2:26 PM
Thorn stood under the small awning that kept the back door area dry, shivering. The rain had let up a bit, reduced to a steady drizzle rather than the torrential downpour it had been for most of the day. But the temperature had plummeted, and Thorn cursed herself for not changing out of the crop top Dusk dressed in her or grabbing something heavier than a light rain jacket
"Didn't they say they'd be here by now?" Dusk groaned, kicking a loose piece of gravel into a puddle.
"Relax, traffic's probably bad," Thorn said as she looked down the road. A steady stream of cars and taxis drove by, and the blare of car horns and plumes of car exhaust filled the air. Yet there was no sign of the Mystery Machine. Thorn checked her phone. It'd been ten minutes since the phone call with Fred Jones. Where on Earth were they?
"Hey, look!" Luna said, pointing down the road.
Among the sea of gray that was the busy street, the Mystery Machine stood out like a blue and green beacon, and its orange flowers were a pleasant sight in a dreary city. The van pulled up to the curb and somehow squeezed between two parked cars. The engine and lights turned off, and Thorn approached the hippy-looking van.
The driver's side door opened, and out stepped Fred Jones. Thorn was surprised to see him not in his iconic outfit. Rather, he wore a white jacket over a dark blue shirt and a pair of jeans, which was practically the same outfit he wore when they first met the Scooby gang in Oakhaven. The only difference being his shoes were darker, and he looked a bit older, definitely not a meddling kid anymore.
"Thank you so much for helping us out," Thorn said, shaking Fred's hand.
"No problem," Fred said as he greeted Dusk, Luna, Brian. "I'm always happy to help friends in need."
"Oh, you all know each other?" Brian asked.
Fred nodded. "Of course, we've solved a few cases for the Hex Gir-"
"Um, yeah, we've met Mystery Inc. before," Luna interrupted, causing Thorn to sigh with relief as Fred was unable to reveal their identities to Brian. "Anyway, you can solve our current mystery, right?"
"I'll give it a try," Fred said. He chuckled to himself. "Funny thing is we got a call earlier today about this place. Something about a ghost scaring away a construction crew."
"Wait, the foreman called you guys earlier?" Luna asked.
"Yup," Fred replied.
That's odd, I thought the foreman called Brian? She shot a glance at him, but Brian remained unphased by the comment. Thorn shrugged it off as a coincidence, or maybe the foreman called multiple groups as something else caught her attention: the rest of Mystery Incorporated was absent. She looked past Fred and at the Mystery Machine, expecting Daphne or Velma to exit the passenger side door and Scooby and Shaggy to come out the back, but there was nobody.
"Okay, we're all thinking it, so I'm just gonna say it: where's the rest of the gang?" Dusk asked.
"Yeah, it's weird not having the rest of the gang," Fred said with an understanding nod. He paused to clear his throat before continuing. "We had just solved our most recent mystery, some fire monster scaring away folks from a performing arts center in the city when Daphne got a call from one of the network executives from Americana."
"Didn't Daphne have a show on Americana?" Luna asked.
"Yup, Coast to Coast with Daphne Blake," Fred answered with a reminiscing smile. "It was the same executive who greenlit Coast to Coast that called us. She wanted to start a new mystery-solving show, though this time with the entire gang!"
"That's wicked news," Thorn said. "Congrats!"
"I can't wait to watch the show!" Dusk exclaimed.
"I know, I can't wait to get started! There's going to be so many mysteries to solve!" Fred cheered. He was quite excited, and it took him a full minute to regain his more professional posture. "Anyway, we decided to take a short break from the mystery-solving so we can focus on getting this show set up. Velma went back to Coolsville the other day to get some leads for the show. Scooby and Shaggy have been treating this time as a mini-vacation, going to all the best restaurants and eateries when they're not on call with us." He paused and sighed. "Unfortunately, Daph and I have been stuck at meetings with the studio executives almost non-stop these past few days, and, well, I can only sit still for long. So when she said there was a meeting I didn't have to attend, I just had to take a break and maybe check out some local leads for the show."
