#caoz

SO, AFTER 22 COMPLETED CHAPTERS (2 SEASONS, A CHRISTMAS SPECIAL A ND AN PART 4 REVAMP) IN THIS FANFIC, I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE FUN TO DO A ‘ROLL CALL’, A LIST OF ALL THE CHARACTERS IN THE STORY (THAT I CAN REMEMBER) SO FAR, AND THEIR ROLE IN THE PLOT.

JUST IN CASE YOU’RE NOT ALL CAUGHT UP, PLEASE CONSIDER THIS YOUR WARNING FOR SPOILERS!

LEGEND KEY: SHOW CHARATER=(SC) MY ORIGINAL CHARACTER=(OC) REAL-LIFE PERSON (RLP)

CHAPTERS 1-13=SEASON 1 CHAPTER 14= CHRISTMAS SPECIAL (STANDALONE) CHAPTER 15=MY TAKE ON PART 4 (STANDALONE) CHAPTERS 15-22= SEASON 2

THE SPELLMANS:

ZELDA (SC)-The high priestess of the Order of Hecate and the headmistress of the Academy of Unseen Arts; Older sister to Hilda and the deceased Edward; aunt to Sabrina and Ambrose; Sister-in-law to Dr. C and Diana; wife to Faustus; stepmother to Prudence; step (and later adopted) mother to LJ and Jake; birth mother of Cordelia

FAUSTUS (SC)-Former high priest of the church of night/Judas; former headmaster of the Academy of Unseen Arts; Son of Lord Liam and Lady Drusilla; Half brother to Brutus and all of Liam’s bastards; Husband of Zelda; Father of Prudence, LJ, Jake, and Cordelia; Brother-in-law to Hilda and Edward; best friend of Dr. C; Uncle to Ambrose, Sabrina, and Sara; Due to his abusive past and trauma due to the insanity curse, Faustus is often misunderstood. He feels so guilty about the past, he barely mingles with the coven; He worked first at Dr. C’s bookstore and currently teaches mortal children at Greendale Middle School.

HILDA (SC)-Sister to Zelda and Edward; Wife to Dr. C; Aunt to Sabrina, Ambrose, and Cordelia; a teacher at the academy;

DR. ROBERT CERBERUS AKA DR. C (SC)-Hilda’s husband; Brother-in-law of Zelda and Edward; Faustus’s best friend; owner of Dr. Cerberus’s Books and Spirits; could be considered an ‘honorable Spellman’;

AMBROSE (SC)-From a different branch of the Spellman family tree; Raised by his auntie Hilda; also nephew to Zelda; cousin to Sabrina and Cordelia; Prudence’s boyfriend; Shares the day-to-day duties of running the mortuary with Jake; sometimes serves as the academy’s librarian

PRUDENCE BLACKWOOD AKA PRUDENCE NIGHT (SC)-Another ‘honorable Spellman’; Faustus’s daughter with Madeline Wells; Siblings are LJ, Jake, and Cordelia; adores stepmother Zelda; informal leader of the Weird Sisters, ( a witchy trio consisting of her, Agatha, and Dorcas); Long-time girlfriend of Ambrose; teacher at the academy;

SABRINA (SC) –Daughter of Lucifer and Edward’s mortal wife, Diana; raised by her aunties Hilda and Zelda; Cousin to Ambrose and Cordelia; This former troublemaking teenage witch has grown up a lot and is now a therapist;

LJ (SC)-Born to Faustus and his 1st wife, Constance; Zelda knew Blackwood would be cruel to the girl so she whisked the baby away and named her Letitia, when Blackwood got her back, renamed her Judith; when she was reclaimed by the family, she decided to call herself LJ and after being adopted by stepmother Zelda, she took the surname Spellman; Older twin to Jake; half-sisters are Prudence and Cordelia; Now all grown up, LJ is a witch doctor who can also practice mortal medicine;

JAKE (SC)-Originally named Judas, Jake changed his name to forget about being raised by Blackwood; Younger twin of LJ; half-sisters are Prudence and Cordelia; Not as strong a warlock as Faustus or Ambrose, Jake is good-natured and easygoing; Runs the mortuary with Ambrose;

