awakening

by green-lights-n-rabbit-holes98

Something is rotten in the town of Riverdale. Sabrina must come to terms with her choices before the odds turn against new. The Uktena, once forgotten by the Serpents, makes a powerful resurgence, led by no other than a descendant of the founding members. And Alice has to decide once and for all - to let the guilt of her past swallow her or to embrace her roots as a witch.

6. Violent Delights, Part II

ALICE

Time melts going from Toni's shop back to the trailer park. I have no clue what hour it is, how long it took us to get back to the Jones's tiny home. I must have checked the time at one point, right when I was texting Toni to come back to the trailer park to help Joaquin, and Hiram for his assistance as well. I haven't looked back in my phone for a response from either of them. My mind is caught up in the one name the young nurse muttered. Rose Blossom is dead. Hal went after her, and he took out a good number of others at the Sisters. But why? What led him to finally get his revenge on the Blossoms years after burning down Thornhill? Maybe his new witch sent him to Rose. It'd make sense, but Hal's pattern has altered so much since Midge Klump. He probably went rogue for all I care, and frankly, that sounds like a more reasonable explanation. But it doesn't explain the other deaths. It doesn't explain sparing the life of a young male nurse and letting the authorities assume he is the true culprit.

I wait impatiently on the couch, my knees bouncing. Gladys has Joaquin in the shower to get the blood and dirt off of him. She's in the bedroom pulling out some of FP's clothes for the boy to wear when he gets out. When we're ready to have him retell the horrifying tale of his great escape. He's probably wondering how to claim his innocence, how to care for his family from a jail cell. I'm thinking about catching Hal at his next move, imagining my mouth uttering a spell that will send him beyond the ninth circle of Hell. Sending him straight to Satan himself would be considered a luxury. An act of mercy for the things he did to me. And to all that he murdered along the way.

Gladys emerges from the bedroom. My knees stop their dance as I look up at her. She lets out an elongated huff. "Guess it's not my lucky year, is it?"

"What do you mean?" I feel like I opened a can of worms after the words leave my mouth. Fortunately, Gladys doesn't take them as an offense. She joins me on the couch, propping her feet up on the coffee table.

I watch her number off events on her fingers. "My husband almost got killed, twice. My children are getting bullied. And these younger Serpents I knew," she gestures to the doorway, "are fighting for their lives, and I feel like I can't do shit about it." Gladys lets her hands fall to her lap. From the sound of it, I know she's talking about more than just finding Joaquin.

"Toni and Joaquin are good kids." she says. "Their whole crew was nothing but good. They befriended my children. They were quick to defend my family at Serpent meetings. They never let the real world get in the way of anything they did." She lets her feet slide off the table, back onto the floor. She rubs the sides of her temple, hunched over. "I wanted better for them. I tried to help them get better. And now….." The distress in her tone comes out. I hear her fighting back sobs. "It's all coming back to punch me in the gut."

I can't watch her fall apart like this. Not after all those times she was there to comfort FP and me at our worst. So, I cradle her head against me, sheltering Gladys from the evils of her world. She's not full on sobbing, but her breathing has doubled in the absence of her voice. I get why she's afraid for these kids. Toni got ridiculed by a racist ghost. Joaquin now has to plead his innocence to an unforgiving town of Rose Blossom copycats. Thinking about the old woman creates knots in my stomach. Right now, I'd rather not have the image of Rose bleeding out to death thanks to my douche canoe of a demon-ex-boyfriend. I need to keep Gladys from crumbling. I need to bring her relief. Because that's what friends do, right?

And it's not just her or her whole family I need to protect. It's Sabrina getting the freedom to choose her own path. It's Hiram defying his family's obligations and enjoying his life with Veronica. It's Toni reclaiming her native roots. And now, it's Joaquin fighting for his own life. I think of all the people I've come into contact with since returning to Riverdale. Even before coming back. At first, I only thought I would go after Hal for ruining my life. That I would banish his soul from the face of the Earth for me, and me alone. But the longer I've stayed here, the longer I've come fact to face with my past, the more I realize….I don't want to kill Hal for myself. I want to kill him all of them. For everyone he hurt in Riverdale.

I forget I'm holding onto Gladys until she lifts her head up, sniffling. "Sorry, witch. Hadn't had much of a chance to get all this crap out. Not a lot of time to process it all."

I tell her in full honesty, "You shouldn't have to hold all these emotions in. You've been through a lot in the past couple of weeks." I have to stop talking, because what I would have said next would have made the situation and her stress about me, not her. And most of it was because of me.

Now is not the time to focus on me. Gladys never did it when I whined and cried to her. So, I need to be a good friend, and I need to be supportive and listen to her. She says, "Maybe FP's right. I do work way too hard." She sits upright, using my kneecap to prop herself up. I'm about to ask her what she means, but she beats me to it. "I spend too much time taking care of other people, keeping myself busy, that….that I forget to let myself breathe sometimes." She wipes away a stray tear and chuckles. And I do too, because I get how she feels. I've been that way for the past few years of my life. But Gladys at least has FP, and her kids, and her co-workers at Pop's, and parents in PTA groups. I only have Sabrina, and sometimes Ambrose, and the Spellman Sisters if I'm lucky and….. No, Alice! Stop making this about you! I mentally kick myself for letting my own emotions get in the way. This is probably why I didn't have a lot of female friends back in the day.

I dare to ask at least one question, "Have you talked with FP about it? Not just in a joking manner?"

She sniffles. "Briefly. I don't try to bug him about that crap, and lately, with everything that's happened to him, I don't want to nag him to death. But I'm also not that good about asking for help either." She pauses to pick at flaking nail polish from one of her fingers. I make a mental note to myself, that the next time I get alone with FP, I'll ask him to make more of an effort to help Gladys out. Like making her and the kids breakfast or dinner a few times a week, or to invest in deep cleaning the trailer at some point. I can do better about taking more shifts at Pop's so she won't have to work the long hours. Sabrina and I could spend a day with Jughead and JB so she and FP can do a date night or something fun. Hell, I could take Gladys on a getaway girls' trip for a weekend. Just something to take all that weight off her shoulders.

Before I can even suggest those options to her, the front door flies open. My instincts propel me to leap up, to shuttle Gladys behind me and protect her from…. Oh. It's just Toni. Toni! My guard lowers when the younger witch strides into the kitchen. She turns to me, "Is he in the trailer?" It takes me a minute to realize that she's referring to Joaquin.

Right as his name pops into my head, Joaquin comes out of the Jones's bedroom, wearing a pair of grey sweatpants and one of FP's smaller shirts. "Tee…." He calls out to his friend. She whips her head around to find him on the verge of tears. The two younger Serpents collide into one another, hugging each other tight. Another pair of footsteps enter the trailer, catching my attention.

Hiram waits in the middle of the doorway, silently asking for permission to enter. I step out to him and pause. Did he give Toni a ride over here? Does he know about the young nurse in this trailer? I watch Hiram take baby steps inside, just stopping a couple of feet away from me. I go to ask the questions, but he takes the reigns of the conversation. "I ran into Miss Topaz just as I was leaving, just as she was heading over to see you." He gestured to the younger Serpents behind me. Toni guides Joaquin over to the small table in the kitchen. I bring my gaze back to Hiram as he says, "Figured it was the polite thing to drive her over, so….I did."

The corners of my mouth lift. My tension eases. "Thanks." I mutter. I finally glance down and notice the overstuffed bag hanging over his shoulder.

Gladys does too. She wanders over from the couch, pointing down at it. "The hell you got in there, Lodge?"

He stares back and forth between us, looking rather embarrassed. Or sheepish. I can't really tell. I try to make out the shapes that shoot out from the bag. They look too angular to be toys. Or coal. The more that I look at the stupid thing, it looks as if he stuffed the bag with….

