Author's Note: At long last, I am continuing this fanfic. Sorry this took a while. It's an original chapter, which usually takes forever to make. Plus, I've been racing with ideas until I finally settled on this one.
Now that I did this, I can start brainstorming for the next chapter, will will introduce a certain mother.
Enjoy the chapter. Any and all comments are welcome.
Everyone gathered in the Owl Sanctum living room for an emergency meeting which was led by Clea. She stood in front of a chalkboard with a drawing of Baron Mordo written on it with chalk.
"Okay, everyone." She said. "As you know, there is no record of my existence. Everything Baron Mordo told me turned out to be a lie."
"Ugh. Karl Mordo." Eda said in disgust. "That guy keeps coming up with creative ways to mess with us."
"You don't have to remind me." Lilith said with a lowered head.
"So what's the plan, Clea?" Stephen asked.
"Glad you asked, Stephen."
"Psst." Luz whispered getting her brother's attention. "Stephen. You should totally blow kisses at her."
"Luz, this is serious." Stephen replied softly.
"To answer your question," Clea went on, "The first thing I gotta do is find out where I really came from. Odalia Blight said that the orphanage where I came from never existed. Mordo told me that he rescued me from the wild witch, Umar, there when she threatened my life. But if there was no orphanage, there must be something wrong with that story. Lilith, you knew Mordo better than the rest of us. Do you know anything about what happened that day?"
"Well, I don't know all the details." Lilith said. "I had just become a full-fledged member of the Emperor's Coven. I needed more experience before I could be associated with Mordo."
"Just tell us what you do know." Clea said. "Please. It'll help a lot."
Lilith sighed. "Okay. Like I said, I wasn't there, but from what I've heard, it started out as whispers and rumors of a wild witch named Umar performing forbidden spells from the inside of her home. The Emperor's Coven investigated her for months before they finally found the evidence they needed, and Mordo was chosen to lead the raid into her house. Of course, Umar wasn't going to give up without a fight. The Coven Scouts chased her into Bonesborough where a wild magic fight took place all over the streets. After a while, it was all down to Mordo and Umar. The fight ended with Umar burned to a dead crisp."
"Is there anything else?" Clea asked. "There's gotta be more to it than that."
"Not much really." Lilith said. "All I know is that there was a fight and Mordo won. After that, he was praised for his victory and Emperor Belos personally rewarded him with a baron title and the right to own Umar's property."
"He gave her the house of the witch who was his enemy?" King asked.
"Well, it's not like Umar was using it anymore."
"What about other Coven scouts?" Clea asked. "You said he led a raid party, right? So surely, someone must know what happened."
"Can't think of anyone. Sorry." Lilith shrugged.
Clea sighed. "Well, it looks like we're going to have to do this the hard way."
"What's the hard way?" Stephen asked nervously.
"We're going to have to confront Mordo and ask him ourselves."
"…WHAT?!"
Clea headed to the weapons room where she browsed around for weapons. She was about to reach for a sword when Eda grabbed her from behind and dragged her away.
"Slow down, snow-hair." She said. "Let's circle back to what you said, about looking for Mordo."
"He's the only one with answers about my past." Clea said. "I don't like it, but I have to."
"But if he catches you, he's never going to let you go." Stephen said. "You know he has something big planned that he needs you for."
"Well, what else am I supposed to do?" Clea asked worryingly. "I can't go to Hexside. I can't just stay here. I can't even recognize myself. I mean, who am I? I don't know that unless I get some answers, which I can only get from Baron Mordo."
"Time out, everyone." Luz said. "Okay. So maybe Mordo does know where Clea really comes from. And it is dangerous to just go after him without a plan. So perhaps… we think of a plan."
"What kind of plan?" Stephen asked.
"Ooh! Can we do the kind of plan where we throw an axe at Mordo?" King asked. "That'll be 'burying the hatchet', am I right? Hehehe."
