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Chapter 16
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Sabrina is still reeling. After Puck left, she gave herself a minute to compose herself and join everyone else at dinner. Things are pretty spirited and chatty, but she's admittedly...struggling. All the kissing caused this body to–uh, well–react, and she cannot look Henry Grimm in the eye all evening.
Since Sabrina and Puck aren't really up to playing up their parts, Daphne and Jake pick up the slack. The two mess with the lemonade, Daphne using a spell to make it float around everyone's heads. Jake regales everyone with a story from their trip this summer, toning down the most dangerous parts. It's mostly normal antics for the family. No one seems to notice a certain fairy isn't adding to the mess by flicking food around the room. Which is good, because the last thing on Sabrina's mind is joking around.
As she slouches over her baked octopus, she realizes her back hardly hurts at all. Her thoughts drift back to what Daphne said about True Love's kiss and she's embarrassed all over again. She can't believe her sister is most likely right about her theory.
Of everything she tries to ignore, Puck is the hardest. He sits right next to her, imperiously stoic. He won't look at her either. But she can spot the two small blotches of red on his cheeks.
They claw their way through dinner, inch by inch before the family begins to disperse.
Sabrina stays at the table, pretending she's still hungry, munching on leftovers. As if. She can hardly taste it, she's so wired.
I hate being him, she grumbles in her thoughts. I am going to relish being done with this.
And not just because then their no kissing pact will be over.
Of course.
She waits a good hour before moving from her seat and sneaking upstairs. She quietly opens her door and lets it click shut behind her. She goes to the window and opens it. Her wings pop out, and flutter softly. A small ache trembles up through them, but, otherwise, they're great.
She floats down and makes her way into the woods. A hundred feet in, she finds the group.
"Took you long enough," Puck grumbles, pointedly ignoring her face.
Sabrina scowls. "I'm here now." Her voice cracks on the last word. She clears her throat, seeing that Jake is pretending not to notice their potent irritation with each other. "Let's go."
"Take hands," Daphne orders, brandishing the ring. "And don't let go until we're at the museum."
Jake takes Daphne's ringed hand, and Puck takes his. He holds out a hand to Sabrina.
She considers snubbing the gesture, but can't help grabbing onto him. Warmth blossoms between their palms. Sabrina hates that it feels so nice.
"Off we go," Daphne announces cheerily, activating the magic.
After three stomach-roiling jumps, they appear in front of a fancy looking museum.
A sign in front of it reads, Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art
Puck lets go of Sabrina's hand, letting it swing loose between them.
Daphne watches the teens. They're decidedly...less normal than usual. Even knowing that they're switched, something weird is definitely going on between them right now. But there's no time to put her detective mind to them; they need to complete the mission.
"Baba Yaga said the address ended with the tag, 'the way downstairs exhibit'."
"Do you think any of the security or greeters will know?" Sabrina asks, shoving other thoughts away. "They might all be mortal."
"It's worth asking," Jake says. "Worst thing that will happen is they think we're nuts."
As casually as possible, the group goes towards the front doors where a greeter is talking about the pros and cons of guided vs audio tours.
Jake patiently waits for his turn. "Hi," he says when they step forward.
"Hi there!" the woman says with way too much enthusiasm and teeth. "Do you have any questions about admissions or–"
Jake coughs. "Uh, no. I have a question about one of your potential exhibits."
"Oh, yes?"
"Where can I find 'the way downstairs'?"
Something strange happens to the greeter. She blinks, her excellent posture slumping. Her eyes close. When she next opens them, they're glazed over. "That will be over there," she points to the side of the building. "Thirty bricks over five up, with the crest. Knock four times." She shivers and her gaze returns to normal. She smiles again, although it's slightly less shiny and bright. "Can I help you with anything else?"
Their whole group just stares at her, but Daphne manages to say, "no, thank you."
They scurry away, letting the greeter speak to other potential museum goers.
"Well, that was weird," Sabrina comments unnecessarily.
Daphne frowns. "She was definitely under some enchantment."
Puck huffs in irritation. "They can't even do their own dirty work."
Around a clump of bushes, they follow the wall and count bricks. Sure enough, the fifth one has a small, almost unnoticeable indentation of a few squiggly lines and swooping swirls.
Taking a deep breath, Jake reaches out and knocks four times. Almost instantly, a glowing line of blue creates an arched doorway. Jake takes a surprised step backward.
A man appears in the entrance, wearing a pressed baby blue suit. His hair is dark and thick, styled professionally.
"Good evening," he says, his voice giving Sabrina eerie flashbacks to Aspen. "What brings you to our fine establishment?"
Daphne steps forward, trying to appear taller. "We are here for the zoo and its amenities."