"Books." he admits to Gladys. "For your little one." My mouth forms an O shape. I finally remember that I asked him to find some books for Jellybean! That's why he was coming over, and it was more than just to bring Toni here! Gladys turns to me for an explanation, with a raising eyebrow. I'm a little lost for words….I mean, how can I tell Gladys that I kind of threw JB's book report dilemma onto Hiram?

Luckily, he fills in the gaps for me. "Alice was telling me about your daughter needing options for her assignment. I had a few to spare….a lot, actually." He meets my gaze and winks. I could laugh. With a library that huge, I'm sure he won't be missing those books any time soon. Unless he's one of those stickler librarians that passive aggressively taunts you about bringing back his prized possessions. Actually, Hiram becoming a librarian, or a bookseller, would suit him, much more than this gentrification job of his. The thought of him running a bookstore oddly soothes me.

Gladys mutters a thank you as Hiram gently lowers his bag of books onto the couch. He allows her time to go through the bag and read the titles so he can join my side. He glances over his shoulder at the younger Serpents in the kitchen. Joaquin can barely speak, even when Toni asks how he's doing. My thigh itches again. I bounce on my heel to alleviate the pain.

"Did you see the massacre happen?" Hiram whispers to me. I'm too scared to look him in the eye, let alone pick up on my discomfort. I chew on the inside of my cheek, hoping I can keep it together just so I can pry information out of the boy. Hiram continues to check in on me, "It was all over the radio this morning, Alice. They couldn't figure out what led up to it, or why-"

"It was Rose Blossom!" I hiss at him. I admit, it was harsh on my end, but in my defense, I'm running on bitter caffeine and five hours of sleep. I lean into Hiram so the others don't hear, "He was going after her. The rest of the massacre was a cover-up. I didn't know the specifics until Joaquin arrived."

His eyes light up in fear. I see them glance down at my bouncing leg, my twitching arm. Any limb of mine moving abnormally. Should I have told him about my vision from the night before? Probably. But I didn't want to take away from his time with Veronica….if he did get time with her. Plus, I was preoccupied with checking up on FP and Gladys, and helping Toni with her shop. Hal's attack on the Sisters was only a footnote. What a big mistake on my end.

I can see the question forming on his tongue. Why didn't you say anything to me, Alice? You could have told me you were in pain. I'm not in the mood to hear it. No….I'm not ready to admit why I kept my mouth shut until now.

So, when Hiram goes to open his mouth, to ask me, I interject. "I think he cut me off from seeing it." It's a wild theory, already building on what I fearfully believe, but it shuts him up. I continue my hushed ranting, "He knows that I can see him when he kills. I think he found out the night we tired to hunt him down at the school. That's why I didn't know about Rose, and the others at the Sisters."

He nods his head slowly. I could add more, but I'm worn out from this constant worrying. And good thing I do, because like clockwork, Hiram finishes my thought. "He wants to wear you out by chasing him. He found a way to slow us down." Pain sweeps over his face. The phrase, I'm sorry, dances along his eyelashes. Something metallic mixes in with my saliva. The inside of my cheek feels raw. I only now realize that I bit my cheek to the point of it bleeding.

I end up bringing my gaze back to Joaquin. I release my teeth from my wounded flesh inside my mouth. I have to know what happened to him. I need to know what made Rose Blossom the new target.

Toni comes over to us, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jeans. "I can't get anything out of him. I don't think I've seen him this quiet, or shaken up." I feel awful for her. I took her away from taking part in a peaceful protest just so she can tend to her friend. I only hope that the protest went well in her favor, that she could build up the necessary connections to spread the word of the Uktena. I should ask her about it before I lose my chance. But not now.

Hiram takes a moment to study the nurse, now clean from the physical elements proving his survival. He turns to Toni, "Is he….I mean, can he speak Spanish?"

Suddenly, Joaquin pipes up, speaking directly to Hiram. "¿Por qué no vienes y me preguntas eso tú mismo, cabrón?" The words fly out of his mouth, getting blurred by his dialect. Hiram can only stare at the younger man with a shocked expression. When I finally process what the younger man just said, I almost snort out laughing. Why don't you come over and ask me that yourself, dumbass?

Joaquin looks my way and smirks. "What? I'm bilingual. My brother and I both are." He pulls one of his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around it. Hiram's still flabbergasted by his commentary. I'm caught up in the latest detail. Joaquin has a brother? What will this massacre deal mean for his family?

I take this opportunity to help break the ice between Hiram and Joaquin. I half-lead Hiram into the kitchen, telling him, "Go, it's okay. Let us know if we need to listen in on anything." He gives me a weary nod, then he makes his way over to Joaquin. He takes the seat across from the young man, letting the silence drag out a little bit longer. Eventually, he starts conversing with Joaquin in their native tongues.

Toni takes hold of my arm, capturing my attention. "Good thing you told me to come over. I knew Joaquin was struggling at his job….but this is beyond horrible." I look away from Hiram and Joaquin to find Toni frowning. "We're the closest out of our friend group. We consider each other family."

"I'm sorry if I pulled you out of that protest to come help." I express my guilt to her. "I knew it was important to you-"

"Don't sweat it." she smirks at me. "It was at a breaking point when I got your text about Joaquin. I didn't miss out on anything." She glances down at the floor for a little bit. Strange enough, I notice the corners of her mouth lift. "In fact, I figured out how I'm going to get the Uktena back."

My eyes widen in excitement. I turn to Gladys, motioning for her to come and join the two of us, mouthing Uktena. Gladys rushes over, asking Toni what she means. The younger Serpent grins. "I met another Southside activist, she has a group of us younger members together. I made a speech at the protest, which sparked interest from her and her group." She has to pause before she can cut to the big reveal. "I've been invited to attend a meeting tonight. And hopefully, if I keep going to more, I can figure out how to reclaim the Uktena, or at least to start a new group altogether." By now, she's full on grinning, and so are we.

If there's any spark of good that came out of this weird ass day, it's Toni making headway in her personal goals. I could squeal in excitement! I'm over the moon for her! Gladys starts tearing up in pure happiness. She pulls the younger witch in for a warming embrace, whispering, "That's amazing, hon!" They rock back and forth for a little while as I remain in the background. I'm half paying attention to Toni's excellent news and trying to listen in on Hiram's interview with Joaquin. The younger man seems more comfortable speaking with Hiram, so I guess that's a good thing too. Everyone seems to be fine when I'm not in the picture. Maybe that's the way it was meant to be.

"Hey." Toni calls out to me. I turn around to find the younger witch squeezing my upper arm, a sympathetic gesture. She glances down at my thigh, "How's your leg doing?"

"Much better. Whatever you gave me, it's working." I confess, and Toni grins at me. I'm happy that she's doing well, following the disaster from this weekend. I get thinking about her newly formed group, does she know where her meeting will occur? Does the group need a place to hold their meetings?

I go to ask, but I don't get my chance. Hiram calls out to the three of us, "Ladies. You might want to hear this."

I finally look over and see why Hiram called for us. I watch him rise up slowly, almost like a zombie. Because, well shit, he looks exactly like a zombie now. His face has lost all of its color. And for whatever reason, he won't stop looking at me. Now I'm starting to panic. What the hell did Joaquin just confess to him?

Gladys moves around Toni and me, standing between both groups. She crosses her arms at Hiram before looking over sympathetically at Joaquin. "Did you see the guy?" she asks. The poor kid probably has no idea who she's referring to, but Toni and I pick up on her words. She's asking about Hal.

Joaquin shakes his head. "Everything happened so quickly, I never got a good look at the creep. I was trying to help survivors get out through the underground tunnels of the place. It's how we got away."

"Tell them what you told me." Hiram cues the young nurse, his face still pale. His lips quiver when he meets my gaze again. Okay, whatever he's trying to make Joaquin open up about, it's putting me on edge. And it's making my wounds worse.

I'm about ready to send myself into a coma with a healing spell when Joaquin breaks the silence. "Rose got visitors the day before she died." We all turn to him, guilt painted all over his face. The only person he'll look at is Gladys. "It was your boy, Missus Jones."