"Ugh, I get that," Dusk groaned. "Some of our meetings with our manager are so boring."
"You three have a manager?" Brian asked.
"Um, no, just a coworker," Thorn quickly stated, still maintaining her smile. "Anyway, so it's only you?"
"I could probably get Daphne out of her meeting if I needed to, but as of right now, yes," Fred answered.
It wasn't the answer Thorn wanted to hear. She wanted the entire gang to be here as Mystery Inc. was at its best with all five members present. Still, having Fred was better than nobody. He still had experience with solving mysteries, and his traps would be useful, so hopefully, that'd be enough to solve their problems.
"All right, let's get back inside, and then we can tell Fred what happened," Brian said.
They all nodded in agreement and went inside.
"So let me get this straight, there are two monsters?" Fred asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, a ghost and a...cloaked...thing," Thorn clarified.
Fred nodded. "Okay, so this ghost…"
"It mostly stays in the basement, which it's likely guarding since it chases out anyone who goes down there," Luna quickly explained. "And the ghost is intangible; I've seen objects go through it without hurting it."
"And there are also a few hooded individuals downstairs, which leads me to believe that this is some kind of hoax," Brian said.
"Of course it's fake," Fred said, raising his hand and pointing into the air as if he already solved the mystery. "It's just a matter of figuring out who it is and how they did it, which I have an idea about."
"Oh, that's good," Thorn said. She didn't know how the ghost worked, and she lacked the technical knowledge to come up with a non-supernatural explanation, but if Fred knew, and had an idea for catching it, then that's all that mattered.
Fred nodded. "Now, what about this cloaked figure?"
The Hex Girls exchanged nervous glances with each other, all three girls reluctant to recall the crimes that thing committed. Thorn watched as Luna rubbed her throat and winced, no doubt in her mind that Luna was recalling the memory of that thing attacking her. Thorn sighed. She didn't want to make Luna retell her horrific encounter with the cloaked figure. It was a traumatic experience, and Thorn knew all too well what it felt like to retell such a bad experience. Thorn stepped up. "This figure, it-" Luna stepped up and cut her off.
"I'll tell him," Luna said. She turned to Fred and sighed before retelling her encounter with the cloaked figure. "This...thing...attacked Dusk and me. It grabbed me by my throat, lifted me into the air." She paused for a moment and rubbed her neck. "It said I was the 'wrong one,' and it would've killed me if Dusk didn't stab it in the back." It was very slight, but Luna was trembling. "I don't think it was human, the way its mouth split open, and its eyes…" She shook her head. "I'm sorry, I can't go into any more detail."
"It's all right," Fred said with a sympathetic nod. "I'm sorry you had to go through all that, Luna. I'll do everything I can to catch this guy."
"This isn't some guy in a mask," Luna stated, though it sounded more like a cry. "I don't know what it is."
"Not that I don't believe you, but some of the costumes out there nowadays are pretty advanced," Fred replied. "But either way, if it's acting like a person, then we can treat it like a person." Fred turned to Dusk. "Luna said you stabbed it?"
"Yeah, but that bastard seemed more pissed than hurt," Dusk answered.
"Hmm," Fred said, crossing his arms. "Is there anything else about this...thing?"
Again, the Hex Girls exchanged uncomfortable glances with each other. It was clear to Thorn that none of them wanted to discuss the gruesome discovery of Mr. Kurtz's body, even if it was important to the case. Thorn worried that mentioning the murder might scare Fred away. Sure, he had years, probably decades at this point, of experience, but solving an actual homicide? That might've been above Mystery Incorporated's paygrade. But after several long seconds, Thorn shook her head and sighed. If anything happened to Fred, it'd be her fault cause she didn't tell him about the killer. She decided to woman up and tell him. But as she went to tell him, she heard Brian sigh.
