Chapter 5

"Time's up," the Voodoo Queen interrupted. Lance checked his watch again. 12:00:01. His heart sank. His three days were now up.

"Lance?" JC asked softly. No response. Lance looked at the ground while JC just looked more and more confused.

"He said it!" Lance protested, looking up at the Voodoo Queen pleadingly. She smiled at him and shook her head.

"Or are you going to try to go back on your contract?" Lance and the Queen continued their conversation as if JC weren't even there. JC was *really* starting to get worried.

"Never mind," Lance said to JC before turning back to the woman in front of him. "He said it!" Lance tried one last time.

"No, he didn't. We agreed to the terms and they weren't met. Now, do you want me to tell him exactly what you did?"

"NO! Just... I'm coming, I'm coming," Lance said, defeated. He turned to JC. "Tell the others I'll see them around, OK?"

"Why, where are you going? And why do you act like you're not coming back?" JC asked, confused.

"He won't be," the Voodoo Queen said. "He's mine, and I choose to take him with me. He signed a contract."

"Lance, this makes no sense. Wait-- you're not coming BACK?" JC suddenly realized what the Queen had just told him.

"Don't worry about it, Josh," Lance said with a sigh. "Just please... tell the others, K? I'll see you later." Before JC could say anything else, Lance and the Voodoo Queen walked away, leaving a stunned JC behind. He quickly ran inside to find the others.

"Um... Lance just told me he was in love with me, and then he walks away with this woman who's talking to him about a contract..."

"Josh, reverse! Lance told you he loves you?" Chris asked. JC nodded. "And then he walked away with some woman?"

"Lance and I were coming back to the hotel from Riverwalk earlier this week and I decided I wanted to get a Voodoo Queen to read my fortune."

"And that was the woman Lance just walked away with?" Chris was trying to get everything straight in his head.

"Yeah. She told my fortune, and then his, and then I left for a while because Lance wanted a more private reading with her. She shows up tonight and started talking to him about some contract he signed and then he just kinda... gave up. And then they walked off. She kept saying that he was hers to do with as she pleased..."

"Here somewhere." Chris and Justin took off to look for Joey, leaving JC alone. Once the four were together, JC looked at the others.

"So, what are you going to do?" Lance asked the Voodoo Queen as they walked. She gave him a sidelong glance.

"A sacred place." Silence fell again and Lance found himself cursing himself more and more with each step for not telling JC his feelings earlier. Then maybe he wouldn't be doing this. Then maybe JC would be his boyfriend. Then maybe he wouldn't be on his way to only God knows where. Suddenly, the Queen stopped and put a hand on his arm, stalling his forward motion.

"We're here." Lance looked at the building they stood in front of and frowned. It looked normal enough to him.

"Home." Lance nodded and followed her up the walk. She opened the door and Lance raised an eyebrow.

"It's not much, but it's home. Go wait for me in the kitchen." Lance obeyed, glancing in the darkened rooms he passed. Looked like a living room, and a bedroom, and even a study of some kind. He found his way into the kitchen and grinned. This woman *knew* what kind of food to make! The entire kitchen was just like his mother's back home. He sensed rather than heard the Queen come up behind him and he turned to face her.

"You live here?" he asked, feeling stupid. She smiled then, making her look a lot more friendly than before.

"I'll show you where you'll be staying," she said, leading him up a back staircase to a bedroom on the second floor.

"WOW," was all Lance could say as he studied his new surroundings. The room was *huge,* with a four-poster bed along one wall, a window that faced a lake in the back, and even his own bathroom.

"I do live like a normal person," the Queen said with a slight laugh. "Now, go to bed and we'll talk about this in the morning, OK?"

"Gotcha," Lance said, watching the woman leave. Once he was alone, he locked his new door and sank down on the bed. What the hell had he gotten himself into?


