Semper Sumus

Philip arrived back at the parking lot drenched and missing his shoes.

"I went for a swim," he snapped, when Florence asked him about it, then crossed his arms and refused to talk until they returned to the bus.

Kelsey fell behind as they walked. If everything was about to be over, if Semper Sumus was going to end, he didn't want to rush it. He and Bates had never been on the best of terms. Since their big fight, it had only gotten worse. But he'd started this coven. And it had been good for all of them.

Philip had pulled ahead by now, and he reached the bus before Kelsey and Florence. He stalked up the steps and threw the door open. It fell shut behind him with a loud thump.

"Jesus," he heard Bates say from inside, "Be quiet."

There was another thump.

Kelsey stood next to Florence for a moment, gazing at the door.

"Well," he said, "being in a band has been fun."

Florence cut his eyes to him. "It's not going to be that bad."

Kelsey shrugged. "It might be. Someone saw us. There's no coming back from that."

"Bates will have worked something out," Florence said lightly. He stepped up and opened the door.

Inside the bus, it looked like nothing had happened. The girl was nowhere to be seen. Bates' and Jude's expressions were calm. Philip was leaning against the wall, one bare foot up behind him, arms crossed and scowling.

"Did you get rid of her?" Kelsey asked.

"She's sleeping in the back," Jude said. "In the big room."

"Absolutely not!" Philip pushed off the wall and stepped toward Jude and Bates. "Make her move."

Bates held his hands up. "It had the most floorspace."

"That's where I sleep!"

"Then move," Bates said.

"You should have given her your bed," Philip said. "Actually, wait, fuck that. Why is she still here?"

"I have a plan-"

"Unless your plan involves getting rid of her, I don't want to hear it!"

Philip often forgot that he was the youngest and least in-charge person in the band.

"Will you just listen?" Bates raised his voice now, and Kelsey was almost nervous.

He'd seen enough of Bates' anger, enough of the anger of people like him, strong and fierce and quite literally thirsty for blood. He used to be one of them. And he knew, now, that it was too easy for people to get hurt.

Florence pulled him back by the shoulder. He reached for Philip next, who shook him off.

Bates was still talking, voice still uncomfortably loud. "She'll stay with us until tour is done, and then she leaves. Got it?"

Kelsey didn't know if he liked this plan.

Philip was very sure he did not.

"Again, this is ridiculous!" He kicked the base of the bench where Bates said, wincing as his bare feet hit the wood. "Just make her leave now! It doesn't make a difference!"

Bates frowned. "I don't-"

"He means," Florence said, "Why make her come with us, when we could make the same deal with her now?"

"Because," Bates said, as he stood and walked to the door. "If she does tell, we'll already have the money from the tour. If she goes now, we run the risk of losing that." He turned the lock. "We should go to sleep."

"If I can't sleep, no one can sleep," Philip flopped onto the bench and propped his feet on the opposite wall, blocking the way down the hall.

"I'll take the big room," Bates said. "I'll sleep with her. You can take the extra bunk."

"The bunks are lumpy," Philip groaned. "I can't believe you gave her my room."

Bates stepped over Philip's legs. "Tough shit."

Kelsey couldn't sleep.

He looked at the other bunks to see if anyone else was awake. Judging by their breathing, he guessed that Florence and Philip (who'd quickly given up on his sleeping-on-the-floor protest) were asleep. Jude might have been awake, but Kelsey wasn't interested in talking to him. They pretended to be friends for the publicity, but the spark just wasn't there. Once, last year, they'd all gotten drunk and took turns reading stories about themselves. Florence found one where Kelsey and Jude got married. The universe playing a sick joke.

Kelsey rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling, only half a foot above, and let out a long breath.