"Yes," Brian began. "The cloaked figure killed the building's foreman, Mr. Kurtz, a few hours ago, and there's video evidence showing the crime."
"Oh." That was all Fred said. The enthusiasm drained from his face, replaced with nervousness that made Thorn feel uneasy. He slouched, and Thorn noticed a subtle tremble come over him. He didn't look like the brave leader of Mystery Incorporated with years of experience unmasking criminals and even stopping the rare supernatural threat; he was as fearful as they were. But then Fred scratched the back of his head and adjusted his vest as the trembling stopped. "Okay, that means we need to catch these guys pronto before they hurt anyone else." He paused and took a deep breath, no doubt calming himself. "Do you have any suspects and motives?"
"Um, we think that the ghost is guarding a treasure that's hidden in the basement," Dusk answered.
"A treasure, huh?" Fred said, rubbing his chin.
"There's an old urban legend that says a group of cultists hid a treasure somewhere in the hotel, but there's no proof that it exists," Brian clarified.
"It wouldn't be the first time someone faked a monster to scare people away from a potential treasure," Fred stated. "I think the treasure, or at least the rumors of treasure, is key to this mystery and could be the motive for the monsters, but we still need suspects."
"That's the problem, we don't have any," Brian said with a sigh.
"Well…" Dusk began, glancing at Brian before Thorn nudged her into silence. Dusk glared at her, and Thorn crossed her arms. Dusk grunted, but after a moment, rolled her eyes and sighed. "Uh, never mind, I got nothing," Dusk said to Fred.
Thorn wanted to sigh as well, though with relief, unlike Dusk, though she retained her composed demeanor. She didn't want to admit they thought Brian was a suspect and potentially a member of a cult. She wasn't that suspicious of him, at least compared to Luna, and him saving Luna definitively convinced her he wasn't a cultist. Saying she thought he was one was embarrassing. Plus, she didn't want to mention the cult; too many bad memories and bad thoughts, especially knowing cultists were after her.
"Actually, we do," Luna said. Thorn's heart nearly skipped a beat when she heard Luna, and her face became flushed. Luna, please don't.
"It's going to sound crazy, but we think this whole haunting is set up by a cult," Luna stated.
Thorn sighed with relief since Luna didn't mention them being suspicious of Brian, though the mention of the cult still made her wince.
"A cult?" Fred replied, raising an eyebrow. "Why would you think that?"
"It's said that a cult built this hotel," Thorn said before Luna could respond. If they were going down the cult route, she wanted to be the one to steer the conversation away from potentially exposing their true motives for being here in the first place. Not that she doubted Luna couldn't keep those details secret, but she felt more confident if she controlled the conversation. "It's silly, but is it possible that the cult is still active?"
"I guess anything's possible," Fred said with a shrug, "but experience tells me someone's using that story to cover up their crimes." He paused, clearly thinking something over. "Has anyone else been on the property? Anyone? Even if just for a few minutes."
"I mean, there were some construction workers here earlier," Luna said.
"Yeah, two of them even stopped to talk to us about what happened," Dusk added.
Fred smiled, and his face lit up. "Two of them talked to you? Did they warn you about the hotel?"
"Um, I guess," Thorn said, not seeing where this was going. "They mentioned that the ghost was scaring people, and they had issues with the foreman."
Fred beamed with excitement. "I think I just solved this mystery."
"YOU DID?" all three Hex Girls exclaimed.
"Yup," Fred said with a nod. "I just need to look around a bit more so I can start setting up a trap."
"How? You've been here for like five minutes," Dusk exclaimed.
Fred laughed. "With everything you four told me, I think I've pieced together what's going on. Now, I'm not sure how they're pulling this off, but I have a few hunches. But before I can do anything, I need to check out a few things first."
"Sure! What do you need?" Thorn asked with a grin.
"I need to see the basement," Fred said. "Can you guys show me it?"
"Yeah, we can take you there," Dusk replied. "It's just down the hall."