CORDELIA (OC)-The youngest member of the Spellman clan; Cousin to Ambrose, Sabrina, and Sara; Half-sister to Prudence, LJ, and Jake; is the only biological child of Faustus and Zelda therefore she had the blood of both Blackwoods and Spellmans; Her parents later learn are the 2 most ancient bloodlines of magic; meaning that they are all descendants of Hecate due to her grandchildren, the man who spells and the lady of the blacken woods; Because she has both bloodlines, Cordelia is the divine child who is fated to become the most powerful witch ever born; all the family knows about the prophecy-except for Cordelia herself;

OTHER MAINS:

LILITH (SC)-The 1st woman and the 1st witch; Started this story as Lucifer’s pregnant handmaiden, now is the queen of hell; looks exactly like mortal teacher Mary Wardwell; Wife of Adam, 3rd earl of Masters; Mother of Zander (Alexander; who she hopes to marry off to Cordelia 1 day) and newborn Nora;

LUCIFER (SC)-Heaven’s fallen angel; the dark lord; Father to Sabrina and Zander; Been in numerous flesh prisons, including Faustus; currently trapped in a witch council member in hell;

ZANDER(OC)-Son of Lilith and Lucifer; believes himself betrothed to Cordelia;

BLACKWOOD (OC)-Is not a person, just a curse; a spell; put on Faustus by Lucifer and Edward when Edward was seeking permission to marry Diana; curse started when Faustus and Zelda got married…or was it earlier?; It bears the mark of Cain which makes it immortal; currently buried alive in the Greendale woods;

HARVEY KINGLE (SC)-Sabrina’s mortal friend and 1stboyfriend; comes from a long line of witch hunters;

ROZ WALKER (SC)- Sabrina’s mortal friend; a seer;

THEO PUTMAN (SC)- Sabrina’s mortal friend; later to be the vice principal of Greendale Middle School;

ERIN, EMILY & ERICA WARNER (OC)-Mortal triplet sisters; all are Cordelia’s best friends; recently learned that the Spellmans are witches.

SARA REED AKA SARA NIGHT AKA SARA BLACKWOOD (OC )-Known for driving Cordelia crazy as she tries to steal her friends; turns out to be a bitter Blackwood cousin;

NINA ROBINSON (OC)-Greendale Middle School’s new 8thgrade teacher; in lust with Faustus; won’t leave him alone no matter how much he rebukes her;

EDWARD SPELLMAN (SC)-Brother to Zelda and Hilda; adopted father of Sabrina; once haunted Faustus as a ghost; Edward is known for 2 things, being a powerful warlock and keeping life-changing secrets from his family;

MINION (SC)-An ever-loyal servant of the throne of hell and whoever sits upon it;

MINOR CHARACTERS

MAMBO MARIE (SC)-Brief love interest of Zelda’s; lives in New Orleans with her new wife;

LORD LIAM BLACKWOOD (OC)-Faustus’s abusive father;

LADY DRUSILLA BLACKWOOD (OC)- Faustus’s abusive mother;

MADGA (OC)-Faustus’s beloved governess; the only person who truly loved him as a child; murdered by witch hunters;

JOAN (OC)-Faustus’s mind guide;

MADELINE WELLS ( OC)-Prudence’s mother; She and Faustus mutually agreed to a purely physical, emotionless affair (her heart belongs to her dead husband Barnabas, and his to Zelda; Yet at some point, Madeline fell for Faustus and got pregnant to trap him; Even after she gave birth, Faustus made it clear that he wouldn’t marry her so Madeline threw herself in a river; Prudence was only 1 day old;

CONSTANCE BLACKWOOD (SC)-Faustus’s 1st wife; biological mother of LJ and Jake; Edward forced the marriage with blackmail and lies; Haunted Faustus as a ghost but later apologized;

SHIRLEY JACKSON (SC)-Former teacher at the academy; Haunted Faustus as a ghost;

BROTHER LOVECRAFT (SC)-Briefly plotted with Blackwood to steal the coven from Zelda;

SAM (OC) & MIKE (OC)-Dr. C’s brothers

SARA (OC) & ROSE (OC)-Dr. C’s sisters-in-law

BRIAN (OC)-Dr. C’s cousin; a minister that, along with Zelda, married Hilda to Dr. C;

SABRINA MORNINGSTAR (SC)-Sabrina’s dark side; was briefly queen of hell;

ELIZABETH TUDOR (RLP/OC)-History’s Elizabeth I; half-breed; her mother was a witch and her mortal father was a king; Is immortal due to the mark of Cain given to her by Lucifer as a punishment; lives in a rip in time that allows her to protect and rule her people to this day; An ally to the Spellmans;

