Entering Salem: 2120

Brrrrt! Brrrrt! Brrrrt!

Lily Beckett groaned, waking up to her cell phone humming to life. Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead, plastering strands of rose-gold hair to her fair skin. The old sputtering central AC died in the middle of the night while she slept.

But there was also the possibility that Cyber Salem City Electric finally got around to cutting off her power. Lily may have missed a payment...Or two.

More like three.

Brrrrt! Brrrrt! Brrrrt!

"Fucking phone." She groggily rolled onto her side and tossed off the suffocatingly hot comforter, reaching for her phone.

Lily squinted at the brightly glowing screen. The caller ID was blurry and hard to read. The sleek black phone urgently vibrated in her hand and she reluctantly answered the call.

"Hello," Lily hoarsely spoke.

"This is an automated message from Shoppe It dot com," a cheerful female AI voice answered. Of course it was a machine.

"We're calling to inform—Lily Beckett—that your online marketplace—Seiðr Magic Online—was flagged as fraudulent. The online marketplace is closed."

Lily rubbed her eyes and continued listening to the automated voice drone one in her ear. "All orders have been cancelled, and refunds have been dispersed from—LilyBeckett's—account along with any penalty fees. If you would like to dispute this claim, please contact customer service at your earliest convenience. Confirmation that you have accepted this call will be sent to your state-issued email address. Thank you and have the best day you deserve."

The call abruptly ended. Lily was now fully awake and pissed off.

"Fuck!" She slammed her phone down next to her.

Lily sat up and leaned against the black steel bars of her headboard, deeply sighing. Morning sunlight slipped in through the cracks of the metal blinds covering her bedroom windows, casting the room in a soft blue glow.

The blades of her old ceiling fan spun in a blur above her head—not cooling the unbearably hot air.

"Still have power." Lily rolled her eyes, wiping sweat from the back of her neck.

The tapping of dog nails on a hardwood floor echoed down the dark hallway outside her room. Jack—a smaller than usual border-Aussie—strutted inside with his fluffy brown-and-white tail curled up in the air.

A small smile crept across Lily's face, lighting up her eyes, at the sight of her lovingly loyal familiar.

Two cats casually sauntered into her room behind Jack.

Persephone, a skinny tortoiseshell, masterfully hopped up on the smooth black steel dresser. She sat in front of the mirror and narrowed her judgmental green eyes at Lily.

Hades, a hefty Smokey grey colored cat, stopped at the base of the dresser. He roamed his eyes up-and-down, doing some strange cat math in his head. Hades made a few practice jumps before fully committing.

He lowered his body and with all his might, he sprang off the ground underestimating the force of Earth's gravity on his chunky form. Hades missed the lip of the dresser and slid right back down the side. His nails loudly scraped the smooth steel surface, leaving thin scratch marks on the paint.

Thud!

His body hit the floor and he got back up, walking out of the room.

Lily climbed out of bed, quickly moving around her bedroom opening windows. A muggy ocean breeze, smelling of brine, drifted inside making the air feel ten times hotter and more uncomfortable than before. Summers in New England were always brutal.

"Conrad," she called out to the AI device on her nightstand, "what time is it?"

"Good morning, Lily the Chaotic," the cyan glowing sphere spoke in a smooth artificial male voice, "the time is currently six-thirty. Would you like me to tell you the weather forecast?"

"No thanks,Conrad," Lily replied evenly. "Do I have any messages?"

"You have one message," he spoke. "Would you like me to play it?"

"Yes." She moved to her dresser, pulling a pair of loose-fitting jogging shorts out from the middle drawer.

Persephone purred and bumped her soft head against Lily's bare forearm, slowly blinking up at her. Lily gently petted the top of Persephone's head and slowly blinked back.

"Elizabeth Beckett." Lily's heart dropped in her stomach.

"Hey, Lil," her mother's voiced boomed through Conrad's speakers, "just checking in. Wanted to see how things are going. Haven't heard from you in a while. Call me when you're free. I love you to the moon and back."

Beep!

"End of message. Would you like me to give Elizabeth Beckett a call as she requested in the message?" Conrad's light dimmed and then brightened again.

"No," Lily replied and pushed off the dresser, glancing down at Jack. He was patiently sitting by her feet. "Ready to go potty, little buddy?"

"I do not have the function," Conrad answered and she glared at the device on her nightstand in disbelief. "I don't recognize the name little buddy, would you like me to add that to my list of nicknames for me to go by?"

"No," she said through gritted teeth, holding her boiling temper at bay, "I wasn't speaking to you."

"My apologies, Lily the Chaotic," Conrad robotically replied.

"Ready, Jack?" Lily asked her dog and paused, half-expecting the AI to answer her once again. Conrad remained silent.

"Come on." She lightly tapped the palm of her hand on her bare thigh and moved towards the door past Jack.

He enthusiastically wagged his tail and sprinted past her, barreling out the open door. Lily trailed behind him.