"Great," Fred replied, "lead the way."
As they led Fred down the hall, Thorn couldn't help but notice Fred examining every wall and door, stopping every few feet to scrutinize each piece of furniture, leftover four-by-fours, and the odd misplaced tool for a moment; not even the ceiling was safe from his meticulous gaze as he mumbled something about weight and anchoring. Thorn didn't know what he was planning, but as long as it helped catch the monsters, she didn't care.
They rounded the corner and were soon upon the basement door, which was partially open.
"Wow, that's an interesting door," Fred commented he as examined the large metal door. He grunted as he pulled the door fully open, the hinges creaking as he strained against it. "Phew! That's heavy. I wonder why it's like that?"
"Maybe the builders kept something downstairs?" Thorn suggested. She never gave it much thought until now, but having a vault-like door made sense if someone wanted to keep something valuable safe. Like a treasure.
"Hmm. Maybe," Fred replied, still looking over the door. "Regardless, that door won't be swinging closed anytime soon; we'll need to keep it open for my plan." He said nothing else of his plan, much to Thorn's annoyance, as he turned and looked down the basement steps. "So this is where the ghost is?"
"Yeah," Brian replied with a nod. "At least from what I've seen, the ghost only chases people as far as the stairs. Once you're out of the basement, it'll leave you alone."
"Hmm. Interesting," Fred said.
Thorn bit her lip and glanced at Dusk and Luna. Both girls looked uneasy, and rightfully so. Thorn sighed. "That's not entirely true."
"Wait! It came upstairs?" Brian gasped. "I thought you said it chased you upstairs, as in up to the first floor? "
"Yeah," Thorn sighed, glancing away from him.
"Before you got here, it chased the three of us to the second floor," Luna admitted.
"Oh great, that would've been nice to know earlier," Brian groaned. "Here I thought we were safe from the ghost up here, but I guess that's not the case." He crossed his arms and grunted. "What else haven't you three told me?"
Thorn felt a pang of pain in her stomach, and her face became flushed. They'd been lying through their teeth and withholding information from him ever since they met him. Yes, at first their lies had been to protect themselves as they weren't sure if Brian was the cultist the Fallen sent, but to continue to lie after all the help he gave them? She stuck her hand in her pocket and felt the sigil. She sighed. She manipulated him into dealing with the ghost and never told him why they were here. Hell, she never told Brian that they were the Hex Girls. And now she was doing the same with Fred. She put them in danger so she could save herself and her bandmates. It was wrong, and she knew it.
"No, there's nothing else," Thorn sighed. "The reason we didn't bring it up was that it only happened once, and we kinda forgot about it with everything else going on." Thorn clenched her fist as the pain worsened. She hated herself for continuing to lie. But what would've happened if she told them the truth? Would they run away in fear of their lives? Would they get angry and tell them to solve their own problems before storming out the door? She couldn't risk either scenario. Not when they were so close to their goal. And if they did leave, she had less than an hour to find the treasure before they'd have to leave, and the prospect of failing and dooming her bandmates to whatever the Broken warned them about sent chills down her spine.
"That's understandable," Fred said, breaking Thorn from her thoughts.
"Hmm." Brian glared at Thorn for a few seconds before sighing and turning to Fred. "So does this information help?"
"It sure does," Fred replied. "Now, I'm thinking…" Thorn's phone buzzed. She pulled it from her purse. One new text from Luna. Thorn raised an eyebrow and looked at her friend. Luna motioned for Thorn to check her phone and then continued to listen to Fred and Brian talk about an overly complicated trap from the latest issue of Traps Illustrated. Thorn grunted and read the message.
'We should've told Fred and Brian more.'
Thorn gritted her teeth and typed a response.
'What? You wanted to keep quiet about ourselves since we got here.'
She sent her message and then listened to Fred explain in excruciating detail why the staircase was too narrow for the Net Master 3000.
BZZT! Thorn checked her phone.