He gives her an appraising look then lets his gaze flicker across the others. His eyes settle on Sabrina. A small, confused frown twitches across his features before settling. He goes back to Daphne. "Of course. The door fee is twenty five per person."
Jake scowls, but steps up, pulling out his wallet.
Puck looks like he's about to make a comment, so Sabrina bumps him with her shoulder.
"It's ridiculous," Puck hisses.
"Doesn't matter," Sabrina growls between her teeth. "Remember the mission."
Puck mutters some other offensive things under his breath but stops as the bouncer steps aside.
"Enjoy yourselves, and remember, tonight is doubles at roulette."
The group steps into the wall and starts down a long set of elaborate stairs. Rich carpet, intricate wallpaper and gold filigree decorate the opulent space. The further they descend, the louder it becomes. Laughter, yelling, boos and cheers rattle through the stairway.
At the bottom, Sabrina's jaw drops. There's a full casino here alright, filled with flashing lights, dealer tables with northern fae, slots, poker…but even wilder are the patrons. Everafters of all shapes and sizes are scattered about. Gnomes sitting on stacks of books, a knoll twirling her bone necklace. A large collection of goblins greedily watches their chips as they place their bets. It's the most undisguised Everafters Sabrina has seen for a long time.
Puck looks surprised for very different reasons. "I can't believe there's so many people here! And not one of them will report this."
Sabrina raises an eyebrow at him. "Would you report it? You're the patron saint of all underhanded deals," she reminds him.
He scowls. "A fiend has to have some kind of code."
Sabrina has to keep from cracking up while Jake shakes his head at their conversation. "We need to find the zoo portion of this place."
"Over there," Daphne points at a small pedestal with a clear mesh cage over top. They walk over to the display. Inside, a small blue bird flutters its wings. Little zings of lightning spark from it.
"A baby thunderbird," Daphne exclaims, mystified. "How did they manage to enchant the cage to keep it inside? Their lightning usually sucks the magic out of objects they hit."
"It's too young," Jake says with a little frown. "It was probably hatched in captivity."
Daphne's face falls, crestfallen.
Puck puts a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, when I raid this place we'll let it free."
While Sabrina does feel bad for the little bird, she's preoccupied with scanning the area for more zoo exhibits. Sure enough, more cages are interspersed between the various gambling tables and slot machines. Here, in the front, the containers only range from small to medium.
"C'mon, guys," she urges. "Nothing in this room is large enough to hold a hydra." She shepherds the group to the far wall to an arched entryway. It leads them through a spacious corridor lined with bars and various food offerings. The smells all around them are a mix of grease and something more refined. As they pass, various waiters try to encourage them to sit for a meal and a beverage, but they manage to weave their way past. On the other side is an even larger chamber than the last. This area has a much higher ceiling and many cages scattered throughout with little placards detailing the beasts inside.
They pass a popular exhibit with a tank of water inside. A silvery seal swims around in agitation as guests pay for attendants to toss fish flakes on the surface.
Jake winces. "A selkie," he whispers.
Puck manages to look even madder. Sabrina has to grab his arm before he storms forward to attack the handler. "Keep it together," she growls.
Daphne crosses her arms over her chest. "But selkies have near human intelligence–at least in their human forms."
"They must not count that," Jake mutters, having to turn away.
Puck manages to wrench his arm out of Sabrina's grip. "Don't touch me," he growls, sulking away to glare at more displays.
Trying to bury the upset churning in her gut awakened by his words, she does the same. It doesn't take the group long to find the needed cage in the far corner of the room. The plaque next to it reads:
Hydra. This specimen is the only one of its kind in the American continents. Known for its amazing regenerative abilities, this creature will regenerate two heads where one is cleaved. Prices: $20 to feed, $500 to watch head regeneration.
Despite all the legends and mythical tales about the creature, the hydra in the cage looks, for a lack of a better word, sad. The main body is squat to accommodate the many necks. The whole thing is a mottled blue green with flakey scales. Three out of the six heads are bowed to the ground, either bored or moping. Two are asleep. The last diamond shaped head is the only one up and alert, scanning people warily.
Jake squares his shoulders. "This is it."
"They don't have a price for the venom," Daphne notes.
Puck glances around and hails one of the attendants. The tuxedoed woman strides over, giving a small bow when she reaches them. "How can I be of service?"
Daphne points to the hydra. "I'm here to purchase venom."
The fairy's smile falls. "Ah. I'll get the handler for you to talk with. There's been some issues with supply."
Sabrina rereads the sign once the attendant leaves. "Does it worry anyone else that they don't even have the price listed?"
Daphne pats the silver bag on her hip. "Baba Yaga gave us some good items for trade."
Puck narrows his eyes, cracking his knuckles. "Somehow, I doubt they'll be that reasonable. At least, I hope not."