Gladys adopts the zombie-look to match Hiram. She stumbles backwards, her heart sinking to the floor. She braces herself against the kitchen counter. As for me, I'm half in a daze. Wasn't Jughead supposed to be at the library with Sabrina?

No. No….she couldn't have lied to me. She's still sick, she's catching up on homework. When would have Sabrina or Jughead had time to make a trip out of town to a nursing home? Why would they…. No, I'm jumping to conclusions. Perhaps Jughead went on his own. But according to Joaquin's current expression, maybe not.

"I'm sorry, Missus Jones." Joaquin croaks out. "I don't want to get your boy in trouble. But he was there, doing some article for the school paper on the Reaper." Another punch to the gut. Sweat drips down my back. My heart pounds twenty miles a second. I look over at Hiram, then to Gladys, then Toni. We all share a communal look of fear.

Jughead is writing about Hal. WHY?

Gladys gains the courage to speak up on behalf of all of us. "Was….was there anyone with him? Did he see Rose Blossom by himself?" Joaquin releases his foot to the floor. His hands find their place in his lap, fingers picking at hang nails. He bites his lip nervously. More silence.

"A blonde. Tiny thing too. She got sick during the interview, and I had to tend to her afterwards. I think her name was….Sabrina."

My brain splits in half. My heart goes off like a bomb. I can't think straight. I can't keep my balance. My ears block out the noise around me. The others call for me, but I ignore them. I make a run for the door, stumbling outside into the cold. I'm dizzy, I'm paranoid, but most importantly, I'm furious. My mouth remains clamped shut, but my mind is screaming. NO, SABRINA. WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?

I collapse into the snow, my face getting hot, my eyes getting wet. I don't know what is worse – the fact that I just learned Sabrina and Jughead are doing research on Hal, and they may get thrown into his path of destruction, or that Sabrina has been lying to me about her time with Jughead by going off and doing this? Does she not understand how dangerous the whole thing is? How can I protect her if she's running headfirst into a hurricane of chaos? And….and WHY DIDN'T I HAVE THE BALLS TO TELL HER EVERYTHING ABOUT HAL? WHAT HAVE I DONE?

My rage and despair matches the intense emotions I felt when I ran out to the forest weeks ago. My choking out of tears turns into screams. I pound my fists into the snow, sending the cold element of nature into the air. The ground breaks beneath me. My head rests over my kneecaps. My hands cradle my head, vibrating as I continue to wreck my voice. My thigh and my forearm ache from my lack of control. I can't fully blame Sabrina for her curiosity, and for her helpfulness. I let her run into the dark without a flashlight. But if Joaquin is right, if Jughead is writing an article about the Riverdale Reap…. No, Hal…..

I can't guarantee her safety. I can't guarantee bringing her home safe and sound to the Spellmans and the Church of Night. No wonder Zelda and Hilda didn't trust me, no wonder they haven't responded back to my letters. They probably decided to let Sabrina and me destroy each other so they wouldn't grieve their losses.

I hate them. I hate everyone in that coven. I hate myself.

And most of all….I hate him.

My senses pick up on the sound of rushed footsteps and crushed snow. When I finally manage to lift my head up, I feel the blood trickling down my nose, the tickle rising in my throat. Great. Way to stay calm, Alice. My whole body feels tense and sore. All I want now is to slide into a bath and let all this stress melt away. But I also need to talk Sabrina and Jughead out of publishing that article before more blood is shed. Before Hal destroys Riverdale from the inside out.

A pair of hands take hold of my shoulders. By now, I don't have to look up or listen for a voice to know who it is beside me. Who has been one of my rocks since this whole nightmare started. I allow Hiram to cradle me against him, letting me take in some warmth. I rest my forehead on the crook of his neck, I cling to him for dear life. We don't say a word for a good amount of time. We know each other enough by now that I don't really want to talk about what I just heard until I can process it all. I know he and I, and now the Joneses, will need to consider where we'll go from here. What the next steps will have to be to protect the ones we love. I'm thankful it's Hiram out here with me. I wouldn't have minded Gladys or Toni running out to bring me back. But something about Hiram brings me comfort. He doesn't badger me with questions. He just stays. He's a light out of this never-ending darkness. And that's enough for me.

Minutes pass with us like this. Eventually, we each break away, his face still ghostly, mine stained with blood and tears. We sort of just stare at each other for a while, not sure of who will raise their voice first. We go this way until Hiram clears his throat, biting the inside of his cheek.

"So…." he begins in a wavering tone, "what do we do now, Acid Queen Alice?" I could laugh, but I'm worried it would send the wrong message. It's obvious that he gets my frustration, as well as my guilt. His tone reminds me eerily of how I spoke with FP after finding Senior's books. How did FP handle the aftermath with Jughead? Clearly, he didn't know better, as does Sabrina about my past. As does Veronica about Hiram and Hermione not really being her parents.

My conversation with FP from earlier resurfaces in my head, our words blending together. Aren't we the pair of unheavenly creatures? Come to think of it, we all screwed over these kids in some way. We all buried secrets like corpses, wiped blood off from seeping wounds, and vowed never to have our kids make the same mistakes. And look how that turned out for us.

What is there left for me to do? Let Sabrina stay in a town that's destined to eat us all alive? Or do I risk….do I risk bringing her back to Greendale? To return Sabrina to her Aunts and Ambrose, and insist that they get her trial over and done with? And that in the meantime, Hiram, FP, Gladys, Toni (only if she chooses) and I can finish what we started? Maybe I'm jumping into this decision too damn fast. If you'd ask me about sending Sabrina back home a month ago, when Hiram and I made that arranged deal, I wouldn't have believed a word coming out of anyone's mouth. But now….it's all changed. And at this point, it might be the only way I can Sabrina alive.

I'll need to flesh out this idea later when I'm not achy all over. So, I tell Hiram, "We sit the kids down. All of them, together. And we tell them everything." He takes his time to give me a nonverbal response, a simple nod. He's dazed, I can tell, but he understands. We have no other choice but to own up to our vices. And it may mean Hiram has to tell Veronica that she's not really a Lodge.

"Think you can handle that, Manhattan?"

He lets out a brief chuckle, his lips forming a tight smirk. "It was going to happen one way or another. But you won't be alone on this, Alice." He reaches for my hand, running his thumb across the tops of my fingers. The smirk shifts into a grin. "I'm by your side, whatever happens. Okay?"

My heart practically leaps out of my chest. My cheeks soften, no longer feeling as heavy. Wow, was Hiram planning on dropping that little vow to me so suddenly? I need to get myself together. I bobble my head side to side and nibble on my lip. I can taste some of the blood that came out of my nose, mixed with a few of my tears. The salty, metallic combination nauseates me a little, but I can manage through it.

I wait another moment, then I nod. I allow myself to breathe. To smile a bit. It lightens my mood, and it lightens up his. I wish I could pause this moment and take a picture of it. After all we've been through, it'd be rare for someone to find Hiram and me smiling. Being so at peace in each other's company. Yet here we are. I mentally add this little moment to my brief list of good things in my life.

The moment ends rather quickly, but not by our own doing. Gladys's dashing down the steps of the trailer, practically out of breath by the time she reaches us. Hiram and I both stand up, still holding onto one another's hands. Panic sweeps over her face. Did something happen to Joaquin? To Toni?

That's when I finally notice the phone in her hand. And a frantic voice coming out the other end. I swear it almost sounds like….like Jughead.

"You two need to get your asses to the school. Now." Gladys breathes heavily. I'm beginning to grow worried. Every worse case scenario plays in my head. What happened? Hiram and I speak over one another for a moment, trying to explain to Gladys of our strategy, then stop. I let him do the talking, but he doesn't get much time. Gladys cuts him off, "We don't have time for that now, Lodge! It's your daughter!"

