on patrol in the suburbs, I stayed in the office to reanalyze the evidence. They found Masters dead on the side of the road, same modus operandi and blown up car.”

“Fuck.” Louis sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “Okay, but what does it have to do with women and children?”

Liam shrugged. “We know it’s a demon, right? The more damage, the more satisfaction. But…” He looked up and bit his lip. By now Louis had gotten to know him after all these months and he read the indecision in his eyes.

“But?”

Liam sighed. “Andy is the only cop alive, the demon never held hostages and always killed them on the spot.”

“So?”

“So why him? What if- if he’s bait?”

Louis stopped pacing and stared at him for a few seconds. “For… for what?” He knew, but couldn’t bring himself to say it. That would mean it was his fault. “For me? How would the demon know about me?”

Liam shrugged. “I don't know, maybe it came back to the crime scene when we were investigating and saw you. You told me once that your grandfather told you that powers attract evil. Maybe it… sensed you or something like that.”

“Holy shit,” Louis sighed, dropping into a chair and staring at a vague point. “But what does Andy have to do with it?”

Liam pondered the answer and frowned. “Well, this is a demon, but think of it as if it weren’t. Some criminals like the thrill of the chase, playing us to be found and raising the stake when we can’t. Maybe it’s been watching you. It's no coincidence that it kidnapped Andy, and now it wants you to find it. The women and children may be just another way to motivate you to find it or satisfy whatever depravity the demon has in its sick mind.”

“Okay, I don't care, I’ve gotta find him,” Louis muttered, wringing his hands as he paced again. “I can’t leave him there, especially not if I’m the reason he’s been taken in the first place.”

“You can’t go alone, that’s insane. Just forget it!” Liam, raising his hand to stop Louis as he opened his mouth to say something back.

“And what are you gonna do, shoot it?” Louis said wryly. “I have the potions ready and I found the spell to kill it. All we have to do is find the place where it’s holding them, I'll go there and kill it, end of story.”

Liam shook his head vigorously. “No, Louis, I'm not gonna send you there alone. If anything happened to you, Andy would never forgive me. I would never forgive myself.”

Louis stared at him impassively for a few seconds, then sighed and conceded defeat, even though he already had something on his mind. “Okay, let's find this building.”

Liam frowned at him. “Wait… Are you sure the demon keeps them in the same place?” 

Louis shrugged. “The women and children were in a separate room, but the one Andy was in didn't look much different than the first room. C’mon, let's get to work.”

They researched for hours in front of the computer while both glanced nervously at the clock on the screen. The only thing Louis was sure of was that in his premonition it was night, and he had a gut feeling it would happen that very night.

He had seen the building, although the surroundings were deserted, with no roads or anything nearby, and from the inside Louis assumed it was some kind of disused factory, given the rusty machinery and various equipment he had seen in some of the rooms. 

After hours, they managed to narrow the list down to two factories, but although Louis had almost pulled his hair out in frustration trying to remember or get the premonition back, he hadn't succeeded, and from the photos they had found on the internet, the two buildings looked almost identical from the outside.

“Okay, what do we do now?” Liam asked.

“We split up, you go to one and I’ll go to the other.”

Liam snorted. “Sure, and if I get into the one with the demon, what the fuck am I supposed to do?”

Louis sighed, rubbing his temples. “Right. Then we’ll go to the first one together, and if there’s no one there, we’ll try with-”

Liam hit repeatedly a cage, breaking the lock and loosening the chain, which fell to the floor with a thud. The woman inside crawled out, crying and screaming, while Liam busied himself with opening the other cages.

With the children in their arms and the women in front of them, they exited the building. Louis turned and saw the large inscription on the iron door.

A race against time in the car, women and children squeezed in the back seats, crying.

Andy rattled the bars of the cage and winced when the demon materialized in front of him out of nowhere, a fireball hovering between its fingers.

Louis ran alone at breakneck speed up the stone stairs of the dark building in front of him, the inscription on the plaque embedded in the wall at the entrance.

Each moment flashed across his vision at breakneck speed, barely slow enough to register the scenes. Louis gripped the edge of the table, his knuckles white as he held himself up, trembling.

“Louis? Lou, what did you see?” Liam called him back to reality, his face contorted with worry.

