Scratch

by morganripley

Haunted by relentless nightmares and inexplicable blackouts, Nicole Scratch finds herself ensnared in a web of supernatural intrigue. As she battles the dark forces threatening to consume her, buried secrets from her past begin to unravel, revealing shocking truths about her identity.

6. Part 6

Scratch Vol.1

Based on the characters created by Len Wein, George Perez, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

Part.6 - Act 1

"Where is she, Chester?" Tony fumed, stepping through the doorway. "Where's Nick?"

"Umm…" Chester stammered, retreating backwards into the living room. The young man's mind raced, trying to formulate a believable explanation for Nicky's absence, but failed to come up with anything that sounded rational. All he could do was shake his head at Tony, keeping his distance with his hands up and mouth slightly ajar.

"I've been calling her for days!" Tony slammed the door behind him as he continued inside. Behind Tony's scowl, his eyes betrayed his worry. "I even came by yesterday. No one was home. What the fuck is going on?" Tony stopped midway through the living room. His hands balled up into fists, trembling ever so slightly by his sides. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Agatha standing by the television and did a double take. "Who the hell is that?" He asked Chester exasperatedly, pointing at the woman with his thumb.

"Um, Tony, this is Agatha. Agatha, Tony…" Chester awkwardly gestured between the two adults standing across the room from one another. Tony gave him a baffled look. "Agatha is Nicky's mother," he continued, anxiously avoiding the older man's gaze.

"The fuck you are," Tony scoffed, looking the witch up and down with disdain. However, he was then taken aback, struck by the resemblance between the woman and his ward he suddenly noticed. Meanwhile, Agatha stared back at him, chin held up high, clearly unimpressed and irked by his sudden appearance. "My God, you're serious. What the fuck?" Tony retorted with disbelief and disgust.

"And who are you exactly?" Agatha retorted snarkily, crossing her arms. Chuckling angrily for a second, Tony shook his head. He sucked in a breath and stepped closer to Agatha, preparing to let loose when Chester interjected.

"Agatha! Tony is Nicky's boss and…" Chester explained, stepping between the two when he noticed Agatha smirk slightly as if goading Tony. He raised his hands, trying to keep the pair separated.

"I am her foster dad!"Tony corrected the young man, staring at Agatha over Chester's shoulder. "I'm the one who's been there for her for the past ten years!" Tony spoke so loudly that his voice bounced off the walls of the living room. Speechless, Agatha's smirk disappeared and she lowered her eyes. "What the fuck is going on?" Tony asked again, looking down at Chester, this time speaking at a lower volume.

"It's hard to explain," Chester started, rubbing his neck nervously. He looked back at Agatha, unsure of what to say. She was of little help, however, keeping her head down, appearing forlorn and lost in thought.

"At least try!" Tony growled, grabbing Chester's shoulder to redirect his attention back to him. He regarded Chester with a serious look in his eye. "Tell me what's wrong."

"Wait, wait, wait," Agatha crooned, raising her head to narrow her eyes at Tony. "Why do you assume something is wrong?" She asked, pointing at him with a swagger.

"Because she hasn't answered my calls in days. I said that not even a minute ago!" He spat, his temper rising again. "And she hasn't turned up to work lately."

"No," Agatha posited, pushing Chester aside and stepping closer to Tony. This time, it was her turn to inspect him. "There is something else. I can tell," she looked him up and down before gazing into his eyes. "You're fretting." She paused to watch his reaction. While he stood firm, continuing to scowl at her, his blue eyes still betrayed him, showing his fear. "Why are you here?" Tony snorted in frustration.

"Just tell me she's ok," He said roughly, his voice low and hoarse.

"She's upstairs asleep," Chester replied, trying to sound reassuring. He stood by the kitchen bench now, keeping out of arm's length of both Agatha and Tony.

"But is she ok?" Tony croaked warily, glancing at Chester.

"Tell you what," Agatha piped up, giving Tony a nod. "We'll explain what's going on with Nicky if you tell me why you're so scared right now."

"Why I'm scared?!" Tony snapped, pointing at his chest. Blood started to flush his cheeks as he glared at the witch. "I'm scared something is going on with someone I care about! What's wrong with you?"

"Nah," Agatha shook her head, a faint smirk creeping across her lips. "This isn't simply 'my kid isn't answering her phone,' paternal anxiety. You know something is wrong. Spill." Tony's face turned red. Opening his mouth to snarl at the woman, he stopped himself, raising a trembling hand to his lips before curling it into a fist. Chester could only look on in stunned silence. Having known Tony for a few years now, he had always considered him to be an easygoing, well-measured man. He had never seen him so irate and afraid. Tony closed his eyes and took a long breath, exhaling slowly.

"Nicky has…" he started, his voice wavering slightly. He opened his eyes and focused on Agatha."A history. A medical history, so to speak." Noticing his voice cracking, he cleared his throat and started again. "Ah fuck," he sighed, rubbing his chest. "When she was about sixteen, not long after she moved in with me and Viola, she had… well, they said it was 'an episode.' She had completely changed. She stopped sleeping or eating…" He paused to steady himself, his hands trembling while tears threatened to fall. "It was like she was scared or something. Jumped at every shadow. It's hard to explain. Next thing we know, we found her… she'd… hurt herself." His words lingered in the air for a moment. Chester raised a hand to his mouth, shocked by what he had heard. Looking over at Agatha, he noticed her face had become pale. A tear appeared to have fallen down her cheek.

"We never got an explanation," Tony continued. "Not from her or the doctors. They'd written it off as some sort of temporary psychosis. When she came out of the hospital, she acted like nothing had happened. It was like she'd repressed everything. Viola and I tried talking to her, but then again, we were so cautious. We had old Nicky back and didn't want to say or do anything that would trigger it again. Since then, I've been terrified it would happen again." Tony paused to wipe the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand, catching them before they fell. "For a while there, I thought maybe it was a one-off. That she'd be fine. But lately, she's been acting strange again. Distant and…" This time, Tony's voice broke completely. He hung his head in sorrow, hiding his tears. "Please just let me see her," he sniffed. A disconsolate silence rang out in the room following his plea. With misty eyes, Chester glanced over at Agatha, wondering how she would respond. Wiping her face with the cuff of her shirt, the witch then gazed down at her pentagram and let out a sad, little sigh.

"She's possessed," Agatha said plainly, breaking the silence. Fixing her sleeves, she bent over to add more detail to the sigil closest to her.

"What?!" Tony shouted in disbelief, his head snapping upwards. With wet eyes and cheeks, he watched on as Agatha drew on the floorboards with the chalk, totally bewildered by her response.

"You held up your end, so I've told you what's up," she continued nonchalantly, keeping her head down, focused on her work. "Now, I need you to move. You've disturbed my circle." She waved a hand at him, shooing him away as she redrew some of the lines of the star.

"The hell is wrong with you!?" He shuffled out of the circle, raising his arms in protest.

"It's true, Tony," Chester spoke up, guiding him out of the circle, pulling on his navy tee shirt. "It sounds crazy, but I've seen it."

"You can't be serious," Tony scoffed at the young man. "No wonder Nicky ended up…"

"STOP!" Ebony bellowed from the middle step of the staircase. Her cry rang out, grabbing everyone's attention. While Agatha ceased drawing, looking up at the cat with grave concern, Tony and Chester gawked, both men shocked, having heard the familiar's roar too.

"The cat just spoke!" Tony's jaw dropped open, pointing at Ebony while glancing between Chester and Agatha.

"So, that's what she sounds like!" Chester gasped excitedly.

"She's gone," the black cat informed them solemnly.

"SHE'S WHAT!?" Agatha stood up suddenly, her voice booming above the others. The trio raced upstairs, following Ebony into Nicky's bedroom. Once inside, Chester switched the light on, revealing an unmade, empty bed and curtains billowing softly in the breeze by the open window.

"How could you let this happen!?" Agatha spat at her familiar, staring daggers in the feline's direction.

"You don't understand," Ebony cried despairingly and jumped onto the bed. "She was right here, fast asleep! I had barely looked away for a second. She just vanished!"

"How can someone just vanish!?" Tony exclaimed, glancing around the room. He spied Nicky's phone on the bedside table and walked over to pick it up. The lock screen lit up, revealing a flurry of unread notifications. Behind the pop-ups, he regarded the background: a photo of Nicky, Milo, and him standing in front of the food truck. He gritted his teeth. Movement from behind him caught his attention. "Hang on, where is she going?" Looking over his shoulder, he spotted Agatha storming out of the room and down the stairs. Chester followed her first, stopping halfway down the stairway to watch Agatha gather her coat.

"What are you doing?" He asked, confused. Behind him, Tony started descending the stairs. Agatha donned her coat and began conjuring a doorway on the wall beside the couch. Purple light shone brightly from her hands and the wall as the portal manifested.

"I was a fool to think I had time to spare," the witch scolded herself. "That the lich would wait for Samhain. It's All Hallow's Eve. The veil is already thin enough," she puffed, concentrating on her spell. "Thin enough to peak through, at least. Enough for just…" she trailed off in thought.

"Just what?" Tony stepped past Chester and marched up towards Agatha.

"If it's doing what I think it might be doing, then we have to go now," Agatha breathed, lowering her hands. She stared at the wall, waiting for the portal to finish manifesting.

"Go where?" He insisted, watching the witch closely. He followed her gaze and looked at the wall. Bright neon light spilled into the room, painting it red. Beyond the portal threshold was the Inferno Club.

Dark orange and maroon flames twisted together in a wild and terrifying dance. They greedily licked at the walls and soon spread across the ceiling. The outdated wallpaper bubbled and began to peel away as if retreating from the flames, filling the room with black smoke and a noxious odour. Nicky watched on in horror as their hotel room burned, its foundations groaning under the pressure. Her eyes itched from the smoke while her skin prickled from the heat.

By the bed her mother had been sleeping in the past few days, she saw him, the eerie, yellow man. With blistering hands, he clambered onto the nightstand, knocking the lamp over. Nicky's eyes widened in fear at the sight of the warlock; the flames had eaten away at his hair and skin, turning his yellow skin charcoal. And then there were the horns and his bloodshot red eyes. The small girl couldn't help but freeze in place.

"NICKY!" She heard her mother scream. Cowering with her back against the wall, Nicky glanced to her right to see her mother reaching out towards her. MOM! She felt her body move independently, instinctively reaching for her mother when the room flashed a brilliant white and the world went black.