His eyes light up, his jaw tightens. It's your daughter…. I look to Gladys for an explanation. She can't make out the words, and Jughead's mumbled voice over the phone gets louder. The hand gripping mine goes stiff. I end up looking over at Hiram. His face has gone full-on white. No….green. His eyes express an indescribable fear. A lone tear streams down his cheek.

I can only come to one conclusion. It makes my stomach twist to knots. It makes my wounds flare up. But why else would FP and Gladys's son be calling about Hiram's daughter. Only one possibility could explain the franticness.

Hal returned to Riverdale High, and he hurt Veronica.

XXXXXXXX

SABRINA

I've heard the name before. I came to this realization after all the time Jughead and I spent finishing the article. After I tried to shove the thoughts of Salem killing Rose Blossom out of my conscious. It came to me last night, when laying in bed waiting for my brain to shut off. I heard the name Hal Cooper before I heard Rose Blossom's daughter speak it.

The thought stayed on my brain all morning, it distracted me from jumping back into my classes. Jughead and I could not find anything on the man from our research the night before, or in between classes. But I'm not that mad about this distraction. It kept me from engaging with everyone at school when they came over to ask how I was. I would love to catch up, I want to acclimate as much as possible. But I'm drained, I'm angry, and I want Salem gone. He killed Rose Blossom. He's kept me away from V. And I don't think he'll ever stop until one of us is dead.

Frankly, I'm glad Hal Cooper is my priority. V and I never got to meet up for breakfast, like we planned. She claimed that she had to run through "things" with the cheer team. And Ali…. I don't know what exactly happened to her over the weekend, but she's been acting strange. No….she's been secretive. She's hiding something from me. Okay, maybe the whole Salem ordeal is making me paranoid, but Ali's behavior hasn't proved anything in her favor. She barely talked to me last night, mostly because she spent a good amount of time in the bathroom. She disappeared earlier this morning and didn't come back until I got up. I just wash she could tell me what was happening in her neck of the woods.

But I get scared if I think too much about Ali, because all it does is bring back the harsh voice of that boy in Rose's vision. The one who murdered the red-head girl. Why don't you ask your Aunt Ali, he asked me. I still don't know what he means. It could apply to a number of things, like my trial, or of her life. Heaven, it could apply to Hal Cooper….

I heard it before.

Was that what the boy meant? Did he want me to ask her about Hal? Why? Whatever the reason, I don't want it to make me sick again. I have had enough of Salem and his tricks. I have had enough of people lying to me, and telling me what to do. I want to do things for myself. And currently, what I want is to find this man and help Jughead get that article out.

A little after lunch, Jughead and I decide to spend our study hall time in the Blue and Gold Room. He pulls up the most recent copy of the article on his laptop for us to view. He lets me sit down so I can get a better look as he stands over my shoulder. Structure wise, it's strong. We kept Joaquin's testimony anonymous, but we left Moose's stance alone. We don't allude to any supernatural elements, though. As much as I would love to bring Salem's wrongdoings into the spotlight, not everyone would get it. We end the article asking for the PD to recognize the recent deaths as all part of one pattern, one that mimics all these events from Riverdale's history. We ask for the truth to prevail, for justice to be served.

"How soon do you think we can get this out?" I look back up at Jughead when I'm finished reading.

He shrugs his shoulders. "Before the end of the week. We have to compile other articles along with this one. Worse case, we could publish it independently on a blog site, or we could sell it to the Register and split the revenue." The last comment makes us both chuckle. If only I could use that money to settle my own case against the Dark Lord….

I wince suddenly. I keep forgetting about my trial. Out of instinct, I reach for my neckline, hoping Dad's necklace to bring me comfort. That is, until I realize I haven't worn it in days. And today, it just so happens that I left it back at the trailer.

Jughead notices my current state. "What's wrong? Your sickness come back?" I shake my head, since I can't get the words out. Jughead reaches for his laptop and closes the screen down. "Thinking about home again?" I chew on my tongue, which leads me to biting my cheeks. After this, I nod.

"I would….like if we got this done before….." I sigh, "Before I'm shuttled back home." Saying this, Jughead grabs a free chair from the corner of the room. He brings it next to me and sits down.

"Did they finally give you an update on your trial?" I shake my head.

"Haven't heard from Aunties in a long time, Jug. Not since Thanksgiving. When we were driving to the Sisters….I was tempted to ask you to stop by Greendale. Just so I could see them again. But….I'm angry right now. I'm angry at the town. At my family. I just don't get why they would leave me in the dark for so long. Usually any trial going through the Church would happen immediately after the suit is announced. But for mine to have stalled out in this way….." I bite the insides of my cheeks again, a numbing mechanism. Once I release the flesh from my teeth, I run my fingers through my hair. I huff, "None of it makes sense, Jughead."

"Yeah, that does sound weird. I mean, who is it exactly that you're going up against? Satan himself?" He chuckles at his joke. Little does he know that he's stating facts. I shoot my eyebrow up to the ceiling with a stern face. It doesn't take him long to put two and two together. Once he does, he drops the comedic meaner. "Oh….oh shit."

"NOW do you see my issue?" I throw out at him, jerking my head forward. "I'd be spending my days finding a way to climb out of the nine layers of hell to get away from him if I weren't here. Or I'd be forced into marrying a sea monster, or something awful like that." My mood does lift slightly when I bring up these scenarios, it even makes me giggle. I needed this, I needed friends I can share this private information with and not risk judgement or isolation. Not that I haven't thought about opening up more to Roz and Susie, but I fear I'd get the same reaction out of them that I did from Harvey. Yet, talking with Jughead feels like I'm talking with Ambrose, if he were non-magical and had a passion for dark academia and food instead of music. If only V were here with us….

My temporary good mood fades. Thinking about V again refuels my anger at Salem, my worry for her. Why couldn't she meet up for breakfast today? I don't have time to answer my own question, because Jughead distracts me with a new one. "Have you talked with Veronica about any of this? Considering that she's like you?"

I shake my head in defeat. "Nothing new. I still haven't seen her since I fell under the weather. She got Salem out of the trailer park, and….nothing. Just some texts about Salem. Nothing about her. Or me." I bring my feet up to the edge of the chair, wrapping my arms over my kneecaps in a ball shape. I rest my chin on my knees and bow my head down. Everything has gotten so confusing. I hate being left in the dark. I only hope I can get some sort of sign that can guide me in the proper direction, one that will get me off of GO.

Right on command, there's a commotion in the hallway. Jughead and I turn to the door, seeing movement from outside the little window on the door. We both get up from the desk area and make our way over to the doorway. We see flashes of blue and yellow stride down the hallway, pom poms glistening in the lights up above. No one told me the Vixens would be all dressed up, or that….

Wait, is this of V's doing? Was this the reason she couldn't meet up this morning? No….no, it was because of Salem. He kept her away. She couldn't have made the Vixens under her spell. Not after the way they turned against her under Midge's reign. But if Midge is dead….who is running the Vixens? Ginger? Tina? I scan the faces of my teammates, looking for any sort of explanation. I open up the door, ignoring Jughead's plea for me to wait. Some of the Vixens sport me, waving hello. Yet, I'm not interested in returning the gesture. I want to find my friend.

Everyone has gathered out into the hallway to see what the commotion is all about. The Vixens begin to perform chants, simple ones we did at the pep rally. It makes no sense. What could prompt them to lead a rally out in the hallway? Is it in solidarity of the protests happening throughout town? It's just so strange; I would have been made known about it, at least through text or email. I fight my way through the crowd to get a better look at what's happening. Some of the Bulldogs chant with them nonchalantly, other students bob their heads in confusion. Jughead struggles to keep up with me, having to reach out for my arm to stay close behind. Just a few people ahead of us, Archie and Reggie stand against the lockers, witnessing the unusual scene.

Archie spots me and heads in our direction. "Jug, Sabrina. Do you know what's going on?"

"We just heard it." Jughead backs away as a Vixen almost whacks him in the face with a pom pom.