Liam's suspicions had been well founded. The victims were in a different building than Andy. They had gone to the wrong building and saved the victims, but it had probably been too late for Andy.

What if he went alone to save Andy and sent Liam to the building with the women and children? If Liam went alone and the demon found out, it would kill Liam and the victims, and Louis couldn't let that happen. He had to make sure Liam made it out of the building with the victims and then rescue Andy, but he also knew that the demon could kill Liam and everyone else as soon as Louis would leave them. Besides, the car ride to the second building would take too much precious time, so he had to find a way to get from one building to the other faster.

“I… saw them, all of them. They are…” He took a deep breath and swallowed, “they are in the same place, San Francisco Cement Plant.”

Liam looked at him silently for a few seconds then nodded, and Louis turned away, guilt churning in his stomach. He couldn't bear the thought of lying to him and betraying his trust, but it was the only way to protect him. He couldn't bear to lose Liam, and he couldn't bear the thought of losing Andy either. He had to find a way to save them both.

He ran upstairs to get the Book of Shadows and returned to the kitchen, avoiding his friend's gaze at all costs, even though he knew in his heart that Liam understood he was hiding something. After all, they had been working closely together for months now.

“What are you doing?” Liam asked as Louis hastily opened the various cupboards and took out the ingredients.

“Uh… An explosive potion. I've run out of it and I want you to have it in case of emergency,” he murmured, perhaps more hastily than a person who wasn't lying would do.

He read the recipe again and again, the letters ‘Teleportation Potion' written at the top of the page made his stomach twist again with guilt. When he had memorized it, he closed the Book to keep Liam from peeping. He quickly prepared the potion, hoping he had followed all the steps correctly, and after pouring it into two vials, he capped them. When he was sure Liam wasn't looking, he slipped them into his pocket along with the potion to kill the demon, then from one of the drawers he took a spare explosive potion and gave it to his friend.

He ran around the house to get the protective crystals, which he slipped into the pocket of his sweatshirt, and together they ran out of the house heading for the first building in his premonition.

Louis knew there was no room for emotion and he couldn't afford to be weak right now, but the idea that something could go wrong was quickly consuming him.

⛥

They arrived near the building when the sun had already set, the darkness that slowly enveloped it cast the eerie shadow of the building in front of them on the dry grass.

They both hesitated before getting out of the car. Louis could feel Liam's nervousness as if it were his own, while his own heart was beating frantically in his chest, giving him no rest. As they got out of the car in silence, Liam led the way, hiding in the shade of the few surrounding trees, while behind him Louis had to suppress the urge to cling to Liam’s sweat-soaked shirt. 

In one hand he held tightly the potion he was supposed to use against the demon, though he had a feeling it wouldn't show up.

When they crossed the threshold of the building, he glanced at the lettering with the name engraved on the metal of the door, and a flashback of his premonition struck him. It was happening just as he had already seen it, and the fear of failing with his plan was becoming more and more real.

Although Liam knew that the gun was almost useless against a demon, he held it tightly in his hands with his arms outstretched in front of him as they walked through the dark and silent corridors, only the wind filtering through the broken windows breaking the deafening silence. They searched the entire ground floor and found nothing, just empty and musty rooms filled with rusty machinery. Cobwebs hung from the high ceilings and animals Louis wasn't too keen on identifying scurried into their burrows. They found a half-ruined staircase and carefully climbed the steps, avoiding the rubble that had fallen from the roof and had created gashes in the ceiling, from which the dark sky could be glimpsed.

Their breathing quickened as they walked through the dark corridors, only the light from the torch Liam was holding under his gun illuminated their path. They opened more doors and these too revealed empty rooms, until a noise in the dead silence caught their attention.

They turned, waiting, and again they heard it, a sound of metal being moved over and over, like a swinging chain. They looked at each other and nodded, walking slowly toward the source of the sound. When they reached the door from which it came, Louis shuddered.

“Holy shit,” Liam muttered as he hurried to one of the cages and looked around, until his gaze landed on a metal pipe lying on the floor.

Another flashback hit him as the man began to repeatedly bang on the padlock that kept one of the cages locked. When it broke, the woman crawled out screaming and crying but Louis was frozen in place, fear coursing through his veins unceasingly as everything was becoming real.