I know, but we should've told Fred. He already knows you can use magic, so why not tell him the rest of it? Maybe he'd get the rest of the gang to help if he knew how serious this is.
It was a fair point. Fred and the rest of Mystery Incorporated knew about her Wiccan heritage and magic, even though the two weren't related. There was no reason for not trusting him with these sensitive details. Yet part of her still doubted if Fred would stay if he found out the truth. While Mystery Inc. was experienced and skilled, cults, real magic, and an actual maleficent deity seemed way out of their league; there was no doubt he'd leave if she told him, and in the remote chance he brought the rest of the gang, it was more people for the cult, or her, to hurt or worse.
We can't tell him. He might leave, and as bad as it sounds, we need him to catch the monsters so we can find the treasure.
Thorn heard Luna's phone buzz, and a few seconds later, she heard her sigh. She looked at her friend, who shook her head before she turned her attention back to Fred. Thorn frowned, knowing Luna disagreed with her, but she remained confident with her decision. She tucked her phone back into her purse and resumed listening to Fred and Brian.
"So that's what we need to do next," Fred stated.
"Yeah, sounds good," Dusk said.
"I agree," Brian said with a nod. "The lobby is a good spot to set it up."
"Right," Fred replied. "I'll check out the lobby with Brian and Luna so I can confirm the floor plans while Dusk and Thorn will get the supplies from the Mystery Machine."
"Um, sure," Thorn said as she looked to Dusk for guidance and an explanation of what happened and what they needed to get.
Dusk giggled as she walked over to Thorn and nudged her with her elbow. "I thought I had a bad attention span," she snickered. "I volunteered you to carry shit."
Thorn rolled her eyes and groaned as the two groups split up and went their separate ways. Whatever she and Dusk needed to get, she hoped it wasn't much.
"Can you stop handing me stuff!" Thorn yelled as Dusk dropped another rolled-up net onto the growing pile of nets and coiled rope she struggled to hold. Thorn stumbled forward from the additional weight, and she leaned against the side of the Mystery Machine to prevent herself from dropping the nets and falling over.
"This is payback for all the times you made me carry all our gear," Dusk teased from inside the Mystery Machine, eliciting an eye-roll from Thorn. "And besides, I'm giving you the light stuff cause god knows you're not gonna carry anything heavy."
"This is the light stuff?" Thorn grunted as she shifted her assemblage of nets and ropes. She heard metal scraping against the floor of the Mystery Machine and Dusk grunting, followed by a loud crash that caused Thorn to flinch.
"Are you all right?" Thorn asked, trying to peer around all the gear she was holding.
"I'm good," Dusk called back. `
"What the hell are you trying to get?" Thorn grunted as her arms shook from all the weight she carried.
"A cage," Dusk replied.
"A cage! Aren't these nets more than enough?" Thorn asked as she shook her head in disbelief.
"Fred said we needed the cage, and he's the expert," Dusk answered. Thorn heard the cage scraping against the floor of Mystery Machine. The scratching stopped, and there was a brief silence before the cage crashed onto the pavement in a thunderous boom that almost startled Thorn enough to drop all the nets she was caring.
"Jeez, Dusk, can you be any more careful? You almost hit me," Thorn said, frowning as she caught a glimpse of Dusk hopping out of the back of the Mystery Machine.
"Sorry about that," Dusk said as she closed the back doors of the Mystery Machine, "this thing has a mind of its own when it's falling. You good?"
"Yeah," Thorn sighed. She readjusted her position and got a better look at the cage that laid on the wet pavement. It was long, perhaps six or seven feet when standing upright, with a round top and no bottom. It was more than large enough to contain even the largest of people, and it certainly looked sturdy as the bars were as thick as her arm. The top of the cage had a small ring where Thorn presumed someone would tie a rope.
"Let's get this shit inside," Dusk said as she grabbed the top of the cage and pulled, dragging it across the ground and toward the hotel's back door.
