Friday night came faster than any of the Pentacle witches imagined. It might have simply been the next evening, but the day went flew by that they all had problems focusing. Marina fumbled orders while Aura couldn't string a sentence together. Ella stared infuriatingly at the crime board in the precinct, unable to think of any new ideas. As for Ivy, the shop literally froze, as her mind wandered to how tonight would go down.

Anticipating Hunter's questioning, Ivy had brought her clothes with her to the shop. All she had to do was fill her time between 6 and 10 p.m. Easier said than done. Her mind refused to focus on a book. People watching bored her at this moment. She couldn't stomach any food. Ivy ended up doing the only thing she does when she really needs to calm her nerves: calling her mother.

"Hi honey," Gale picked up after a couple of rings.

"Hi Mom," Ivy returned, twirling a pen in her hands. She leaned back in her office chair and kicked her feet up onto the corner of the desk. "How's Maine treating you?

"Cloudy and a little cold, but all right." Gale hesitated for a fraction of a second. "Now, I know you didn't want to talk about the weather. What's up?"

"Can't a daughter just want to call her mother?" Ivy shot back defensively. She did call with an agenda, but she didn't concede that to her mother.

"No."

"Well shit Mom, I won't call then." Ivy paused and waited to see if her mother would tell her not to hang up. Instead, Ivy ended up succumbing first. "I just needed to talk. A distraction of sorts."

Gale let out a long breath. "What's on your mind?"

Ivy launched into it, avoiding any mention of magical creatures. Gale didn't need to know those details or that her daughter was a witch. Gale listened and popped in when she felt she was needed, but Ivy did most of the talking. Time passed quickly, and not before long a knock rapped at the shop's door. Ivy's head popped up as she knew exactly who it was.

"Mom, I have to go." Ivy looked at her clock and cursed. She still needed to change.

"You were in the middle of a story," Gale whined. With how few and far between her daughter called, Ivy sensed that he mother didn't want the conversation to end.

"Mom, I really have to go." Ivy set the phone on the counter and changed it to speakerphone. She reached for her change of clothes and slipped on her black jeans before pulling her skirt off. "I'll call you when I get a chance."

"Love you, Ivy!" Gale interjected to avoid being hung up on.

Ivy hit the call end button and slid her phone into her back pocket. Another knock sounded at the door. Ivy was in the middle of changing into a black long sleeve when the lock began to twist. Rolling her eyes, she bounded to the front with boots in hand. She intercepted the door to see Ella as the culprit.

"I was on the phone," Ivy said sternly.

Aura and Marina followed behind the fire witch as they entered the shop. Each went for black but in varying styles.

"What'd Hunter have to say?" Ella chuckled darkly, pulling at the sleeves of her black sweater and adjusted the beanie over her hair. Ivy was certain that Ella's boots came right out of her detective uniform when she went trudging through crime scenes.

Marina rolled her eyes at Ella's feeble attempt to start a fight. She wore an outfit similar to Ivy, but with a black windbreaker. Beside her stood Aura in a black hoodie and dark jeans. The wind user's eyebrows drew together as she studied something on her phone, lips pursing, before she jammed it back into the back pocket of her pants.

Ivy's head shot up from tying the laces on her boots. "My mother says hello."

Ella's face faltered but recovered quickly. Aura hid her laugh behind a hand, and Marina just looked away with a big smirk. Ivy finished tying her boots and opened the door for the witches to exit. As they approached Ella's SUV, Marina stopped them and handed out little vials.

"It's going to be unpredictable out there. We don't know what we are up again." Marina tucked a stray strand of long hair behind her ear in nervousness. "I cooked this up late last night so it could stew. Drink it."

The rest eyed the vials warily, unsure what it would do. Marina left that part out for a reason, but they trusted her. Ella held hers to the light, tilting the small item. Hidden behind the gray tint of the bottle, the light gray liquid still managed to shine when it caught the light. Ivy popped off the top, staring down the little opening.

"Cheers, then." Ella extended hers forward, similar to that of taking shots at the Thirsty Fork. The others followed suit, pouring the contents of the vials down their throats.

