Chapter 29

Agatha

It's been an entire fortnight since I spoke with Penny and I can't think of anything else but helping to find Simon, so I decide to fly into London a few weeks earlier than I originally planned. Thank Morgana I finish all of my assignments early. I hand everything in weeks ahead of plan and then hop straight on a plane home. When I tell Joshua what I'm doing he wants to come, I think he wants to help, or to meet my family or both perhaps, but this isn't the time. I have to help Penny and Baz, I have to help Simon.

There I was thinking I could hot tail it to California and escape the whole magickal world, but I realise now there is no escaping. I think I've finally figured that out. I can't walk away from my old life. My family is part of that world, my friends are part of it. I'm part of it.

Mother and father pick me up from the airport and take me home. I spend the day with them, partly because I'm exhausted, but also because I can see that they want me to. I call Penny when I get home and tell her I have to see her and her mum.

It's time I finally hand back the photo.

Penny says she's going to bring Baz along with her. She says if there's anything to know about Simon he should be there, she's right and he is his boyfriend after all.

Mother doesn't want me to go off looking for Simon, she's worried that I'm going to get myself nearly killed again like two years ago. She and I have been arguing since I got here.

"But why Agatha?" she cries. "What good will it do if you trapes off looking for him right now? Penelope and Basil have been doing that for months. And he many not even want to be found, don't you think Welby?"

"I think Agatha is old enough to make up her own mind." My father says, giving me a warm smile.

"But you've only just arrived Agatha." Mother goes on. "We want to spend some time with you. And I've arranged a marvellous dinner for all our friends, to welcome you home dear." My mother again.

"Really mother? A dinner?" I sound incredulous. I am incredulous. "Can't that wait?" How can she think of a dinner when Simon's missing?

"And you nearly got yourself killed last time Agatha." she reminds me. As if I need reminding.

"I have to help them." I say. "And besides, the Mage is dead, no one is out to kill us anymore. We're just looking for Simon, that's all. Nobody's wrapping up curses and dropping us in the Hell of the Wood anymore."

"What's that dear?"

"Nothing Mother" I sigh. No point completely freaking her out now. She doesn't know the half of what we got up to back at Watford.

So after arguing with my mother for most of last night I'm finally heading to the Bunces, photo in hand, to tell them what I know. I don't know much but at least it's something. I'm also going to apologise for taking the photo two years ago, I shouldn't have done that.

Penny

We're at mum's house again. Agatha, mum, dad, Baz and I are sitting around the dining room table drinking tea. Agatha wanted to meet here, which I thought it was a bit odd but then I thought I would just go with it. I'm currently catching her up on the conversation Baz had with his father so we're all on the same page. I must say, it's good to have everyone here, knowing everything that Baz and I know. I don't feel so alone. I feel like maybe we could find Simon if we all work together rather than working in a haphazard fashion like we have been doing.

Baz was quiet when he picked me up. We've visited as many magickal houses in dead spots as we could over the last fortnight but we haven't found any sign of Simon, yet. I'm not giving up though, we were so close in Hampshire.

And at least Baz is eating and hunting now, although not quite enough by the look of him. I thought when we didn't find Simon at Hampshire he would fall back into his miserable state but he's been able to stay focused. It's a relief that I don't have to worry about him on top of everything else.

I didn't think for a second that Simon would be in Hampshire and then leave because of us, but I tell everyone what happened there anyway, as painful as it is to relive it. I don't want to leave anything out, everything may be relevant no matter how small a detail.

Then I tell them what Micah said. That he probably does still want to be part of our world given that he went to Hampshire and didn't disappear completely. Baz glances at me when I finish, and I give his arm a small squeeze. And everyone else agrees with me, that Simon may actually want to be found given that he hasn't wandered too far from our world.

Everyone except for Baz of course. He just refuses to see it, he refuses to believe that Simon may still want to be part of our world, may still want him. He still wants to find Simon, he just doesn't believe Simon wants to be found.

That's what all of his wallowing has been about of course, Baz has been so hurt by Simon leaving that he refuses to believe Simon could still want to be with him. He's taken all of this as a personal affront on their relationship, even though he knows deep in his heart that Simon is hurting. No matter what I say he still refuses to believe that Simon will still want him after all of this is over, if it will ever be over. He's just so stubbornly stupid sometimes.

