Gothic Horror And Lesbianism

Present— October 31th 1:30a.m - Zelda 

“Oh for the love of everything that is unholy Sabrina! Why ought you make everything a complicated mess? Go!” Zelda was fuming with rage. 

“She’ll come around Zelds.” Hilda offered not too convinced at her own statement.

Zelda glared but it was pointless, the damage was done. 

Had she not been a good enough influence on Sabrina? Was competing with her nieces mortality futile? Was she bond to fail at raising children? 

The questions ate away at her as she moved to grab what must have been the fifth cigarette in the last hour. Fumbling amongst the book piles Ambrose left on the parlours coffee table for her lighter — whatever was left of her patience was quickly chipping away by the milisecond.

Knowing that Hilda quickly moved to light her cigarette. Zelda thanked her and left to settle on the porch chair, hoping the chill night air and the nicotine would calm her nerves.

Zelda’s breath was erratic, her skin was flushed and tears were now free falling as she sat down wondering where and why she’d failed so miserably at building a peaceful life for herself and her family.

The questions didn’t stop plaguing the witch’s mind, but as her turmoil began to subside a slight shift in the night breeze caught her attention. 

As she looked out into the graveyard for— something, anything that could explain the sudden feeling of being watched, thats when she heard it.

It was barely distinguishable but she was sure she head it. Hooting. But when the wind picked up a moment later she shook the ridiculous thought from the front of her mind and decided the only thing she was sure of were the consequences yet to come from her nieces recklessness. 

She would deal with it, as always. 

————

Present— October 31st 7a.m - Y/n

Morning came around too quickly. 

You rolled around groaning and stretching away the tension that built up in your body from the awkward sleeping position you somehow adopted in the last two or so hours you managed to black out. 

For a moment you stared up at the ceiling wondering what the actual fuck is it that you’re doing, but, before you could spiral into that rabbit hole you simply sighed and looked at the ancient clock that sat next to the door. 

7:03 a.m

You had plenty of stuff to cross from your to do list for the day, so you got up and got ready. 

You rinsed yourself under cold water, hoping to wash away the exasperation of life’s complications, when that didn’t work you settled for brushing you teeth and fixing your messy hair, reaching the conclusion that the only thing between normalcy and Frankenstein’s-bride costume allegations is a bun.

Throwing on a turtle neck a pair of trousers and a knee length cardigan you were more than happy to be out the door sooner rather than later.

You quickly packed your belongings including a very sleepy Orpheus that was not at all interested in moving a single wing. You carefully cupped his current loaf-like form and put him on a tote bag rolled in a sweater, settling for the fact that you’d be carrying him around for the time being. 

The ferry station was a short walk from the motel and you took the time to enjoy your morning coffee and take in the scenery for the first time since you landed on this side of the world. The trees were covered in red and orange leafs, the smell of fresh rain and wet dirt covered the hair and adorable Halloween decorations adorned the streets and houses you passed by.  

As the cutest group of six tiny kids dressed in different monster costumes passed you by, a tiny blonde who couldn’t be older than five dressed in the most adorable witch costume smiled and waved at you. You waved back unable to hide the smile grazing your features. 

“She really is the social butterfly of the bunch this one.” The redhead that you only now clicked as the accompanying adult said with amusement. 

For a second you froze as you took in the girl staring back at you. The posture, the deep auburn hair, the air of confidence, a vision of Zelda when you first met — the only thing bringing a shock of reality being the brown eyes that stare awaiting for you to say something rather than the green ones you’d grown accustomed to. 

“Oh yeah, sorry— the caffeine hasn’t hit me yet. She reminds me of my niece at that age.” You reply a bit embarrassed at the time it took you to form a coherent thought. 

“I hope your niece is less of a trouble maker than this little minx.” She said playfully as the kids took of running towards the park giggling and yelling Hecate knows what. 

“Guys be careful” the redhead shouted as she picked up her pace to catch up with them. 

You chuckled resuming your merry way.

—

You got to the station just in time for the first boat and by 8:13a.m you were officially standing in Greendale. 

At this point you couldn’t stand being alone with your thoughts any longer so pulling out your mp3 and pressing random play you chuckled unhumorously when "The winner takes it all" by ABBA started playing.

“Sounds about right.” You whispered acknowledging the irony.

The walk to the cabin you long left behind wasn’t exactly smooth as thirteen years of weed growth blocked a thick patch of your way but eventually you made it. 

The protection spell was fairly weakened by neglect but still strong enough that no humans would stumble upon it by chance. 

It was old and worn out by the time that passed with no maintenance but it was yours and you couldn’t stand motels and hotels unless absolutely necessary. 

You had kept the shack as an isolated study for your own theological purposes but mostly to keep documents and other affairs forbidden by the Church of Night as well as a place where you could play and sing as much and for as long as you wished, specially on sleepless nights where you needed space.

As you made your way up the small wooden stairs you heard the creek before you felt it. The stairs partially gave in as your leg fell through the step. You dropped the bag you’d been holding on your left hand, suddenly very aware of the weight of the camping backpack adding twenty something kilograms to you, that fact accentuated by the lack of support from your arms as they held on to the tote carrying Orpheus to protect him from the impact. 