"Dude, this is so random." Reggie comments. "But hey, if it gets out of studying for midterms, I'll take it." I don't think he noticed I was here until he looks down at me. He points over at the Vixens, "Hey…shouldn't you be with them right now?" I don't say anything back. I should, I mean, I wasn't here last week! Did anyone besides Jughead and V not know of my absence? Maybe I should speak up! I did it against Salem! No….no, I shouldn't think about him either. Oh, I'm getting so distracted and flighty. Where is V?

From the other end of the hallway, a Vixen faces the crowd. The chanting overpowers the noise in the hallway. Everyone's so caught up watching the rest of the team that no one else sees my reaction. My sense of relief, and concern. Far away, V calls out to me. "'Brina!"

I have to fight my way through hoards of classmates as V and I move towards one away. She squeezes between the gaps and reaches out for me. My arms wrap around her, my chin rests on her shoulder. She does the same, just holding me steady.

She pulls away slightly so she can look at me. "I'm sorry I couldn't meet up earlier." she has to shout over the loudness. "I was so caught up getting this prepared-"

"Ronnie," Archie interrupts our reunion. "what's this all about?" My mouth hangs a bit. I can't believe Archie beat me to asking the question. I'm shocked he and the others have just as much concern. Maybe it is a good thing they have no clue about Salem.

We all turn to her, waiting for some form of an explanation. I can see the panic spreading over her face. She wants to maintain a good demeanor, she's brought the whole cheer team to perform in front of the whole school. Why would she decide to do this? Was this….was this really even her idea to begin with?

That's when I realize that V does not have her pearls around her neck.

"V, we need to talk. Now." I take her hands, attempting to pull her away, to go somewhere where there are no Vixens, or Bulldogs, or demonic cats. Someplace where it can just be the two of us. She goes to ask why we need to do this, why now when the team is waiting for her. I turn my head back to her. "You have to trust me, V." I glance over the crowd, just to be safe. Then, I lean closer to her. "It's about Salem."

Her eyes go big. Slowly, she starts to get it. I watch her lift one finger, signaling for me to wait. Behind her, Ginger and Tina wander over to see what the problem is. V frees herself from my hold and goes to them. "Can you two take over? Just until I get back?" They both nod without much hesitation. V comes back over to me, and we move away from the hectic scene. I hear Ginger and Tina's voices boom as I shuttle V and myself into an empty classroom.

I shut the door, looking out the window to see if anyone is watching us. I wait for my heartbeat to slow down before I can peel myself away. Behind me, V takes a deep breath.

"'Brina, I promise I've been keeping a good eye on him." she says. I move away from the door and wander over to her. She continues to ramble on, "Apart from him growling at Daddy on a frequent basis, he's been on his best behavior around me. It…." V stops for a moment, guilt setting in. "It was actually his idea for me to lead the Vixens in an impromptu pep rally today. That's why I couldn't meet up this morning."

Okay, now it's starting to make sense. I knew V couldn't have skipped out on breakfast intentionally. Then what could possibly explain the absence of her pearls? And what about her absence during my meeting with Salem? Hold on….I need to take this one step at a time. I gesture to her neckline, about to raise the concern.

V brings a hand to her neck, a smile forming. "Oh….yeah. And, I'm trying to not wear my pearls as much. At least not while I'm at school."

"Was that Salem's idea too?" my own voice comes out meek.

"Partially. But I wanted to do it for myself." she admits before biting her lip. She peels her hand away and crosses her arms over her stomach. "Salem was right, 'Brina. I need to learn to take power for myself, to let it come to its full potential. I think I'm starting to develop a symbiotic relationship with my condition….like you suggested I should." I see a miniscule smile form on her lips. "I don't feel as out of control as I was before. I feel calmer, more….at peace with myself. You know, it's funny, 'Brina. I think I've had more rest since I took Salem in. I actually slept a long time yesterday."

The last sentence sits with me funny. V getting more sleep….on paper, it sounds good, but…. Salem said V was resting when I met with him last night. He dodged the topic immediately afterwards. No….there has to be a reason he convinced her to have the Vixens do a pep rally today. There has to be a reason he ditched her to…..

"'Brina?" V pulls me out of my thoughts. I notice her smile has disappeared. "What's wrong?"

"How long were you out for?" She blinks at me, unsure of what I mean. She stares down at the ground with her mouth gaping. It takes her a while before she can look back up at me. She goes to speak, but I jump at the chance. "V, how long were you resting for yesterday?"

"A….a few hours. Why?" My heart drops to the linoleum floor. So she really did have no idea what Salem was up to….

Her eyes light up in fear. Her jaw tenses up. She nervously reaches for her neckline, only to realize that she did not put on her pearl necklace. Dread sets in. The veins hidden under her skin go from light blue to dark violet. Her wrist shakes with her fingers curling into fists. Her breathing becomes more weighted. Heavier.

I take her by the shoulders. The breathing levels out. The shaking of her wrist stops. I tell her in a hushed voice, "Salem killed last night. He did it while you were out." She remains mute, and extremely confused. I explain to her, "I used an Astral Projection Spell to see him after he threatened Jughead about the article! He pried a name out of me, even though I tried to resist. And now….now a woman Jughead and I met with over the weekend might be dead. V….I think he knocked you out on purpose so he could kill her."

"'Brina…..I don't understand-"

"That's how he was able to kill Midge! It's why I had my seizure! V, don't you understand? Salem drained me of my magic! And….and I think he did the same to you. Only you may not have known it." Her hand lowers back down to her sides. The veins still remain in their abnormal color. If not….darker. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to ambush her with all of this material. What if she ends up lashing out, what if she loses control? And if her father finds out…..

V begins to hyperventilate, the black veins spreading throughout her neck. I move my hands upward so I'm cupping her face. "V…..look at me. Take deep breaths, okay?" She tries to do as I asked, but it's not working. I can feel the windows in the room vibrating. The rafters above us begin to rattle. Eventually, V does start to breathe in and out, in and out. The noise in the room ceases. Everything goes quiet, except for the sound of our breathing.

"I….I just don't get it." she finally says after gulping down saliva. She wavers her head back and forth. "Salem…..he, he wouldn't do that. No. He's never been that way with me. Why would….why would he suggest that I…..that I….."

Just as her voice goes out, a blood curling scream emerges from the hallway. Both of our heads turn to the source of the noise. More screams pile over one another. That's not good.

I take V's hand and we make a break for the door. I twist the doorhandle in a hurry, slamming it down and feeling the gush of air greet me as we step out. Mass hysteria floods the hallway. I can't tell why everyone is suddenly freaking out. I have to shove my way through the herd of people to even see what's happening. When V and I do make our way to the front, we stop. Sweat drips down my back. My mouth is frozen in an open gesture. My eyes are bulging.

In the middle of the hallway, the Vixens are sprawled out on the floor, having violent seizures. Just the way Ali did when we first arrived. The way I did when Salem made me sick.

People shout all around us. "What's happening?" "How come it's just the cheerleaders and not the rest of us?" "Somebody get help!"

A few Vixens have been spared from the violent seizures. Tina frantically tries to shake Ginger out of her faze. Archie, Reggie, and a couple of the other football players follow in suit. Jughead sees V and me, and he drags us away from our crowded location. "You don't think this is Salem's doing, do you?"

I don't know what to say. I don't even know what I should do to help. Do I risk exposing myself as a witch and get the Vixens cured? Or do I stay back and let them all suffer? I hate feeling so helpless. But….but that was the way I felt when Midge got possessed by Salem in the last moments of her life. I left her to die. And now the Vixens will suffer the same fate if I….

Screw it. I break away from Jughead and from V. "Stay here." I tell them, and I run over to aid Tina. Only my aid does not prove anything beneficial.