Nicky awoke to a thick mist enveloping her, the cool, sweet-smelling vapour brushing her face. A piercing tone rang in her ears loudly, drilling deep into her skull. Her skin crawled, still feeling the lich's arms around her, its coarse, rotten skin rubbing against hers. Nicky blinked groggily. What is this? She wondered. Slowly, she began to move, the hardwood floor beneath her creaking as she did so. The wooden slats vibrated slightly, almost as if they were humming to a steady beat. Fighting the nausea and lightheadedness, she managed to sit up. Her mouth tasted of ash.

The ringing in her ears began to fade, making way for the gothic synth-pop that droned loudly above her. Bass thumped and rattled the joint, vibrating the floor under her. Her head and shoulders now sticking up above the fog, Nicky took a beat to survey the room. Above her, a disco ball spun endlessly, refracting light in all directions. Floor lights painted the walls crimson and gold, while streamers, cut-out jack-o-lanterns, and paper bats hung from the rafters. It was a long, cavernous room with large speakers in each corner and an elaborate bar at one end. By the exit was a fog machine, the source of the mist. The club? she thought.

Feeling unsteady, she placed a hand down to the floor for support. However, when her palm met the ground, it slid forward, the wood beneath it slick and wet. She raised the hand towards her face. Her palm was painted deep red, the thick substance shining in the light. Further down, below her wrist, an inches-long gash ran down her forearm. She lifted her other arm from under the fog and regarded the matching wound on her opposite wrist. Her eyes widened in shock. Oh god, no.

Panic rose in her chest as her eyes followed the trail of blood that seeped from her wrists down to the floor. Waving the mist away, she saw that she hadn't simply been lying in a puddle of blood. It had been used to draw a circle. Desperate to stop the bleeding, Nicky pressed her arms to her stomach. Through the white cotton of her shirt, she could feel the warm blood seep into the fabric. I have to get out of here. With wobbly legs, she willed herself to stand.

As soon as she was upright, the voice returned. Its hideous whispering echoed in her mind, the mysterious chant forcing her back to her knees. A strange, intense pressure enveloped her, keeping her bound in position. Her muscles strained against it, fighting for control, desperately wanting to flee. Nicky cried out, not simply in pain but in terror. From the speakers, the music reached its crescendo, a violent cacophony of screeching synths and industrious drums.

Meanwhile, the voice rose above a whisper, slowly mounting into a booming baritone. Then she heard another voice join the chant. Nicky felt her lips move, and it dawned on her. The new voice belonged to her. She was no longer in command of her own body.

The mist around her swirled and blew away, revealing that the ring she was kneeling in was simply part of a greater spell circle. Unlike what she remembered from Agatha's spell two nights earlier, this one was much larger, with a seven-pointed star - a septagram - drawn within its boundaries. At each point was a smaller circle, with Nicky kneeling in one, leaving six empty.

The blood that made up the septagon at the base of the spell circle started to vibrate and draw into the middle, forming a dark pool. Soon, it began to boil, bubbling intensely while dense steam rose above it. Suddenly, a skeletal hand burst out from the liquid, dark red blood dripping down its fingers and forearm like molasses. It fell forward, slamming into the ground and digging its pointed fingernails into the floorboards. Sinuous exposed muscles flexed, and from the pool emerged the shoulders and head of the mysterious creature. Its face, obscured by a thick sludge, was missing its nose and ears. A crown of small horns lined the top of its head. With another arm free from the pool, it began to pull itself out, revealing the rest of its decrepit form. It dragged its exposed rib cage across the floor, exhibiting the thorns protruding from its spine and shoulders. Threadbare shrouds clung to its form, black and shiny from the blood. An acrid stench filled Nicky's nose, making her eyes water and some vomit surge into her mouth.

Once the creature had fully emerged from the pool, it slowly got to its feet. It easily stood over six feet tall, even when it hunched slightly from the weight of the thorns on its shoulders and back. While the blood behind it began to simmer down, steam continued to rise off it and the creature's body. Much of the blood and sludge had run off its face and torso, revealing swaths of ashy flesh and scorched bone. It opened its thinly-lipped mouth and let out a wet, guttural sigh.

As it did so, the voices stopped, and Nicky felt the pressure lift. The chant ended, and she gasped as the muscles in her shoulders and legs went lax. She buckled over, bowing her head for a moment before looking up again, beholding the creature that appeared before her. It had turned its attention towards Nicky, looming over her, its eyelids lifting to unveil its glowing red eyes. It then curled its cracked lips upward and spoke.

"Evening, Ms Scratch."

Part.6 - Act 2

"Ahh," the malevolent creature sighed again, inspecting his hideous, decrepit figure before gazing down at Nicky, his red eyes glowing ominously. "Forgive the appearance," he snickered, bowing slightly as he gestured at his body. Nicky couldn't help but grimace. Under the lich's piercing gaze, she felt as if she was frozen in place, her limbs numb and useless. Meanwhile, the oppressive stench of his acrid corpse was unbearable, gifting her with reoccurring bouts of nausea. "Twenty years have not been kind to my remains, but then again, if it weren't for your mother, I wouldn't be dealing with a corpse in the first place," he laughed coldly, running a hand over his rib cage. Even from a distance and above the music, which had since dimmed, she could still hear the sickening sound of bone scraping against bone. In fact, every movement came with a faint creak or click as the deceased joints shifted and rubbed against each other. "Regardless, it's nice to speak to you face to face, finally," his voice dripped with sarcasm. He flashed his grey, rotten teeth at her, almost wincing as the old, cracked skin on his face stretched into a strained smile. The lich's eyes then drifted around the spell circle. "So nice of you to help me craft this resurrection spell," he gestured at the ground as he began sauntering around the circle, surveying each facet of its design with pride.

With the lich's gaze no longer upon her, Nicky cautiously peered around the room, searching for a way out. Craning her neck to peek behind her, she spied a door behind the bar. To her relief, it was ajar. Nicole wriggled her fingers, aware she had regained agency over her body and plotted her escape. Conscious his lapse of control over her was likely temporary, she glanced back at the lich, hoping he would remain distracted long enough for her to reach the bar undetected.

"You lent much more than just the materials needed for its construction," the lich continued, bending over to wipe an errant smudge of blood off the ground. He inspected the glistening ruby red substance, rubbing it between his fingers pensively before straightening up and resuming his journey around the circle. "One can never underestimate the value of a good body. A host, I mean. And for that, you're much appreciated," the lich added fiendishly, now facing the ballroom's entrance, his back turned from Nicky as he regarded sigils painted on the ground beside a pair of ornate wooden doors.

Seeing an opportunity, Nicky slowly slid out of her circle, carefully edging out of it backwards while keeping both eyes on the lich. Once outside, she gradually turned around and began crawling towards the bar, mindful not to make any noise that would grab the creature's attention. Every inch she crawled was difficult as she battled lightheadedness and the pain that shot up her arms from her wrists. I just need to get to the backrooms, she thought, biting her lip hard, then I can surely get to an exit.

"However, while I thank you for your assistance this evening, I must say the last twenty years have been utterly agonising," the lich remarked, twisting around dramatically to face her again. Upon seeing Nicky crawling away, he clicked his tongue. The sound reached Nicky's ears, and she looked up to see ahead of her. While she had managed to close the gap between her and the door, it still felt so far away, even with only a few yards left. "Uh, uh, uh," the lich teased, his lips curling into a ghastly grin as he pointed a crooked finger toward her.

"No," a whimper escaped Nicky's lips. Stopping dead in her tracks, she peered over her shoulder to see the pair of red glowing eyes trained on her. Suddenly, Nicky felt an invisible hand clench tightly around her ankle. "AH!" She wailed, panic-stricken, as the unseen force jerked her backwards violently, dragging her back towards the lich. Desperately reaching out ahead of herself to find some purchase on the floor, Nicky tried to claw herself away, digging her fingernails into the polished woodgrain. However, the vice-like grip around her ankle was unshakable. It wrenched her back inside her circle, leaving a trail of bloody handprints smeared across the lacquered ballroom floor. Once back in the circle, the grip around her ankle vanished. What followed was a similar unseen force slamming into her chest, pinning her down to the ground fiercely. She let out a groan, her ribcage smarting as it knocked the wind out of her.

"You can't leave now! There is still so much to do, Nicole," the lich laughed, returning to the centre of the spell circle, creating ripples in the puddle of blood. "The night is far from over," he added coldly, closing his eyes. Raising his hands as if in prayer, he began chanting again, starting in a low timbre. The spell circle glowed a faint red while lights around the room flickered wildly, and the ground trembled beneath them. As he spoke, Nicky's body jerked upright aggressively, moving to his accord, returning her to the same kneeling position she had been in earlier. She desperately wanted to scream. However, her lips once again moved in sync with the lich's, reciting his chant in tandem. Tears streamed irrepressibly down her face, rolling off her cheeks and onto the floor, where they mingled with the blood that surrounded her. "Join in if you know the words," the lich laughed, relishing watching Nicky languish under his control. Raising his arms higher, he continued his chant, his voice growing louder.

SNAP!

A sharp cracking noise rang out, grabbing Nicky's attention. Her eyes darted in its direction, and in the circle to her right, the floorboards had snapped and shattered upwards. Bright red light emanated from the hole left behind from the small explosion, sending harsh beams upwards, bouncing off the ceiling. Dirt and concrete spilled out from the hole as if something was digging itself out from the ground. Within moments, the dirt made way for flesh and bone, and a new creature emerged, clawing its way out of the earth. Much like the lich, its appearance was shocking to Nicky. However, unlike its summoner, this undead creature had more animalistic features. A small set of antlers adorned the top of its head, which had remnants of curly hair sprouting in various spots across its scalp. Instead of feet, it had cracked, black cloven hooves. Tufts of fur sprouted out in unusual places on its otherwise anthropomorphic body. It crawled on all fours out of the hole before awkwardly propping itself up on its hooves, making a resounding clopping sound when they hit the floorboards. It opened its eyes to reveal the same glowing red orbs the lich had, and, with trembling hands, the creature scrutinised its newly resurrected body, visibly confused.

"Where?" It breathed in a harsh female voice. "What is this?" Her chest heaved laboriously like a wounded animal while she blinked and twitched, disconcertingly.

"Sister, welcome back," the lich greeted the undead witch triumphantly, his arms outstretched in exultation.