Jake puts a hand on Puck's shoulder. "Now is not the time to pick a fight."
The group goes silent as a broad man walks to the cage. He smiles tightly at them. "Hello. You are here for venom?"
Daphne steps forward. "Yes, that's us. I'm here on behalf of Baba Yaga. She says her order was cancelled."
The handler loses all pretense and frowns. "Yes. There's been less venom to go around as of late. The price has gone up."
"I've brought some rare items from the witch to trade," Daphne says, about to reach into the bag before the man holds up a hand, shaking his head.
"Cash only, I'm afraid. Ten thousand for a jar."
"Ten thousand?" Jake splutters.
Daphne blanches. "That's a lot for so little."
He shrugs. "I don't set the prices. You can take it or leave it."
"There has to be some other way," Daphne argues.
The handler holds up his hands. "The boss is the one who set the price. If you want to talk to him, be my guest. Otherwise, you could always win the money or try to sell whatever items you meant to trade."
The group shares a worried look as the handler stalks over to the hydra, tossing a few chunks of charred meat at it.
"Anyone good at roulette?" Jake asks nervously.
"We are not gambling," Puck says firmly, surprising the two girls.
"You're against gambling?" Sabrina asks.
He scowls. "I am whenever Jake is involved. He never knows when to stop. Or how to bet. Or how to have any kind of luck."
Jake winces. "I'm not that bad."
Puck raises an eyebrow. "You want me to tell them how much you lost?"
"Anyways," Jake clears his throat. "We need a better plan. What are the chances the patrons here will buy something from us?"
Daphne shrugs. "They must have money. Some of them might be willing to bet their winnings on some of the items."
"Even with top dollar bids we aren't going to make enough," Sabrina points out.
"Wait a second," Daphne says, beaming at her sister. "You should play for us. You're the best poker player I know."
"That was always friendly competition," Sabrina argues. "I've never played for money."
"To-may-toe, tah-ma-toe."
Sabrina sighs, muttering a curse under her breath. "Fine, fine. Only because of the circumstances. I'll give it a shot. How much money do you have?"
Jake sighs, pulling out his wallet and handing it to the teenager. "After that shake down at the front I've got four hundred left."
"Good thing you carry around so much cash like Granny," Daphne laughs. "Okay, here's the plan. Puck and Sabrina go work some tables, and Jake and I will see if we can hawk our wares."
After the group splits, the teenagers go to the counter to trade in the cash for four black chips.
Sabrina shuffles them through her fingers. " I don't really know where to start. I've never been in a casino before." She frowns thoughtfully. "At least, not unless it was after hours as cleanup crew."
"Cleanup crew?"
She waves her hand dismissively. "Crappy foster family, long story."
Puck shrugs. "Well, I guess we should stay away from the fully luck based ones. I've watched Jake and other gamblers crash and burn enough times, not to mention your abysmal record with luck."
She punches him in the arm. "Shut up."
He rubs the sore spot with a scowl, surveying the other patrons. "Ideally, we have you hustle some chumps. Just how good are you at poker?"
"I'm alright," she says modestly. "I just won a lot when we played with the Princesses. They said they could never figure out what I was planning or what kinds of cards I had."
"Oh yeah. The all girls club."
"Don't be so sulky. You could get in right now if you really wanted."
He shakes his head before the idea can get tempting. "Not the point." He sighs, flipping his long hair over his shoulder. "This switch really isn't helping right now. Acting like a clueless girl with daddy's money could get some idiots lined up for us."
Sabrina frowns. "Fresh out of the little girl's act, at the moment. Got another plan on how I'll do this while being you?"
Puck taps his chin thoughtfully before snapping his fingers, watching a defeated man sulk away from a slot machine.
After working out their strategy, the teenagers take a seat on a couch near a few goblins.
"I can't believe you," Puck says in exasperation, just enough to be overheard but not loud enough to be obvious.
Sabrina puts her head in her hands and sighs loudly. "I just need to hit my lucky break."
"As if," Puck scoffs. "All you do is lose."
As they continue to bicker, one of the goblins starts watching them in interest. The squat purple creature approaches with a simpering look.
"I'll just hit the slots one last time," Sabrina argues.
Before Puck can launch into a disagreement, the goblin sits at their table. "Sorry to intrude," he purrs, "but I couldn't help but overhear. You better not feed anything to the casino. It's all rigged against us good people."
"At least someone sees sense," Puck says.
The goblin turns fully to Sabrina. "You ought to play against me instead."
Puck grabs Sabrina's shoulder before she can say anything, leaning toward the goblin. "You don't want to play him; it won't be a challenge. Besides, he's hardly got any money to rub together at this point."