Now awake he hopped off his sleeping spot startled. 

“Y/n are you okay?” He asked as he fussed hopping around you.

You groaned as you tried to pull yourself up failing miserably as your leg was most definitely caught in the splinters. 

“Fuck” you mumbled as pain shot through your leg. 

Taking a deep breath and properly accessing you took of your backpack letting in roll to the ground behind you, ditching your cardigan as well you could move slightly more freely. You unbent your free leg from its awkward position hissing as the movement shifted the splinters that diged in your opposite upper tight.

“Okay… okay” taking a long breath you counted to three as you held on to the railing next to you and pulled yourself up slowly as you pushed down onto the rotten wood surrounding your blood covered leg freeing yourself from the murdurous step. 

“Y/n you’re bleeding a lot” Orpheus said as he fussed his wings. 

“I’m good Orph.” You said as you pulled up your trousers, now ripped all over. 

“You’re still bleeding and you scared the crap out of me.” 

“I just need to get in cleaned— and apparently to replace these damn stairs.” You said as humour returned to your tone as the scare subsided. 

As you made a move to go up the last two steps you winced, pain shooting through your leg as you leaned some weight on it. 

As you finally manage to get yourself as well as your belongings inside, you first get to opening the windows to let the light in and get some air flowing in the dusty place. 

Before you could check on the water situation you had to get that leg properly cared for. Grabbing your water bottle and the ancient soap bottle you kept in the bathroom cabinet you went outside to avoid making more of a mess inside. You had enough to clean already, scrubbing blood off of the floor was not an option. 

Ditching your trousers and propping up your leg onto the steady part of the small porch’s railing. After washing your hands and making sure you got the wood splinters all out, you poured water all over your leg rubbing soap softly onto the bruising wounds. After finished washing your leg you whispered the healing incantation you knew all too well as it had been a recurring spell used when Ambrose was a clumsy adventurous child. 

The ripped skin and deeper slashes on the flesh closed but when the bruises didn’t disappear you were reminded that this is a spell than is better worked by someone else. Usually it had been Hilda performing it on you whenever you would become injured for whatever the reason, mostly because when Zelda did it a lecture on safety and recklessness would follow. You didn’t mind it, you’d known she was just overly cautious when it came to family so it was really more about sparing her the unnecessary worry. 

A loud caw came from the tall trees pulling your attention to the surrounding woods. 

A crow.

Another loud caw resounded in the area followed by the sound of wings flapping in the town’s direction.

“Bloody crows” you muttered to yourself as you made your way back inside to fetch some clean bottoms.

—

Once you were done making sure the water tank supply was properly functioning and that the basic chores needed to make the the three division cabin somewhat livable again it was lunch time and your stomach was begging you for some actual sustenance. 

Orpheus was sleeping peacefully in the reading chair that sat in the middle of the living room half of the kitchen shared space and would likely to stay there until sunset. 

After changing into clean clothes, having settled for a simple figure hugging maxi length black dress and an old black fur coat you made your way to the town centre to fetch for food. 

Once you were out of the woods, which admittedly took longer than it would have if you hadn’t taken the long route to avoid mortuary grounds, you took your time taking in the town’s scenery.

It looked the same as it had thirteen years ago. Truth be told it looked exactly like it had in the 90’s and the 80’s. Something about this part of New England had stopped in time. You knew it was to keep the covens that resided in the area protected but you were grateful nonetheless. No big commercial screens on every available surface, no smartphones ringing everywhere, no LED white blinding lights, for all of its flaws and painful memories this place was still one of your favourites, only competing with a handful of places in the UK and Canada.

It was one of the places where the magnetic field was weak enough to let magic flow with little to no resistance. Closer to the clouds and to the underworld of this plane of existence despite altitude measurements. 

The gates of hell here were the one of most powerful access in the realm and the only unknown to historians. Greendale was a dangerous place for the weak of spirit and if Ambrose’s warning was to be taken into consideration things were about to take a turn to the worse. 

The problem with places like Greendale— small town, isolated, stuck in time like a broken clock — a mining town with a high population of self entitled people of God who hide their weaknesses and mortal insignificance behind words written by men and a daily dose of the poison of choice that numbs the feeling of despair just enough to let them sleep at night is: the perfect spiritual festering nest for everything negative. 

There is no point in categorizing good and bad; righteous or evil

Things are either positive or negative and everything that subtracts an inherit part of human stability is a negative. 

You always internally rolled your eyes at the “False God” title the Church of Night threw around when speaking of Christianity. “Because yours is so righteous” you’d think to yourself when Zelda asked you to attend the Mass whenever the occasion called for it.

Sure they abided by older standards when it came to religious practices but at the end of the day it was just another patriarchal system. A black reflection of the church they despise so much. More times than not you found yourself avoiding sermons and history general lectures at the academy if only to prevent conflicts. You knew your family wasn’t ignorant to the same questions you had but you also knew their lives depended on keeping a smooth reputation so you didn’t push. 