"Thornn?" She squawked in surprise, whipping around to regard the sorcerer in awe. "Is that you? How?"

"It's been a while, Gazelle," Thornn looked down at his sibling almost benevolently, dropping his arms and lacing his skeletal fingers between one another, piously.

"Harkness…she…killed me. I died," Gazelle stammered as she regarded her hands, recoiling at the rotten flesh. She continued to twitch somewhat while Thornn nodded empathetically.

"Yes, sister," he sighed. "I'm afraid you're right. The Harkness woman did kill you. You failed. However, as He had promised, the Master had taught me a thing or two about attaining immortality, dabbling in the art of necromancy. As such, I have bought you back." While his tone was exuberant, his words failed to calm his recently resurrected sibling, whose eyes darted around the room suspiciously.

"You were dead too," she hissed sharply, pointing at her brother with a shaky hand. Her brother merely returned her accusation with a half-shrug.

"After our encounter with Harkness all those years ago, I was on the brink of death," he explained with a tinge of condescension in his voice. "As I desperately clung onto life in the burning ruins of this hotel, I saw her," he pointed to Nicky. "That's when I knew it was time to put the dark magic Master had given me to use. I crawled through the rubble I refused to let become my tomb and made the incantations to bind myself to the child, thus preventing my soul from leaving this realm." Gazelle studied Nicky apprehensively, the grotesque creature's gaze giving her goosebumps all up Nicky's arms and neck. "I had hoped to resurrect both of us that very night," Thornn lamented. "However, I must confess, it was all much more difficult than I first anticipated. I struggled to gain control over my spirit form, let alone her. And although I persisted, the child put up a fight for years."

Nicky watched on closely as the creature she now understood to be known as Thornn spoke. Her mind reeled at the thought he had been attached to her this entire time. The past few weeks. All of the moments that hadn't been accounted for. The sleepwalking and the daymares. It had all been him. The dream she had earlier flashed before her eyes; the image of the immolating warlock burned in her mind. Agatha was right, her heart sank. Despite the lich's power over her having waned, Nicky could barely move, made immobile by a mixture of fear and exhaustion.

"I was a tormented soul, bound to a child I could not possess," Thornn continued sombrely, addressing his sister as a lecturer would. "I attempted to control her many times in those first few years, but I was too weak. However, I had a resolve. And so, I waited. I waited, gathered my strength, and practised mastering control over other smaller creatures, dead and alive." He flashed a sinister smile at both his sister and Nicky. "Ten years passed, and I tried again, waiting for Samhain, for the barrier between the living and the dead to weaken. And while I failed then, I realised something momentous. Here I had a young witch at the time of her quickening. Here was a well of power, untapped and unguarded. My provenance." He gestured at Nicky. His sister's eyes widened.

"You siphoned from her?" Gazelle gasped, glancing at Nicky. To Nicky's surprise, she almost detected a hint of concern in the revenant's voice.

"I had to find a balance," Thornn explained cooly. "Conserving energy for myself while spending some to hide the girl from her mother and hone my craft. So it went on for years. I'd take small fragments of her power, and slowly, I grew stronger while she became more docile and weak, losing her connection to the magic. All the while, I plotted. How I would possess her in increments, using her to perform the incantations and smaller rituals to prepare for tonight. Choosing the right implements and places to invoke such complex and abstruse blood magic."

"Blood magic…This is the child's blood?" Gazelle examined the spell circle, the unease in her voice growing more prominent.

"Nothing quite like a young witch's blood to spur on the magic," Thornn chuckled. "Besides, she's hardly a child any more. It has been decades, dear sister."

"Thornn. The Master," the undead witch objected in a worry-stricken tone, wringing her hands while glancing back and forth between Nicky and Thornn. "Surely He will be displeased. He specified the child should not come to harm."

"Bah!" The lich scoffed arrogantly, waving away her concern. "He will forgive us. By the time we're done, he will have been restored, and finally, we shall have delivered her into his grace, as promised," Thornn smirked confidently. What little skin he had left on his cheekbones stretched unnaturally taut, threatening to split apart. Gazelle scowled, unsatisfied with her brother's spiel. Thornn's smirk disappeared.

"She'll be fine!" Thornn shouted angrily, his eye twitching as he lunged towards Gazelle. "How little you understand, sister. You were not bound to this petulant, mirthless runt for years!" He stabbed a finger at Nicky. "Can you even imagine what it was like to be trapped between life and death attached to such a pathetic waif? A whiny, miserable teenager and later a wretched young woman!" Thornn threw Nicky a scathing, nasty look before sharing it with his sister. Both women recoiled.

"Are you really so ungrateful? So oblivious to everything I have sacrificed to bring you here tonight? LOOK AT ME!" The lich gritted his teeth in anger as he gestured to his torso. Gazelle flinched guiltily. "If she weren't promised to Him, I would discard her without a second thought," Thornn continued, taking a step back, returning to the middle of the spell circle. "Despite her pedigree, she is a poor excuse for a witch." He paused to glower at Nicky. "Forget whatever conniptions or concerns you have for her well-being, sister. Here, we have the most exceptional opportunity." His words lingered in the air for a moment, mingling with the music playing in the background. Gazelle shifted apprehensively, her eyes still narrowed at Thornn. "We can be a coven again, Gazelle," He implored, his tone softening dramatically. "Our brethren returned to us. And together, we can restore our Master and be rewarded as promised."

"Our family…" Gazelle mused, lowering her guard. "And Harkness?"

"She's no doubt already on her way," Thornn's sinister smile returned. "And will be here in time for all of us to have our way with her." Raising his arms, he closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Once again, the lights flickered as he focused his energy. "Follow my lead," he said soothingly, opening his eyes to gaze down at his sister. "And be reunited with the Seven. Let us have our vengeance and return to Him."

Gazelle stood in her circle silently, contemplating what had been said. Since her brother had finished speaking, her twitching and trembling had ceased. Sighing softly, she turned and regarded Nicky momentarily, studying her closely as if weighing up her options. And then, the revenant's lips stretched into a wide, sadistic grin. Nicky's stomach flipped as she watched the witch turn to her brother and nod.

"What's going on?" Chester stopped by the portal's threshold, standing by Agatha's side. "Oh, this is weird. The club should be bustling about now." He checked his watch. "People would have started lining up to get into the club ages ago. Especially on Halloween." The street outside the Inferno Club was dead, not a reveller in sight. Even the bouncers were nowhere to be seen. Save for the music thumping from within the club, the street was eerily quiet. The club itself stood seemingly empty, the old building bathed in red neon lights, giving it a sinister appearance.

"A cantrip has been cast on this place," Agatha explained, her eyes darting around, analysing the building's facade. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Chester's puzzled face. "An enchantment, repelling people away," she clarified. "Watch." She pointed down the street. A block away, costumed revellers were making their way up towards the Inferno Club when they suddenly stopped in their tracks. Their eyes became glazed over, their faces expressionless, before they turned on their heel and began walking back the way they came. Agatha held out her palm and, with her other hand, drew small circles above it. Purple energy swirled from her hand upwards towards her index finger. She then drew a sigil in the air and clapped her hands, the purple energy rippling around them. "That should negate it," she crossed the threshold, walking towards the entrance. "For us, at least," she added, beckoning Ebony, who had just snuck in between Chester's legs and bounded after her.

Biting his lip in apprehension, Chester shot Tony a worried look. To his surprise, the older man followed the witch and her familiar towards the enchanted nightclub without hesitation. Emboldened by Tony's brashness, Chester, deciding to tag along too, broke into a light jog, catching up with him in a moment. They had barely crossed the street when Agatha suddenly spun around.

"You two wait outside," she instructed the pair, holding a hand out assertively. "I can't say what it's going to be like inside. What's for certain is it's going to be precarious, especially for mortal boys like yourselves. So, do me and yourselves a favour and hang back." She turned her back on them, gazing up at the club with an indomitable look in her eye. "He kept her from me for twenty years. I'm going to get my daughter back."

"I'm coming too," Tony promptly grabbed the witch's arm, jostling her slightly.

"I'm not sure you get it," she eyed him angrily and shook him off. "This is a lich we're talking about here. I don't need you…"

"She's my daughter too," he cut her off, his tone resolute and bold. Agatha couldn't help but blink back at him, her mouth slightly ajar, taken aback by his reply. She considered him for a moment before looking away to compose herself.

"Fine," she relented, chewing the inside of her cheek. "Perhaps I could make some use of you. But just know I'm here for her, not you." Agatha shot Tony an icy look before jabbing a finger at him sharply, poking him in the chest. "You get in trouble, you figure it out. Now, we have to hurry. No doubt he isn't just going to resurrect himself tonight." She spun around and continued towards the entrance. After hurriedly skipping up concrete steps, she reached out and yanked at the front doors' brass handles aggressively. However, she pulled in vain, the large doors barely budging. Agatha grunted, feeling her cheeks flush pink with embarrassment. She maintained her grip on the handles, focusing on the cool brass, and closed her eyes for a moment. Clearing her mind, she sensed the magic affixed to the entrance. Magically sealed, she clicked her tongue, irked. Agatha promptly stood back, the two men back-pedalling to give her space, and raised her hands. With the bright purple sparks emitting from her fingertips, she mumbled a counterspell and sent a wild burst of energy hurtling towards the doors, blasting them open in a spectacular fashion. The glass shattered, raining down onto the concrete steps outside, and the doors dramatically fell off their hinges, landing with a resounding crash. The witch turned and smirked smugly at Tony and Chester before swaggering into the club, glass crunching under her boots.

"Wow, they really went all out after the fire, huh?" Agatha remarked boisterously, gesturing at the foyer's updated decor. "Certainly not gauche."

"The club spans three floors," Chester explained as he carefully navigated the glass-ridden entryway. "But the main dance floor is on ground level, past the coat room." He pointed down the foyer. Agatha gave the young man a grateful nod and started making her way down the hall.

"You two," Ebony commanded, grabbing Tony and Chester's attention, preventing them from chasing after Agatha. The cat had perched herself atop the reception desk, beckoning the pair with her eyes. "Perhaps the best thing you can do is help us get Nicole away from the lich," she started, speaking with authority as the boys stepped in closer to better hear her. And while the two men did their best to listen intently, they were still somewhat visibly shaken by the fact they were listening to a cat give them instructions. Despite the situation, their confused faces tickled Ebony. "Knowing Agatha, this will likely be a nasty fight. And we can't let Nicole, or you, for that matter, get in the crossfire. We'll have to separate her from the lich and get out of the way. If you can't get her out of the building, the next best thing is to get to another room and create a salt circle. That could protect you and Nicole while also buying Agatha time to face the lich."

