Chapter 7
"So what did you find?" Thorn asked with smile.
She was barely out of the shower when she heard Dusk pounding on the door and shouting about a spell they found on the object. Thorn was still in her black bathrobe and her hair was wrapped in a towel as she eagerly waited for her friends to tell her the news.
"We found the Latin word 'Revēlō' inscribed on the edge of the object," Luna explained.
Dusk nudged her with her elbow. "You mean, I found it," she proudly clarified.
"You found one letter," Luna corrected.
"But without that letter, you wouldn't have found the rest of the word," Dusk argued.
"So what does it mean?" Thorn interjected and ended the tangent argument.
"Well…" Luna began.
"It's a spell and you need cast it," Dusk exclaimed interrupting Luna.
"We don't know for certain," Luna added.
The two began another needless argument but Thorn paid no attention to it. Her smile receded as she glanced at the object. Still spooked from the earlier incident with it, Thorn shivered at the thought of using magic. Not knowing what would happen—if anything even happened—was nerve-racking. But Thorn closed her eyes, took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Thorn, if you don't try, you'll never get answers to any of this. She opened her eyes, walked over to the counter and raised a trembling hand over the object.
"Okay…" she murmured.
She paused for a moment and glanced over to her friends. They were still arguing over whether or not 'revēlō' was spell.
"Okay," Thorn said raising her voice loud enough to catch Dusk and Luna's attention.
"Hmm," Luna muttered.
"What was the word again?" Thorn stalled as she knew full well what the word was.
"Revēlō," the keyboardist replied.
Thorn nodded and took another deep breath. Just say the word. She exhaled.
"Revēlō," Thorn said as she took a step back from the counter.
As she stepped away from the counter, the various lines, dots and marks that made up the symbols glowed blueish-white. Then as if they had a life of their own, the symbols moved like worms squirming across the surface of the object. Thorn's eyes widened as the symbols twisted and bent themselves into recognizable numbers. Unbelievable Thorn thought as the object finally disclosed its secrets. After a couple moments, the newly created numbers became still and the glow faded away.
"That was awesome," Dusk cheered.
Thorn wasn't sure if she could entirely agree with her friend. While it was great that she now had a lead to Matella, something didn't feel right. Thorn realized that she was still trembling. She took another deep breath and slowly exhaled in an attempt to calm herself down.
"Thorn, you alright?" Luna asked.
"Hmm. Oh yeah," Thorn replied while caught off guard by Luna's question. "This is all still confusing."
"You and me both," Luna acknowledged.
"Oh it's not that confusing," Dusk exclaimed. "Thorn, you're a witch and can use magic."
Thorn flinched.
"Don't call me that," Thorn said.
"Call you what, a witch?" Dusk responded.
"Yes," Thorn said in a raised voice.
"But you are one; Matella ad Cyrus both called you a witch, hell even a real ghost said you were one," Dusk argued. "And how else are you supposed to explain all that shit you did!"
Dusk motioned over to the object.
"Explain that," Dusk said.
Thorn didn't say anything. She still refused to acknowledge herself as a witch; her Wiccan heritage would not accept it. Witches and warlocks were evil, while the Wiccans were good. But her own actions contradicted that belief. Having no explanation for why the object reacted to her saying the word wasn't helping Thorn's case either. Thorn glanced over to Luna for help, but Luna shrugged. Damnit. If Luna didn't have a rational explanation for this, then there was no way Thorn was going to find one.
"I'm a Wiccan so I can't be a witch," Thorn hastily said, though she was not as confident in that statement as she was in the past.
"Suit yourself," Dusk said with a shrug.
There was an awkward silence for a minute or two before Luna picked up the object. She took out the object and started looking up the numbers.
"Well, I was right that these are coordinates," Luna said while showing Dusk and Thorn the screen. "They're just over an hour away, outside Albany."