Thorn grunted as she took a step away from the Mystery Machine, losing its support, and she stumbled forward. Even if it was more of a heavy drizzle at this point, standing in the rain made the supplies wet and subsequently heavier. She felt her grip on the bundle slipping when she reached the door.
Dusk opened the door and dragged the cage inside, scrapping the door frame as she entered the building. Dusk pulled the cage aside so Thorn could enter. She rushed into the building and promptly dropped a couple of coils of rope. Thorn sighed and rolled her eyes. "Dusk, can you get the ropes that fell?"
"Sure," Dusk said, as she stopped dragging the cage. She picked up the rope and tossed it back onto the pile. Thorn took another step, and the rope fell back down.
"Ugh, there's got to be an easier way to do this," Thorn sighed.
"How about you use magic?" Dusk suggested. "Just move this stuff with your mind or however you make them levitate."
"Are you crazy? There are other people here!" Thorn scolded, glancing out the door at the cars zooming by.
Dusk groaned as she walked over to the door and slammed it shut. "There, now it's just you and me."
"What if Fred or Brian show up?" Thorn said.
"So? Fred knows you can use magic, and if Brian hasn't killed any of us by now, then he's not a cultist," Dusk replied with a sigh.
Thorn bit her lip and looked away from Dusk. "It's not safe."
"How? It's just moving a cage and some nets, and there's nobody around to get hurt. It's the perfect chance to practice your magic," Dusk replied. "Hell, if it makes you feel better, I'll stand behind you so I'm not in the way."
Thorn sighed and dropped everything she was carrying into the cage, thankful for not having to carry it anymore. Even though she knew Dusk was right, and she was out of excuses, Thorn felt tense and uncertain of herself as she looked at the cage. She glanced behind her to make sure Dusk was behind her, and after confirming so, she raised a trembling hand toward the cage.
"Uh, move," Thorn mumbled. Nothing. She waved her hand, and the cage remained where it was.
"You're not even trying," Dusk groaned.
"Yes, I am," Thorn grunted, thrusting her arm forward. Still nothing.
"No, you're not," Dusk retorted. She smirked. "I don't think you want to."
Thorn grimaced. "No, I tried, and it didn't work."
"Bullshit! You don't want to use magic, so it's not manifesting," Dusk said, crossing her arms.
Thorn grunted. "That's not true."
"Liar."
"I'm not lying!"
"Yes, you are."
"No, I'm not!"
Crash! The cage rocketed down the hall before the top half hit a potted plant, causing the cage to careen into the wall five rooms away. Mouth agape, Thorn stared at the cage. "I, uh…"
"Ha! It worked!" Dusk cheered, fist-bumping the air. "I got you angry enough to want to use magic, even if it was just to make me shut up."
"You...don't know that," Thorn stammered, even though she had the same thoughts. When she wanted the foreman to leave her, she scared him with magic. When the centipede monster attacked, she wanted to destroy it, and her magic activated. When she saw the hooded man in the basement, she wanted to hurt him, and she did. "No, that's not true," she said, shaking her head.
"Nah, that's definitely what happened," Dusk replied as she ran down the hall to the cage, breaking Thorn from her thoughts.
Thorn shook her head before running after her, and a few seconds later, they both reached the cage.
"Damn, you dented it," Dusk said, pointing at the part of the cage where the bars now bent inward.
"Dusk, I could've broken it," Thorn gasped. "No more magic. I don't want to break anything else." She recalled the mirror breaking in the basement and how she almost crushed the hooded man. Things broke all around her, and she was causing it.
"All right," Dusk said, kicking the bit of netting that spilled out of the cage back in. She then grabbed the top of the cage. "Grab the bottom, and we'll both carry it."