"A salt circle?" Chester asked.

"It's a basic protection spell," the cat explained. "Anyone can do it. Essentially, the salt acts as a barrier between the occupants of the circle and nefarious external entities like the lich. It must be a perfect, unbroken circle, or else it will not work."

"I've catered here before!" Tony chimed in, patting Chester on the shoulder. "I know where they keep their salt, both for cooking and the pavement." Tony urgently made his way around the service desk and opened the door behind it, waving Chester inside.

"Absolutely, lead the way," Chester insisted, impressed by Tony's nonplussed attitude towards the situation. As he met Tony at the door, the older man leaned close.

"What the fuck is a lich?" Tony murmured awkwardly as Chester stepped past him and beyond the large swinging door.

"I'll fill you in," Chester replied, shaking his head as he watched Tony let the door swing closed. Ebony watched the pair disappear through the door before launching off the desk to catch up with Agatha. Rounding the corner at the end of the hallway, she spied Agatha staring at the doors leading to the main ballroom. Fog seeped from under the lsocked doors while music and voices could be heard inside.

"I know I shouldn't ask," the cat started in a husky, low purr. "But are you certain about this? I mean, what you're walking into?"

"None of this is happenstance," Agatha mused, watching the fog slowly crawl out from under the door. "At the park, I saw him. His vengeful spirit, or a shade of it. And when I saw the hotel, it all clicked into place. It makes sense it was him the whole time. From the moment we were separated after the blast, he kept us apart. Of all of the Seven, Thornn was the most cunning and cruel."

"But, knowing Thornn, he wants you here…"

"To trap me, yes," Agatha finished the cat's sentence. "But she's in there, and I'm not leaving without her." She looked down at Ebony and gave her a dubious yet cheeky half-smile. "I'll figure it out. Let's go get her."

Every muscle trembled as she fought for control, the pressure holding Nicky continually mounting. Sweat dripped out of every pore, and her voice grew hoarse as Thornn forced her to chant alongside him and his sister. Around the spell circle, the floorboards cracked and shifted wildly, however, none snapped open as they did with Gazelle. Instead, wispy blue apparitions began to manifest, first in the circle to her left, then in the next circle, the next and so on.

As the chant progressed, the spectres' forms came into focus, growing sharper and less opaque. The first apparition appeared to be a burly man with Sphinx-like features. He sported a tremendous mane that flowed down past his chest, cat-like eyes and nose, and imposing canines that peeked out from between his lips while his rippling arms led to monstrously large hands with clawed fingers.

The next was a slender woman with snake eyes and long, black hair, slicked back, trailing down her spine to her hips. With high cheekbones, an unnaturally slender nose, and a sharp chin, she looked reptilian. Instead of legs, she had a yard and a half-long, scaly tail, which coiled neatly beneath her. Following the snake-woman appeared a tall, wiry man with long, pointy ears. Atop his hairless head was a spiny fin that protruded from the top of his forehead to the nape of his neck. Shimmering scales trailed up along his neck and arms. His left arm was cut off at the elbow, making way for an iron cannon crudely affixed to the stump.

The remaining two phantoms were less eccentric and fantastical. The first appeared to be an ordinary middle-aged man. Like his brothers, he was tall and broad-shouldered. However, he was otherwise plain-looking with short-cropped hair, smooth cheeks and chin, and a trim physique. In the circle beside him appeared a petite, dark woman with short, tightly coiled hair. Each member appeared to be wearing matching black robes tailored to their body types and tapered at the ankle. As their forms strengthened, the spectres slowly began becoming aware of their surroundings, looking around in confusion and awe.

"Thornn! They're here. They're all here!" Gazelle exclaimed, weeping ecstatically as she regarded her brother's and sister's apparitions.

"HARK SISTER!" Thornn snapped angrily. "The spell is not complete." Nicky felt the lich's rage bubble inside her chest as his words left her lips. "The words! Now!"

Just as he resumed the chant, the room filled with a purple light. The ballroom's doors busted open, the wooden panels narrowly missing the lich as they tumbled into the room. One panel scraped across the ground, smearing the blood circles that housed the tall man and petite woman, their spectres shimmering and fading away.

"Vakume! Vertigo! No!" Gazelle shrieked.

"Oh, no," Agatha snickered, appearing in the doorway, pretending to be embarrassed. "Did I interrupt family time?" Swaggering into the room, she took one look at the creature towering in the middle of the spell circle and smirked. Thornn wheeled around slowly, his red eyes staring daggers in her direction. Once his back was turned and his focus trained on Agatha, Nicky felt his control over her relent. Like being released from a vice, all the pressure seemed to disappear at once, and Nicky slumped onto all fours, shaking. A feeble moan escaped her as she balled up her quivering hands into fists, and she sniffed back tears before craning her neck upwards to see her mother standing across the room.

"Wow, what an entrance! Not subtle at all," Thornn quipped, cocking his head snarkily. "But you weren't ever exactly the subtle type, were you?"

"Oh, whatever could you mean?" Agatha mocked him. "I thought you liked blasting doors of their hinges?"

"While I am pleased you are here, you're unfashionably early," the lich sighed.

"Well, your cantrip was, how would you put it? Paltry?" Agatha quipped back. "If you were hoping to keep me outside longer, perhaps you should have tried something a little more beefy." Thornn snorted, glowering at the witch's remark. "Fascinating use of spell-craft, hiding Nicky from me," Agatha continued, smirking. "If it weren't my kid, I'd be impressed. Where did a hack warlock like you learn such a thing anyway?"

"You know where," Thornn replied cooly.

"Ew, of course," Agatha grimaced, turning her attention away from Thornn to scan the room. "Oh, wow. This really is a reunion, isn't it?" She chuckled darkly when she spotted the spectres of the other Salem's Seven. "Brutacus, Reptilla, Hydron. It's the who's who of people I've killed!" Her gaze travelled past the apparitions and fell on Nicky. Her mouth fell open a little as she regarded the state she was in, and all cockiness dissolved. The witch's fingers twitched, igniting sparks of purple from their tips. From afar, Nicky spotted the dark, wild look in the woman's eyes, which she recalled from their meeting at the Power Plant mere days earlier.

"What's wrong, Agatha?" The lich tittered sadistically. "So serious, all of a sudden?" Agatha gritted her teeth. She could feel her familiar by her side, silently urging her to exercise caution. Thornn looked over at Nicky and rolled his eyes exaggeratedly. "Oh, Nicole, of course. Don't be so rude, Nicky. Say hello to your mother!" He smiled, and Nicky felt his grip on her once more and she snapped upwards, her body rigid.

"Agatha!" She choked out. A wave of white-hot heat swept over her, and she winced, gritting her teeth in pain. Agatha's hands shook, fighting the urge to attack the lich haphazardly.

"Kids," Thornn chuckled, his eyes sparkling with pleasure as he watched Agatha's rage build. "She never grew out of that snarky teenager phase, you see."

"Enough," Agatha spat. "Release her."

"Um," Thornn raised a fist to his chin, pretending to consider what she had said. "No, I don't think so. You see, we've become quite close over the past twenty years. Haven't we, Nicole?" He glanced at her, and while his voice was bright, his demeanour was anything but. "Besides," he continued coldly, "once we're done here, we're all returning home to New Salem. As we should have twenty years ago."

"Over my…" Agatha started.

"Dead body?" Gazelle spat. "We're counting on that!"

"Oh, Gazelle, I didn't see you there. You look great." Agatha goaded her, her voice dripping with spite.

"ARGH!" The revenant snarled and began to lunge forward at the witch.

"SISTER!" Thornn barked, halting Gazelle in her tracks. Just as he opened his mouth to scold her further, a crashing, clamouring sound rang out from somewhere beyond the hallway, grabbing everyone's attention. Agatha glanced at Ebony, the cat hovering cautiously in the doorway.

"The boys," Ebony uttered in a hushed and worried tone.

"Now, who could that be?" Thornn mused, a smile creeping across his face. "Gazelle," he raised a finger and pointed towards the entrance, "go find out." Without hesitation, Gazelle bounded out of the room, brushing past Agatha, noisily galloping down the hallway. With a quick glance from her mistress, Ebony took her cue and skittered off in pursuit of the undead witch. "Now, Harkness," Thornn hummed, grabbing Agatha's attention. "My siblings and I would like a word."

Part.6 - Act 3

"Damn it, Chester," Tony whined breathlessly, leaning on the doorframe as he watched the young man kneel down to collect the set of pots that had clattered to the ground blocking his path. "Knock more shit over, why don't you?"

Tony had easily navigated through the club's backrooms, leading Chester directly to the storeroom, situated just beyond the kitchen. There, the pair quickly found the club's salt stash. They collected a sack each, unsure how much they would need. "Better safe than sorry, I guess," Tony shrugged before he effortlessly slung a large sack over his shoulder.

As they made their way out from the store room, Chester's bag snagged on a shelf, the hessian fabric tearing with ease. Salt spilled out of the bag, the white crystals cascading onto the floor and scattering across the shiny black tiles. Feeling the bag snag, Chester twisted around, trying to release the piece that had been hooked from the shelf ledge. However, he instead slipped on the salt that had gathered under his feet, sending him crashing into the shelf and knocking the assorted kitchenware to the ground, each pot and pan clanging against the tiles noisily.

"I'm sorry, Tony!" Chester snapped. "I'm not exactly in my element here!" He gestured around the room with one hand while rubbing his sore shoulder with the other.

"Christ, that was loud," Tony mumbled, readjusting the sack perched on his shoulder. He waited for Chester to finish tying the hole in the bag shut and gather the hefty sack up in his arms before motioning to lead the young man back through the kitchen. A little way into the industrial kitchen, Tony suddenly hesitated, stopping mid-step. "What is that?" He whispered, cocking his head to the side. Chester frowned, his shoes squeaking as he came to a stop beside him. He leaned his depleted yet still heavy sack on the corner of the long steel bench that took up much of the centre of the room and focused on his hearing. Immediately, he could make out what sounded like galloping coming from somewhere beyond the kitchen.