I've finally caught everyone up and we sit quietly for a while, drinking our tea. Agatha paces her cup gently down onto the saucer and coughs slightly, and then she fishes something out of her bag and slides it across the table.

"I'm sorry Professor Bunce." She says contritely. "I took this two years ago from here and I've been meaning to return it ever since. I don't know if it's at all relevant to Simon. But . . ."

"Lucy!" Mum says as she picks up the photo.

"Who?" I ask, straining to look at the picture.

"You remember, I showed you this photograph a couple of years ago." Mum says. "The Mage – Davy, and Lucy and me." She says his name like he's something unclean, evil even and I love her a little bit more for that.

I take the photo from mum a look at it a little closer. It looks old, like it was taken years ago. There are three Watford students sitting on the grass. Their uniforms are a little different to the ones we wore. I don't recognise anyone. "I've never seen this mum."

"No? Oh, maybe it was Agatha I showed it to." she says distractedly.

"Who is it?" I ask, still staring at the photo.

"That's me," Mum says pointing to a young woman with wild curly brown hair. "And that's the Mage and that's Lucy– his girlfriend, my best friend at school." Mum says, pointing at each person in turn.

"I remember taking that." Dad says, smiling at the memory.

"That was his girlfriend?" I ask, incredulous. I remember now, mum telling me that he had a girlfriend, but I completely forgot she was mum's friend. And I never expected her to be so normal looking and pretty, we're talking about the Mage after all.

"Yes." Mum and Dad say in unison.

Baz looks over now, and I slide the photo over to him. We're both staring at it intently. The Mage looks like he did in that photo we found at the cottage, and mum looks so young and wild and completely different to how she looks now, and Lucy is lovely, she has shoulder length yellow blond hair that's curly and thick and lovely blue eyes.

"I don't know how this is relevant Agatha, Lucy left for America not long after they broke up." Dad say, cutting into my thoughts.

"Do you still keep in contact with her?" I ask mum. "Maybe we could talk to her."

"No, I haven't heard from her in years, since before she broke up with Davy. Her mother told me that she moved away, to America." Mum says quietly.

"But you don't know for sure?" Agatha asks.

"No, but her mother, Lady Salisbury was quite adamant . . ."Mum says frowning. Then she turns to me. "Although since you told me about the photo you found at the cottage, I did start to wonder . . ."

Is that what mum wanted to talk to me about the other night? I remember cutting her off. Shit.

"I tried to find her." Agatha blurts out. "I can't find any record of anyone named Lucy Salisbury in America. No one by that name immigrated there the last twenty years."

"How do you know that?" I ask.

"I googled around for a while, then I went to the British Embassy and asked how to locate someone who emigrated from England. They gave me a lot of help. But I couldn't find any record of her anywhere." Agatha explains.

"Agatha, you have been busy." I say impressed.

"That doesn't mean she's not there of course." Agatha continues. "Just that I couldn't find anything, no record, no name change, nothing. And she could have changed her name her before she left, or she could have moved somewhere else I suppose . . ."

"It's her." Baz says quietly.

"What?" Agatha and I say at the same time.

"The woman in the photo, the pregnant woman. Simon's mother. It's her." He says, still staring at the photo. He hasn't stopped staring at it since I slid it over to him.

"Baz, how can you be sure?" I ask carefully. "We only saw that photo for a minute."

"It's her." He says again, looking up at me. "Lucy. She's Simon's mother."

"Baz–" I start.

He looks straight at me now, levelling me with his eyes. "It's the same person Penelope. Trust me." he says authoritatively. "I stared at that photo in Simon's room for two days before he left. It's definitely her."

Mum gasps then and brings her hands to her mouth. "Lucy!" she whispers. I turn to look at mum. Her best friend was Simon's mum, and she's not living in America, she never left the UK. She stayed here, she had a baby, Simon, and then she died. Dad puts her arm around her, pulling her towards him.

No one says anything for a while. No one knows what to say. I think we're all in shock.

Baz

It's her. It's definitely her. Lucy Salisbury is Simon's mother. She was a mage, she dated the Mage, she had a baby– Simon, and then she died.

And she came back through the Veil to see Simon, to see her son, to tell him he was her rosebud boy.

It feels wrong, to know all this when he doesn't.

I have to find him.