The atmosphere in the living room of Pierre's General Store was tense, to say the least. It reminded Abigail of being sent to the principal's office in high school. Not only were her parents and Rasmodius there, so were Robin, Maru, and Harvey. They sat in a hastily-assembled circle of mismatched chairs.

"Sebastian and I had just left the saloon, and were walking along the railroad tracks."

Abigail saw Pierre's expression darken. She looked down and continued.

"I heard a laugh, then looked up and saw the witch. I told Sebastian that we should head to his house, that the witch doesn't like Rasmodius so she probably doesn't like me. We headed south, toward his house."

"Did you say anything to the witch?" Rasmodius asked.

"No."

"Did you make any gestures or faces when you looked up at her?"

"Only one of abject terror," Abigail answered flatly.

Maru snorted as she tried to hold in a giggle. "I'm sorry," she said. "I know you weren't trying to be funny…"

Rasmodius wrote in a hardback book. "Continue, Abigail."

"She turned me into a frog. At first, I didn't know what was going on, only that I was in pain all the way down to my bones, and that I had somehow gotten smaller. I knew I needed warmth and water."

"Frog transformations are uncomfortable," Rasmodius said.

"Then she turned Sebastian into a frog. She…" A lump rose in Abigail's throat. "She picked him up by the leg," she said, speaking slowly and deliberately, "and threw him like a frisbee, southbound and downward." Tears spilled from her eyes. Caroline left the room.

"At that point, you two were separated, correct?"

"Yeah. The witch grabbed me, and we flew on her broom to the mountain cave. I couldn't stop her. I'm sorry. I didn't want to jump, because I didn't know how well a frog can land…" Her voice wavered and trailed off.

Caroline ran back into the room with a glass of water and a handful of tissues. She gave Abigail a quick pat on the back, then sat down beside her.

"Abigail," Rasmodius said, "You are not in trouble. You did your best. We are merely trying to determine whether the witch violated any of the Laws of Sorcery-"

"She better have, she nearly freaking killed Sebastian!"

"Don't you think you're being a little dramatic?" Pierre whispered. "Don't scare his mother like that!"

"No! I'm not! I was there!"

"Actually," Harvey said timidly, "Abigail's right." He was drowned out by yelling.

"But he's recovering!" Pierre hissed. "Think of how Robin must feel as a parent!"

"Think of how Sebastian must feel in the hospital!" Abigail made no effort to keep her voice in check. "Read the doctor's notes!"

"I have them right here," Harvey mumbled.

"Excuse me!" Rasmodius stood. "Now is not the time for fighting, nor for gross sentimentality. I need to know the truth to deliver it to the Enchanters Tribunal. Robin. Maru. This may be upsetting. We will review the extent of Sebastian's injuries. You are welcome to leave."

Robin and Maru looked at each other. Both shook their heads.

"I hope this is better information than we got at the hospital," Robin said.

"If nothing else, it'll be more thorough. Harvey writes a good report." Maru scooted her chair closer to Robin and put her arm around her mom's shoulder. "It's not great news, though."

"Harvey. Read the report." Rasmodius sat and opened his book again.

Harvey cleared his throat and shuffled his papers. "Arrived on scene to find a 22-year-old male complaining of severe pain all over, and shortness of breath. Patient had two-word dyspnea. LPN on scene had exposed patient's chest…"

Harvey's report was full of medical jargon. Every once in a while, when Robin or Rasmodius looked particularly confused, Maru would interject. "That means he broke multiple ribs in multiple places," she'd say. "That means he was alert at first, but then got loopy because his brain was low on oxygen." At times, Maru's eyes would widen and she'd lean back in her chair, prompting a question from Robin. "When he was in surgery, his heart started beating way too fast."

"Patient is currently in Zuzu City Hospital intensive care unit in a medically induced coma. Sedation will be decreased and patient will be extubated within three to five days." Harvey put his papers back in a manila folder. "If...if the question was whether he was close to death, the answer is...maybe."

Rasmodius gave him a withering look.

"If Abigail and Maru hadn't acted as quickly as they did, he would have died, possibly while he was still a frog." Harvey was visibly sweating. "But, since Abigail was able to...ah...change him back to a form we can work with more easily, and because Maru was able to give first aid and call an ambulance, what could have been fatal injuries were treated with few complications."

"Could have been fatal," Rasmodius said. "That is what I needed to know. The witch acted without provocation and inflicted injuries on an uninvolved and non-magical party that could have been fatal. Thank you, Harvey. You are dismissed. Robin and Maru, you will leave as well."

Harvey and Robin walked out of the room immediately. Maru went over to Abigail and gave her a hug. "Thanks for your help," she whispered. "Good luck with whatever comes next. Let me know if you need anything."

"A freaking drink," Abigail quipped.

"Saloon tonight?"

"YES."

"No!" The wizard's voice was harsh. "Abigail, the tribunal will be meeting this afternoon. I will present my evidence then, and the witch will be sanctioned. She will most likely retaliate. I would like you to be sequestered in the tower as you continue your training, so that you may be covered by the Charm of Protection at all times."

"Sequestered?"

"Locked away."

"Where would she sleep?" Pierre stood, glaring at the wizard.

"Wherever she'd like," Rasmodius explained calmly. "My tower has one bed. It is too small for two people to sleep. So, at night, Abigail would be turned into a small creature, most likely a cat, and sleep that way."

Maru couldn't help it this time. She giggled out loud. "I'm sorry, I'm just getting this image of you curled up in a cardboard box by the fire…"

Abigail giggled, too, more out of nerves than anything else.

"Abigail. If you choose to continue your training, you will report to the tower at 5:00pm with the minimum amount of belongings that you may need. You will be locked away in the tower for at least three seasons, possibly more depending on your aptitude and the witch's actions."

Caroline gasped.

"I shall be in the tower, preparing a presentation for the tribunal." With that, he disappeared in a flash of light.

"Saloon….now?" Maru asked.

"YES."

"It's ten in the morning, honey…" Caroline spoke hesitantly.

"I'll call Emily, she owes me a favor."

"Are you really going to lock yourself in the wizard's tower until next year?"

Abigail was silent.

"You could come back to the store," Caroline said quickly, "I'd be glad to let you do the books, honey, and your credits at the college don't expire. We could do the shelves together. You could get back in the band with Sebastian and Sam." Her eyes welled up with tears. "I know you like spending time with Sebastian, how would you feel if he found another girlfriend when you were in the tower?"

"Mom!" Abigail grabbed Caroline's hands. "He's not my boyfriend. Now, listen. I love you. I love you and Dad more than I ever thought I could love two other people, and I appreciate the chance you gave me to study magic. We talk about this every Sunday night: I love magic. It is what I'm meant to do. I'm not looking forward to being locked in the tower, either, but I'm gonna do it. Who's to say the witch wouldn't come after me here even if I stopped learning? Now, I'm going to call Emily. Maru and I are going to the bar, where we will drink wine and moan about how much this is gonna suck for everyone. I'm going to come home, pack a box with my pajamas and my toothbrush, and lock myself in that tower until I'm a strong enough witch to stand on my own."