"The hell?" Chester breathed, giving Tony a puzzled look as the clopping sound grew closer, becoming louder, vibrating the walls and rattling the utensils hanging from the shelves. All noise ceased for a fraction of a second before the kitchen's door abruptly swung open, violently colliding with the wall beside it with such force that a massive crack appeared in its porthole window. Bursting into the room came Gazelle, the undead witch's hooves sliding across the shiny tiles wildly and clumsily slamming into one of the stoves.

"What the hell is that!?" Tony blurted out, his eyes widening in alarm at the sight of the hideous revenant who appeared before them. Recovering from her mishap, Gazelle pushed herself off the stove and twisted around in their direction, her glowing red eyes quickly trained on the pair.

"My my," she hissed, her lips twisted into a nasty smile. "Men," the revenant took a slow, intimidating step towards them, drawing a deep breath through her nose. "Mortal Men," she breathed out loudly. In one deft motion, she jumped on the bench, landing with a loud thump, leaving a huge indentation in the steel. "What on earth could you boys be doing here?"

Keeping his eyes on the witch, Tony cautiously began backtracking towards the storeroom. With his free hand, he reached out for Chester, grabbing onto his shirt, protectively trying to lead him away. Without warning, Gazelle lunged forward, aiming at where Chester had been a millisecond before. With a clawed hand, she slashed at his bag, sending more salt spilling out on the floor.

"Salt?" Gazelle mused, her cheeks still puffed up in a grin. "What do you think you're going to do with that?" She leapt off the counter, drawing closer to her prey. The tiles cracked and scuffed with each heavy step she took. Salt crunched softly underfoot and strange, light wisps of steam rose from the spots where her hooves came into contact with the salt. Noticing this, Chester glanced at his bag. Some stray crystals sprinkled onto the floor from the new hole Gazelle had made.

Licking her lips with delectation, Gazelle feigned lunging towards them and the pair flinched. As he jumped back, Tony's sack slipped off his shoulder and fell to the floor. Tony glanced between the bag and Gazelle. The notion to picking was fleeting, especially after he saw the hungry look on the witch's decaying face. Leaving the back behind, he gulped and continued to backtrack, now holding his hands up to guard himself.

"Oh," Gazelle laughed fiendishly. "I'm going to have fun with you two." Throwing caution to the wind, Chester tossed the remainder of his sack at the witch, showering her in shimmering white salt. As each tiny crystal came in contact with her rotten flesh, Gazelle's skin erupted with an expulsion of hot steam, sending her into hysterics. She howled wildly, grasping at her face and eyes in a futile attempt to wipe the salt away.

"Let's go!" Chester shrieked, running back towards the storeroom before sharply turning around the corner of the bench, following it around to the opposite side of the kitchen. Tony, momentarily frozen in shock, soon found himself clamouring after the young man.

"How did you know that would work?" Tony exclaimed, hastily running behind Chester, keeping one eye still on Gazelle, who was now separated from them by the steel bench.

"I didn't!" Chester panted in reply, bewilderment plastered on his face. He was just about to round the next corner of the bench, getting closer to the exit, when Gazelle bounded towards the door. She closed the distance in what felt like an instant, and suddenly, she was blocking the doorway with her body, her face twitching with each sharp, haggard breath she took. Steam still rose off her face, the skin bubbled and raw. Staring daggers at the young man, Gazelle bared her teeth in the most hideous scowl, making Chester's skin crawl.

"You're going pay dearly for that!" She seethed, stepping towards him. Chester backed up against the stove Gazelle had collided with earlier, his hands finding themselves lost within the crude grooves and indentations she had left behind. Without warning, a deep growl rumbled from just outside the kitchen, growing so loud Chester and Tony could feel it vibrating in their chests.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a giant black cat appeared in mid-air. It soared for a short second before landing on Gazelle, slamming the revenant to the ground and subduing her with its body weight. Lifting its head for a moment, the enormous feline cast its jade-green eyes upon Chester.

"Ebony!?" Chester exclaimed, his eyes wide in disbelief. She blinked, almost as if give him confirmation.

"Go! Now!" The panther roared at them in a powerful, husky voice. Not needing to be told twice, Chester skidded back towards Tony, the pair returning to the other side of the bench to retrieve the remaining salt sack before scampering out of the kitchen.

Ebony stood over Gazelle, keeping the corpse witch pinned down to the ground with one large paw. The familiar could feel her enemy's ribs crack under her paw pads and could not help but relish the feeling. "Not bad for such a little, black cat, huh, Gazelle?" She purred, her hot breath condensing on Gazelle's face.

"No!" Gazelle gurgled, flailing underneath Ebony before the cat came down and tore at the witch's neck, separating her head from her body.

"A word, huh?" Agatha balked sardonically, raising her hands. Purple energy flowed freely from her fingertips. "Like either of us have time for small talk."

"You're right," Thornn sighed, deflating and letting his shoulders drop. "Kill her, Brutacus."

The lion man leapt across the room at Thornn's laconic yet spiteful demand. The warlock glided through the air before taking a wild swipe at Agatha, roaring as he did so. Anticipating his actions, Agatha dodged the apparition, spryly stepping out of the way, leaving Brutacus' sharp claws to cut through open air.

"Oh?" Agatha chirped cockily, hair becoming tussled as she straightened up and readjusted her stance. "Missed," she blew a twisted strand of hair off her face, smirking as Brutacus stumbled past her, overwhelmed by the momentum of his swing. "He seems a little half-baked, Thornn. Didn't finish your resurrection spell, huh?" Agatha goaded the lich, glowering at him menacingly.

Thornn merely blinked, keeping his attention focused next on his brother. Agatha had just begun to follow his gaze when, in a flash, Brutacus spun around and struck at her once more. This time, she was too slow to react, and his crude, protruding claws connected with her bicep. She felt them slice through the fabric of her satin shirt with ease, tearing into her flesh. Yelping out in pain, she retreated backwards, grabbing at her arm. Thornn cackled with delight, watching on intently as Brutacus began to stalk her, taking slow, intimidating steps with his fangs bared and blood dripping from his fingers.

"You're not wrong," Thorn gibed mirthfully. "However, it appears he's manifested enough to cause some damage. They all have." He paused to nod at the siblings who waited silently behind him. "We'll finish the spell once we're done with you. Hydron." He motioned at his aquatic brother, who stepped out of his circle and aimed his cannon in her direction.

"Ah, crap," Agatha muttered under her breath, squeezing her arm tightly. Blood oozed out from between her fingers, the warm, sticky substance painting them red. A powerful jet of water fired out of Hydron's cannon, hurtling in Agatha's direction, and she leapt out of the way, narrowly avoiding his attack. The jet slammed into the wall behind her, its force splitting the plasterboard from floor to ceiling. Water ricocheted and sprayed out in all directions, much of it showering down Agatha, who had scrambled further away from the blasts range.

Damn it, the witch thought as she got to her knees. Her eyes darted between her foes and Nicky, while her mind raced, considering her options. A banishment spell is probably the cleanest way to get rid of these pests, she posited before narrowly deflecting another jet stream from Hydron, redirecting it at Brutacus, who had crept closer towards her. But I'll have to give myself space from these two to safely enunciate the spell. And then there is Nicky's safety to consider. She looked over at her daughter, the young woman kneeling statuesque under Thornn's control. She grimaced, feeling a twinge in her chest at the sight.

Brutacus then took his turn to lunge at her. He snarled noisily, signalling his attack, giving Agatha time to defend herself. Thinking quickly, she blasted the lion man across the room, the warlock skidding across the polished floorboard spectacularly, wisps of purple energy lingering in the air. Much to her chagrin, he immediately stood back up and glared at her. Aw, hell, it was easier dealing with these schmucks when they were alive! Agatha gritted her teeth. At least then, they felt it when I'd blast them.

Suddenly, Agatha felt something scorching hot glance past her. Behind her, the wall turned charcoal black, the plaster and paint sizzling noisily. A faint trail of smoke floated in the air beside her. Following it, she turned to see Thornn's hand raised at her, darker smoke rising from his searing hot fingers. Fuck's sake, him too? Agatha grimaced in frustration. Thornn smiled as his hand re-ignited, and, with a flick of the wrist, he sent another fireball hurtling her way. As she darted to the side, avoiding the blast, Agatha tripped, her foot slamming into something hard.

"Argh!" She landed on the floor awkwardly. Quickly, she twisted upright to see it was the remains of the door she had blasted open earlier that had upended her. Beneath it, the smeared sigil and disturbed circle of blood that belonged to Vertigo caught her eye. I don't need to banish them, she realised. I just need to disable his spell.

Promptly getting back on her feet, Agatha started skirting the perimeter of the large spell circle, carefully dodging blasts from Thornn and Hydron while also keeping Brutacus at bay. Eventually, she found herself at a complete and untouched sigil. Break the sigils, banish the spirit. Without wondering to whom it belonged, she furtively placed a foot over the glowing dried blood and dug in her heel to scuff at the design. The disturbance made Brutacus shudder violently, his apparition flickering ever so slightly.

"NO!" Thornn roared, his incensed reaction drawing a pert smile across Agatha's face. That was all the confirmation she needed. Her brief lapse in concentration was costly, though, as she then was pelted in the side by a jet of water from Hyrdon's cannon. The concrete-like wall of water hit her hard, sending her flailing to the ground. A groan escaped her lips as pain rippled across her rib cage, and she gingerly brought herself to her knees.

Right as she motioned to stand up, she saw a shadow cast in her direction. Peering upwards, she squinted to see Brutacus looming above her, the opaque apparition glaring at her like an animal about to strike at its prey. He let out a low, minacious growl, baring his teeth at her once again. Agatha's fingers curled, sparks erupting from them, and she readied to attack. Before either of them could make a move, however, something large and dark dashed between them, knocking Brutacus over. The hulking black mass rolled across the floor, Brutacus in tow, dragging him with their teeth before it released him to let out a deafening roar.

"Ebony!" Agatha whooped. As the pair wrestled with one another, the lich and his siblings watching on in shock, she crawled on her knees closer to the sigil. With wet hands, she ran her fingers over it, distorting the magical symbols until they were nothing but bloody smudges. Across the room, Brutacus cried out, shuddering and flickering out of existence.