MAXINE AKA BROTHER MAX (OC)-A witch that used a glamor to make herself a warlock so she could serve on the witches council;

THE WITCHES’ COUNCIL (SC)-The final word on the government on witch law;

THE SISTERHOOD (OC)-A secret underground, council made up of women, Maxine is a go-between them and the witches’ council; They are the 1stto realize that Cordelia is the divine child;

BRUTUS (OC)-The new Lord Blackwood; Sara’s father; Half-brother to Faustus and all of Lord Liam’s other bastards;

MR. & MRS. WARNER (OC)-Parents of the triplets;

MR. HOPPER (OC)-Principal of Greendale Middle School

GUS (OC) -Owns an auto body shop somewhere between Greendale and Salem; helped Faustus when he blew a tire;

MRS. APPLEGATE (OC)-Another teacher at Greendale Middle School;

DRUSILLA & SHELLEY (OC)-2 witch/maids who work in Salem;

ADAM, 3RD EARL OF MASTERS (OC)-Originally from Elizabeth’s world; He left to marry Lilith; Father of newborn Nora;

PETER WATSON (OC)-Brief boyfriend of LJ’s;

NORA (OC)-Newborn daughter of Lilith and Adam;

FAMILIARS:

SALEM (SC)- Sabrina’s cat;

VINEGAR TOM AKA VINNE T(SC)-Zelda’s dog;

KING (OC)-Faustus’s panther; that was murdered right in front of him;

APOLLO (OC)-Jake’s greyhound;

OCTOBER (OC)- LJ’s dove;

CORDELIA LOOKS AT SARA IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT. LJ TAKES A BIG STEP IN HER RELATIONSHIP.

Everyone was gathered around Faustus and Cordelia’s motel room and no one seemed to noticed that there was also blood on the triplets’ door. Suddenly, there was movement within the crowd.

“Excuse me. Excuse me!” said a man who fought his way though the crowd. “Hello, sir,” He addressed Faustus. “I’m the manager of this motel and I’m so sorry about this. This blood on the door is a prank that the local kids do ever now and then. I’m also sorry about everyone’s rude awakening this morning. The very least I can do is give you and your class a discount.”

“Well, that very nice of you, sir, but I’m not exactly here with the class.”

The manager now seemed confused. “I’m sorry. I thought you were a teacher.”

“Well, I am.” Faustus answered. “In fact, half of these young people are my class, but I’m here on a private, family matter.”

Now, the manager now seemed very, very confused.

“Perhaps, we can sort all of this out in your office.” Faustus suggested. The manager nodded and walked away, in the direction of the office as Faustus turned to Cordelia and whispered to his daughter.

“It seems the storm has passed. There doesn’t seem to be a cloud in the sky. Go get dressed and we leave as soon as I get back.”

Cordelia nodded. “Right, Dad.” She turned on her heel and re-entered the motel room. Her clothes were waiting in the bathroom for her. They had been hanging out to dry all night. The good news was the clothes were dry enough to wear. The bad news was the patches of mud were still visible. Falling in that mud puddle didn’t hurt half as much as when the triplets threw her out…again. Cordelia sighed. After all those years of friendship, Cordelia had NEVER lied to the Warners sisters until last night. After an entire afternoon of going around Salem, the girls went into their motel room, the Warner sisters and Sara talked about all these new spells they brought today and how excited they were to try them out. Knowing how mortals and magic could be a dangerous mix, Cordelia felt she had to lie, and that’s when Cordelia declared she didn’t believe in witches or witchcraft. That was all it took for the girls, her 3 BFFS, to turn on her.

“What, I can’t even have a different opinion?” Cordelia asked before she was kicked out. The door was slammed so hard that Cordelia fell off the porch and into the mud. Cordelia sighed again as she slipped into her clothes and went into the other room to collect the few personal items they had bought into the room. Let’s see, there was her phone, her father’s phone, the car keys. She turned and saw Faustus in the open doorway, smiling at her.

“Ready to go?”

She nodded and Faustus closed the door as they left and got into the car. As Faustus pulled out of the motel’s driveway, Cordelia looked at the triplets’ room, hoping that at the very least, they were at the window to wave her off. They weren’t.