Thorn looked at the screen. The coordinates appeared in a wooded area in the outskirts of the city. Between the trees, it looked like there was a building. Thorn tried to zoom in, but it only made the screen blurry and it was impossible to tell what exactly was there. At that moment, she just wanted to get dressed and go straight to the site. But a loud knock at the door brought her back to reality.
The door swung open and Gus and Gloria entered the room.
"Girls, I do pray that you three are actually getting ready for your performance," Gus said.
"Of course," Thorn said as she grabbed the object and hid it behind her back. "I just showered and was getting ready to change into my outfit."
"Good. Have you determined which songs you'll be playing?" he asked.
Shit.
"Um…" she began while trying to think of an excuse for not having a compilation of songs ready.
"We were discussing that when you came in," Luna interjected.
"Yes," Thorn added. "We're starting out with 'Hex Girls' like usual."
"And we're closing with "Earth, Wind, Fire & Air" as usual," Dusk added.
The three girls smiled at Gus and Thorn hoped he bought their charade. But Gus raised an eyebrow and gave them a stern look.
"Thorn, you just got out of the shower and were going to get changed while Luna, you said you three were preparing a song compilation," Gus said. "What, were you three discussing this through the bathroom door?"
The girls' smiles quickly faded, but Thorn wasn't ready to admit defeat. If lying to him was not going to work, then maybe annoying him would get him to back down.
"Yes, that's exactly what we were doing," Thorn stated with a good dose of sarcasm. "Congrats Gus, you finally figured out how we prepare our shows."
Dusk and Luna laughed; even Gloria could not help but smirk at Thorn's comment. Gus crossed his arms and sighed.
"You three have no idea what you're playing tonight," Gus sighed.
"Uh, we just told you what we're playing," Dusk replied.
Gus sighed again.
"I don't have time to argue with any of you," he sighed. "Just tell the sound mixer what you three are playing within the hour. Please do this."
"Will do," Luna said.
With that, Gus and Gloria exited the room. Thorn laughed as she overheard Gus mumbling to Gloria about how the girls could be too much at times. As the door slammed shut, the girls sighed with relief.
"We should probably finalize what songs we're playing," Luna said.
"Yeah," Thorn said half acknowledging Luna's statement and she went back to looking at the coordinates.
"Hey, those coordinates aren't going anywhere; they'll be here after the show," Luna said as she gently put her hand on the object and removed it from Thorn's hands.
She's right. Thorn nodded to her friend.
"Alright," the black-haired girl said.
"Now go get dressed," Luna said. "Dusk and I will deal with the songs."
Thorn thanked her friends and headed over to a separate changing room.
A few hours later….
"I'm a Hex Girl and I'm gonna put a spell on you!" Thorn sang as she played her guitar.
Clade in her iconic red and black dress, with the matching fingerless gloves, ankle strapped heels, red sash and her ruby bat necklace, the crowd went into frenzy of cheering and shouting as they watched the lead singer begin the chorus. Blue and purple spotlights dazzled the stage from above like twinkling stars while hidden smoke machines created a light fog that glowed in the lights as it slowly circled the stage. The mystifying effects energized the crowd; their cheers grew louder as the song advanced.
"And I'm going to put a spell on you!" Thorn repeated followed by Dusk and Luna singing the lyric in unison.
As the first chorus finished, Thorn ever so slightly flinched. She noticed this irregularity and brushed it off as nothing.
"You'll feel the fog when I cloud your mind, you'll get dizzy when I make a sign," Thorn sang as she put her hand to her forehead and stumbled back a bit to make it look like she was dizzy.
"You'll wake up in the dead night, missing me when I'm out sight!" she sang as she spun around to face Dusk and Luna as the verse ended.
Not only was spinning around good for theatrics, but it also allowed Thorn check on her bandmates to make sure everything was going smoothly. Dusk gave her a slight nod as she struck each drum while Luna gave a quick thumbs up between keystrokes. Thorn nodded to them and turned back to the crowd.