After your brother in law’s death things got worse, sure warlocks had always been favoured despite the availability of much more talented witches for important tasks but things had gotten beyond the veil of stupidity. More often than not you could find the men lounging around Dorian’s getting their junks sucked off while witches moved around the shadows getting things running and at the smallest inconveniences getting ridiculous penances for things warlocks wouldn’t even be looked at for. 

Faustus nomination as High Priest of the church was one of the main causes of regression. You knew Zelda wanted nothing more than the position and that she’d care for her coven better than anyone ever could, but ignoring her qualifications to instead chose that disgusting excuse of a man was just an outrageous. 

Had there been a corpse, Edward would be sure to be rolling in his grave.  He was old fashioned but if there was anyone he trusted to help him with difficult affairs it was his older sister. 

You could almost hear his voice mocking you “ You are going to burn a hole through his skull. Just hex him already.” Your eyes didn’t leave the page they’d been scanning “Trust me,I am tempted” you murmured.

—1886—

You’d both been working on building new programs, trying to complete the new syllabus for the academy after the witch trials ended. The academy was to receive what had been left of the covens on the East coast. When you found it a few months prior you hadn’t been aware of its religious ruling. After disclosing your own beliefs to the High Priest he was curious and spent days on end vetting you for any signs of danger to his coven to find none. You’d spent hours, days, trading notes until you’d both reach the conclusion that you would be a great addd on as long as you kept your beliefs away from church business. You had agreed having grown tired of solitude.

“I mean he’s annoying and has an ego the size of the moon but so do a lot of the warlocks around here and I don’t see you paying them any mind.” Edward said non commetemly.

He was baiting you and you knew it but you straightened up and looked at him inquisitively “What exactly are you insinuating?”

He put down his pen and looked at you with humour in his gaze “I mean, at first I thought you may have had some sort of affinity for the man…” your eyes widened, shock quickly morphing into disgust. 

“But… I quickly realized that the distaste you hold show specially for him is amplified when he’s around or speaking of my sister.” 

You barked a laugh at that “Please— Zelda hates me with a passion. If it depended on her I’d be dead in a ditch somewhere.” 

“Who said I was talking about Z?” He looked too smug.

You rolled your eyes and went back to your notes in an attempt to hide your flushed face. 

“She likes you.” He said in a serious tone this time.

You scoffed, looking incredulous, eyes not leaving the notes on your lap. “Yeah right.”

“She has been impossible since you came around.” You actually bothered looking at him this time.

“If she didn’t like you she wouldn’t bother acknowledging your existence let alone go out of her way to get a reaction out of you.” His eyes were back on the pages on his desk and when you didn’t answer he didn’t bother moving them and simply resumed “ that’s Zelda, she likes people she puts up walls and when people don’t read her mind she gets mad and does stupid things. I think Hilda inherited all of the emotional intelligence out of us all.”

After a moment of silence you had let the words slip from your lips.

“I don’t like the way he looks at her.” Ed looked up letting the statement settle as he nodded slowly, giving you all of his attention. “The way he rounds her constantly and invades her space uncaring of her discomfort.” You took a steading breath “I hate that she will put out cigarettes on my nightstand and leave petty curses under my bloody pillow but won’t tell him to stay away.” Your voice was low and laced in sadness but before he could say anything a small beagle came running into the office quickly making his way to you jumping in your lap uncaring of the mess of papers he was making. 

“Oh hello there Vinnie.” You greeted the dog as you petted him while fussed over you licking your face, quickly boosting your mood. 

“Vinegar Tom come back here.” Zelda scolded him as she entered the office looking less than pleased at her familiar’s behaviour. 

He turned to face her but didn’t move out of your lap, having chosen to lay on it and leave out a tiny whimper at Zelda’s order instead. You kept petting his tiny form scratching him on all the right places. 

Zelda was red. Was she mad? Maybe. But she didn’t say anything else chasing instead to glare down at her brother who had been suppressing a laugh the entire time. 

“Ed I need the key for the cabinet C306 in the library.” She said as she did her best to not look at you as you played with Vinnie. 

“Familiars are not pets, Y/n, I don’t know what is it that you learned before but those are demons capable of great dark magic.” Zelda snapped at you.

“I know what a familiar is Zelda” you said in a calm tone as you scratched her familiars ears and kissed his tiny head, placing him back on the floor. “I also know they can’t help but adopt behaviours not only of the animal they embody but of their owners as well.” Your eyes never leaving her green ones. 

Her mouth opened and closed a few times before setting in a grim line. Snatching the keys from her brother’s hand she flew out of the room, Vinegar Tom trying his best to follow in her steps.

“Told ye.” Ed said as you smiled you yourself.

— —

As you reached was had once been your favourite pizzeria you were now met with a diner…? No, a bookshop? Both? 

The sign read: Dr Cee’s. You looked inside and did see what seemed to be a menu, so you decided to give it a chance.

The bell rang and the man behind the counter greeted you.

“Welcome to Dr. Cee’s, how can I help you?” The man was wearing a simple vampire costume and seemed friendly enough.

“Hi. Do you by any chance have pizza?” You asked as you reached the counter.

“No…” the man winced “but I can make you a killer burger!” He quickly retorted.