“Louis,” Liam called through gritted teeth, waking him from the trance he had fallen into.

Louis hurried over to the two women Liam had already freed, helping them to their feet and begging them to be quiet. The detective continued to hit and break undaunted until all the women and children were freed.

Liam picked up one child while Louis took care of the other, speeding their escape from the ghostly building. They ran as fast as they could down the stairs and back through the corridors with bated breath and pounding hearts. Louis didn't know whether to sigh with relief when they crossed the threshold and found themselves back out in the open, in the darkness of the night.

The time when Louis could carry out his plan and betray his friend's trust was drawing nearer and nearer. He stopped suddenly, because it was now or never.

Liam spun around and stopped his run with a desperate, frightened look in his eyes. “Louis, what the hell are you doing?”

He put down the kid he was holding and pushed him toward Liam, then he took the crystals out of the pocket of his sweatshirt and tossed them around them at the cardinal points, whereupon they immediately lit up.

“Louis, I swear- Ah!”

Liam groaned in pain as his chest collided with the invisible shield the crystals had created. He looked up, meeting Louis' eyes, and the realization stained his face.

“Louis, don't.”

“I'm sorry, Li. I have no other choice,” Louis murmured, looking equally pained, before pulling the teleportation potion from his pocket and smashing it at his feet.

Instantly, everything around him dissolved and in the blink of an eye he was standing in the middle of a room, the same one he had seen in his premonition. Candles burned around him, ghostly illuminating the surroundings and casting dark shadows on the musty walls and dirty floor. The silence was broken only by his heavy, ragged breathing, while a voice inside him screamed that something was wrong because it wasn't what he had seen. There were no candles in his premonition.

His gaze wandered around the room as he slowly walked around, looking for Andy locked up and yelling at him to leave.

He found nothing. This was wrong, everything was wrong.

A flashback of his premonition hit him like an inexorable wave rising from the flat water of a calm sea, the vision of the demon standing before Andy with a fireball in its hands. But before that, he had also seen Andy, still alive and begging him to leave.

Only then did the awareness overwhelm him.

In the first vision he had, he had seen Andy and talked to him when they didn't yet know that the demon was holding them captive in two different places. But at the end of the second premonition, the one where he saw himself entering the building and the demon in front of Andy with a fireball in its hands, that was a future he couldn't change. It was the future and not a premonition that would’ve allowed him to change the course of events.

The realization hit him with a strength and pain he had never felt in his life as he turned and saw a familiar cage in front of him, the bars closed, but this time Andy wasn’t pleading for him to leave. He was sprawled out on the ground, his pale and lifeless limbs twisted around him as if to create a protective shield.

Devastation ripped through Louis’ body, shredding every last bit of strength he had left in him, leaving him empty.

A sob escaped his lips as he slowly approached, falling to his knees and gripping the bars with trembling hands and wide eyes, his vision blurred with tears and the knowledge that he hadn't made it in time. Andy lay lifeless on the cold floor, eyes widened in shock, mouth open as if to say something that would never leave his lips - last words no one would ever know - and a hole in his chest, the edges of his dirty shirt burned.

His best friend, his brother, had died and Louis hadn't been able to save him.

The most important person in his life had died because of a demon that was hunting him, he had died because of him , and Louis was sure that nothing in the world would give him the strength to forgive himself. Nothing in the world could ever erase this unbearable pain.

“I've been waiting for you, witch,” a guttural, sinister voice spoke behind him.

Louis tensed up, what little energy he had left in his body coursing through him, though he didn't know if he would have the strength to do what was necessary. He could neither think nor speak, until his eyes landed on the dull blue ones of his friend. An unprecedented rage tugged at him, rising from the deepest part of his guts and climbing upward like a snake, twisting and crushing his heart.

Andy’s death would not be in vain.

Carefully, he retrieved the potion from his pocket as the words of the spell flashed through his mind, and he slowly rose to face the one who had destroyed his life and his heart. A man who would've appeared to be perfectly ordinary to anyone else’s eyes, tall and muscular with short brown hair and ice-colored eyes, stood before him with an evil smile on his lips.

“Why?” Louis whispered, vaguely hoping that an explanation would make it less painful.