"Kind, I don't want to kill him." Clea said. "I still need him to talk."
"Hey, a demon can dream, can't he?" King asked.
"Hmm… What we need is some kind of magic that'll paralyze him until we get all the answers we need." Eda said.
"Paralyze…" Stephen repeated before snapping his fingers. "I got it! Wait right here." He ran away from the group for a few minutes. When he returned, he held the Ancient One's journal in his hands. "I think I know what can help."
"An Ancient One relic?" Lilith asked.
"That's right." Stephen opened up the book to a page which showed a set of long, red ribbons wrapping itself around a figure drawn in the journal. "The book calls them the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak."
"Cyttorak?" Luz asked. "Wait, like the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak, the thing we found at Man-Thing's island?"
"According to this book, the Crimson Bands act as the antithesis of the Crimson Gem. The bands have the power to mystically hold anything in its place, even someone who was enchanted by the gem's enlargement properties. The Ancient One notes that victims can only be freed by the ones who bound them and the only thing the bands can't contain so far are Titans."
"Sounds like just what we need." Clea said. "What does the book say about it?"
Stephen looked in the book and read the text aloud. "'The Crimson Bands of Cyttorak lay in a box, where there are slippery guards in place of locks. At the lowest depths where lightning can swim, just one bite is far too grim."
"Slippery guards? Swimming lightning?" King asked. "How's anyone supposed to make sense of that."
"Well, it sounds to me like the Ancient One was describing electric eels," Stephen said, "But I can't really find any animal like that in the Boiling Isles zoology books, so…"
"Hold on!" Eda yelled out. She flashed a smile for everyone to see. "I got it! The bands must be hidden in Lake Elexon."
Lilith widened her eyes. "Edalyn, you can't possibly suggest…"
"Oh, come on, Lily. Don't you think that'd be a good place to hide a relic?" Eda asked.
"Well… I guess it would be."
"What's at Lake Elexon?" Stephen asked.
"No time to explain." Eda said with an excited smile on her face. "Onward to imminent danger!" She grabbed Stephen and Luz by their wrists and ran off dragging them behind her.
"Ooh. I love seeing people in pain." King said scurrying after them.
Only Clea and Lilith remained in the armory room. It was an awkward silence until Clea finally broke it. "Well, I guess we should follow them."
"Clea, wait." Lilith stopped. "Before we do, I have to ask. Are you sure you want to do this? It's incredibly risky."
"There's nothing else I can do." Clea said. "Something's wrong, and I need to fix it. It's the only way I can put my life together."
Lilith lowered her head keeping her eyes on Clea giving her a sympathetic look.
"Here we are, kids. Lake Elexon." Eda said after leading everyone deep into the forest. They stopped when they came across a very large lake with bright-blue flashes lighting up in certain places around the water. "What do you think?"
"It's very… flashy." Luz answered.
"That's because of the lightning eels." Eda explained.
"Uh, don't you mean 'electric eels'?" Stephen asked.
"Nope." Eda responded. He pointed into the water where the kids got a closer look. They saw what appeared to be normal eels, but were suddenly surrounded by a lot of electricity which caused the water to flash.
"Cool." Luz smiled.
"And dangerous." Lilith said. "These eels are the most expensive fish in the Boiling Isles because they are the most elusive. They protect themselves by randomly flashing electricity around their bodies that are more powerful than actual lightning. And if one of them bites you… Well, I'll just leave it to your imagination."
"Yeah. I've always wanted to swim here and take a couple of these bad boys to school with me," Eda said, "But a certain someone forbade it." She turned to look at Lilith.
"I stopped you because it was suicide." Lilith said.
"So the bands are at the bottom of this lake?" Clea asked.
"Hard to say." Lilith said. "The bottom of the lake is obscured by the afterglow of the lightning eels' flashes. Though, it would make this an ideal hiding spot."
"So how do we get the bands?" King asked.