“You know what, sure” you accepted feeling the emptiness of your stomach growing by the minute “can you add me an iced tea as well please?”

“Sure it’ll be right up. Feel free to sit wherever.” The man said as he disapered into what you assumed to be the kitchen.

.

You were halfway through your meal when the little bell above the entrance door rang, announcing someone’s arrival. So far you had been the only costumer in the diner. Sitting in a booth in the dining area, facing away from the door, completely focused on the meal you swore had to be the best thing you’ve eaten in years and utterly uncaring of your surroundings. 

“I’ll take a strawberry milkshake.” You heard a woman’s voice from the adjacent room.

After a few minutes of chopping and blending noises on the background you heard the telltale sound of heels clicking in the direction of the room you had been enjoying your solitude in. 

You felt the temperature drop slightly. Not drastically, but enough to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand, a subtle buzz of electricity coming alive in the air around. 

The clicking got closer before coming to an halt right next to your table. You slowly trailed your eyes up to identify the face of whoever has the audacity to interrupt your deserved lunch to find… — Mary?

“Hello Y/n, long time no see…” 

You didn’t answer, not right away. You frowned, reading her with suspicion before reluctantly offering “Hello, Mary.”

“Well… may I?” She asked, poorly covered annoyance dripping from her tone as she gestured to the seat in front of you.

You gave her a once over and short nod of approval. 

The woman sat down, her blue eyes piercing into your soul.

“I had a feeling you’d come, it’s nice seeing you. How were the travels?” She seemed sweet but nothing about her sounded truthful nor interested.

You hummed scepticism evident in your demeanour.

The longer you looked at the woman in front of you the more certain you were that it wasn’t Mary. The bold red casual tube dress, the heels, the loose curls, the red lipstick; but above all— the eyes. The once shy and nervous wondering eyes were now cold and sinister. Unless Mary had been a great liar for the better part of the decade you worked alongside her…— the energy coming from her now was most definitely not human.

“Who are you? Or better yet… What exactly are you?” You asked nonchalantly.

“Mary’s” confused and worried look almost convinced you. Almost…

“I— don’t understand what is it your implying Y/n” 

“Oh cut it out.” You were starting to get bored and mostly annoyed at the disruption of your peaceful lunch “who are you and what do you want from me?”

“If you come with me I will tell you exactly who I am.” Her mischevios tone was back on display and her smile was catlike.

“Yeah sure, follow the strange psycho wearing my old coworker’s « flesh suit » just what could exactly go wrong.” Your tone was sarcastic and lowkey mocking as you sipped the last of your drink.

As you picked up your belongings and made a move to get up she grabbed your wrist, hard. 

“Look I don’t like this anymore than you do but, the matter I am looking forward to discuss with you affects us both in various ways.” She was serious now, staring deep into your eyes as she said the words between gritted teeth. 

“And what exactly it is— that matter that you and me have in common?” You said matching her in tone.

“Sabrina Spellman.” As the words came out you felt your mouth go dry. “I see that finally got you to listen… I should’ve started with that part.”

“What about Sabrina?” Your apprehension was palpable at this point.

“Let’s discuss this somewhere private, shall we!?”

——

You were now sitting in Mary’s office. She wanted you two to talk at her place but you were not in a mood to end up in anybody’s hexed basement so you settled for a more… private— yet— safe location. 

“Spit it out” you said coldly when she sat down in front of you.

“Do you know what day is today?” 

You raised your brows and chuckled, she couldn’t be serious.

“October 31st 2016” you said flatly, but when she didn’t seem satisfied with the answer you continued “Samhain. Halloween. Whatever you want to call it.” 

She huffed unimpressed at your evident avoidant antics. 

“My niece’s birthday” you huffed out as the words weighted you down. 

“Not just any birthday.” She offered, her gaze never leaving you as she leaned her back onto the chair. 

“Her sixteenth birthday— yes so what? What’s it to you?” You were starting to get visibly frustrated.

“Her dark baptism and her signing of the book.” You frowned as the words left her mouth.

You got up banging your palms on the desk that separated the both of you. “Who the fuck are you and what do you want with my family?” 

She didn’t flinch at your sudden movements, she was enjoying playing with you “I see you still wear your wedding ring.” You didn’t answer, you weren’t indulging this nonsense a minute longer. 

“Interesting… thirteen years and you still pretend she’s dead to you.” When you took a menacing deep breath she knew her playtime was over and that poking the wounds any further would be unwise.

She got up with the exasperated sigh of a child whose favourite toy has been taken away and stood straight facing you. With the wave of her hand and a whisper of something unintelligible —the once familiar pale face and long brown hair tuned into a grey horned creature whose features you knew all too well from your years of research in demonology.

“Lilith” you acknowledged as you recognized the her true form.

“In the flesh” she said smirking at her innuendo.

Questions plagued you once more as the events of the last few days begun blending with the situation at hand. “I don’t— “ you tried formulating a set of questions but the cacophony in your mind was getting in the way of a coherent train of thought. 

“Understand?” She completed for you, waving her hand to hide back behind the charm once again.

You nodded in confirmation. 