Tina glares up at me, in fear and in pure anger. "Please…." I say to her, about to reach down for Ginger. "I can make her okay-"

"Don't touch her!" Tina shoves me away, almost sending me to the ground. I get up on my feet and back away. Tina rises up from her place, practically hovering over Ginger. Her eyes widen, revealing the blaring whiteness surrounding her irises. The others in the hallway begin to pick up on our interaction.

I go to diffuse the situation. "Tina-"

"Get the hell out, Sabrina!" She yells. The hallway goes silent. Tears form in her eyes. She raises a finger up at me, "YOU DID THIS. YOU AND…..YOU AND VERONICA PLANNED THIS TOGETHER!" Other students, unaffected by the violent seizures, begin to join in unison. I back away all frightened. I don't get it – why does Tina think this was of my doing? Of V's doing?

She continues her rant, "AND YOU WERE THERE WHEN MIDGE DIED! HOW WE KNOW YOU DIDN'T PLAN HER DEATH TOO!"

"Tina, knock it off!" Archie steps in the middle of our space, coming to my defense. He gestures back to me. "She and Ronnie didn't do anything! We don't have time to play Nancy Drew! We gotta get these girls help-"

His speech is cut short when Tina pushes him off to the side. Her fists are curled at her sides. By now, more students are leaving their perspective Vixens on the floor and taking Tina's stance. Others like Archie, like Reggie and a few other Bulldogs, remain to the sides. Jughead and V remain behind me.

"I don't know why Midge ever kept you on the team." Tina states. "But now that she's dead, I won't let her legacy be tarnished. We will bring Midge justice….but you won't be part of that. You or Veronica. You have no place in our community anymore."

No noise wanders through the halls for a solid moment. Just the air above us, and the Vixens spasming down below.

Then, all hell breaks loose.

Students yell, "GET THE HELL OUT OF OUR SCHOOL!" "YOU'RE A MURDERER!" "FREAK!" It's worse than I imagined. It's worse than the wrath I faced on my birthday. But I brought this onto myself. I brought Salem out of that house, and I led my classmates into his deadly path. And now, V and I are about to get burned at a stake for his crimes.

My ears ring, drowning out the yelling. My vision blurs. Some of the students climb over the Vixens to jump out at me, but Archie and Reggie block them off. A punch gets thrown. People scatter, forming a tiny battle in the hallway. Spectators attempt to get teachers for help, to drag the Vixens out of the chaos. I can't even imagine how V must feel right now.

V…..

I turn my head to find V practically frozen in Jughead's grasp. No….she's shaking. The black veins have spread all over the sides of her face. Her eyes begin to take on that same color, letting dark tears stream down her cheeks. Jughead just watches, half in awe, half in dismay.

"Sabrina…."

His calling of my name snaps me awake. I run over to V and take her into my arms. I block her view of everyone screaming and fighting, I run my hands over her cheeks. I speak in a calming tone, "V….V….can you hear me? Don't listen to them! We'll find a way out of this, okay?" She doesn't say anything to me. Her shaking does calm, which I guess is a good sign. But the spreading of the dark veins worsens, which isn't good. "V…."

She starts to choke out sobs. "I did this."

My cheeks go heavy. My eyes get irritated and watery. "What? No….no, this had to be of Salem's doing-"

"But it was me, 'Brina!" she cries. Jughead meets my glance, raising a brow. I look back over at V, growing more horrified when she says, "I think I caused the Vixens to get sick when I freaked out in the classroom! I….I thought I had it all under control!"

"It was an accident, V!" I have to yell over the madness behind us. Her shaking starts up again. Her shoulders go tense, causing an overhead light at the end of the hallway to go out. Jughead stumbles back out of fright. V's fingers crinkle at her sides. Another set of lights flicker. Her sobbing overpowers the eruption on the other side of the hallway.

"V….you have to listen to me!" I reassure her. "We can fight this, you and me. You just have to trust me, okay?"

"I….I…." she stutters, the veins spreading closer to her eyes. "I don't know anymore! I don't know if I can trust myself!" Her head bows slightly. I worry that she'll get overtaken by her condition. I place my hands under her chin to keep her face upright. Jughead asks what the hell is going on, I tell him to stay quiet just so I can figure it out myself.

V glances over my shoulder at the scene behind me. Then she looks to each side, then back at me. The veins are close to touching her eye sockets.

"What's wrong with me, 'Brina?" she weeps. "What's wrong with….."

That's when her eyes go completely dark. That's when her body goes limp and falls to the floor.

"VERONICA!"

My knees collapse to the floor as I watch this terrifying possession. Her body contorts like the Vixens yards away from us. Dark substances drip out of her nostrils, out of the corners of her mouth. Her upper body rises and falls. I can't just stay here and let her die. I place my hands on each side of her face to calm her motions. "V!" I call out, but with no luck. I turn my head to find the eruption in the hallway becoming more severe. What if they come our way, what if they take V away from me? I hate them, and I hate Salem for using her as a tool in his wicked plans.

Above me, Jughead freaks out. "Sabrina…..that's not normal! We gotta get her out of here!"

"I'm trying, Jughead!" I scream up at him. "Just….just bide me some time. Call for help!" He doesn't protest a moment further. He immediately pulls out his phone to contact someone, anyone. I direct my attention back to V start to perform a healing spell, the same one I used for Ali back at the beginning of it all. It only lasts for a few seconds before someone comes from my blind side, taking her away.

"NO!"

I stand back up, ready to fight whoever is trying to separate us, only to find…. Moose. He cradles V in his arms. He's shaken up from the explosion, but he doesn't look like he wants to cause any harm. In fact, I think he wants to help me. With a wispy voice, he asks, "Where do you want me to take her?"

I glance down at the end of the hallway, adjacent from where we stand. I point down to the set of doors, "Outside! Before anyone sees us!" He nods his head in agreement. I motion for Jughead to follow us as Moose takes the lead. Moose jogs with V still seizing up in his arms. I need to get my mental state together. I need to get V at least somewhat functioning before we get her to a hospital, or to her father. Whichever we have more luck with. Behind me, Jughead yells into the phone, "Mom! Please tell me Sabrina's aunt is with you! We need Mister Lodge!"

The chaotic noise dies down when we reach the outside of the school. I could let myself fall into the snow, but Jughead keeps me going. Moose guides us over to a nearby table area. He lays V down onto a table, scared to have any part of her bruise if done incorrectly. He backs away and allows me to stand in his place.

"Should I get the school nurse?" Moose asks. I go to work on my magic (nonverbal, just so I don't cause Moose to freak), not really listening to him. Jughead is still on the phone with his mom, so he can't talk to either one of us. Eventually, I pause to answer his question. I tell him there's nothing really that the nurse can do. "Okay." he accepts my response, "Is there anything else you two need?"

"No. Thank you, Moose." I look up at him, really studying his features. He still looks haggard even two weeks after Midge's death. He looks more vulnerable. My eyes begin to water seeing him unable to do anything for V, or for me. I caused him to be like this. I caused to school to go into war with itself. I should have just signed my name in the Book after all, otherwise, none of this would be happening….

Moose puts on a brave face, a somewhat hopeful smile, just before he begins to walk away. He goes forward for a few steps, then he turns around. "You're not at fault, Sabrina. I don't blame you for this. You're not an evil person." I stare at him with my jaw to the snow. Is he referring to the night of Midge's death, or the recent outbreak? Maybe I won't get to find out now, but it sounds like…..it sounds like he forgives me. He's giving me forgiveness, and I don't think I deserve it. I watch as Moose smiles again before he re-enters the school.

I wipe away a newly formed tear streaming down my cheek. I look down at V, still in her violent daze, and I get back to work. Now, I am free to perform my spell out loud. I repeat the rhythm of my voice, the pronunciation of each word, my dedicated concentration. With each verse, the shaking diminishes. Limbs cease to move. Little by little, the seizure ends.

