tell you they're gonna set you up with a place to live so you don't have to work the streets anymore. About our third "date" in, he actually did it. I was impressed. He told me straight off that he was a Wiccan. I had no clue what that really meant. I thought he was gonna ask me to do something kinky in bed or something. Believe it or not but we never had sex on any of our dates. He'd just take me to a hotel room and we'd talk until dawn. Then he'd pay me three times what I'd normally get for a full night's work and be on his way."
"He's subtle."
"Yeah. He lured me right in. I thought I had a really good handle on who seemed legit and who didn't. Malik was a major fail for me."
There's a momentary pause and I look over to Tobias. He's deep in thought but eventually he says, "I knew things weren't what they seemed a little before you moved in. Malik began teaching us new aspects of Wicca I'd never heard of before. Dark stuff. It didn't feel right to me but I had given my oath to the coven so I went along with it out of obligation. I'd try to let Malik know how I felt but he'd just turn on the charm and rationalize everything, making ME think I was the one wrong for doubting him. I couldn't swear to it either, but I think he was using his amulet to help sway my thinking. Every time I'd leave one of our private meetings I always felt slightly out of it, like I had just walked through a fog."
The idea of Malik brainwashing Tobias infuriates me.
"He tried something like that with me the first few times I escaped. He got really pissed when he found out it wouldn't work on me. To be honest, I think half of him wanted to hit me because of it and the other half wanted to pick my brain to find out what it was that stopped his magical brainwashing from working."
"What was it that made you want to leave? I knew you were unhappy but I didn't think you'd risk leaving because of the oath. Did something happen?"
"Yeah. I had caught Malik performing a ritual with some of my private things. He was scrying over them, trying to pull images of my past and where I came from."
"You didn't tell him about your life before Los Angeles?"
"No. You learn on the streets to keep your private life to yourself. I made up some story about my parents living in Utah and being really religious and that when they found out I was gay they kicked me out. It usually works when you're turning tricks because the Johns feel sorry for you and sometimes they offer you a little more money. I already told him that lie when we met so I just kept up with it. He'd keep asking me for more information about them from time to time and after a while it just became uncomfortable. I guess when he realized he wasn't going to get anywhere with his questions he took it to the next step. When he realized
he was caught he lashed out at me with his magics and demanded I tell him the truth. He did too good of a job at torturing me though. I ended up in a coma for three days. When I came to I made my first escape attempt."
I can tell my words hit him like a ton of bricks. A look of shock completely sweeps across his face.
"Gods, he never told us you were in a coma. I noticed you weren't attending the daily meditation chants for a while there, but Malik said you had left to see a sick friend and that you would be back in a few days. I'm so sorry Devin."
Angry tears begin to form in my eyes but I refuse to succumb to them. I won't let Malik get the best of me anymore. Not now.
Tobias continues, "After we learned you had left the first time, Malik told us that you were going through some personal issues and weren't thinking straight. He said that he wanted us to bring you safely back to the coven so that he could help talk you through it. I wanted to talk to you too but Malik forbid it. He said that you were troubled and he didn't want me to confuse you more than you already were."
The anger in me begins to swell. "Malik wanted obedient followers. He wanted a powerful coven he
"He's subtle."
"Yeah. He lured me right in. I thought I had a really good handle on who seemed legit and who didn't. Malik was a major fail for me."
There's a momentary pause and I look over to Tobias. He's deep in thought but eventually he says, "I knew things weren't what they seemed a little before you moved in. Malik began teaching us new aspects of Wicca I'd never heard of before. Dark stuff. It didn't feel right to me but I had given my oath to the coven so I went along with it out of obligation. I'd try to let Malik know how I felt but he'd just turn on the charm and rationalize everything, making ME think I was the one wrong for doubting him. I couldn't swear to it either, but I think he was using his amulet to help sway my thinking. Every time I'd leave one of our private meetings I always felt slightly out of it, like I had just walked through a fog."
The idea of Malik brainwashing Tobias infuriates me.
"He tried something like that with me the first few times I escaped. He got really pissed when he found out it wouldn't work on me. To be honest, I think half of him wanted to hit me because of it and the other half wanted to pick my brain to find out what it was that stopped his magical brainwashing from working."
"What was it that made you want to leave? I knew you were unhappy but I didn't think you'd risk leaving because of the oath. Did something happen?"
"Yeah. I had caught Malik performing a ritual with some of my private things. He was scrying over them, trying to pull images of my past and where I came from."
"You didn't tell him about your life before Los Angeles?"
"No. You learn on the streets to keep your private life to yourself. I made up some story about my parents living in Utah and being really religious and that when they found out I was gay they kicked me out. It usually works when you're turning tricks because the Johns feel sorry for you and sometimes they offer you a little more money. I already told him that lie when we met so I just kept up with it. He'd keep asking me for more information about them from time to time and after a while it just became uncomfortable. I guess when he realized he wasn't going to get anywhere with his questions he took it to the next step. When he realized
he was caught he lashed out at me with his magics and demanded I tell him the truth. He did too good of a job at torturing me though. I ended up in a coma for three days. When I came to I made my first escape attempt."
I can tell my words hit him like a ton of bricks. A look of shock completely sweeps across his face.
"Gods, he never told us you were in a coma. I noticed you weren't attending the daily meditation chants for a while there, but Malik said you had left to see a sick friend and that you would be back in a few days. I'm so sorry Devin."
Angry tears begin to form in my eyes but I refuse to succumb to them. I won't let Malik get the best of me anymore. Not now.
Tobias continues, "After we learned you had left the first time, Malik told us that you were going through some personal issues and weren't thinking straight. He said that he wanted us to bring you safely back to the coven so that he could help talk you through it. I wanted to talk to you too but Malik forbid it. He said that you were troubled and he didn't want me to confuse you more than you already were."
The anger in me begins to swell. "Malik wanted obedient followers. He wanted a powerful coven he
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