“That seems to be a common denominator in your life hum…?” Your glared at her but she continued “Sabrina did not sign the book Y/n.” Lilith said as she leaned on the corner of the desk.

You thought nothing could catch you by surprise anymore. You were so very mistaken. You kept your posture and didn’t let your feelings show aside from the permanent frown you couldn’t relax off. 

“Rumour has it she is too… comfortable in her mortal life.” 

You were aware of the implications this would bring to your family and anyone standing between Sabrina and those pages.

“So what? Lucifer sends you to a mortal school to watch my niece and guide her back into the path of darkness?” You say in a tone bordering mockery “A sixteen year old child — is important enough that he sends you to do is bidding?” you scoff in disbelief. “Why Sabrina? The church has always labeled her as a half-breed.” She didn’t say anything and for the first time she deviated her gaze from yours, finally letting something slip through. “And why would you lure me back here knowing I have been —excommunicated by your overlord?” The last part was dripping in sarcasm. Lilith’s face soured, telling you one more thing that gave away her full hand without a single word.

“His will does not exactly align with yours now— does it?” The slight smirk grazing your features was definitely annoying her.

Rolling her eyes she answered “That’s where the issue is.” 

“He didn’t send you.” You said, realization hitting you. 

“No he did not.” She said with a distant look in her pale blue eyes. “The truth is— I know as much as you do.”

“That still doesn’t answer any of my questions.” 

“Tell me Y/n, do you truly believe it was an accident?” You felt your skin get colder “In thirteen years— you simply settled for the fact that your darling little wife threw you out after two hundred years because… —what?” You felt the rage spreading from your core to every nerve ending in your body, you poked at her wound and now she was reattributing in double.

Her tone was purely sarcasm and theatrics. “I mean don’t get me wrong… the respect you held for your wife’s wish— remarkable, it’s also incredibly foolish but ain’t that what love does.”  Your nails were digging in the flesh of your palms, hard.

“What exactly are you implying?”

“That perhaps you should stop feeling sorry for yourself and stop asking “why did she stop loving me?”” She let out the question in a mocking tone that made your blood boil “…and start asking what kind of chess board you’ve been sitting on this entire time. Just.. a mere… suggestion—”

Your jaw clenched and your hand moved on instinct, Lilith was thrown against the wall with enough force to rattle the furniture. You knew it wouldn't do much damage to an immortal creature, but the disadvantage of taking mortal flesh as a disguise was that a few things still hurt.

She gasped for air, yet somehow that stupid smirk remained plastered across her face “Oh, I think I finally understand why Lucifer was so interested in you.” she managed between breaths.

“You have no idea what you're talking about.” Despite your emotional state you kept your tone even. Your fist tightened and after a second you released her.

Her body fell heavily onto the floor.

“Maybe not.” Lilith pushed herself upright, rubbing the side of her neck. “But neither do you.”

.

For thirteen years, you had replayed that night so many times that you could remember every detail; The way Zelda had looked at you, the hatred in her eyes, the tremble in her pale hands, the words that had been thrown at you like knives.

“You betrayed me.”

You had hoped to remedy whatever it might have been she was so upset about. You spent days, weeks and eventually years trying to figure out where had you gone wrong what had been something so unforgivable that the woman who had loved you for two centuries could simply wake up one morning and decide that you were no longer worthy of being called family. You almost died trying but never figured it out, but the look in Zelda’s eyes that day was one you knew as a death sentence. If she was shutting you out like that it wasn’t something you could get to.

You thought she would come find you whenever she was ready. She had known where you were, for the first couple of years you made sure she would be able to find you if she wished to. She never came so you vanished into the shadows of a once comfortable past.

Looking back now you know Zelda had been afraid. You remembered it now.

She was angry but she was also hurt. 

You thought back to the night she came home crying a million times. The nightmares, the panic the way she had looked at you as though you weren’t real.

“Drop the charades and tell me what the fuck is this Lilith.”

Her expression changed, only for a second. “I don't know…” she dragged out the words as if they bothered her as much as they did you.

“You're lying.” you weren’t sure but you couldn’t just let her get away that easily.

“I wish I was.” She straightened, her gaze dropping briefly once more to the ring still sitting on your finger. “But I know this much; — you have spent so much time mourning something without ever asking yourself who benefited from it.” She said simply as if she hadn’t dropped a bomb.

You stared at her, every thought in your mind suddenly rearranging itself around a possibility you had refused to entertain for thirteen years.

Orpheus had been right. Once you accepted it was over you had spent so long looping inside your own grief that you stopped questioning the version of events you had built for yourself. Eventually the memories stopped being memories and became evidence for a story you had already decided was true.

“And how do you benefit from this?” You asked Lilith still unsure of her stance in this whole situation.

“I am not sure yet... but I don’t care about hurting your family if that’s your concern.” She seemed truthful on that part at least, nodding once you turned to leave the office. As you were almost out the door she called you out. 

“And Y/n? I wasn’t lying when I said I desperately need a music teacher around here…” 

The clock read 8:37a.m.