As soon as the potion hit their system, an overload of voices sounded in their brains. They simultaneously put their hands to their ears, trying to block out the mental sounds.

"What the fuck is this?" Ella growled.

"Everyone take a deep breath and calm down," Marina instructed, her voice lulling them like a wave. "Let the voices come in. Don't fight them."

They followed suit, and the voices settled down. What happened next caused them all to jump.

"The potion you drank," Marina's voice sounded in their heads but her lips didn't move, "will help us when we're out there snooping. We won't need to use our voices to communicate. Just our minds."

"Why didn't you warn us?" Aura narrowed her eyes.

"Because you all would have refused." Marina shrugged her shoulders. "Plus, all of our thoughts, unfiltered or not come through this channel," she added hastily at the end.

"You're telling me, nothing we think is private." Ella's glare would have put Marina six feet under.

Marina threw her hands up in defense and got into the car. "It's only for a couple hours. I kept the dosage low."

"You could have warned us." Aura shook her head and got into the passenger seat.

Ivy was upset, but she knew Marina's intentions came from a good place. She didn't want to hop on the "let's get mad at Marina" wagon. The youngest witch also had a point. The Pentacle couldn't make any sounds while they were on their mission or they would spook the target. Ivy was surprised Ella hadn't thought of it.

"I can't anticipate everything, Ivy." Ella glared at her through the review mirror having heard Ivy's thoughts. The fire witch gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white.

The ride may have been silent, but the cacophony inside their brains made it seem like they had stereos turned up all the way. Every witch did their best to hide their personal thoughts but to no avail. Bickering filled every minute until they got to the edge of the forest. Marina wondered if she had made the right choice in giving them the vials.

"We're going to stick together, but since Marina gave us this little boost, we're going to fan out a bit." Ella spoke aloud this time. "Don't wander too far. We don't know how far in distance our minds will stay linked. If you see something, scream...well, just say it in mental group chat."

"Remember, this is just recon. We don't want any trouble," Ella added for good measure. She pulled the beanie down, the edge just above her eyes.

Famous last words, Aura thought then immediately face palmed. Ella's head snapped toward her and shook in annoyance.

"This potion better be worth it," Aura spoke aloud, directing her attention to Marina.

All in awful moods, the Pentacle fanned out and began their descent into the woods. The darkness swallowed them whole. The trees obscured any light that came from the road. Ivy looked back for a second but was only met with more branches. She reached out to the earth behind her, but it didn't reach back. Something dark was afoot here. Panicking, her mind searched until it found her vines. They were far away, but she could feel them doing their best to get to her.

The witches waded deeper into the forest. Their thoughts provided a comical look into what each of them thought. Marina kept hers clear and avoided eavesdropping to the best of her abilities. Ella's thoughts were a cluster of unfinished reflections and plans, mostly regarding the case. Aura was too busy keeping an eye on the ground and ear trained for any weird sound. Ivy let her thoughts go. She didn't have much to think about except Hunter every once and awhile.

I swear, if I have to hear one more thought of you and Hunter getting it on, Ella threatened from her position the outer left flank. Giggles bounced around the minds, Ivy's the loudest.

I can't help thinking about my boyfriend. Ivy smirked to herself. The harder I try not to, the more prominent he is.

At least she's not being graphic. Aura shrugged her shoulders. I find it entertaining.

I've never needed to feel the lust that she has toward that man. Ella shivered at the thought.

Oh, it's infectious, isn't it? Ivy didn't hold back a laugh as it erupted from her lips. A hand shot up to her lips to quiet it down.

Just the potion getting to me. Ella shook her head fiercely.

A loud crunch sounded behind them and cut off the playful banter bouncing around in their minds. They froze and ducked behind whatever they could to hide behind. No amount of hiding would help. Hell had come out to meet them. There was no turning back now.

--

A/N

These are two of my favorite chapters. I get to take you out of Ivy's POV a bit and show you what's going on. You'll see ;)

Thank you to everyone who's jumped on TWH bus. Really appreciate you all for reading, commenting and voting.

Don't be a silent reader! I'd love to hear what you think.

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