"I don't know." Stephen said opening the journal. "The Ancient One didn't say anything about how to get them out of the lake."
"What kind of all-knowing Sorcerer Supreme doesn't tell us how to swim past a bunch of murderous fish?" Luz asked.
"Well, they're usually more passive when they're asleep, but it's hours away from nighttime." Eda said. "I could cast a sleeping spell on the whole lake, but I don't have my magic, so I can't do squat."
"Then teach me." Stephen volunteered. "I can cast the spell while someone else swims down and gets the bands."
"Yeah. Sounds like a plan." Luz said.
"Actually," Lilith said, "I think it'll be better if I teach Clea how to cast it."
"What? Me?" Clea asked. "Why?"
"It's just… faster." Lilith said pausing for a moment in the middle. "Yeah. After you cast the spell, then Stephen will launch down the lake with the Cloak of Levitation boosting his speed."
"That sounds like it's not necessary," Stephen said, "But then again, I guess it really doesn't matter who casts the sleeping spell."
"Um, okay." Clea said unsure.
"Well, if anyone's thirsty, I brought along some homemade apple blood." Eda offered.
"Eda, no." Stephen said. "Last time I drank one of those, I hallucinated that I was made of paint."
"Come on." Eda pleaded. "I think I got the formula right this time."
"Eda, no." Stephen said. There was a brief moment of silence. "Nooooo."
"Fine." Eda said grumbled.
For the next five minutes, Lilith instructed Clea on perfecting a sleeping spell. They had to practice on a few bugs before trying it out in real life. While they did that, the others sat around nearby. Stephen looked at Clea with an uneasy look.
"Something on your mind, bro?" Luz asked.
"It's just…" Stephen sighed. "I'm worried about Clea."
"You don't have to be." Eda said. "Lily's a good teacher. I'm sure Clea will handle that spell easily. She won't let you fry."
"It's not the spell that I'm worried about." Stephen said. "Ever since Odalia told her there was no official record of her existence, Clea hasn't been the same."
"Well, her whole worldview was shattered." Eda said. "Of course, she'll be behaving differently."
"But that's why we're doing this." King said. "Once we get the answers from Mordo, Clea will be all right again."
"How do we know that?" Stephen asked. "I mean, we don't even know if the secret he's keeping is anything good. For all we know, it could be worse."
"Well, how do you suggest we help her then." Luz asked.
Stephen stayed silent unable to give an answer.
Clea took a deep breath pointing her finger at a nearby bug. She twirled it and released a beam of light that made it collapse and close its eyes peacefully.
"How's that? I didn't kill it, right?" Clea asked.
"No, no. You did great." Lilith said. "You're just about ready for those eels."
"Thanks." Clea smiled proudly, but only for a second. She looked back to Lilith. "Why did you insist on teaching me this spell? Surely, I wasn't needed."
"It's just…" Lilith said. "Look, I know you said you have to confront Mordo to get your life together, but what if that's not the only way? I guess I… I needed some time with you to be sure."
"Sure of what?" Clea asked.
Lilith opened her mouth, but no words escaped from it. Instead, she stood up. "You know what? Now's not the time. We got bands to uncover."
"Um, okay." Clea said standing up as well. "We're ready, guys!"
The others got up and joined Clea and Lilith near the lake. Clea took a breath before reaching her arm out pointing at the lake. She slowly motioned it into a large circle. She then thrusted her hand at it letting the beam blanket the entire lake. Everyone waited and saw a lot fewer flashes of light emit from the lake.
"It looks like they're snoozing now." Eda said. "Stephen, you're up."
"On it." Stephen said. He spread out the Cloak of Levitation and flew above the lake. He then dropped down into the water quickly.
Holding his breath, Stephen swam downward in the water and passed by the sleeping eels affected by Clea's spell. He accelerated his speed until he reached the bottom where an old box rested half-buried in the ground. Stephen grabbed the chest by its handles and pulled it up with all his strength. Within a few seconds, the chest was free and Stephen used the cloak to pull himself back up. He was finally able to breathe again once he splashed out of the lake and rejoined the others.