Across the flight announcements screen the temperature was announced at 13°C but you were sweating, the nerves starting to physically show as your hand shook ever so slightly as you held a cup of what had to be your 9th round of camomile tea that you insessantly drank as you attempted to lower your heart rate.

You hated airports. Specially after 9/11. What was once a comfortable experience suddenly felt like a wrong move could land you in jail.

You specially hated planes, you never liked the machines but since Edward and Diana’s “accident” you swore off ever getting in one.

Unfortunately for you, a lot of things you seemed to have sworn off a long time ago seem to become more and more inevitable by the day.

You had travelled plenty over your lifetime,but you had always been fonder of boats and trains. You liked the journey, the days spent on a comfy seat with a stack of nice books and plenty of time to think and reset before reaching your destination.

The first time you took a plane had been with Zelda and Ambrose a long time ago. 

You also didn’t appreciate being separated from your familiar for long, but Orpheus was taking us own route there. 

It had been barely past ten a.m when your flight departed Hearthrow Airport heading to Boston Logan’s. 

It was now half past two p.m and you swore your ass was officially absorbed by your lower back as you squirmed in your seat trying to get your blood to circulate after falling asleep in a terrible position for three hours straight.

You needed to get up. 

As you saw the bathroom light was green you carefully unglued yourself from your seat and stretched, finally feeling the blood coming back to your legs. Entering the cubicle you turned on the tap and washed your hands and face in an attempt to bring your mind back into your physical body.

You caught your reflection in the mirror and realized just how long it had been since you last looked at yourself from this up close.

You are a witch so it’s not like time aged you physically, at least, not in the way it would a normal human. You didn’t wrinkle or looked miserable to the unknowing eye. But the details would be obvious to someone who knew what they were looking at.

The bags under your eyes were gray-ish with barely visible blue veiny lines — rather than the regular dark and deep ones that will form in mortals. Your lips were slightly swollen and reddish from the assault your anxiety induced self chewing inflicted on them. 

However, what truly gave away the heartbreak and toll the last thirteen years took on you, was what once was small patch of white hair in the front of your right side hairline, now, took over the entirety of the right half of your head. 

You’d noticed it growing bigger a few months after your depart. At first it had been nothing but small hardly visible pieces of white, you thought it maybe was due to the change in season as it had been a temporary factor before, but when it didn’t go away and started spreading more after arriving to your old Oxford home, you knew it was a grief induced change that wasn’t going to go away.  It had at least stopped growing once you settled in your new life, when you resided to the fact that it was over.

A knock came from the other side of the door and snapped you back to reality. 

Smoothing your suit and fixing yourself quickly, you opened the door and headed back to your seat dreading the four long hours ahead of you. 

Pulling out your notepad you started running your eyes through your notes.

You review the dream sequence you wrote down in an attempt to keep your memory fresh while simultaneously trying to make sense of what you saw and what it meant.

—

Diana  no, Sabrina (she’s grown too grown) — Hilda (Orph)— the children — Ambrose (lucid/ present as himself — how?/why?)—Zee Zelda (I don’t understand)

Habanera?? “Prends garde à toi” “Si tu ne m’aimes pas je t’aime” “Si je t’aime prends garde à toi”  not distorted like the rest — why???

Z hates Carmen — “foolish men/ no honour”

Sabrina is not Sabrina (sleep demon?) 

Hilda would never, psychological torment purely?

How did Ambrose end up there at that very moment? 

Sabrina’s dark baptism: what changes? Why is this different? Why is it causing disturbances?

Zee

Zelda: Betrayal, lied?, confused?, furious?, hurt

I never, would never.  What happened?  13 years  

who was she talking to? why was she scared? 

I miss you

—

The more you looked at the pages the more questions seemed to pop in your mind. 

You couldn’t shake the bad feeling that had been brewing in your stomach for the last 48 hours and because enough is never enough you couldn’t stop thinking about her.

— March 2003—

“Zee?” — you jolted from the parlour’s piano bench when the front door had been slammed shut with  too much force to be accidental.

When you didn’t get any signs of your wife’s presence other than the telltale click of her heels fast disappearing upstairs you got up and followed her on her steps.

“Zelds? Bae? Are you alright?” Worry grew rapidly in your chest when you were met with silence yet again.

When you entered your shared room Zelda had been sitting on the corner of the bed, her face as red and her eyes were bloodshot. Seeing her crying had always had a visceral effect in you, it was like a knife cutting slowly and agonizingly through your soul.

“Sweetheart what’s wrong? You are scaring me.” You said softly as you knelt before her, softly placing one hand on top of her knee, the other pulling the stray strands of her usually immaculate hair from her soft pale face. 

Unfortunately at this time it hadn’t been unusual to see your wife upset, it had been barely over a year since Ed’s accident, and while most days she was good at keeping it together having yet another child to raise and all this grief to get through while teaching at the academy and attending church business was getting to become too much. 

Thankfully she had trusted you with watching over Sabrina and attending mortuary business specially the parts that required leaving the home since Ambrose couldn’t leave the vicinities. You gave classes five times a week. Two at Baxter, three at the academy. They took but a couple hours each so your schedule was mostly occupied by family business.

