Darker London-Uncover what is underneath...

Renee's room had changed since Pierre had last seen it. Many of the witchy artifacts had been removed and replaced with darker objects. Most of the things that Pierre had come to recognise as being "protective" had vanished. She had swords and knives now. Most impressive was the sword hanging by mere fishing wire from her ceiling, right above her bed. Like the Sword of Damocles. Renee had told him that it was her way of putting her faith in the dark gods to protect her as she slept. Pierre thought she was nuts, but it was her room.

Renee's mother had gone out, and her father was already asleep. He could sleep through anything. Lizzie was staying at a friend's house, apparently protesting Pierre's now ongoing presence in the Baudrillard house. Honestly, he had expected to spend more time with Renee on his first night back in the country. But after a few hours, she had exiled him from her room so that she could practice her telekinesis. Bored, he had logged onto the family computer, hoping to talk to Kait or Scarlett some more. Absently, he wondered how Renee was doing with the mind over matter...


Renee had gotten rid of Pierre by telling him she was going to practice telekinesis. But in reality, such material things were the furthest thought from her mind. Spiritual alchemy was the order of the evening, to be achieved through Crowley's almost-unknown chaos rituals. Few would ever have attempted this. It would be an experience like no other.

She had drunk a fair amount of absinthe before beginning. This was chaos, after all. Sobriety had no place here. She needed no protection, either. She needed no circle, either. Her connection to the elements would suffice. It was time to remove pain, conflict and fear from her heart.


She had told Pierre that she would be working with glass, and that she might break it if she weren't careful. That was true enough. She set the glass bowl before her on the altar, candlelight flickering in its facets. Focusing her mind on all that she wanted to remove from her heart, she lifted her ceremonial knife and slashed brutally at the palm of her left hand. Blood immediately flowed freely into the bowl, and soon there was enough that she could swirl it about if she wished. Once she had enough, she took the bandage she had ready and wrapped her hand, not out of any particular concern for the wound, but more to be sure of not wasting the blood.

And there it was. She stared deep into the blood in the bowl. It was almost like scrying. She could see the thought-form that she was creating in the blood. A temple, a black pyramid. To this temple, she exiled her feelings, the feelings that flowed with the blood. They would be contained now, never to be released. It was odd... the temple was not all she saw in the blood. There were things... entities, black creatures with ruby eyes and flashing fangs. They swirled about the temple... and seemed to reach for her. They were moving out of the bowl now, rushing about her, growing. They were howling, a sound like a roaring wind as they snapped at her eyes. She cried out, but not loud enough to be heard downstairs. It was now or never, before this got too much. Eyes squeezed shut, she groped blindly for the sword that she used for ritual work. There, she felt the hilt. The entities were physically rocking her, now. She fell forward, but raised herself up again, sword held high. And then she brought it down, shattering the bowl into a thousand pieces, and spilling blood everywhere. The roaring stopped...

And the clamour in her heart finally subsided. The feelings had not been exiled... they had been destroyed. Her heart was now hers to rule over as she saw fit. No pain, no remorse. All that she desired would be hers. Nothing and no one would hurt her. The entities would fear her. She was untouchable in body and soul.

A thought occurred to her. Could she still love? But then, it was overridden. Irrelevant. It was the power that mattered. And that, she had in abundance now.

She had found her path.

Renee clicked "Update Journal" and leaned back in her seat, trying to feel something. Anything. But all she felt inside was hollow, a dull absence. Deirdre was gone... possibly for a very long time. But was that even... relevant? Renee had already resigned herself to cutting herself off completely from the girl. Of course it was unavoidable that she would see her at school... but then, school didn't feel like much of a priority these days anyway.

( Sex )

Renee looked up from her homework as she heard the door close. Before she could get up, Pierre appeared in the doorway of the study, grinning from ear to ear.
"I am healthy! Did I not tell you?" he laughed, clearly enjoying being in the right. After his strange episode last night, Renee had insisted that the boy visit a doctor, just in case he was ill.
"What did they say?" she asked, not yet entirely convinced.

( Spiritual matters )