"You did it!" Luz said proudly. "You got the bands!"
"Yeah." Stephen said before noticing the lock hanging at the front of the box. "Now, all we need to do is somehow get it open. I'm sure the key must be…"
"HIYA!" Eda shouted launching a kick at the lock. It shattered to pieces upon impact.
"Or we could just do that." Stephen said.
The gang opened the box and looked inside. Clea reached in to pull out a set of long, red ribbons. "Are these the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak?"
"How do we tell?" Luz asked.
Clea looked over to a bird nearby and threw it. The bands glowed red before wrapping themselves tightly around the bird. It screeched loudly in protest before being unable to move.
"That works." Luz said.
"Now, let's go get Karl." Eda said with determination.
The gang crouched as soon as they entered the edge of Baron Mordo's land. They hid themselves within the bushes and peeked out to find Clea's former home.
"Dang, that's where you lived." Luz said. "It's even fancier than Amity's place. Although, it's a bit more gothic."
"Yeah. We had the Construction Coven try to renovate it, but even Head Witch Mason couldn't brighten it up." Clea said.
"How do we know Mordo is inside?" Stephen asked.
"Trust me, he is." Clea said. "This is his brooding hour, as I like to call it. Mostly, he just stands around the living room while the fireplace is lit."
"That guy seriously needs to get a life." King commented.
"Okay, so I thought of a plan." Lilith said. "Edalyn, you sneak in through the back. I'll go in through the front. Edalyn, you and King find a backway. Kids, you wait here until we give you the signal."
"What signal?" Stephen asked.
"Let's just go simple." Eda said. "You'll know it's us."
The kids nodded and the Clawthorne sisters circled around the house.
Lilith carefully opened the front door and eerily stepped into the house. She kept her head down while holding the Crimson Bands in her hands. She stopped when she reached the corner of the living room. She peeked finding Mordo looking over the fireplace staring at the burning embers. It looked as though she could easily sneak behind him and he wouldn't know it.
When Lilith looked across the living room, she saw Eda coming in from an adjacent kitchen. They gave each other a silent nod before Eda pulled something out of her pocket. It was a flask full of a red potion. She tossed it over to the wall in front of Mordo and it lit up on impact finally getting a reaction from him.
While Mordo was surprised by the flash of red, the Clawthorne sisters made their move. They slid behind him and waited for him to face them. Lilith shot her arms out releasing the bands and watching them bind themselves tightly around Mordo's chest and arms. He gritted his teeth as he fell to his knees before looking up at the women who bound him.
"You two." He growled.
"Gotcha now, Karl." Eda snickered. "Your name still sounds stupid."
"Kids, we got him! Come on in!"
Hearing Lilith's assurance eased the minds of all the kids. They stepped out of the bushes and began heading to the house.
"Finally." Clea said in relief. "Time for some answers."
"Let's just be careful about this, Clea." Stephen said. "We may not like what we learn."
"It can't be any worse than what I already imagined." Clea said.
"Well, whatever we learn, we'll handle it together." Luz said.
"While we raid Mordo's fridge." King added. "All this treasure-hunting and bad-guy-napping has given me a case of the munchies."
The kids entered through the open front door, but when they entered, their eagerness had quickly turned to worry. They froze in place seeing the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak tying up not Baron Mordo, but Eda and Lilith Clawthorne. The two witches were trapped while spare ribbons were wrapped around their mouths. Baron Mordo stood between the two free and unbound.
"Welcome to the party, children." Mordo said eerily with Lilith's voice. He cleared his throat until he spoke in his normal voice again. "I wish I had tidied up."
"You? Free? How?" Luz asked frantically.
"I freed myself and turned the tables on these two."
"Impossible." Stephen said. "Only a Titan can free himself from the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak."