The demon shrugged and chuckled wickedly. “Why not?”

Louis knew that demons have no purpose. They kill witches and if they can't find any, they kill human beings for the fun of it, but he couldn't accept it. He couldn’t accept that this was just a game to it.

“He was innocent!” he screamed at the top of his lungs, as if taking out his anger on the demon would do any good, as if there was any hope of making it understand that it had all been unnecessary and too much.

The demon laughed, it laughed at him and at Andy's death. “Don't worry, your suffering will end soon.”

For a moment, just a second, Louis thought about giving the demon what it wanted, let it kill him. He thought about putting an end to it all and to the unbearable pain, reaching Andy and his grandfather to find some peace.

But then the familiar feeling hit him, his breath sucked into his lungs and the flash of a happy memory behind his eyelids.

“I am so proud of you, you’ve helped so many people in these months. You have a gift, you are special. I love you.”

It lasted a second, the memory of Andy lying in bed next to him after closing a murder case, when Louis was so disturbed by what he had seen and how the victim had been killed by the demon. Andy had hugged him, whispering softly how proud he was of him and how much he loved him, while slowly rocking him until he had fallen asleep.

Louis wouldn’t die, not at the hands of this demon. He owed it to Andy and what the man had seen in him, a hope for a better future and a light at the end of the tunnel.

He smiled bitterly. “Not tonight,” he said firmly.

He forcefully threw the potion, which broke at the demon's feet. The creature began to writhe and scream as if suffering excruciating pain, but not remotely comparable to what Louis was feeling, while the human form gave way to the actual demonic feature. The pink skin rippled and slowly melted on its face like candle wax, turning into a gaunt, stinging face. Its body twisted, growing larger and larger as the demon reached out and hurled a fireball at him.

Louis dodged at the last moment to avoid the impact, remaining motionless even as the demon slowly scrambled to its feet, its face still contorted in pain. Thick gray smoke began to dissipate from its body, burning the creature with invisible fire, and Louis knew it was time.

“Hell threw you from its inner core, but earth won't hold you anymore. Since heaven cannot be your place, your flesh and blood I now erase!” he pronounced decisively, allowing the rage boiling inside him to soak the words, a new kind of bitterness in them.

The demon froze and began to spin, head thrown back and eyes rolling in their sockets. It screamed in pain and convulsed until it exploded, leaving only dark gray smoke in its place.

Louis gasped for air, breathing heavily, his heart pounding in his chest. He was still standing in the same place, not having the courage to turn around.

Although he didn't want to leave his friend alone in the cold, there was nothing more he could do for Andy, so he pulled a vial from his pocket and smashed it at his feet, vanishing instantly.

He returned to where he was and Liam, the women and the children were still trapped inside the circle. The victims were crying as the detective tried to calm them, and fear could be heard in his voice. One of the women cried out when she saw Louis materialize in front of them, and Liam whirled around to look him in the eye. He could tell by the look that Liam understood, because Andy’s fate was written all over Louis' face.

“No,” Liam whispered, shaking his head.

Louis ignored him, driven only by his automatic muscle memory to approach the circle and slowly collect all the crystals, breaking it. His movements were completely out of his control, it felt like his body was no longer his own.

“Lou,” Liam cried out desperately as tears choked his voice. “Lou, look at me. What went wrong? What happened?”

Louis pressed his lips together, lowered his head and shook his head as he fought back tears. He only managed to take one step toward Liam before he tripped over his own feet and fell to his knees. The last bit of fight left his body as he held his head in his hands and let out a desperate cry. He felt Liam's arms wrap around him, and he held onto that touch as if it was the only thing keeping him alive and not letting him shatter into a thousand pieces at that moment.

The only sound in the cold night air was the sobbing and sniffling, not even the voices of the victims could be heard. It seemed as if they understood, as if grief floated in the air around them, enveloping them all.

“Where is he?” Liam sobbed into his hair, breaking away from the hug and forcing Louis to look at him.

“I- I tried, but- but I couldn't…” He broke off, the memory still too fresh to put into words.

“Louis, where is he?” Liam repeated more firmly, roughly wiping the tears from his face.

“San Francisco Army Plant,” he whispered, squinting as the memories assaulted him again. He wiped his tear-stained face with the back of his hand and slumped back into Liam’s arms.