Jughead joins my side. "Your aunt's on the way with her dad." he says, wiping away snot with the cuff of his flannel. I look up at him, noticing how more disassociated he appears. His eyes are all snapped open. His jaw is all tense. He picks up on my intake of his features, so he forces the lump down his throat before he speaks. "My mom came off all irritated on the phone. Like I caught her in the middle of something. There were people in the background, but….I couldn't make out who they were. Didn't sound like your aunt, or Mister Lodge."

My mind goes racing. Why aren't Ali or Jughead's mom at the diner today? What reason did Mister Lodge have to be at the trailer park with them? And….and who was also with the three of them? Perhaps members of the Serpents dropped by and gave Ali and Mrs. Jones trouble. Or Jughead's dad still felt ill, and they were caring for him. Or….

My back stiffens. My heart pounds. My thoughts bring me back to frenzy I experienced following my disastrous meeting with Salem. "Jughead….were you ever able to get a hold of Joaquin yesterday?"

"No." We both share an exchanged look of dread. Oh no…..no, Salem couldn't have killed Joaquin besides Rose Blossom. I haven't heard anything about the Sisters of Quiet Mercy during the school day. I barely had a chance to glance over the morning paper, or any articles online while Jughead and I finalized our research.

I want to keep my attention on this matter, but Jughead is shaking me by the shoulder. "Why is she not waking up?" I look down to find V still trapped in her state. No more spasms, or contortions, but her eyes still hold that dark material. Dark liquid won't stop pouring out of her mouth, her nose, her ears. What I have done is not enough.

I bring my hands to her shoulders, making any kind of movement to rouse her awake. "V! V, can you hear me?" My heartbeat picks up, my anxiety hits an extreme height. I start to cry, "Come on, V! You can fight this! Just come back to me! Come back to us!" Jughead suggests that we try CPR, a concept not widely accepted by the witch community. I know about it through my years at mortal school, though I've never had a need for it. Not until now.

I let Jughead take my place as he begins to perform CPR on V. My hands jitter, though I'm not sure if it's because of the cold, or from my anxiousness. I rub my wet cheeks against my sleeves, I try to follow Ali's method of breathing. Smell the daisies, blow out the candles. I do it over and over. I want it to work, I want it to calm me down. But I feel like all it's doing is making me more afraid of a lot of things. Afraid that I'll never find out about Hal Cooper. Afraid that I'll never amend my relationships at school (both here and at Baxter). Afraid that I will never get V back.

A car screeches in the distance and comes to rather the quickened halt. I jump back, not knowing where this jarring sound is coming from. I finally notice the red sports car at the curb. Figures climb out of the vehicle, scrambling to find….me and Jughead. I can barely make out Mister Lodge in the distance, but there's a panic painted on to his face. Especially when he sees his daughter.

"¡MIJA!"

He sprints all the way to where Jughead and I stand. Behind him, Ali jogs over, just as equally petrified. The moment the adults come closer, Mister Lodge grabs Jughead by the shoulders and forces him away from V. He screams at Jughead, "WHO DID THIS? WHAT HAPPENED TO MY DAUGHTER?"

I step in. My voice shakes when I explain, "She had a seizure. All the Vixens did. But….but she…." I can't get the rest of the words out. I can only gesture over to her, feeling my heart creep up my throat. "I tried everything. I can't get her out of it."

Mister Lodge seems to buy my words. He lets go of Jughead, then he hustles over to his daughter. He takes her down from the top of the table, cradling her in his lap as he sits down. He cups her face, looking for any sign of life. All he can find is the dark veins, overtaken eyes, and lifelessness. Just the way I did.

"Hang on, mija." Mister Lodge lifts V closer up so her forehead rests against his shoulder. He keeps a good hold of her head, and he starts to mutter something in her ear. A spell? Whatever he's saying, it slowly causes the dark veins the recede, moving away from her eye sockets. The liquid coming out of her nose and mouth dry up. Is this spell meant to cure her? It's mesmerizing and horrifying all at once.

Ali joins my side, placing her hand on my shoulder. "Sweetheart, are you alright?" I glance up at her, almost startled by her presence. I shouldn't be as jumpy, I can't be. It's Ali. But why has everything made me so skeptical over the people I care about the most?

"I don't want to talk about it now, Ali." I take a step away from her, moving closer to Jughead. I nervously begin to rub at my arm. Even though I can no longer hear the chaos inside the school, I can still hear the shouting in my head. It intermingles with someone's laughter. You know what the sad part is? I can't distinguish if the laugh belongs to Salem or the Dark Lord.

Imagine if the Dark Lord heard about my issues now. He'd find some way to include this material in our trial, utilizing it to his full advantage to force me down the Path of Night. All because I wanted guidance. All because I sought out the Riverdale Reaper. And Jughead and I still don't know the history connecting the Blossoms to Hal Cooper….

I heard the name before. The longer I look at Ali, the more I come to understand where I may have heard of Hal Cooper long before I met Rose Blossom. The daughter said his name in connection to an Alice Smith. My Aunt Ali. But she would have told me about him if he really was part of her past. She would have warned me to stay away from the Blossoms and from him if they truly were problems in her life. But she hasn't told me anything about any of her past. Nothing about the Joneses. Nothing about Mister Lodge. Nothing about the Blossoms, or the high school, or….

"Sabrina?" Jughead calls out for me. I look over at him, watching how he tenses up with the adults around. Mister Lodge is still using his spell to bring V back. Ali doesn't know how to handle my jerky reaction. Jughead whispers into my ear, "Do you still wanna go forward with the article?"

My gaze wanders back over to Ali for a brief second. I have to look away from her before I respond with, "It doesn't matter, Jug. We already committed to it."

"But what about our classmates?" he asks me, all paranoid. He lowers his voice down further for the next question. "Aren't you worried that…..that when they read it-"

"When they read what?"

The sound of Ali's voice intercepting our conversation stuns us both into silence. Jughead and I send her a worried glance. I don't think I've seen Ali this on edge since her attack. No….I don't think I've seen her this wound up ever. How could she even overhear our conversation? Oh right, she's got heightened senses like me. But does she…. How could Ali know about….

"I know about your Reaper article, Sabrina!" Ali announces out of the blue. I feel my jaw lock. My eyes water more. She knows. That means Jughead's mom and Mister Lodge must know too. But how? We acted so careful about the subject! Someone must have squealed on us. Jughead's sister must have found out, but she wouldn't do that. Maybe V? No….no, V was passed out and with Salem. I go to ask Ali how she found out, but I don't get the chance. Well, only because Ali already goes to say, "Your friend from the Sisters, Joaquin….he told us everything. How you met Rose Blossom." Her eyes get wet, her hands go through her hair. She's shaking. "What were you doing at the Sisters?"

Her tone is beginning to scare me. I practically back into Jughead, reaching for his hands. I shouldn't be cowering from someone like Ali. I shouldn't cower away, ever. What is changing? I'm on my toes here. But all Jughead can respond with is, "Joaquin's alive?"

Ali runs her fingers through her hair again. "Look….I don't want to impose on your paper. I don't want to stop you from anything. But….Sabrina…." She looks directly down at me. She takes a step towards me, reaching for my hand. "Please. Trust me when I say…..this article may not be a good idea."

Anger rises in me. Now she suddenly has an opinion on my affairs? After all this time? I don't let my sudden flare up shy away in my voice when I tell her, "Since when did you start caring about my safety?" I detach myself from Jughead, meeting Ali's advances forward. I watch her lips bobble. She goes to speak, but I cut her off.

"Why now are you freaking out, Ali? I have tried to reach out to you, but…..but all you have done is cut me off! You just ran away!" In my head, I know I'm acting rather harsh. She looked after me during my cheerleading crisis. She stood by me before we came to Riverdale. She tended to me in sickness. But after all the times she promised to tell me her life story, she has yet to follow up on those promises. She has yet to disclose how her classmates died, why she left town, why my classmates and I are on the verge of following the same path. And the only outlying piece is….

Hal.

Now I remember where I heard the name. In her voice. When I was out. She said his name when I came out of my post-seizure coma.

You don't think this is Hal's doing, is it?