Thorn nodded, much relieved to not use magic. She grabbed the bottom, and the two girls managed to lift it a few inches off the ground. They'd have to take their time, but they should be able to make it to the lobby. As they moved down the hall, Thorn realized how great her magical feat was. Even with both of us, we can barely carry it, yet I threw it down the hall like it was nothing. Thorn shivered. She did that to a giant, metal cage. What would happen if she did that to a person? She shook her head. She knew the answer. In the basement, if she hadn't heard Luna and Dusk calling her name, she would've found out. Stop thinking that! Stop thinking that!
"Can you pick up the cage a bit more? Dusk asked. "It's hitting the floor."
"Oh, um, my bad," Thorn said, grunting as she pulled the cage up.
They almost made it to the end of the hall when Thorn motioned for Dusk to stop. "Hey, Dusk," she began.
"What's up?" Dusk replied, and they sat the cage down.
Thorn bit her lip and hesitated. "I'm...sorry."
"For what?" Dusk asked.
Thorn sighed. "For being a problem and fighting with you."
Dusk sighed and grabbed the cage but said nothing. Thorn also grabbed the cage, and they lifted it.
"Dusk, wait..." Thorn began
"Don't apologize if you don't mean it," Dusk grunted, cutting off Thorn.
"I really am sorry," Thorn said. "It's just that." She stopped. I need to tell her what happened in the basement.
Dusk groaned. "Just what?"
Thorn sighed. "In the basement, I saw a hooded person."
"So? Two of them and the ghost chased me, Luna, and Brian," Dusk criticized.
"Dusk, I almost killed him," Thorn confessed, her voice shaky.
"You should've," Dusk said, placing the cage down. "One of the fuckers tried to kidnap me."
"What?" Thorn gasped. Her grip on the cage tightened. These people tried to kidnap Dusk. She gritted her teeth. I promised her I would keep her safe. Overhead, a light burst, showing them with glass. Stop! Thorn closed her eyes and shook her head. Calm down. When she opened her eyes, Dusk was starring at her with a worried expression.
"Sorry," Thorn said, regaining her composure. "That's kinda what happened in the basement. I wanted to question him about Luna's whereabouts, but then I snapped." Thorn's face reddened. "I didn't even ask him anything, I just kept crushing him until I heard you calling me." Thorn sighed. "I would've killed him just because he pissed me off."
"But you didn't kill him," Dusk said. "You took back control and let him live."
Thorn shook her head. "Dusk, I would've. I enjoyed hurting him." She lowered her head. "I'm afraid the Fallen is right, and that I only hurt people."
"Oh," Dusk said, momentarily looking away. "I guess that's why you're afraid of your magic," Dusk managed to say.
Thorn nodded and wiped her eyes. "Yeah."
There was a brief silence before Dusk spoke. "I owe you an apology."
"For what?" Thorn asked.
"For being a being an ass to you," Dusk replied with a sigh. "Luna told me I was too harsh on you. That's why I went to the basement, so she could talk to you about your magic alone." Dusk sighed. "And she's right; I'm not helping you. I'm sorry for that."
"Dusk, you don't have to apologize," Thorn said. "I understand why you're pissed at me; believe me, I'm pissed at myself for the same reason." Thorn wiped her eye. "But I'm so afraid that I'll keep hurting people and end up like Matella or Sarah Ravencroft."
"You're not going to end up like them," Dusk said. "They're monsters, and you're no monster, Thorn." Dusk smiled. "You care about others, and that puts you leagues above them."
"I want to think that, but what I did to that guy," Thorn said. She glanced at her hand. It seemed foreign to her, like a strange weapon. She remembered the blue glow, the scraping of the dresser on the floor, and the man's pleas to save his life.
Dusk grabbed her hand, breaking Thorn from her thoughts. "He's alive. You gained control of the situation and stopped yourself." Dusk sighed, yet her composure remained steadfast. "I know you can do the same when you use your magic again. You can keep us safe. I believe in you, Thorn."
Dusk released Thorn's hand and grabbed the cage. "Now, let's get this stupid thing to the lobby."
Thorn gave a half-smile and nodded as she grabbed the cage. "Okay." I hope you're right, Dusk.