Faustus and Cordelia drove 40 minutes from Salem before stopping for breakfast. The original plan, that was cancelled due to last night’s storm, was for Faustus to drive all night until they reached Greendale. That’s why Faustus’s car was stocked with pillows, blankets, and even the novel that Cordelia was currently reading, taken from the top of her night table. However, Cordelia was way too tense to relax. She was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“Okay, Dad,” Cordelia said when she couldn’t take it anymore. “I know that Mom will no doubt have some words for me when we get home but I don’t think I can wait until we get home so come on Dad, let me have it. Scold me, yell at me, whatever you have, give it me.”

“Why should I scold you?” Faustus asked casually.

Cordelia shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know. I was expecting something like ‘what were you thinking, young lady? How could you even get on that bus knowing that it was headed to Salem?’ Things like that.”

Faustus chuckled softly. “There is no need for that, Cordy. You were set up. Nothing that happened yesterday was your fault.”

“Really? Thanks for believing me, Dad. It means a lot.” Her tone was sincere. Then she lowered her voice. “I swear I’m going to kill Sara!”

“As much as I hate to defend the girl that been driving you crazy but for once, Sara didn’t do anything. Mrs. Robinson did everything.”

“What?! How do you know?”

“Well, I went to her motel room last night and, um, she was waiting for me there because, um”

“She likes you?” Cordelia offered, an amused look on her face. “It’s okay, Dad, I know. The whole class knows.”

“Great.” Faustus muttered. His grip tightened around the wheel, wishing it was Nina’s neck.

“Some kids are even taking bets on how long it will take for her to seduce you.”

“That will be never!” Faustus snapped. “I am completely devoted to your mother!”

“Dad, I know.” Cordelia soothed. “Just as I know that your signature on that stupid permission slip had to be a fake.”

“It was, and thank you, Cordy.” Faustus smiled at his daughter.

Then Cordelia remembered something. “Wait a minute, the message I got was sent from Erin’s phone. That’s why I fell for it.”

“Nina stole Erin’s phone. I found it in her room.”

“Nice move for a teacher.” Cordelia muttered.

Her father couldn’t agree more.

Once they had compared notes and cleared the air about what truly happened in Salem, it was a happy and peaceful ride home. However, because neither Faustus or Cordelia slept well the night before so by noon, Faustus’s energy was running low. Since he was the only 1 who could drive, Faustus performed a spell that would keep his eyes open no matter how tired he got. Early in the afternoon, Faustus pulled into a gas station, he turned and his heart melted. Cordelia was asleep in her slightly reclined seat. Faustus placed the blanket over her shoulder and kissed the top of her head before reaching for his wallet.

It was early evening when Faustus’s car drove up the Spellman’s driveway. The car wasn’t even in park yet as the family ran down the steps in a row. They barely had the time to get out of the car before Faustus and Cordelia were pulled into hug after hug and seemingly endless echoes of welcome home. The others cleared the way as Zelda came forward and picked up her daughter as if she was as light as a toddler and hugged her tightly.

“Oh, sweetheart, I was so worried.”

“It’s okay, Mom. I told you I’m fine.” Cordelia said as she hugged back.

Zelda put the child down and frowned. “Now, young lady, would you like to tell me what you were thinking about getting on a bus bound for Salem?”

Faustus went around the car and placed his hand on the small of his wife’s back. “Dearest,” He whispered into her ear. “None of what happened is Cordelia’s fault. I don’t want to explain it while the whole family is here but I tell you the whole story soon, I promise.”

The others must have felt the tension, for Hilda flung an arm around Cordelia, leading her up the stairs and into the house. The family gathered around the kitchen table and talked for hours. They talked about Salem, of course but Cordelia didn’t give them much details. It was already dark outside when the family said goodbye and went home for the night. Cordelia and her parents continued talking late into the night. So late, in fact that Zelda and Faustus fell asleep in Cordelia’s bed. 1 on each side of their daughter. However, when Zelda awoke in the middle of the night to find that Cordelia was no longer beside her. Zelda sat up and saw her daughter’s silhouette. Cordelia was seated on her window seat, her knees up under her chin and looking up at the moon.

Zelda got up and went to sit by her daughter. “Cordy, sweetheart? What’s wrong? You were yawning all night. Can’t you sleep?”

Cordelia sighed deeply. “Salem is a very weird town. They actually have a memorial devoted to the victims of the witch trials, but it’s how the town makes its money.”

Zelda took Cordelia’s hand into her own. “Is that what’s wrong? Did something spook you in Salem?”

Cordelia didn’t say anything but she moved so she was in her mother’s arms. “I’m just so glad I’m home.”