It still hadn’t been enough. You barely saw each other those days, you hadn’t cared. You knew things needed to be done and that you had all the time in the world. You had been thankful for the handful of hours you got to lay next to her, for the small moments at breakfast where you got to watch her read. For the cut-short and the lingering kisses you stole between moments. For all the quiet instances you got to love her in the middle of the loud chaos life had become.

“I— I don’t— no.” The words had been let out between strained sobs. By that point tears had begun pooling in your eyes as well. You hated seeing her like this. “Okay Zee” You whispered as you dried her falling tears gently, she had stared at you as one does a pet that needs to be put down, the sadness and dread were there you just didn’t know why. 

You had let your hands softly slide down her shins all the way to her ankles and took off her heels. She didn’t fight you, she didn’t say a word. She just stared at you like you were a ghost. 

You got up and held out your hand to her, she took it, conflict still brewing behind the green eyes you knew so well. 

“Darling, you don’t need to talk to me but you should lay down and try to rest a little.” You whispered softly into her hair as you hugged her stiff form. 

You knew it was better not to push but it was hard. 

“I need to be alone.” Zelda’s voice had been hoarse from all the crying. She knew you wouldn’t protest her will. You rarely did in these cases, if there’s was something you were good at was meeting her regardless of where she was. 

.

“For a bird woman you are much like a dog.” She had whispered to you randomly one night when you were lounging in bed enjoying each others company. 

“How so?” You had looked up from your book slightly tilting your head in confusion at the suddenness of the statement.

“You’re extremely loyal.” Zelda stated simply.

“Loyalty is not a trait exclusive to dogs. Barn owls are loyal to their partners. Crows are extremely loyal towards their mates and homicides.” 

“Homicides?” Zelda barked a laugh.

“Well if a big group is a murder… a smaller one can be an homicide, right? I mean murder sounds bigger than homicide even if it’s structurally smaller.” You were truly convinced in your statement. 

“I love you and all of your uncanny train of thought” she whispered against your lips before kissing you senseless.

.

“Okay.” You whispered placing a soft kiss on her forehead. “If you need me I’ll be here”. 

You had left the room with a sense of doom looming over you. Something wasn’t adding up, this wasn’t just a bad day, she had been upset beyond your comprehension.

When you had reached the bottom of the stares still wearing a frown of concern, Ambrose came out of the kitchen, muffin in hand eating like he hasn’t been fed in a week. 

“What’s all the fuss about?” He asked non-commitedly more interested in the task at hand. 

“I’m not sure.” You answered honestly.

“Is auntie Z okay?” Noticing your worried tone he had immediately refocused his attention to your obvious turmoil.

“I’m not sure. She doesn’t seem to want to talk.” You sounded defeated in your words as you passed him and stole a piece of his muffin. 

He stood there for a second, processing the missing piece of his snack following you back into the kitchen.

“Who doesn’t want to talk?” Hilda inquired, hands deep into the sink where you assume the tray where Ambrose’s muffin came from was being washed.

“Auntie Zee.” Ambrose said as he grabbed another muffin from the tray.

“She works herself too hard. Even worse since they elected Blackwood as High Priest.” Hilda offered, disdain dripping at the mention of the man’s name.

“I can’t comprehend why would they choose —that— to represent the church. I may be biased but I know my wife and I also know that the man needs centuries of grinding before he could ever reach Zee’s knowledge on the matter.” You stated as you sat next to Sabrina who was quietly colouring on her tiny table next to the actual kitchen table, a hand softly petting her blonde locks.

“Y/n you know no witch could ever rule the church, its against unholy law.” Hilda gently reminded you, but by the look in her eyes she definitely agreed with you.

“I know, I know… I am purely referring to logistical matters. Blackwood is a tad sociopathic, plus he has had a fixation on your sister since...” You took a spot second before completing your thought “— forever.” A slight disgusted laced frown was now evident in your features.

Hilda and Ambrose both gave you a knowing look, quickly adverting their gazes away when suspicion and inquisition replaced your previous look. 

“What…?” You squinted your eyes at the pair of them, hand still lightly playing with Sab’s hair as she coloured her drawing with al the focus in the world.

“Auntie… do you think— maybe… and hear me out— maybe, you might be hum… slightly jealous?” The last part came out as an almost squeak. 

“Jealous?” You savoured the word, slowly repeating it as if it were a foreign concept. Because truly, it was. “What do you mean jealous? Jealous of what?” You were incredulous at the insinuation.

“I mean everyone hates Father Blackwood and we all know he is obsessed with auntie Zee and that he hates you… maybe jealousy was not the right terminology but, uncomfortable perhaps?” 

“I—“ you haven’t thought about it like that, you frowned trying to piece together your own feelings trying to reach an accurate diagnosis.

“Xealus” Sabrina looked up at you from her seat as her tiny arm stretched towards your free hand to land you her drawing. A green witch, how fitting.

“Thats— lovely darling, thank you.” You said glaring at Ambrose and Hilda  who were both suppressing their laughters while your niece climbed onto your lap.

“In all seriousness, I am not jealous I mean our marriage is older than Michigan 

“And most of the fifty states” Ambrose mumbled.