Together, the three girls sang the chorus and the crowd went wild. But once again, Thorn flinched as she sang the lyrics. She felt uneasy as if she had said something inappropriate in front the crowd. Get a hold of yourself she thought as she snapped her attention back to singing. Yet she couldn't fully brush off the feeling that something was wrong nor could she identify what exactly was bothering her.
Thorn played a few more notes before stopping as the song's bridge began.
"With this little cobweb potion, you'll fall into dark devotion," Thorn sang waving her fingers over an imaginary pot.
For the third time, Thorn flinched. Okay, what the hell is going on? She continued through the rest the stanza
"If you ever loose affection, I can change your whole direction!" she sang as music beat faster and the final chorus started.
"I'm a Hex Girl and I'm gonna put a spell on you!" the three girls sang.
Wait Thorn thought. Can I actually put a spell on someone? She flinched again as Dusk and Luna sang the lyric.
"I'm a Hex Girl and I'm gonna put a spell on you," the three of them repeated, holding the "you" for several seconds.
I mean, if I casted a spell earlier…she felt herself shuddering. No. No that would mean that I'm a… she didn't finish the thought.
"We're gonna put a spell on you!" they sang as they each threw a pellet onto the ground that created a puff of green, purple and red smoke for Dusk, Luna and Thorn respectively.
The crowd burst into applause as the song ended while clapping, cheering and whistling echoed throughout the venue. Yet Thorn didn't share the crowd's excitement.
But how else can I explain what I did? The thought kept coming back along with the discomfort it brought her. I'm not a witch. I'm a Wiccan. I might pretend to be a witch for shows, but I'm not really one. I can't be. Thorn shook her head and looked back at the crowd. She felt like she had just told lie.
The colored smoke cleared, which meant the band had to transition into the next song, which happened to be the "The Witch's Ghost".
Thorn grabbed the microphone from the stand and faced the crowd. Right now, any other song would have been so much easier to introduce.
"How'd everyone like that one?" Thorn asked the crowd.
The crowd responded with cheers.
"Our next song is about a problem we have. A witch problem," she said. Ugh, why'd you say witch problem, it's a ghost problem. She hesitated for a moment as the crowd cheered in anticipation for the next song. Thorn subtly sighed and went off her usual script.
"She's quite frightening," Thorn said. "And she's got some serious magic."
The crowd remained unaware of who Thorn was talking and so did Thorn, albeit only momentarily.
"So who's ready for the witch?" Thorn asked.
The crowd cheered louder than before.
"Alright!" Thorn shouted. "Hit it sisters!"
The three girls began playing and the crowd roared with excitement as the music filled the venue.
Damnit! Why didn't you talk about Sarah or Alexander? They were both ghosts she wondered. The two phantoms, while dangerous and impactful enough to be the aforementioned "witch problem", were not the focus of Thorn's thoughts.
"We got a ghost problem, I can feel it in my bones," Thorn sang and she was momentarily freed from her thoughts. "We got ghost problem. I don't think that we're alone."
The song continued and Luna and Dusk provided backup vocals.
"I can feel a cold chill, running up my spine," the guitarist sang. "I can feel a cold hand and it isn't fine."
The crowd erupted into a frenzy of cheering as the chorus started.
"It's the witch's ghost! She's the one we fear the most! If she catches us we're toast!" the Hex Girls sang.
But as she sang the chorus, Thorn flinched. You still can't be afraid of Sarah the Wiccan thought. You just fought Alexander with magic….she shuddered. In the past, Thorn would've trembled at the thought of Sarah Ravencroft, even after all these years. But today, the phantom was irrelevant as she shuddered at a concept that were more terrifying than a ghost. An idea that attacked her very identity and faith. A thought she could not shake from her mind no matter how hard she tried.
"There's nothing worse, than a curse! The witch's ghost is on the loose!" the girls continued.
Beep!