“I’m happy you’re home too, baby girl” Zelda whispered into her hair. “You and your father. Despite your phone call, I was so worried last night, it was unbearable.” Zelda actually had cried herself to sleep with worry but Cordelia didn’t need to know that. They sat in silence for awhile, but both mother and daughter looked up when Faustus gave a loud snore from the bed.

“Poor Dad, he has spent the better part of 2 days driving. I think we should let him sleep.” Cordelia whispered.

“I think you’re right.” Zelda put an arm around her daughter and guided her upstairs to her own bedroom where they spent the rest of the night.

“I can’t even remember the last Sunday where I didn’t go to mass.” Cordelia stated.

It was the following evening and Zelda and Jake were getting ready to leave for church. It was Zelda’s idea that Faustus and Cordelia stay home tonight. In truth, Zelda was worried about them both. Cordelia was awake before her mother this morning despite what happened last night. Cordelia didn’t mention Salem all day but Zelda caught her daughter checking her phone to see if her friends were trying to reach out to her, they didn’t. 1 look at Faustus and Zelda could tell that, despite his good night sleep, he was still quite tired. Therefore, it was Zelda’s idea that Faustus and Cordelia skip mass and stay home tonight to rest.

“Don’t worry, sis, you have the high priestess’s permission to stay home.” Jake reminded her.

Zelda kissed both Faustus and Cordelia goodbye and then she and Jake headed off to church. 1 of Zelda’s many, many duties as high priestess was to perform Sunday night’s weekly dark mass and of course, tonight was no different. Even so, with Faustus and Cordelia not even home barely a full day yet, Zelda would be lying if she said she wanted to be anywhere but home. Still, Zelda was a professional, so she preformed mass as normally as she could. Still, when Sabrina and Prudence offered to clean up and deal with some of the lingering congregation, Zelda jumped at the chance and teleported herself home. The house Zelda returned to was silent. So much so that, for a moment, she thought that they had gone out after all. Then she saw light coming from Cordelia’s room.

“Hello, darlings. I’m home.”

Faustus turned his head from the bed, a finger at his lips. “Shhh, dearest. I just got Cordelia to sleep.”

Zelda gave a gasp. “You did! How? I tried to get her to rest all afternoon and she didn’t even take a nap.”

Faustus smiled. “It’s all about timing, my dearest. For example, while Cordelia was undressing, I took the time to place herbs under her pillow. Foxglove, of course, to get her asleep, nightshade to keep her asleep and if she should dream, just a little bit of rose hips to make sure those dreams are pleasant ones.”

As Faustus was explaining, he was also tucking in Cordelia’s loose blanket under the left side of the mattress, giving Zelda the impression that Cordelia had just fallen asleep. Zelda helped by doing the right side. Then she smiled proudly at her husband.

“You know; this is probably why Hilda told me you were the best herbal student she ever had.”

“She did? I wonder why I never took herbalism at the academy. Well, Father always said herbalism was woman’s magic.”

Zelda shook her head. “Don’t even go there.”

“I wanted to kill her, Zelda.” It was 2 AM and Faustus and Zelda lay together in their darken bedroom together, naked and content. It was Faustus’s plan to tell Zelda all about Salem as soon as soon as they got to their room. Yet as soon as the door closed, Faustus could feel his wife’s lips on his and before he knew it, he swept Zelda up in his arms, bridal style and carried her to the bed. It was after their lovemaking, with Faustus’s arm around Zelda’s waist and her head on his chest when he told Zelda the whole ugly story about Salem.

“I could have killed her!” Faustus continued. “And you know that’s serious because I haven’t even thought of killing a mortal since the curse.”

Zelda turned over onto her stomach and propped herself up to looked at her husband. “Don’t let Mrs. Robinson destroy all your hard work. Besides, I’ll gladly kill her for you.” Then Zelda sighed very deeply.

“Sweetheart? What’s wrong?”

“Did I say there’s was anything wrong?”

“No, but Zelda, I know you. Anytime you sigh that deeply, there’s a problem.”

Zelda frowned. “Very well. As much as I hate how crazy Nina Robinson is making you, making all of us crazy, I’m afraid I can see some same traits between her and me.”

Faustus couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Bite your tongue, Zelda Spellman. You and that vile idiot have nothing, I repeat, nothing in common.”

Zelda raised an eyebrow. “Are we really going to sit here and pretend that this is the 1st time a daughter of yours was kidnapped?”