“What I mean is— I haven’t felt jealousy since my age was in the double digits, if anything I am...— concerned. It’s not just that I don’t trust him. I have a dreadful feeling every time he comes around.” Your tone was serious and your face fell with worry. 

The conversation moved as you all knew only time would dictate the facts. 

Dinner time came around Sabrina was already out like a light for the night. You had tried to get Zelda to come down for supper but she had fallen asleep and you didn’t have it in you to disturb her slumber. You didn’t bother eating much that night, instead having chosen to take a long warm bath and get in bed with your wife earlier than you usually would. 

It had been about an hour since you had slid under the covers with your crosswords in hand when Zelda’s breaths gradually became more shallow and a frown formed in her previously peaceful face. You didn’t want to wake her up right away so you softly rubbed her arm and whispered “Shhh baby, everything is okay. You’re okay darling.” But when it did nothing to help and her breathing became more erratic as her previously milky white cheeks became the same shade of crimson that you had seen earlier that day you had to keep her from panicking further 

“Zee, wake up” you said as you shook her slightly, your heart beginning to race: But when she had started gasping for air you snapped in fear “Zelda wake up!”

She sat up clutching her throat, pulling away from your hold on her, panic and terror reflected on her eyes. You had seen a lot over the years, the smiles, the laughs, the tears, the sadness, the anger, the regrets and the fears. You truly believed you had seen all of Zelda Spellman but in that moment the dread you felt told you that you didn’t.

You didn’t—

“Sweetheart— deep breaths.” You instructed her breathing as you inhaled and exhaled with her a few times as you tried to steady your own shaky voice and racing heart.

After a moment she had finally managed to take in her surroundings and steady her breathing, you spoke.

“Can I?” You whispered as you slowly reached for her hand. Zelda didn’t speak. She simply nodded permission as she broke into another sob as she leaned onto your shoulder. 

You slowly pulled her onto your chest and held her as tight as you could feeling helpless. 

“Zee baby… I don’t know what’s going on in that brain of yours but I need you to know that I love you more than anything in the cosmos and I am here.” Your voice was hoarse with your own unshed tears, barely above a whisper. “Whenever you’Re ready I’ll be here, but please, don’t shut me out.”

She didn’t say anything. You don’t think she could have without breaking so you simply ran your fingers through her hair and kissed her forehead as you gently hushed her until she fell asleep glued to your side. 

—

The announcement ping snapped you out of your thoughts as the pilot announced the plane was about to begin landing procedures. 

“Thank Hecate.” You thought to yourself, wanting nothing but to properly stretch your legs.

.

After leaving the airport you still had a train ride and bus before finally arriving in Riverdale in the early evening. Deciding it was more than enough travel for one day you decided to settle at the Shady Palm Motel as it was the calmest closest option to your destination.

“Welcome to Shady Palm, how can I help?” The teenager staring at you from across the counter asked looking up from the desk computer.

“Hi, I’d like to get a room.” 

.

“There you go, all settled in… — your room is 209.” She said as he finished your transaction and turned to grab the key to hand it to you. “Sick hair by the way. Enjoy your stay!”

You gave her a nod paired with the best “thank you smile” you could muster under your exhausted state and went on your merry way to find your room.“ Sick hair?” You thought to yourself in amusement at the kid’s comment.

.

The first thing you did after confirming everything in your room was in order was to take what had to be the longest shower known to mankind, feeling like you needed to wash the travel from your skin but also the flood of memories and worries clouding your mind. 

Thankfully the long day took a big enough toll on your mind and body that as soon as your head hit the pillow you blacked out.

—-

Everything was dark. 

The air around was impossibly humid. You could feel your hands shaking and the cold taking over you as it settled in your bones. 

“Why did you do this? She was not a threat!” A clearly distressed voice was echoing from somewhere, You couldn’t tell where from. 

“Silence witch!” A deep, gut wrenching voice followed. “You mustn’t question my will…— unless you wish to meet yours and your family’s demise child.” The voice was monotone but nonetheless threatening and bone chilling. 

A series of deafening screams and wails of pure horror followed immediately, leaving you lost in a place you couldn’t pinpoint. 

—-

A knock from your bedroom window pulled you out of your nightmares. Feeling your pulse in your hears you sat up looking at the radio/digital clock on the nightstand.

04:00 a.m

Sighing and rubbing your face you got up to inspect the Tok-tok noise to find Orpheus perched on the window cill. Opening the window you grogly muttered “Hecate have mercy, Orph where were you?” 

“I’m sorry it took so long I had something to tend to.” He sounded apologetic but also short on his answer but before you could pry on his business he asked “Did I wake you?”

“Yeah” you huffed as you closed the window and sat back on the not-so-comfortable mattress “but it’s fine, it’s not like I was sleeping well anyways” you buried your face into your palms, annoyance starting to build up as the sleep deprivation slowly eats at you. 

“Nightmares?” He inquires simply. 

“Yep.” You say flatly as you throw yourself back. 

“Try and sleep I’ll be right here.” He offers as he balls up on the pillow next to yours. 

“Night Orph.” 

“Night Y/n”