"Well, then, it's a good thing I have a piece of the Titan on me." Mordo reached into his pocket and pulled out a small vial with a cerulean liquid inside. "This is called Titan's Blood, a highly potent and extremely rare substance born from the veins of the Titan. It pained me to use a tiny bit of what I had left, but thankfully I didn't use up all of it. I need it for later."
"Oh, you jerk!" Luz shouted. "Free those witches now or…"
"Or what?" Mordo asked clasping onto Eda and Lilith's shoulders firmly to make his point. "You can't stop me."
"We'll see about that." Stephen said. He reached out his hand circled his finger, but much to his surprise, no light was born from it. He tried again, but he couldn't even start the circle. "What the…"
"For a smart child, Strange, you seem to be less than observant. Look around the walls." Mordo instructed.
The kids looked around the room and high near the top of the walls. They fixed their eyes on strange glyphs emitting red light at every side of the downstairs level of the house.
"What are these?" Luz asked.
"Witch's Runes." Mordo said. "Within an enclosed space, only the witch who made the runes can use magic. I had them prepared just for you, Clea."
"For me?" Clea asked.
"Did you really think I didn't anticipate you would do this?" Mordo asked gesturing his arms around everything. "In fact, I counted on it. I knew I had no chance of getting you at the Owl Sanctum, so I decided to have you come to me. And now, here we are."
"What?" Clea asked horrified by the realization.
"So you gave Odalia the evidence of Clea's fake records knowing that if Clea heard it, she would go you for answers." Stephen surmised. "It was all just an elaborate trap."
"You dirty dog." Luz glared at Mordo.
"Call me whatever you want. It doesn't change anything. I already called the Emperor's Coven and reported intruders trying to assault me in my home. They'll be here any minute to take you all to the Conformatorium. Well, everyone except for Clea, of course. She's still instrumental for the Day of Unity."
Clea gritted her teeth nearly on the verge of tears. After a loud growl, she stomped one foot closer to Mordo. "Why are you doing this to me, Mordo?! You lied! You manipulated me! You used me! You even faked my past! Why?! You owe me that much at least!"
Mordo stared silently for a second before giving his answer. "Fine. It all began fifteen years ago, the day I vanquished the wild witch, Umar. Me and my team chased her into town. There was a fight. In the end, it came down to me and her. I'll spare you the details of the fight, but in the end, I defeated her. Emperor Belos himself acknowledged my efforts and rewarded me for my loyalty. I was give the title of 'Baron Karl Mordo'…"
Behind her gag, Eda couldn't help but laugh.
"…And I was permitted to claim Umar's property as my own. I thanked him for his generosity and proceeded to move into my new home. That very same day, I heard a feint sound. It sounded as though a baby was crying. I followed the sound to a secret room. There, I found a crib with a baby girl inside. Umar's daughter."
"Umar…" Clea repeated silently. She took loud, heavy breaths as she looked at her trembling hands. She knew then what he was trying to say. "So I'm…"
Mordo nodded. "The first time I saw you, I pitied you. How it was so sad for a baby girl to lose her mother. I also feared how the rest of the Boiling Isles would react if they knew the truth, that your mother was one of the vilest wild witches ever. So I did what I thought was right. I covered up the truth about your mother, forged adoption papers, and took you in."
Stephen and Luz turned their eyes at Clea, who's eyes were lost in a trance-like state. Tears began to finally drip softly from her eyes.
"I know it's hard to hear." Mordo continued. "That's why I didn't want to tell you before. I thought you weren't ready."
"Then why all the manipulation?" Stephen asked. "That can't just be to protect her from the truth."
Mordo glared at Stephen before answering to Clea. "On your first day of Hexside, I found another secret of Umar's. As it turned out, she was planning on using Clea for a certain agenda to happen during the Day of Unity. And although it pains me to do so, I must finish what she started."
"Why?" Luz asked. "Umar was your enemy. Why would you carry on her work? Why not just keep raising Clea like a daughter instead of a tool?"