She did know him. She knew him all along.

The Dark Lord's voice seeps into my head, taunting me the way he did when he possessed Midge. YOU THINK YOU'RE BEING PROTECTED, COMFORTED BY PEOPLE WHO ARE ONLY LYING TO YOU.

Was he the reason she left Riverdale? Did he cause those kids to die? Well, how can I know if she won't tell me? Will she ever tell me?

YOU THINK YOU'RE BEING PROTECTED BY PEOPLE WHO LIE TO YOU. THEY'RE ALL LYING TO YOU.

No. I won't have any more of this. No more secrets. No more lies.

I let my anger fly out of me. "What is it about exposing the Reaper that scares you, Ali? WHAT ARE YOU HIDING FROM ME?"

The trees shake. Energy ripples through my fingers. Ali steps back in fear. Oh no….what am I doing? I can't let this anger control me! Not after what's happening to V….

At the thought of her, I suddenly remember why Ali is here. I turn my head in time to find V coming back to life. She lifts her head away from her father's shoulder, coughing up the dark substance that overtook her. She rolls away from his hold, landing on her hands and knees in the snow. She continues her coughing fit until she is no longer producing such ugly symptoms. Jughead mutters praise in relief. Mister Lodge leaps down from the table and joins his daughter on the ground. He places a hand on her upper back, taking deep breaths. "Veronica?"

V sits back on her knees, her back straightened. Her face goes neutral, in a way I don't think I've seen since the night we went after Chuck. With a dead voice, she spits out, "I'm fine, Daddy." She inches one side of her shoulders forward so she no longer has him touching her. V sees me not that far away, so the neutral face shifts into one showing some emotion.

"How do you feel, V?" I ask her. She takes her eyes off of me, nervously rubbing her knee caps.

"Alright, I guess." V decides to stand back up. She doesn't use the table or her father to get up. I mean, I applaud her for having some strength back, but the motion is still…. Something is off about V. I know she just came out of a seizure, but now her demeanor seems more on edge. More cold.

Mister Lodge gets up a little bit after his daughter, and he goes to reach out for her again. Only he stops when he sees….well, when he doesn't see her pearl necklace. He places one hand on her shoulder, then the other. His hands then go to her face. He lets go, growing more panicked. "Mi….mija." he stutters, "Where are your pearls?"

V's eyes widen in irritation. "Really?" she chastises her father, stepping back from him. "I just had a seizure, and you're more worried about where my pearls are?"

Mister Lodge sends his hands up his face, his fingers pressed against his nose. He lets his hands fall, leaving them hovering in the air like stiff boards. "You are supposed to have them on when you go to school." He then sends an accusatory finger pointing at her, then back at himself. "WE made that arrangement. You know why you have to put them on-"

"Well, I left them at home, Daddy!" she fires back at him. "How else am I going to be able to control this damn thing if you don't trust me to work with it on my own? Pearls or not!" She's about to keep going when she realizes that the Lodges have an audience. Her demeanor lessens when she sees me. It comes back slightly when she sees Jughead. I start to notice the little black veins reappearing on the side of her face at her most tense. The veins spread closer to her mouth. So she wasn't fully cured.

She glares at me and Jughead, then back over at her father. Her eyes roll, the veins on the side of her face flaring. "You know what? I don't have time for this. I want to go home." V begins to storm away, passing by her father. But Mister Lodge takes hold of her arm, stopping her.

He tells her in Spanish, "Mija, nosotros no hemos terminado con esta conversación." Her frustration grows worse the longer he keeps her at bay. He switches back to using English, "Please. Just talk to me, Veronica."

"Daddy-"

"I am doing everything I can to keep you safe." He lets go of her arm and steps in closer towards her. "I don't want you to go through what happened back to you in New York. Not again." The last part infuriates her.

She begins to back away, curling her hands into tight fists. "DON'T…."

"Veronica, will you listen to me?" Mister Lodge starts to raise his voice. "How can I protect you from people like them if you won't take the precautions to look out for yourself?" People like them? Is he referring to the St. Clairs? The Vixens? Hang on….V got attacked by the boy, Nick. But it was a similar situation to her incident with Chuck. That's all it was….right? Unless V lost her memory. Unless Mister Lodge saw it as something else all together….

The question never leaves my mouth. I can't say anything while I watch V's father berate her. "Do you realize the risks you are taking by leaving your pearls at home? And if you get hurt…." He continues to rant on for a while. All in the meantime, V's body begins to rattle. Her hands fly up to the sides of her face. The veins spread all throughout. Her eyes squeeze shut. Guilt and hopeless paint hers emotion. They are soon replaced by ferment. And madness.

It comes out all at once. Her hands are flung down to her sides. Her eyes snap open, revealing the dark color that has reclaimed the area. All she sees in this moment is red.

She screams, "STOP YELLING AT ME!"

The world goes sideways. The power of her voice forces the snow to fall out from the trees. The bench where Mister Lodge and I revived her gets blown to the side, near the forest. Jughead, Ali, and I stumble backwards. Jughead and I are lucky to not end up on the ground. Ali can at least steady herself near the steps leading back up to the school. And Mister Lodge….

Whatever exploded out of her has sent him to the ground, many feet from where we stand. His head collides with the ground with a violent sound. A black spot forms on his chest, and it begins to spread. Just the way the veins on V's face did.

When V does calm down, when she witnesses what she has done…. It makes her distressed. Worried about the state of her father. "DADDY!"

She bolts over to him, crying with each foot step. Jughead has to yank me back so I don't wind up in her path. We watch as V crouches down over him, shaking his shoulders for any sign of life. But nothing. Oh no….did she kill him? No, I can still sense his aura. But it's weak.

V struggles to rise back up to her feet. Her sobs echo into the trees. She looks over at the three of us. Extreme remorse is the only way I can describe what emotion she shows. She just injured someone she loves. The one person in her life who cared for her after her mother's passing. Dark colored tears run down her cheeks.

I go to walk towards her, to ask if she is okay. If she needs help. But she stumbles away from her father. From us. "Please…..just stay away from me." With that, she makes a run for where the car sits on the side of the road. She goes past it, make a sharp turn, and disappears.

"V! WAIT!" I go to race after her, to get her back.

Ali stops me. "Sabrina!" I turn on my heels, growing just as frustrated as V was moments ago. She takes my hands into her own. "We need to stick together, honey." Sticking together? What is that supposed to mean? I'm starting to lose my patience, but I still stay to listen to Ali. "We'll find her. We'll get her back to her father. But….Sabrina, please-"

THEY'RE ALL LYING TO YOU

"LET ME GO, ALI." I yell, yanking my hands from her grip. Her mouth hangs at my sudden outburst. Jughead doesn't know what to make of it all either. From the other end of our argument, Mister Lodges lets out a painful groan. But I don't have time to get Mister Lodge help. My priorities are on finding V.

My rage comes out when I say, "I AM NOT A CHILD ANYMORE. YOU SHOULDN'T DICTATE WHERE I CAN AND CANNOT GO. I EXPECT THAT KIND OF BEHAVIOR FROM MY AUNTS. NOT YOU." My tongue goes dry and curls up. I realize how quickly the recent set of words came out too late. Ali stumbles backward. She's silently crying. What have I done? Why did I lash out at her?

I begin to step backwards towards V's path. I feel nothing but guilt, on top of fear. "Ali, I'm sorry. I know you want to keep me safe. But…." I struggle to get my last part out, "I need you to be honest with me. We need to be more honest with each other. I don't want any more lies." I take more steps away from her, the separation between us now becoming more apparent. The unspoken truths, from her end and from mine, waiting to be revealed.

"Sabrina…." her voice waivers. She steps out to me, but I'm too far gone.

"I have to go, Ali. I need to help my friend." I get back on my course, picking up pace as I leave the school, Jughead, and the one person I thought would understand me the most….the one person who I believed would never lie to me….behind.

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End of Chapter