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To the right and left there were single doors that presu broouys lent the the front of the building were h in a mad dash Unless there was a back door, there was only one reliable exit

Letting out a slow exhale to release some of uy had indicated and stepped through, not disturbing the sudden raucous carry-on of the men The back room spread out before me, and I had to stop and take it all in before I could look for e setup

Understate the entire width of the church, the space was unexpectedly gigantic--equally as deep as the previous room The hard, uneven stone floor stretched out in front offissure cut across it, four feet wide and as long as the roo like that, but as I progressed, the bottom remained elusive It had to be pretty deep "Feed the snakes with a virgin" kind of deep

Beyond the pit was a slightly raised area where a big cauldron sat off to the left, and a podium stood in the center Maybe that here they’d lecture? I excelled in school That e pit separating the professor fro Would we be thrown to our deaths if we didn’t pay attention?

A sludgy, get-out-of-there-while-you-still-can feeling rolled over roup of wo in the corner on my side of the pit They all leaned over a shared sheet of paper One reached forward and traced a line with her pointer finger

Nervousness ate throughnot to fidget,with lanced over, her pale skin fraed a portly wohbor jerked up her round face to studythat probably looked strained "Is one of you…Tessa?" I asked

The rest of the wo fro hair bobbed around her face took a step away from the others Her eyes narrowed as they studied me

"I’m Tessa," she said in a cautious way "And you would be…?"

"Penny Penny Bristol I emailed you Several times About the retreat?"

Silence filled the rooainst the stone floor

"The retreat on…witchcraft?" I said, hoping thatsomeone’s memory This was a little aard, to say the least The retreat’s Yelp page was going to get a piece ofcloser

I frowned, swiftly running est, I didn’t stand out that est probably had fifteen years on eish perhaps it could be said that Billy Tie alien eyes, the clear skin I tried desperately to hide fro posture I couldn’t shake at the !) conspired to e

"I’m twenty-four," I said confidently

"Yes," Tessa said "And you were able to cross the barrier"

"I…didn’t see a barrier There was just a lane, soh the doors of the church"

My smile had probably turned a little toothy at this point Holding it in place was starting to get difficult, because of course I had passed through the door I was standing right in front of theotten in? With a Batloves?

"Yes," I said

"Yes," she repeated