Liam hugged him tightly one last time, stood up and ran a shaky hand through his messy hair. “Okay, we- we'll drop them near a hospital. Can you erase their memories?”

Louis blinked, still almost catatonic. “Um… yeah, I- I think so.”

“Okay, and then- then we'll go to…” He stopped, biting his lip, and inhaled deeply. “Let's go.”

Liam grabbed him under the armpits and pulled him to his feet. He put an arm around his waist, knowing Louis was the less clear-headed of the two. They drove in silence to the nearest hospital and got the women and children out of the car, who looked at them confused, bruised and frightened, though no one had dared to speak since they left the building.

Louis turned their backs so they wouldn't have any memory of him or Liam, muttered a memory spell while Liam stayed in the car and then silently walked away, curling up in the passenger seat and sobbing, his whole body shaking under the force of it.

The two sat there for a long moment, filling the car with deep, guttural sobs as they tried to regain their composure, failing each time. Eventually, Liam spoke up, only barely holding back his tears.

“What- what do we do?” Liam murmured hesitantly, his voice choked.

“We- we can't leave him there,” Louis said, looking up with wild eyes. “He can’t just rot there, it’s Andy, he’s my brother.”

“We can't even call the police, what are we gonna say? That we had an intuition regarding the place where… and that we found him…?” Liam slumped forward and leaned his forehead against the steering wheel, taking a deep breath.

Louis snorted. “I don’t fucking care! They can arrest me for all I care, it doesn't- it doesn't matter anymore.”

Liam put a hand on his shoulder and tightened his grip, forcing him to look at him.

“I know it hurts, but… He wouldn't want that. He- he would want you to…” He took a breath as if he didn't know what to say either. “You have a gift, Lou. I am not gonna let you screw up your life.”

“My gift didn't save him,” he retorted dryly, his eyes welling up again. “It… it killed him.”

Liam looked at him for a few more seconds, lost for words. His brown eyes filled with tears again, then he took a breath and opened the glove compartment. He took out a box and opened it, pulling out a phone and switching it on, then dialed the number of the police station with shaky fingers.

“Hello? I'd like to report a… a murder. San Francisco Army Plant,” he said and hung up, clutching the phone tightly.

Louis frowned in confusion, even as he cried. “Why do you have a prepaid phone in your car?”

Liam sighed and closed his eyes, leaning his head against the seat. “Andy and I each bought one when you started working with us, in case we needed it to… to make an anonymous tip.” He whispered the last sentence.

He probably never thought he would use it for the first time to report the death of his colleague.

⛥

The funeral was heartbreaking, perhaps even more than that of his grandfather because although the man was no longer young and Louis hadn't expected his death, he had expected Andy's even less. Not after being so sure he could save him the same way he had saved others.

Louis found himself standing in front of the podium facing Andy’s colleagues as he recited the eulogy he had prepared, but it didn’t seem nearly enough as he stood there with shaking hands and a choked voice. No words would ever be enough to explain how much Andy meant to him.

He watched as Andy’s uniformed colleagues lined up in an orderly fashion and the coffin was slowly buried under a pile of earth that was too-cold, fresh from the depths of earth, while the bagpipes played a death march.

The flag of the State Andy had so devotedly served was meticulously folded and placed in his lap, because Louis was the only family he had, as Andy was to him. And now he no longer knew what to do with this life, that had unjustly taken from him the last piece of a family he had.

He appreciated Liam's presence, who despite his own pain made an effort not to leave him alone for a moment, as Andy had done before him after his grandfather's death, but it seemed too eerily similar and a repeating situation. He decided to push him away for his own good, because Louis had come to the realization that his life was too dangerous and uncertain, and that it was too dangerous to become attached again with the risk of suddenly losing what he held in his hands.

After the funeral, he couldn’t bring himself to stay for the luncheon in Andy’s honor and instead retreated to a house that was once again too empty, too big and too cold for one person. The moment the front door shut behind him, he collapsed against it, letting out loud and violent sobs that echoed in the silence of the house.

Louis’ mind spun, searching for a way to fix this even as he gripped the door handle for support. Finally, an idea lit up in the back of his mind: his grandfather. He would know what to do. He would be able to remember some spell, something hidden in the pages of the Book, that could bring Andy back.