“Those are 2 completely different situations and we both know it!” Faustus instantly objected. “You took LJ because it was the right thing for her. When you realized that she wasn’t any safer at your house, you took her where she could be safe even when it broke your own heart. There’s also no doubt in my mind that if Jake had been born a girl, you would have taken the same risks for him. Even back then you would do anything for our twins. Nina doesn’t care about Cordelia. Even if Cordy hadn’t of sent that text and I hadn’t gone to Salem, Cordelia would had still come back with the other kids on Monday because Cordelia was never in a dangerous situation to begin with. LJ was. Nina just used Cordelia as bait to lure me to Salem, as soon as she got our child on that bus, she ceased to care about her. You would never do that, Zelda, because whether or not you realize it, you became a mother long before you gave birth to Cordelia. Your first instinct has always been to protect those you love and that’s primary instinct is what makes you an amazing mother, a wonderful wife and a great high priestess.”

For a full moment, Zelda studied Faustus in complete silence. When she did speak, it was only to whisper 3 little words, “I love you.”

Faustus stroked his wife’s cheek. It would have been so easy, too easy, to kiss her, make love to her again. Yet he knew there was another matter they should discuss. Faustus explained that as he drove home from Salem yesterday, he couldn’t help but think that it might be best for everyone if they pulled Cordelia out of school. Just for a little while, until the mortals’ current obsession with witches died down a bit. As the 7th grade teacher, it would be no problem at all to ensure that Cordelia got her work and stayed up to speed with the rest of the class. Zelda readily agreed, even suggesting that Cordelia might spend some time at the academy. After all the chaos she witnessed in the mortal world lately, it may just may do their daughter some good to see that it was pretty much business as usual in the witch community.

You have 0 new messages. That’s what it read on the phone’s small screen and then she checked her voicemail. It just said the same thing into her ear. In a fit of frustration, Cordelia groaned and tossed her phone onto the coffee table as she curled up on the sofa, her eyes blinking with tears. It was early on Tuesday morning, it had been 4 days since Cordelia and her father came home from Salem. In all that time, Cordelia had not heard anything from her friends, despite leaving messages for all of them and despite the class supposedly having gotten back last night. Cordelia could still remember the good old days; where she and the triplets could barely go 4 hours without texting each other, let alone 4 days. With renewed determination, Cordelia got up and reclaimed her phone in 1 hand. She stared at the phone in her palm hatefully.

“Come on, you. RING!”

“Is something wrong, lamb?”

Cordelia turned to see Hilda in the doorway.

“Aunt Hilda? What are you doing here, so early in the morning?”

“Your mom wanted me to help with the harder recipes for your sister’s important dinner tomorrow and I thought I would get an early start. And what about you? 1 day out of school and I find you screaming at your cell phone.”

Despite herself, Cordelia smiled. It was a little shocking when her parents told her yesterday that she should step back from school, for now. It was also a bit bittersweet. There was no doubt that the class would have all kinds of Salem stories for the few who couldn’t make it and Hecate knew Cordelia didn’t need to hear any of that. Yet, at the same time, no being at school was like giving Sara an open invitation to steal her friends away, if she had any friends left to steal.

“I’m fine,” Cordelia assured her aunt. “I just wish 1 of the triplets would call me already.”

“They still haven’t gotten in touch with you?”

Cordelia sighed and shook her head. “I haven’t seen them the morning Dad and I left Salem and I haven’t talked to them since the night before that, when they threw me out of the motel room.”

Hilda frowned. “They threw out? Again?”

Cordelia nodded sadly. “But I’m not completely innocent. I did lie to them.”

“About what?”

“I said that I didn’t believe in witches or witchcraft. It was only the 1st night in Salem and they were all talking about the new spells they wanted to try” Cordelia explained. “You know how magic can be dangerous to mortals.”

“You were trying to protect them.” Hilda nodded in understanding.

“Yeah, well, lot of good it did me,” Cordelia muttered, “We haven’t even spoken since that night and because of that I don’t even know if they came home safely last night with the rest of the class.”

“Don’t worry, they got home.”

Cordelia looked at her aunt. “You’ve seen them, Auntie H?”

Hilda nodded. “They were at the bookstore last night, they were safe and happy and- “Hilda cut herself off.

“And with Sara” Cordelia finished for her and sighed. “That’s it, then. I’ve been replaced.”

“Oh, come on! The Warners would never replace you. You’re their ride or die.”

Despite her foul mood, Cordelia smiled. She always found it amusing when her centuries old aunt used modern slang.