"It's complicated." Mordo replied. "Let's just say it's to do with why I joined the Emperor's Coven in the first place. But that's enough talk. Any moment, the coven scouts will barge through the door and take you all in. As for Clea, I'll just tell them that she was a victim of… AAAGH!"
Everyone just noticed how King was able to jump onto Mordo and sink his teeth into his arm. The Emperor's Coven head swung his arm around trying to throw King off, but the little demon refused to let go.
"King, be careful!" Luz warned.
"GET OFF OF ME, YOU… WHATEVER YOU ARE!" Mordo shouted. He was finally able to used his other hand to grab King and pry him off of his arm. He then threw him away from himself and dropped him between the Clawthorne sisters. "You flea-bitten, little…"
"Thief!" King interrupted. When he returned to his feet, he held up the vial of Titan's Blood that Mordo had. "Weh!"
The evil witch frantically searched his pockets finding them empty. "NO!" He shouted before King popped off the vial's top and fired the substance onto the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak. He then grabbed the bands and pulled them off of the witches freeing them from their bonds.
"Now, I may not have magic, Karl!" Eda said revealing her staff. "But I don't need it to do this!" She swung her weapon and bludgeoned Mordo in the face with it. "Come on! Let's bounce before the Emperor's Coven's on top of us!"
The rushed out the door and ran as fast as they could to leave the premises. But before they could get far, Baron Mordo followed. He couldn't catch up with them with his head concussed, so he reached out his hand and casted a spell. Immediately, a wall sprouted from the ground right in front of Stephen, Luz, and the others. They turned around facing Mordo.
"None of you are going anywhere!" Mordo shouted. "I may have lost the Titan's Blood, but I'm sure I'll find more! I can't complete the plan without it or you, Clea! You are staying here with me while all your friends just…"
"OH, SHUT UP!" Clea shouted before casting a spell of her own. A familiar beam of light escaped her fingers and hit Mordo in the face. He fell unconscious and into a deep sleep.
"Was that the sleeping spell?" Eda asked.
"I think so. I acted on instinct." Clea said.
"Not gonna lie. That's pretty cool." Stephen said.
"Let's just get out of here before the guards show up." Lilith said.
The group left Mordo lying on the grass. What they didn't see, however, was a mysterious figure grabbing Mordo by his ankles and dragging him back inside the house.
Once everyone returned to the Owl Sanctum, Hooty presented everyone with a cup of fresh tea. "Hope everyone's thirsty."
"Thank you, Hootsifer." Lilith said accepting her tea. She and Eda looked over at the kids, mostly at Clea who looked the most miserable.
"Okay." Eda said. "So today wasn't the most successful plan, but look on the bright side."
"What bright side?" Luz asked.
"Well… We didn't get caught." Eda said. "And we did learn something about Clea today."
"Yeah. We learned I'm the daughter an evil witch who wanted to use me for something evil," Clea said, "And now, the man who killed her, raised me, and lied about my past wants to use me for the same thing. Nothing messed up there."
"I'm sorry, Clea." Stephen said. "I wish there was…"
"There isn't!" Clea cried out. She stood up instantly trying to fight back her tears. "I said before that anything we find can't be worse than what I imagined! Well, as it turned out, it is worse! And we don't even know the full story, so it could even be worse! I thought that by finding out about my past, I could start rebuilding my life! But I can't! How can I possibly move on now that I know all this! I… I…" She fell to her knees sobbing into her hands. "Why is my life full of darkness?"
Clea continued to sob. Nobody dared to speak up. None of them were able to come up with a way to help her. Well, that's not entirely true. One person stood up and approached her. This person stopped Clea's cries by gently placing her hand on her shoulder.
It was Lilith.
"Wait until morning." Lilith said. "You and I will go to Bonesborough for a special errand."