The earpiece she had on was going off which, much to her relief, dragged Thorn out of her thoughts and back to the performance. The earpieces allowed the girls to communicate with each other during the song if there was an issue.
"Sing faster. Your pacing was off on that last lyric," she heard Luna say over the earpiece.
Shit. She was so caught up in her mind that she didn't realize that she was not following the song's pacing. She glanced to Luna and nodded.
"We got a ghost problem and the answers in the book." Thorn sang. Eh, the answer is in Albany of all places. She grimaced. Save it for after the show.
"Much better," Luna replied.
Thorn smiled. For a few moments, everything was going well with her performance. But being a witch is the only explanation for what I did. The thought she feared the most popped back into her mind. Thorn shivered, ironically at the same time she sang the lyric that mentioned shivering, at her own thought. No, no, no, she thought while shaking her head.
Beep!
"It's the witch's ghost! She's what we fear the most!" Thorn sang as the beep jolted her back to the performance.
There was no response from Dusk or Luna as they were also singing the chorus, but clearly Thorn had messed up somewhere in the last verse. She could hear her bandmates singing in unison and realized that she was not synchronized with them. In fact, she was a bit behind them. Thorn rushed through the last lyric of the chorus to match her friends' pacing.
Beep!
What now? Thorn grimaced as she clenched her guitar tighter and she felt the pick bend as she played.
"Thorn, slow it down a bit. You're singing too fast," Dusk said.
"She's getting near, she's almost here," Thorn sang as she slowed her singing.
The final chorus began.
"It's the witch's ghost!"
Beep!
Fuck! The pick snapped. Thorn dropped the broken pick and quickly switched over to playing the guitar with her fingers.
Beep!
I know I broke the damn pick! She wanted to scream that thought so badly. As she sang, she glanced over to Dusk and Luna. They looked just as frustrated as she did. Just a few more lines left, Thorn reassured herself as the chorus ended.
"We got a problem," the three girls sang.
Yeah, we sure as hell have a problem.
"We got a problem," the band continued, this time quieter than before.
The girls sang the lyric five more times before the song ended, after which Thorn sighed with relief.
"What was that all about?" Luna asked through the earpiece.
Thorn turned to Dusk and Luna. The black-haired girl mouthed the word "later" and turned back to the crowd. She looked down and sighed. I can't keep doing this. Preforming, sure, she could play on stage all night long if she needed to, but to fight against her own mind was something beyond her. It had already affected her performance and further screwing up the show after having one cancelled wouldn't be good for them. Thorn didn't want to jeopardize her and her friend's career because of her personal issues.
The guitarist looked back up at the crowd. They were applauding and cheering, though not as passionately as before. From the stage, she could see several rows of smiling and happy faces waiting for her to introduce the next song. Thorn smiled. I can't let them down either. No more fighting reality.
Thorn grabbed the microphone.
"So what did we think of the witch?" Thorn asked the crowd which responded with applause.
Thorn smiled.
"Well, she'll be playing a few more songs for you all tonight," Thorn said.
As the crowd cheered even louder than before, it was as if a weight was lifted from her shoulders. She could focus without racing thoughts for the first time this night. Thorn glanced back at her friends. Dusk had a giant grin on her face and winked at Thorn, while Luna gave her nod of approval.
Thorn turned her attention back to the crowd.
"Our next song goes out to some friends of ours who helped us with a ghost," Thorn paused to allow the crowd to cheer. "Here's to those meddlin' kids!"
Thorn let out an exhausted sigh as she leaned up against the wall of the dressing room. She kicked off her heels and rubbed her sore foot. Hard to believe I used to walk around in these all the time. She sighed again as she made her way over to a fridge and pulled out a cold bottle of water. She removed the cap and chugged half the bottle.
"You did a good job performing tonight," Luna complimented.
Thorn finished the water bottle and turned to Luna. She was still in her purple coat and skirt from the performance, though she had removed her necklace and hoop earrings.