Thornn let out a guttural cry, an indecipherable barrage of words spilling out of his mouth in a garbled mess. Meanwhile, Hydron and Reptilla stared at the space their brother had occupied mere seconds earlier, confused and alarmed. With a crooked smile, Agatha gave Ebony a knowing nod before raising her glowing hands up, eager to cause some more damage.

Still slumped in her circle, Nicky watched on wide-eyed as the undead fought with the living. With his attention focused on his siblings, Thornn's power over her had faded, leaving her unguarded and to her own devices. He can't maintain control over me and the others all at once, she reasoned, cradling her aching wrists. The blood had clotted, stemming the bleeding, but the wounds remained raw and angry-looking.

Ahead of her, Agatha traded blows with Hydron, firing brilliant streams of purple energy at the fish man while trying to sneak closer to his sigil. Meanwhile, Ebony was in a stand-off with Reptilla, the pair testing each other's reflexes. Adding to the chaos, Thornn hurled errant fireballs towards Agatha and Ebony, but either missed his target or had his attack redirected by Agatha.

Nicky peeked back at the bar, wearily considering a second escape attempt. Exhaustion had kept her grounded for much of the foray, but as things escalated, she'd felt it was simply a matter of time before an errant blast or fireball would head her way. There have already been too many close calls, she thought disconcertedly, looking over at a spot of scorched woodwork barely a yard away.

To her relief, the service door was still open. Take two, she thought, taking a deep breath to ready herself. Creeping slowly away from the circle, she felt a pang of guilt in her gut at the thought of leaving her mother to defend herself against both Hydron and Thornn while Ebony was preoccupied with Reptilla. I'm useless, she reminded herself, her head beginning to spin as she exerted herself. The best thing I can do is get out of the way. She gritted her teeth and persevered, pulling herself forward, crawling away inch by inch.

"Wait! Are we going the right way?" Chester panted, trying his best to keep up with Tony as they ran through the narrow hallway.

"I dunno," Tony balked, tightening his grip on the hessian sack on his shoulder. "I'm just following the noise!" Ahead of him, the walls shook from some unseen impact, prompting a light dusting of plaster to fall from the ceiling. The deeper they went, the louder the sounds of mayhem, mixed with gothic music, grew.

"There!" Tony pointed to the door coming up on their right. "That's the service door to the main dancehall." The pair skidded into the doorway, taking a quick beat to cautiously peek inside. Looking out into the ballroom, they could make out Agatha and Ebony working in tandem, fighting bizarre, anthropomorphic creatures, much like the one that had accosted them earlier.

"Holy hell," Chester breathed shakily. "There's more of them."

"Get down," Tony instructed, pulling on Chester's sleeve and dragging him down to lead him behind the bar wall. They crept underneath the long countertop quickly, keeping their heads down, hoping they weren't seen. Peering around the corner of the bar, Tony caught a better glimpse of Thornn.

"Ok, so I'm taking it that thing is the lich?" Tony puffed, turning back towards Chester and placing the sack down carefully. He plunged a hand into one of his jean pockets and took out a small, Japanese folding knife, placing it on top of the sack.

"I dunno, but if I had to guess, then sure," Chester shrugged nervously. "I mean, it makes sense, like everything else that's going on. Did you see Nicky?" Tony shook his head. The scene was so chaotic he hadn't even registered whether she was there. He peeked out from behind the bar again. This time, Chester followed suit, his chin brushing the top of Tony's head. In a moment, they spotted Nicky crawling towards the bar.

"She's right there!" Tony exclaimed, his voice croaking a little. "Ok, you stay here," he instructed Chester, sternly, turning back to their hidden position behind the bar wall. "I'll duck out and go get her. Then we'll leave the way we came and find somewhere safe to draw the circle."

"Um, ok," Chester hesitated."Are you sure?" Tony shrugged while nodding his head at the same time.

"Use the knife if anything goes wrong," he gestured to the pocket knife. Chester looked down at the knife and smiled unconvincingly.

"Yes," Chester mumbled under his breath, picking up the knife. "I'll stab the monsters with the little knife."

Getting up on his hunches, Tony took a couple of quick breaths before sprinting out into the open. As he got closer, he slid across the ground towards Nicky. He timed the slide well, landing directly beside her.

"Nicky!" He cried out, reaching out to grab her. As he laid a hand on her shoulder, Nicky jerked back, her eyes wide with fear. "Nicky, it's me!" Nicky gazed at him, uncertain. Hesitantly, she glanced at the lich and then back at Tony. He could see her mind racing, her brow furrowed in confusion. He softly grasped her upper arm, and she flinched, still flighty. She studied his face for a moment, searching it before she softened.

"Sorry," she sighed, breathlessly, letting her head droop in exhaustion.

"Don't be," Tony shook his head, his lips pressed into a thin line. "We gotta go." He reached for her forearms, readying to help her up when his eyes fell upon her wrists. A sharp gasp escaped him, and he glanced at her face, his misty eyes meeting hers.

"I didn't do it, Tony," she choked, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"I know," he nodded solemnly and leaned in to lift her up from the floor. That was when, from the corner of his eye, he noticed the serpent woman staring intently in their direction. She was no longer distracted by Ebony, the cat now growling at Thornn, his latest fireball having singed her tail. "Aw, no," Tony mumbled when Reptilla suddenly started slithering towards them eagerly. "C'mon, kiddo!" Tony grunted as he lifted Nicky and started running towards the door. There, Chester anxiously waited, keeping one hand on the door while holding the knife in the other. With a wave of the witch's scaly hand, the service door slammed shut, knocking Chester to the ground.

"Chester!" Tony shouted. "The salt!" Scrambling to his feet, Chester hastily reached for the knife, which had slipped from his grasp briefly, then flipped open the blade to cut the bag. With the bag open, he promptly started pouring the salt out onto the floor, drawing a wide circle. Getting there just in time, Tony and Nicky leapt over the salt line, tumbling over and landing at Chester's feet. Hot on their tails, Reptilla slammed to a halt, hissing loudly in revulsion at the salt.

"Woah, the circle worked!" Chester exclaimed, wincing as the witch tested the barrier he had created with the salt, lunging towards them only to be forced back.

Glowering at the trio, the snake witch began whispering, her words coming out in a low hiss. The ground under their feet began vibrating, shaking the salt ever so softly. Chester reached into the bag, preparing to toss a handful of salt at the witch when her spell was suddenly interrupted. Reptilla jerked violently. Ebony's fangs were sunk in deep into the witch's undead flesh, yanking her backwards by the tail.

"That's twice we owe that cat now!" Tony remarked, watching Ebony drag the snake woman away while he held onto Nicky's shoulders, determined not to let her go.

"Yeah! Who knew she could transform like that!?" Chester crowed as he knelt beside Tony. "Hey friend, nice to finally see you at the club," he flashed Nicky a cheeky smile. Half smiling in return, Nicky shook her head, her face turning red with embarrassment.

"She's hurt," Tony whispered urgently to Chester. "Bad."

"I'll take a look," Chester whispered back, giving the older man a knowing nod. "You're mum is really causing a ruckus, ain't she, Nick?" He joshed, trying to seem cheery as he sidled next to Nicky, stealing a look at her wounds.

"That woman better know what she is doing," Tony mumbled, looking ahead at Agatha, the witch grinning from ear to ear as she watched the fish man shimmer and fade away.

"Hydron, you useless fool!" Thornn howled furiously as his brother faded away before his eyes. He let out a despondent, frustrated sigh, desperately searching the room for his sister. His fury mounted when he found Reptilla squirming under Ebony. He raised a hand to cast a fireball when a small coughing sound distracted him. It was then he realised he had lost track of Agatha.

Grinding his teeth, struggling to hide his perturbation, he turned to face the spot where his remaining sister's sigil was. To his dismay, there was Agatha. An almost unhinged smile plastered across her face when her manic gaze met his. She stood directly over the sigil, her glowing hand hovering above it. Before Thornn could open his mouth to stop her, Agatha blasted the sigil, wiping it clean off the floor. Across the room, Reptilla squirmed and then disappeared, leaving Ebony standing on her own.

"No!" Thornn bellowed, balling his hands into fists. "I will not be foiled by you. Not again!" In a fit of rage, Thornn crossed his arms and roared, shaking the room violently. The glow of the spell circle turned from red to green, the floorboards cracking and splintering beneath him. Uncrossing his arms in one sharp motion, he created a blast of energy that surged throughout the room. The shock wave slammed Agatha hard against the wall, knocking her out, and repelled Ebony back into the hallway outside the ballroom.

Panting with indignation, he turned to Nicky's circle and, adding further to his enragement, realised she was gone. "How?" He cursed, searching the ballroom until he eventually spied her hiding by the bar, cowering between Tony and Chester. "Enough of this folly!" Thornn grunted, stepping out of his circle and stomping in their direction. With a vigorous wave of his arm, he scattered the remainder of the salt circle away and sent Tony and Chester flying into the bar. Glass and multi-coloured liquor splattered everywhere as the two men crashed into the shelves.

The lich grabbed Nicky by her collar, lifting her off the ground and dragging her back to the spell circle. The young woman swiped at him, trying to get away, but Thornn simply shirt-fronted her, unintentionally choking her slightly. "I will fulfil my promise to the Master," he bellowed at her, his putrid breath hitting her in the face. "You will give me my family back!"

Propping herself up against the wall, Agatha recollected herself, wincing as she got back to her feet. She quickly came to her senses, realising what had happened and snapped into action. Summoning power to both hands, purple swirling around her as she raised them, ready to attack Thornn. The lich abruptly hauled Nicky in front of him, positioning her between himself and Agatha like a shield.

"Ah, ah, ah, Agatha," Thornn spat, readjusting his hold on Nicky so fingers were wrapped around her neck. "I wouldn't try anything brash now." Nicky felt his grip tighten, his rough hand scrapping the soft skin near her throat.

"I've got you outnumbered now, Thornn," Agatha warned, speaking through her teeth. "Let her go."

"Agatha Harkness. The coven-less witch," Thornn seethed, each word dripping with venom. "When have you ever had anyone outnumbered?" His question was followed by the sound of heavy, padded footsteps approaching him at speed.