Hauling himself to his feet, he stumbled up the stairs, using the last of his strength to grab the Book and run to the attic. But neither his grandfather had the answer he was looking for.

“There’s nothing you can do, Lou. If you had the premonition and couldn't stop it, that means it was destined to happen,” the man said after Louis had begged him for help in every way he could.

“No! No, you- you gotta get him back. You have to- you have to help me. Please, Gramps,” he pleaded between sobs.

“Louis, my sweet boy.” The man stroked his face affectionately, with a compassionate look in his eyes. “Powers can not always fix everything. Maybe you saw what you saw in such a way that you were ready to face it, not to change it.”

“Wh-what's the point of seeing things if- if I can't change them? I don't- I don't want the powers anymore. They took Andy away from me and- and if I can't get him back, I- I won't use them anymore.”

“There will be times when you can change the course of events and times when you cannot. It's not your fault, Louis, and neither the powers'.” Leo frowned as if considering whether to continue, then sighed. “There’s a reason for everything. If Andy died, that means there's a reason. Maybe you're too overwhelmed with grief now to understand, or maybe it's not time yet, but if you couldn't save him, that means it had to happen.”

Louis shook his head violently, his face twisting up in anger and complete desolation. “No. No, you're wrong. There's no reason, and- and if I can't save him, you can take your powers back. I don't want them!” he screamed as he grabbed a candle off the floor and blew on it, then hurled it across the room and collapsed on the cold floor, sinking back into deepest despair.

Although his grandfather told him he couldn't contact Andy because it was too soon and they both had to accept his death first, Louis tried again and again, but failed each time, feeling his anger mounting.

For days he searched for a solution, trying every spell he could find and creating new ones, going back in time three times, but each one coming to the same conclusion: Andy inevitably died, over and over again.

He was even on the verge of summoning the Angel of Death, if the ritual hadn't required the sacrifice of an animal heart, and Louis couldn't bring himself to do it, despite his desire to have his friend back with him.

He went through a week of failed attempts and ignored calls from Liam, and the premonitions were completely gone. Louis knew he would never have them again. His powers were connected to his emotions and the same thing had happened with his grandfather's death, but this time was different.

He knew he wouldn't gradually regain them if he accepted the loss, not this time, because he would never accept Andy's death, especially not at the hands of a demon that had been hunting him, and he didn't want the powers anymore. They had only been the cause of Andy's death and had failed to save him. So if he couldn't use them to bring him back, there was no longer any reason to have them.

After almost two weeks, Liam knocked on his door, and although Louis had avoided looking in the mirror because he knew he was in a monstrous state, the expression on his colleague's face was an indication that he was worse than he had thought, and not at all reassuring.

“Lou,” he murmured sadly, a look in his eyes that Louis couldn't bear.

“Don’t look at me like that, like I’m pathetic. I'm not a basket case,” he muttered harshly, turning away and hearing the door close behind him.

“I'm just worried about you. Have you seen yourself?”

Louis whirled around and glared at him. “My best friend is… dead . I tried everything for weeks to bring him back, but I couldn't. How- how the hell can you stand there and-” he snorted scornfully, then glanced at his belt and noticed the gun tucked in its holster, “and work, I see.”

“Don't you fucking dare. He was my friend too,” Liam growled as he approached him with a stern look. “Crimes don't stop just because I'm grieving.”

“Hmm,” Louis hummed bitterly, pretending to think about the answer. “Okay? And what do you want from me?”

Liam's eyes widened. “You have a job too, or did you just forget?”

Louis laughed indignantly. “You really think I'm gonna go back to work at the station after what happened? You can damn well forget it! And besides, I don't have my powers anymore, so I'm just as useless as I was before.”

He was about to walk away, but Liam grabbed him roughly by the arm and forced him to turn around. Louis glared at the iron grip, then looked the other man in the eye and narrowed his gaze in an attempt to look menacing.

“Let me go,” he hissed through clenched teeth.

Liam ignored him and tightened his grip.

“No, not until you listen to me. Andy didn't… he didn't die because of you, he died because of a demon that was hunting you. If you now stop using your damn powers to help people, you'll let the demon that killed him and anyone else who comes after it win, and Andy will have died for nothing. Do you understand that?”