“Besides,” Hilda continued “The Warners have been cruel to you and haven’t been acting like themselves for quite some time. Honestly, I won’t be surprised if the triplets were being bewitched.

“Bewitched?! By who?” Cordelia was upset as she sat back on the sofa. If her friends were bewitched, why didn’t Cordelia figure it out herself? What kind of witch was she?

Sensing that her niece needed some time alone, Hilda got up and kissed her. “I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.”

Cordelia curled up, her knees under her chin and her eyes closed. She was still thinking of the triplets and if they were bewitched, it would have to be someone new in their lives. But Cordelia could think of no one new but Sara. But Sara wasn’t a witch…or was she? Cordelia opened her eyes.

Meanwhile, across town, Faustus was getting ready for the schooldays, placing a copy of the day’s 1st lesson on every desk when he heard the clicking of heels on the floor. He looked up to see that Nina had arrived.

“Oh, no, no, no, no. YOU out of my classroom!” Faustus growled, furious, pointing at the doorway.

“What’s up with you? We share this classroom, remember?”

Faustus frowned. “No. We did share this classroom. Did, past tense. I’m done sharing anything with you!”

“I take it that you’re still angry with me due to what happened in Salem?”

“You think?” Faustus muttered.

“Even so,” Nina continued, “I don’t think it’s up to you to decide who teaches in what room.”

“Perhaps not,” Faustus said coldly, “You remember Theo Putnam, our vice principal? He’s been out all month because of his leg. He came back to work yesterday and this morning we had a long talk this morning about every thing and he agreed with me that you should move out. Just in case you want to bring your boyfriend, Principal Hopper, into this, don’t bother. He’s out sick with the flu.”

Nina was shocked. “How did you know that Hopper and I were lovers?”

“I was in the office last week, using the copy machine, when I saw you coming out of the principal’s office and not even 5 minutes later, Hopper came out, adjusting his belt. Suddenly, it all makes sense how you got you way in everything, the book, the play and the field trip.”

“Are you jealous?” She asked, a little too hopefully.

Faustus remained as calm as ever. “No. I was merely being observant while you were being indiscreet.”

“So that it? A little misunderstanding and you’re ready to throw me and the entire 8th grade out on our ear?”

“Who said anything about throwing out the 8 graders?” Faustus asked. “As if I told Theo, I would be more than happy to keep the 8th graders right here. I don’t mind if my workload is doubled, but you must go!”

Nina frowned. “You want to know what I think?”

“Not really, but you’re going to tell me anyway.” Faustus muttered.

“You do want me out of this classroom but only because you’re nervous you’re about to slip up and given in to attraction between us. You want me, Fausty, and we both know it but you’re hoping for an out of sight, out of situation.”

Faustus was shocked, just shocked. “Is there just no end to your nerve or your vanity, woman? I had said that I hated you since I was blue in the face and still you won’t face the fact the I despise you!”

“Let my track record speak for itself. I have never struck out with a man.”

“Yes, well you did strike out with me.” Having finished with passing papers, Faustus went to his desk, Nina right behind him.

“If you aren’t tempted by me and you think I kidnapped Cordelia- “

“You did kidnap her.” He cut in.

“Why didn’t you tell Theo about Salem? He would have canned my ass in a second.”

“Oh, I so desperately wanted to but I couldn’t because”

“You’re in love with me?” Nina suggested, batting her eyes.

Suddenly, Faustus had the urge to vomit. “Nooo, it’s because since I tore up that permission slip and returned Erin’s cell phone to its rightful owner, I had no evidence. Thankfully, I didn’t need it and Theo sided with me. Now, you have to go.”

“Why should I leave?”

“Because I can’t do this anymore!” Faustus snapped. “Your stupid, childish attempts to seduce me are growing more and more desperate. I consider it just pure dumb luck that someone hadn’t walked in and misread the situation…yet. I feel that the longer you stay in this class, the more likely something like that will happen and I will not risk losing anything because of you. I refuse to lose the love of my life, our daughter or my freedom.”

“Your freedom?”

Faustus nodded. “The more you stay here, the more I can see myself killing you and then I will be sent to jail.”

Faustus got up and in desperation, Nina grabbed his arm. “Faustus, I had to do what I did in Salem because…I’m in love with you.”

He took his arm back with 1 swift jerk. “In love with me?! You don’t even know the 1stthing about me!”

“Where am I to go?” Nina sounded lost.