	Inner Reflection \| home back to The Eyes of the Cat Chapter 5 "Lance, I lo-" "Time's up," the Voodoo Queen interrupted. Lance checked his watch again. 12:00:01. His heart sank. His three days were now up. "Lance?" JC asked softly. No response. Lance looked at the ground while JC just looked more and more confused. "He said it!" Lance protested, looking up at the Voodoo Queen pleadingly. She smiled at him and shook her head. "No he didn't. You* my boy, belong to me now."* "WHAT?" JC demanded. When had this happened? "Or are you going to try to go back on your contract?" Lance and the Queen continued their conversation as if JC weren't even there. JC was really* starting to get worried.* "What contract? Lance, what the hell is going on?" "Never mind," Lance said to JC before turning back to the woman in front of him. "He said it!" Lance tried one last time. "No, he didn't. We agreed to the terms and they weren't met. Now, do you want me to tell him exactly what you did?" "NO! Just... I'm coming, I'm coming," Lance said, defeated. He turned to JC. "Tell the others I'll see them around, OK?" "Why, where are you going? And why do you act like you're not coming back?" JC asked, confused. "He won't be," the Voodoo Queen said. "He's mine, and I choose to take him with me. He signed a contract." "Lance, this makes no sense. Wait-- you're not coming BACK?" JC suddenly realized what the Queen had just told him. "Don't worry about it, Josh," Lance said with a sigh. "Just please... tell the others, K? I'll see you later." Before JC could say anything else, Lance and the Voodoo Queen walked away, leaving a stunned JC behind. He quickly ran inside to find the others. "Guys, something's wrong!" he gasped once he tracked down Chris and Justin. "Why?" "Lance just walked away with a woman!" "What's so weird about that?" "Um... Lance just told me he was in love with me, and then he walks away with this woman who's talking to him about a contract..." "Josh, reverse! Lance told you he loves you?" Chris asked. JC nodded. "And then he walked away with some woman?" "The Voodoo Queen he and I went to see earlier this week," JC said. "What?" "Lance and I were coming back to the hotel from Riverwalk earlier this week and I decided I wanted to get a Voodoo Queen to read my fortune." "And that was the woman Lance just walked away with?" Chris was trying to get everything straight in his head. "Yeah. She told my fortune, and then his, and then I left for a while because Lance wanted a more private reading with her. She shows up tonight and started talking to him about some contract he signed and then he just kinda... gave up. And then they walked off. She kept saying that he was hers to do with as she pleased..." "Shit," Justin exclaimed. "What did he sign? And where's Joey?" "Here somewhere." Chris and Justin took off to look for Joey, leaving JC alone. Once the four were together, JC looked at the others. "Guys, we have a problem." ***** "So, what are you going to do?" Lance asked the Voodoo Queen as they walked. She gave him a sidelong glance. "I haven't really decided yet." "So why don't I just go back to my friends until you decide..." "No. I will decide by the time we reach our destination." "Where are we going?" "A sacred place." Silence fell again and Lance found himself cursing himself more and more with each step for not telling JC his feelings earlier. Then maybe he wouldn't be doing this. Then maybe JC would be his boyfriend. Then maybe he wouldn't be on his way to only God knows where. Suddenly, the Queen stopped and put a hand on his arm, stalling his forward motion. "What?" "We're here." Lance looked at the building they stood in front of and frowned. It looked normal enough to him. "What's here?" "Home." Lance nodded and followed her up the walk. She opened the door and Lance raised an eyebrow. "Nice place," he said admiringly. She smiled, a real smile. "It's not much, but it's home. Go wait for me in the kitchen." Lance obeyed, glancing in the darkened rooms he passed. Looked like a living room, and a bedroom, and even a study of some kind. He found his way into the kitchen and grinned. This woman knew what kind of food to make! The entire kitchen was just like his mother's back home. He sensed rather than heard the Queen come up behind him and he turned to face her. "You live here?" he asked, feeling stupid. She smiled then, making her look a lot more friendly than before. "I'll show you where you'll be staying," she said, leading him up a back staircase to a bedroom on the second floor. "WOW," was all Lance could say as he studied his new surroundings. The room was huge,* with a four-poster bed along one wall, a window that faced a lake in the back, and even his own bathroom.* "I do live like a normal person," the Queen said with a slight laugh. "Now, go to bed and we'll talk about this in the morning, OK?" "Gotcha," Lance said, watching the woman leave. Once he was alone, he locked his new door and sank down on the bed. What the hell had he gotten himself into?