"Thanks," Thorn said as she took off her gloves. "You were great too."
Luna nodded and there was a brief silence.
"So," the redhead began. "'The Witch's Ghost.'"
Thorn sighed. She knew it was only a matter of time before Luna brought up the song.
"Yeah, not my best moment on stage," she admitted with a shrug.
Luna smirked.
"Considering everything on your mind, I'm surprised you only had issues with just that song," Luna replied. "But that's not what I'm talking about."
"Oh," Thorn feigned surprise. "What are you talking about then?"
"She's talking about how you finally admitted that you're a witch," a voice shouted from behind.
Luna and Thorn turned around to see Dusk walking by them to the shower. She was dressed in a simple t-shirt and a pair of shorts while she had a towel draped across her neck.
"Hey, do you mind not butting into our conversation," Thorn shot back.
"It's not a private conversation if I could hear it from back there," Dusk riposted.
While she was annoyed that Dusk blurted out the obvious, Thorn admitted to herself that it made speaking about the sensitive topic easier.
"Thanks Dusk," Luna said to defuse situation.
"Glad to be of service," the blonde said with a slight bow as she disappeared into the showers.
"Anyways," Luna said with an awkward pause. "What Dusk was saying…"
"Don't worry about it," Thorn said raising her hand. "That was just a gimmick for the show."
Luna raised an eyebrow. "You're a terrible liar," she said.
Thorn turned to the counter and caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. She sighed.
"Look, I'm still not a hundred percent on board with this witch thing, but I don't know how else to explain the things I've done," Thorn said.
Thorn looked at her reflection for a moment before turning back to Luna. She needed to tell Luna her next course of action.
"And the only way I'm going to get an answer is by going Albany," the black-haired girl exclaimed.
Luna shook her head in disbelief.
"You can't seriously be thinking about going there. We have no idea what's even there," Luna responded.
"Luna I'm sorry, but I'm going to Albany and there is nothing you or anyone else could say to change my mind," Thorn affirmed.
"But there's no way in hell Gus is going let you leave," Luna replied.
"When has that ever stopped us from going somewhere before?" Thorn remarked with shrug.
Luna sighed.
"It's too dangerous to go. You could get hurt or worse…" Luna said trailing off into silence.
Thorn looked to the ground for a moment in hesitation. She sighed.
"I know," Thorn said looking back up at Luna. "But I need answers Luna. If getting answers means putting myself in harm's way, then that's a risk I'm willing to take."
"But…" Luna said shaking her head.
"I'm leaving after I change," Thorn interrupted. "And I'm going alone. I don't want to put you and Dusk in danger again."
Thorn looked back at the ground. As much as she wanted her friends to come with her, she couldn't live with herself if something happened to them because of her. She almost got Dusk and Luna killed last night because of her actions and Thorn realized that she never apologized to them. Her stomach turned at the realization that she was so caught up in her own personal conflict that she failed to see how her friends felt.
"Look, I'm sor…." Thorn began.
"Sally, you're insane," Luna hastily said between quick breaths. "You're not going anywhere alone."
Thorn was taken back, she couldn't remember the last time Luna called by her actual name and the black-haired girl didn't know how to respond. Mouth agape, she simply stared at Luna in complete shock.
"When Dusk gets out the shower, all three of us are going to talk about this," Luna said as she walked past Thorn, her tone serious yet filled with disappointment.
Thorn sighed as she watched her friend walk off into another room. Thorn bit her lip and turned to the mirror above the counter. She glared at her reflection.
"Damnit!" she shouted.
The mirror cracked and splintered before shattering into hundreds of tiny pieces of glass that rained down onto the counter. Thorn gasped and took a few steps back as the glass spilled onto the floor. Thorn glanced at the broken mirror and shook her head in confusion. She stormed off toward a changing room, her mind torn between finding answers and her friends.