"Ebony!" Agatha cried out in alarm, catching sight of the panther dashing towards the lich, her face contorted into a snarl. The witch let her power extinguish, and she reached out to the cat in warning. "Wai-"

"Aspellen daemonium!" Thornn screamed, glancing at the familiar in surprise. Ebony skidded to a halt, roaring in pain. "Depello familiaritatem inimici," he continued, reciting the banishment hex repelling Ebony. The cat retreated, wincing as the hex forced her to shrink back to her regular size. "I should have done that earlier!" Thornn exclaimed in a half laugh turning his attention back to Agatha, who glowered at him, unblinkingly. "You think I'm worried about your familiar or the mortals over there?" He added snarkily. "No, it's just you and me."

Around him, the resurrection circle's magic began to corrupt and expire. The light emanating from what remained of the circle continued to flicker in its sickly green hues while the floorboards groaned loudly and the ground heaved. Agatha's eyes widened when she noticed the centre of the spell circle degrade; the blood, wood and dirt falling inwards to reveal a portal leading deep down into what she could only presume was the underworld. A cold, bitter wind swirled outwards from the portal, blowing harshly around the ballroom.

"Thornn, you idiot!" Agatha screamed. "Think about what you're doing. Your spell is unstable." Thornn gazed at the portal. His mouth twisted into a sadistic smile and he took a step towards it, pulling Nicky along with him.

"Perhaps we will see the Master after all," he whispered in her ear. "Just not on this plain." Panic racked Nicky's entire body, giving her a second wind and prompting her to wrestle against the lich's grasp. She dug in her heels, pressing them into the floor to slow their pace as he pushed her towards the portal. The wind picked up, and as they drew closer to the opening, Nicky could swear she could hear countless screams.

"Thornn, STOP!" Agatha pleaded. A violent updraft surged from the portal as the ground swelled, catching the lich unawares. Losing his footing, he fell, dragging Nicky down with him, his decrepit body slamming heavily to the ground.

Nicky's head connected with the hardwood floor, her brain rattling against her skull violently. Her ears began to ring loudly, drowning out all other noise in the room. Desperately, she tried to hang onto consciousness, straining to keep her eyes open and focused. Instinctually, she attempted to crawl away, but a clawing hand raked at her back, digging into her flesh and slowing her down. Beyond the ringing, she could just make out the voices calling her name, sounding distant and desolate. Her eyes soon failed her, remaining fuzzy and unfocused until everything faded away completely.

Everything went quiet when Nicky opened her eyes. Wherever she was, it was dark. What happened? A small voice whispered in her head, barely audible against the ringing in her ears. As her eyes adjusted to the low light, she noticed she was surrounded by blackened rubble and debris. From afar, she could hear the low rumble of a raging fire. Following the noise, it became clear the blaze was above her, consuming the higher floors of the hotel. A few yards away, amongst the rumble, something stirred, the new sound making her jump. Mom? she thought, a spark of hope igniting in her chest. With bare feet, she softly padded closer to get a better look.

Suddenly, a charred hand burst out from under the black debris. Squeezing out from the rubble crawled Thornn, every inch of his lengthy body disfigured and scorched. Between raspy breaths, he uttered slow, melodic phrases, pointing a crooked finger at Nicky. Then his eyes opened, glowing a sinister red. As he fixed his gaze on hers, a horrible smothering sensation blanketed her.

"Ah!" Nicky shrieked, fear racking her tiny body. Without a second thought, she took off, blindly searching for a way out of this nightmare. After a few twists and turns through the hotel's ruined hallways later, she saw a light and bolted towards it. The next thing she knew, she was out of the street, frightened onlookers pointing at her in disbelief.

"A child!" One cried out, their voice rising above the din created by the other bystanders.

"Someone grab her," said another before a pair of hands latched onto her shoulders, stopping her before she could run away. Trapped in the grip of a stranger, still overcome by the strange sensation she felt back inside the hotel, Nicky clamped her eyes shut and covered her ears willing this all to end.

When she opened her eyes again, she was in the back seat of a sedan. The world outside was dark, save for the periodic glow of the street lamps that passed by as the car rolled quietly down the streets of Butcher Hill. She glanced down at her lap and noticed the red and white hospital band that dangled around her wrist. With her small, soot-stained fingers, she turned the band around to reveal the text: Nicole Scratch, D.O.B TBD, Mercy Hospital, Baltimore.

"You right back there, kid?" A gruff male voice called out from the driver's seat. "We're almost there, anyway," he added after accepting her silence as a reply.

After a couple more blocks, the car suddenly came to a halt. Nicky blinked, and the next thing she knew, she was staring at a familiar, rusty screen door, which promptly swung open. A middle-aged, red-headed woman appeared on the other side of the doorway and gasped at Nicky.

"Marty!" She cried out over her shoulder. "They're here." Mildred pouted, looking down at Nicky. "Oh, you poor dear. Come inside."

The next few moments were a blur, and suddenly, she found herself alone in a foreign bed in an unfamiliar bedroom. The moonlight shone through the Venetian blinds, painting the room in cool white stripes. In the corner beside the window, it appeared: the shadow with faint red eyes. It loomed in the dark corner silently, its presence stifling.

"Abecede inimical…" she croaked, whispering the words from under the sheets she had pulled up around her mouth and nose. "Meum…" she continued, but fear got the better of her, and she hid under the covers, welcoming the warm, dark safety within.

"Nicole!" Mildred's voice reached her ears. Nicky jumped at the sound, spinning around and checking her surroundings. Somehow, she was now outside, standing barefoot on the pavement. A full moon hung above her in an otherwise dark sky. "How did you get out this time!?" The woman took Nicky by the hand and led her back down the street towards a parked car.

Its interior light shone a bright warm yellow, both passenger side doors hung wide open allowing the light to spill out onto the pavement. Inside, her foster father sat at the wheel, biting his fingernails aggressively, while two young boys sat in the back seat, staring out at her with a mixture of curiosity and vexation. Mildred buckled Nicky in and slammed the door behind her.

"We can't keep doing this!" The older woman cried, taking the seat at the front. "This is the fourth time this week! Marty, you need to make sure that door is locked."

"It was locked, Mildred!" Martin snapped back at his wife frustratedly before starting the car and pulling out into the street. "I had to unlock it remember!"

Nicky looked out the window and spotted the shadow standing motionlessly on the nature strip where she had been moments before, staring at her. A jolt of panic travelled up her spine.

"Abecede inimicum meum, abiurationem…" Nicky muttered, anxiously, wringing her hands.

"Mildred, she's doing that weird thing again!" The boy beside her nagged. Nicky ignored him, lowering her voice and squeezing her eyes shut.

"I can't! I just can't with this kid," the old man whined, leaning on the dining table, shaking his head in dismay.

"Mr Alberton," the young man softly pleaded. "She's nine." Nicky watched from the crack of the bedroom door, wondering when and where she was now. Watching the scene closely, she noticed the young man adjust his tie nervously before placing a hand on the older man's shoulder only to have it aggressively shrugged off.

"No," Mr Alberton shooed the long man away, his peppery grey-black hair drooping over his angry eyes. "The other kids were quiet. They were normal. This one is a freak. You can tell the suits in your department she's better off in an institution than a foster home."

"That's not how the Department of Social Services operates, sir," the social worker frowned, taking a step back.

Subtle whispering tickled Nicky's ears, compelling her to turn around. The bedroom she found herself in now was very different to the one she had at Mildred and Martin's. Here, the walls were beige and sparse, save for a single, small crucifix nailed crudely above the child-sized bed. Manifesting in the darkest corner of the room were the glowing red eyes.

"Abecede inimicum meum…" Nicky chanted through gritted teeth, balling her hands into fists. "Umm…" she wavered, a new wave of terror washing over her at the realisation the words were not coming as readily as they had before. "Um…abiurationem hanc…" she continued, stumbling over the words as Thornn's spectre laughed, his voice low, soft, and sinister.

"Eiicio, defende me!" Nicky cried out desperately, letting the tears roll down her cheeks.

"NICOLE!" She heard her foster parent shout through the door. "See what I mean, little devil child speaking in god-damn tongues!"

Dejected, Nicky let her head drop in her hands as she sank to the floor, closing her ears to the lich's laughter.

"You can open your eyes now," Tony announced excitedly. Confused, Nicky removed her hands. In front of her was a decadent, almond-coated cake, topped with a glowing array of mismatched candles. It sat atop a beautiful, porcelain cake stand, displayed in the middle of a neatly set dining table.

"Cassata, freshly baked today from Vaccaro's!" A familiar female voice sang out beside her. Tears sprung up in Nicky's eyes. I remember this, the thought rang out in her mind.

"You guys," Nicky croaked. "You shouldn't have."

"Uh-uh," Tony wagged a finger. "Viola and I have put too much effort into this little shindig to get that kind of response." He sat down beside her, Viola following suit. As she took the chair next to him, Viola placed her hand in his.

"Yeah! You're supposed to say, 'Oh my god, my favourite!'" Viola laughed, the sound buoyant and infectious, making Nicky's heart swell in her chest. "Sweet sixteen, baby," she sang, giving Nicky a radiant smile.

"Happy Birthday, kiddo," Tony grinned, jovially punching her on the shoulder, and Nicky blurted out a little laugh in surprise.

And then she felt it; that same sick, smothering feeling that had plagued her for years. Nicky's gaze lifted from the birthday candles towards the seat opposite her. At the head of the table, Thornn's shadow watched on, his eyes glowing brighter than ever. They bore into her, and suddenly it felt as if it was just the two of them, alone. Everything else was dark and quiet. Nicky's breath hitched in her throat and she clamped her eyes shut.

The feeling subsided and Nicky blinked. She now found herself in a hospital ward, standing in between two rows of empty beds, save for one occupied by a familiar young woman.

"You don't recognise this place, huh?" The teenager sitting up in the bed chirped. Nicky regarded her 16-year-old self, dressed in a white hospital gown, her left arm bandaged tightly.

"What is all this?" Nicole wondered aloud, her breath fogging slightly, the air around her cold and still.

"It's funny what we remember and what we don't," the sixteen-year-old sniffed, rubbing her nose, the tip of which had turned slightly pink. "To be fair, I get it. I didn't want to remember this either. But the rest of it, well everything before the hotel, I mean. That would have been helpful."

"What do you mean?" Nicky stuttered, staring at the teenager, visibly confused.

"Figure it out, dude," young Nicky replied."We're the same person." She sighed, shuffling in her hospital bed. "I forgot just about all of it and ended up in here," she gestured around her. "You forgot and ended up wherever it is you are now. Why would he want us to forget? What would he want us to forget?"