When Mordo woke up, he found himself in the hidden chamber of his house. He looked across at the mirror where Dormammu's face was displayed on the glass. Standing over him was a tall woman with black hair, black lipstick, and a black dress. She offered her hand and helped Mordo back to his feet.
"What happened?" he asked.
"Clea and her compatriots escaped." The black-haired woman said. "The plan failed."
Mordo groaned. "And the Emperor's Coven?"
"After I dragged you back in here, I casted an illusion of you just before the scouts came in." the black-haired woman said. "I told them it was a false alarm and sent them on your way. That's also when I found the remains of the vial that held the Titan's Blood."
Mordo looked away in shame.
"This is grave news, Mordo." Dormammu said. "Not only do we not possess the girl, but we lost the Titan's Blood. I fear we may not be able to find any more of that before the Day of Unity."
"We will. I won't fail again." Mordo said before turning to the black-haired woman. "Why didn't you assist me?"
"I didn't think you needed help dealing with two powerless witches and three children."
"Don't underestimate them, including Clea." Mordo said. "Don't forget, she's your daughter, Umar."
"Enough!" Dormammu roared exploding into a wave of fire. "At this point, we're going to have to improvise. We need everything in place at the Titan's skull on the Day of Unity if we're all going to get what we want. As for you two, keep doing what you're doing."
"Yes, m'lord." Mordo bowed before clenching his teeth in pain. He felt a great soreness coming from his left arm.
"What's wrong with you?" Umar asked.
"It's the Owl Lady's little mascot." Mordo said rolling up his sleeve to reveal the bite mark. "It's adorable, but a pest."
Dormammu fixed his demonic eyes on the bite mark. That's when they widened. "Wait. Show me that bite."
Although he was confused, Mordo brought his arm closer to the mirror so his master would have a better look. Dormammu studied the bite for a few moments before letting out a small laugh, which then grew bigger and louder.
"Dormammu, what is it?" Umar asked.
"This is just perfect!" Dormammu said with a smile on his face. "The Owl Lady doesn't even know what she has living under her roof!"
"What do you mean?" Mordo asked.
"We may have lost the Titan's Blood," Dormammu said, "But we just found something even better."
The next day, Clea and Lilith exited the Owl Sanctum and headed into Bonesborough. They didn't say much during their walk until they stopped in front of a building. Clea looked up at the sign.
"'Bonesborough Courthouse'?" Clea asked. "Wait, what are we doing here?"
"Just watch." Lilith said entering the courthouse.
Clea followed Lilith into the building and into one of the offices inside. There, they waited until a witch with curly, blue hair, glasses, and a black suit joined them. She presented a set of papers for them.
"Welcome, Ms. Clawthorne. And you must be Clea." She said.
"Uh, yeah. That's me." Clea answered.
"Great. Now, Ms. Clawthorne," she pushed a paper to Lilith, "By signing this, you agree to not only take care of, but provide to the health, welfare, and educational needs of this young lady."
"I do." Lilith agreed.
The witch turned over to Clea. "And Clea, do you agree to this adoption?"
Clea gasped silently. She turned over to Lilith with widened eyes. "Adoption? You're…"
Lilith nodded smiling. "It's something I've been thinking about for a while now. You thought finding more about your past would help, that it'll help you get your life together, but all it did was hurt you more. So maybe what you need isn't to learn of your past, but a new present. After all, it's who you are now that matters, not who you were then. No one understands that more than me. I mean, I did think about helping raise you all this time, so I figured it was time to make it official. And since you'll have an official adoption, you can attend Hexside again."
Clea was at a loss of words. Tears escaped her eyes again, but this time, they were happy tears. She reached over and embraced Lilith who hugged her back.
"Thank you, Lilith." Clea sobbed softly. "Thank you."
"Ma'am," the lawyer said, "I still need your consent to make it legal. Do you, Clea, accept this adoption and officially become Clea Clawthorne?"
Clea broke the hug and turned to the lawyer with eyes full of newfound hope. "I do."