Louis froze, rage bubbling in his veins at the way Andy’s death had been waved in his face so carelessly. He jerked his arm to free himself from the grip. “Get out.”

Liam sighed in resignation, backing away and running a hand through his hair. “You know where to find me if you change your mind, and…” He swallowed, looking uncomfortable. “There's… there's a new detective at the station. I thought you'd rather hear it from a friend.”

“Get out!” Louis shouted, clenching his fists at his sides.

This time Liam humored him, closing the door behind him and leaving him alone, again.

Louis didn't understand why he had told him and how everyone seemed to have already forgotten Andy. How had they dared to replace him so easily, as if he were just one among many, insignificant? How was it possible that everyone was just going with their lives as if nothing had happened, while Louis could barely find the strength to breathe?

He spent the days after Liam’s visit curled up in bed, without the strength to move, both from grief and because he couldn't even remember the last time he had poured anything but tea into his stomach, the only thing he could swallow without bending over the toilet.

Even that night he fell asleep without realizing it, lulled only by the sound of his sobs and the incessant flow of tears.

“You’ve always been particularly stubborn.” Andy smiled at him, sitting down next to him.

Louis looked around in confusion. It wasn't a memory. They were in a garden, with tall grass and colorful flowers under his feet dangling from the rocking chair where they sat.

“Where are we? What- what's going on?” Louis stammered uncertainly, his eyes widening at the sight of his friend beside him.

Andy shrugged. “I don't know, it doesn't matter. I'm sorry I didn't answer your call, but I… I'm not ready. You're not the only one who has to accept it.” He smiled sadly.

“I didn't accept it,” Louis retorted harshly, clenching his fists on his thighs.

“I know,” he sighed sadly. “That's why I asked them to let me come here, it was the only way.”

“Them?” Louis frowned in confusion.

Andy smiled in amusement. “It's not time for you to find out yet. Let's just say… They take care of us when our time has come. I knew you needed to see me and there are a few things I wanna tell you.”

Louis swallowed and nodded uncertainly.

“Liam's right, you need to listen to him,” Andy said, holding up a hand before Louis could interrupt him. “Sometimes we can listen in, even if we can't take shape,” he explained. “Anyway, you have to listen to him. I've told you before, Lou, and I'll tell you again. You have a gift, you can't give it up or put your life on hold for me. There's a reason I… I died and even though I don't know what it is, I know there is. I can feel it.”

Louis shook his head, tears welling up in his eyes. “No, there is not. And if there is, it's not fair.”

“You don't know what it is, so you can't judge. But what we both know is that you can do things that few others can, that you can do good in ways that few people understand. I know it's… hard, but you have to accept it and move on. For yourself and for me, otherwise I’ll have died in vain.”

Louis let out a hoarse sob and blinked away the tears, biting his lip. “Can I hug you?”

Andy smiled and slid closer to him, then encircled his waist and squeezed him tightly. Louis hugged him, arms folded on his shoulders and head tucked into the crook of his neck, inhaling a scent he could no longer smell but that still lingered in his senses.

“Promise me you'll fight back, that you'll stand up like you always do and that you'll fight for me, and for yourself,” Andy murmured, tightening his grip before pulling away from the hug and looking Louis in the eyes.

Louis nodded, determined this time.

“It won't be the last time we see each other, and even if you don't see me, I'll always be with you. Remember that, little witch.” Andy smiled softly, brushing Louis’ fringe that had fallen on his forehead and leaving a caress on his cheek. “I love you, my friend.”

Louis slowly opened his eyes and a bittersweet smile spread across his lips, because although the pain was still there and the dream wasn't enough to make it go away, Andy had assured him that there was nothing he could do to change the past, so Louis had no choice but to find a way to accept it. He wasn't sure he was ready to do that yet, but if there was one thing he wasn't going to do, it was break the promise he had made to Andy.

Right now he didn't feel like fighting back for himself, he still didn't feel like he deserved to be okay and he didn't know what he was going to do with his life, but if Andy wanted him to fight then Louis would do just that. How and with what timing he didn't know yet, but he wouldn't let down one of the most important people in his life. He would find a way to heal that wound, too, in time.