"Who we are?" A small voice sang from behind her. Nicky turned and saw her childhood self bouncing on the bed behind her.

"Well, yeah," her teen self mused. "That. But I'll give you a hint. It could have been real nice if I remembered the words."

"What words!?" Adult Nicky groaned, rubbing her eyes in frustration.

"The words mom told us," little Nicky squeaked. "To protect us!"

"Abecede inimicum meum," teen Nicky chanted, her voice low and monotone. "Abiurationem hanc eiicio, defende me a malignitate." With each word, she raised her voice, injecting passion into them.

"Amore matris meae protegor," the little girl chimed in, beaming ear to ear. "Ex arcano maiorum potestate! Come on, Nick!" The pair repeated themselves over and over again until adult Nicky slowly began to join in, the words slowly regaining their familiarity. Soon, she was saying them on her own, the remnants from her past growing quiet.

"Now you're getting it," teen Nicky smiled. "Time to wake up."

"Abecede inimicum meum," the words left her lips before she had even raised an eyelid.

"What did you just say?" Thornn gasped, his fingers still digging into her back, holding her tightly.

"Abiurationem hanc eiicio," Nicky continued, opening her eyes, and rolling over to face him. The lich recoiled, releasing her. His hands no longer upon her, Nicky sat up groggily, her head still aching from the knock.

"No!" He seethed, crawling back in disbelief. "Shut your damn mouth!" He scrambled to his feet and stood over her. "You can't… I -"

"Defende me a malignitate," she spat, staring up at him, defiantly.

"Atta girl," Agatha whispered, summoning power to her fingertips once more, waiting for her moment.

"Amore matris meae protegor," the words came out fluently, filling Nicky with a sense of control and strength she had almost forgotten existed.

"I said no!" Thornn snarled, his eyes wide in derangement, and he desperately lunged at her once more.

"Ex arcano maiorum potestate!" She felt a tension break somewhere inside her like a bowstring snapping, and suddenly she realised Thornn's hold on her was gone. The connection he had made from the spell cast twenty years ago had been severed. The lich reeled back, horrified.

"Thornn!" Agatha called out, her voice carrying on the wind. He looked over at her, his move agape as he wheezed weakly. "Tell Him I said hi," she raised both hands and blasted Thornn, a surge of purple energy slamming into his chest, thrusting him towards the portal. Without so much as a whimper, he fell, the portal swallowing him whole. And with him, the magic that had brought on its existence dissipated, the spell expiring. The wind ceased and the portal sealed shut, leaving behind a ruined dance floor.

For a moment, the room was quiet, until the broken sound system kicked in and soft, yet distorted music drifted from the damaged speakers. Nicky let out a baffled laugh, looking around at her mother incredulously. With her head throbbing profusely, she let herself lay back against the wooden floor, still tittering softly when she gaze met the ceiling. At her feet, she felt the unmistakable sensation of Ebony brushing past.

The room soon filled with a small chorus as her mother, Tony, and Chester all called her name, asking if we was alright. She was too exhausted to reply however, instead opting to lay there quietly, happy for sleep to come whenever it beckoned.

Epilogue

The sun beat hard down on Nicky's back, its warm rays seeping through her clothes to touch her skin. Perched on the fence in the front garden, she faced away from the street, keeping an eye on the house.

"That was the last item," she called out, counting a handful of dollar bills. Emerging from inside, Chester plodded down the steps of the porch with a black plastic bag of trash in each hand. He puffed all the way to the sidewalk, where he dumped the bags triumphantly.

"Wow," Chester exclaimed, still panting slightly as he saddled up beside her, looking around the front yard and then up at the townhouse. "That's it then. End of an era."

"Yep. And the start of a new one," she replied. "At least we made a bit of coin," Nicky fanned the cash in front of her face before stashing in the fanny pack strapped to her waist. She looked up at the empty townhouse and sighed. It was strange to think this was the last time the pair of them would be together there. She reached for her necklace and began fiddling with it, absent-mindedly.

"My Uber is around the corner," Chester announced, looking at his phone. "Sure you don't want me to hang back?"

"Nah, it's alright," Nicky reassured him, spying a familiar woman walking up the street. "I'll be ok." Chester gave her a knowing nod and stepped back towards the street, signalling his ride, which pulled over by the sidewalk.

"Goodbye, old house," he saluted the building. "You were a dump, but you were our dump." He gave Nicky a grin. "I'll see you soon." And with that, he got in the car and left.

"You look well," Agatha called out as she approached the townhouse. Nicky gave her mother a half smile. It had been almost a month since Samhain. And while she had recovered considerably, she still felt she looked pale and sickly. Her hand fell from her necklace to the sleeve around her right wrist, touching it tentatively, faint pink scars remaining underneath, matching the opposite.

"I've been sleeping better," Nicky explained. "And Tony has me going on walks with him and Milo to get some sun. Although we've had a bunch of cloudy days lately. Fall is just about over already." She readjusted her coat right as a cool breeze passed by, stealing the sun's warmth. "And I guess I feel, I dunno, lighter? It's been strange. Like I've been carrying this odd weight I couldn't shift for a long time, and now it's… well it's gone." Agatha bowed her head slightly, listening closely.

"How did it go?" Agatha suddenly gestured at the house and its empty front yard.

"We sold everything!" Nicky smiled, gesturing to the fanny pack before jumping off the fence to face the woman. "I mean, some of the stuff we practically gave away. But you know, at least we emptied the place." She glanced at the house. "It is weird seeing it completely threadbare."

"Sorry, your landlord cancelled your lease," Agatha continued, frowning a little. "Right before the holidays, like a proper dick."

"It's ok," Nicky shrugged. "I fucked up on the rent. Plus, I think we were starting to outgrow the place. We'd been there about three and a half years. Time for an upgrade. It'd be nice to stay somewhere with a decent shower for once."

"I was thinking," Agatha hesitated, looking at her daughter with a foreign air of uncertainty about her. "Seeing as your lease is over and you're not going back to college… perhaps you'd like to come stay in Salem? With me and Ebony." She paused to bite her lip, nervously studying her daughter's reaction.

"Oh!" Nicky's mouth fell open slightly as a mixture of emotions tangled themselves in knots in her stomach. "Wow," she continued, swept up in surprise. "That's such a kind offer."

"I get that you're not a child anymore," Agatha interjected. "And you'll want your own space and have your own routines and all that. So, I'm not going to smother you or anything. It'd just be… it would just mean a lot to have you home… for once. I mean, we have a lot to catch up on. And there is so much I can teach you."

"I - I would have to think about it," Nicky stammered. "Coming 'home', I mean. I don't even remember the place. Besides, I've already made plans."

"Oh!" Agatha raised her eyebrows, taken aback slightly.

"Yeah," Nicky continued, rubbing her neck awkwardly. "Chester has offered for me to stay with him in Soho. Even says there's a job waiting for me at one of his parents' restaurants. How about that? All these years, he never mentioned they owned one of the best eateries in London!" Nicky threw up her hands, feigning disbelief. "Besides," she added in a quieter tone. "After everything that happened, I just don't think I can stomach any more magic at the moment." Agatha regarded her, stony-faced, her lips pursed shut. "I'm gonna fly for the first time," Nicky added, trying to lighten the mood. "So that is cool."

"You've flown before," Agatha stated casually. Nicky gave her mother a confused look. "Oh, you mean on a plane? Oh yeah, sure. That's great, I guess," the witch shrugged, unable to look Nicky in the eye. After shuffling around for a moment, she opened her mouth to speak. "This is what you want?" She asked dourly.

Nicky nodded. Clearly disappointed, Agatha let out a long sigh. "You know how much potential you have?" She shook her head. "Such a shame to waste it, but I will respect your decision either way. You're an adult, whether I like it or not." She studied Nicky once more, searching for a hint of reconsideration, she knew, deep down, she wouldn't find. Instead, Nicky looked back at her, resolute. She was as stubborn as her mother. Agatha clicked her tongue. "There is much we need to unpack. But I'll wait until you're ready," she conceded, sticking her hands into the pockets of her luxurious auburn coat. "Just know," she warned. "Magic is unavoidable. You're a Harkness. It's in your blood. No matter what you do, you'll always be a witch." A strange quiet settled in between the pair and, for a minute, they stood there, wordlessly.

"Nicky?" Agatha started.

"Yeah?" Her daughter asked, softly.

"I'm sorry. For everything."

Nicky opened her mouth, thinking she would just say it's fine. Instead, she leaned forward and gave Agatha a hug.

"Oh," Agatha croaked in surprise before burying her face in Nicky's hair and wrapping her arms around her tightly. Nicky felt what she thought were raindrops fall on her head but quickly realised they were tears. The pair embraced what felt like hours before Nicky pulled away, wiping her own misty eyes.

"I, um, got you a belated birthday present," Agatha sniffled, reaching into her purse. "I mean, I guess it's like belated belated, huh? In fact, I owe you a few," Agatha handed Nicky a rectangular package, neatly wrapped in shiny, foil paper. "Don't forget, I'm never far away. And Ebony will always be around. She is your familiar, too."

A car honk grabbed their attention. Pulling up on the side of the road, was Tony, however this time, instead of the usual food truck, he drove in an old station wagon.

"Ready to go, kiddo?" He called out from behind the wheel. Nick gave him a thumbs up.

"I'll see you around," Nicky said, giving her mother a small wave before opening the passenger door.

"You sure will," Agatha smirked. As Nicky buckled in, she noticed Agatha giving Tony a respectful nod, which he reciprocated. Then, her mother walked away, disappearing down the street.

Midway through their drive, Nicky scrutinised her present, feeling its weight before deciding to unwrap it. Tearing at the tape, she realised it was a photo album. Tossing the paper at her feet, she flicked through the album, studying the pictures. Page after page, she surveyed the old Polaroids, moments throughout her infancy and early childhood captured on film.

This time, recollections of these moments came through a haze. How much I had forgotten, she thought to herself. In the margins, she noticed the handwritten notations, symbols and incantations and couldn't help but chuckle a little.

The wagon came to a halt at a set of lights, and from the corner of her eye, Nicky spotted a black shape slinking in her peripheral. She turned her head to see Ebony perched on a fence, her green eyes sparkling against the sunset. The car rolled forward and she watched in the mirror as the cat shrunk in the distance, her tail whipping back and forth. A smile crept across her face and she closed her eyes, leaning her head back, letting the car gently rock her to sleep.