The goblin shrugs. "Gold is gold, and I'm good sport. I'll wager four times what you have now plus," he rubs his chin thoughtfully. "A massage from the lady wh–if I win."
Puck's nose scrunches up in disgust as Sabrina grins, taking the goblin's hand and shaking it. The goblin leads them to a table with nine seats.
The goblin points at Puck. "You deal, pretty one."
Scowling, Puck shuffles the pristine cards after taking them from their slot. He hands out the cards and Sabrina snatches her two, over eager. A five of hearts and a six of hearts. Not amazing, but she grins, cocky and full of herself. It was the most natural expression she'd made since the switch. They make their bets, Sabrina's much more meager than the goblin's.
Puck flips three more cards over. A five, a nine, and a queen. Sabrina lets her expression fall for a moment before raising her bet.
The goblin throws more chips into the center, grinning back. The next round Sabrina has nothing left to bet and isn't impressed with the two new cards, so she waits for the goblin to add his newest bet, bringing the total amount to eighteen hundred dollars. Finally, the river is turned, revealing a six.
"You first," Sabrina invites, trying to appear unsure.
The goblin proudly reveals his cards. With the community cards, he has a pair of aces and nothing else.
When Sabrina reveals hers, it takes the goblin a moment to realize he lost. His flabby green face practically turns puce.
She smiles slowly, like she's pleasantly surprised by her winnings. She scoops up the pile of chips while Puck shakes his head.
"Great," he says sarcastically, "you've made back a quarter of what you've managed to lose tonight."
"I could win big with my next hand," Sabrina laughs, acting overly giddy.
Puck crosses his arms in a huff. "Oh, please. One win and it all goes to your head. Your luck never lasts."
The goblin sneers, eyeing the chips that used to be his angrily. "Another game. Higher stakes."
Sabrina leans in. "You're on."
The goblin stands and yells something in a garbled language at the other goblins he was gathered with before. Almost like they were waiting for a signal, they come to the table and take the remaining seven seats.
Puck grabs Sabrina's shoulder as the group of creatures sneer at them. "Maybe we should bail," he hisses.
Sabrina takes in the new competitors. She smiles and squeezes his hand. "I can take them," she whispers.
This time, they call over a proper fae dealer who passes out the cards with extreme precision.
Steeling herself, Sabrina gently bends her cards off the table to look at what she has. Two kings. She flattens them back out, letting her eye twitch slightly in discomfort. All of the goblins seem more interested in watching her then looking at their own hands, but she catches a few of their annoyed glances at their cards. One purple skinned one smirks at his for a half a second too long. Sabrina narrows her eyes slightly. This should be a good game if she can get the goblins to work to their greed.
The way the group is sat, Sabrina goes last. Just like Puck advised her, all of the goblins make a bet in the first round. Only one raises.
"Call," she says evenly.
Over the next two rounds, she tries to appear more and more defeated. Only one goblin folds, glaring at her comrades. By the time the dealer reveals the last card, Sabrina has a much harder time containing her excitement. With all the community cards, she has four kings. She goes all in and three more goblins fold. She can't help a small smirk as the dealer directs the remaining players to show their hands.
Outrage breaks out from the goblins who immediately start to complain. The dealer shakes his head and points at Sabrina. "He is the winner."
Sabrina and Puck quickly gather the chips despite the death glares thrown their way. Scurrying to the trade in counter, the attendant counts the winnings and nonchalantly pushes a thick pile of hundreds back to them.
Puck stares in disbelief, shaking his head slightly while a smile grows on his face. Altogether, they now hold nine thousand and eight hundred dollars. "We should have taken you to Vegas."
Sabrina can't help but pretend to flip imaginary long hair. "That was all without a 'dumb blonde girl who doesn't know how the game works' act." She clutches the cash with both hands in her hoodie pocket, afraid to loose any of it. "Let's go find the others."
It takes a few minutes to find Daphne and Jake, but when they do, they're easily recognizable by their dejected expressions.
"What happened to you guys?" Puck asks.
Daphne shrugs, sighing. "We were able to sell an enchanted cloak Baba Yaga gave us for three fifty." She pauses to throw an annoyed glare at the sheepish looking Jake. "It would have been five hundred if someone didn't act desperate."
Sabrina can't help her growing smile. "Well, looks like you pulled your weight, huh?" she says, flashing the wad of cash in their faces. "Between us, we have enough."
Daphne lets out a small squeal of delight, throwing her arms around Sabrina. "I knew you could do it!"
Sabrina hugs her sister back before looking back at the group.
"Time to get that last ingredient."
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AN: I still only have an extremely basic understanding of poker. So take all of the games with a grain of salt. Anyways, finally finished this chapter and have clear sights for what's happening next!