“I don’t know. Go work in the office, go teach in another room, or another school, or another town, or another planet. Maybe you could get a job at an all boys school and start an orgy! I simply don’t care!”

“Fine!” Nina stomped across the room, made a half hearted attempt to clear everything off her desk and went across the room, stopping in the doorway. “Things aren’t over between us.”

“Yes, they are.” It was rude and a little childish, but Faustus couldn’t believe how good it felt to slam the door in Nina’s face.

“Mmm, this kitchen smells delightful, sister.” It was the next afternoon when Zelda walked into the room where Hilda had been working for hours.

Hilda looked up. “Thank you, sister. The fish is nearly done and then I have 1 or 2 things to do before I pop off.”

Zelda frowned. “I feel bad, Hildie. You’ve been working so hard on this dinner for me and I can’t even invite you to stay.”

“Don’t worry, Zelds. I understand completely. It just wouldn’t be fair to spring the whole Spellman clan on LJ’s beau at his 1st family dinner here. No, parents and siblings first, and if that goes well, then who’s knows?”

As Hilda went to check the stove, Zelda spotted a head of lettuce in a bowl and walked towards it. Zelda was the 1st to admit that she wasn’t the kitchen wiz her sister was, but this married mother of 4 could handle making a salad.

“It is exciting, isn’t it?” Hilda returned to the island to chop veggies. “I mean; I can’t even remember the last time LJ bought a boy home.”

“It was college, I believe.” Zelda guessed. “But I’ve never seen her this smitten before. She talks about this Peter all the time.”

The sisters worked in silence for awhile until they heard a loud thump above them.

“What was that?” Zelda was still looking at the ceiling.

“Cordelia?”

“No, I just left Cordy at my office at the academy, working on homework Faustus gave her.”

“Ambrose and Jake are in town, running errands, so- “

“We should be alone.” Zelda wiped her hands on a nearby towel. “Stay here, Hilda. I’ll check this out.”

There were no louder noises and as Zelda climbed to the 2ndlevel, she didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. She walked down the hall, seeing nothing out of place, perhaps Vinnie or Apollo were up to mischief. Zelda frowned as she turned to go into her own bedroom. For Zelda saw the top of a head on the floor next to Faustus’s side of the bed. Zelda went to over to the other side of the room and her mouth fell open. There, on the floor, with a book in her lap, was Nina Robinson!

“What are you doing in my house?!” demanded Zelda.

Nina looked up. “You’re a witch.” It was a statement, not a question.

Zelda said nothing, just folded her arms and shifted her weight.

“I don’t even believe in witches,” Nina said, more to herself, than to Zelda. “Or I didn’t 10 minutes ago.” She stood up. “Wait until I tell Faustus about this!” She said gleefully.

For her part, Zelda didn’t even try to stop her, she just sighed and stepped aside.

As Nina came stomping down the stairs, Hilda came out to see what was going on. “Hey!” However, Nina just ignored her as she walked out the door.

“She was a client who showed up an hour ago but since Ambrose and Jake were out, I sent her home.” Hilda explained with a confused look on her face.

“Never mind her, Hildie” Zelda was coming downstairs in a much calmer tone. “I know who that was and more importantly, I know where she’s going.”

Hilda gave her head a shake, she was completely lost here. “Okay, where?”

“To make a massive ass of herself.”

“You need to divorce your wife.

Faustus threw down his pencil and buried his face in his hands. He had just settled in with a soda and was actually looking forward to doing some paperwork done in HIS silent classroom, when Nina waltzed without even a knock. “And apparently you need to have your hearing and memory checked.” Faustus returned with a snap. “As it was only yesterday that I threw you out of this classroom and out of my life. I thought I had made myself quite clear. Or do I need to say word per word that I want nothing to do with you? You know, for a schoolteacher, you’re remarkably dense.”

Nina didn’t reply to any of that. She just came to his desk and dropped the heavy book that had been in her lap. “I saw a book exactly like this 1 in Salem. This is a spell book and it belongs to Zelda. I’m sorry to have to be the 1 to tell you this, Fausty, but your wife is a witch.”

He took hold of the book and looked up at her. “Where did you get this?”

“She stole it from straight out of our bedroom.” Zelda answered, stepping forward from the back of the room where she had watched Nina barge in. “Which means, along with kidnapping, we can now add breaking and entering to her criminal record.”

Nina’s mouth fell open. “Impossible! You weren’t even following me when I left! How did you get here first? Did-did you fly?”

“No.” Zelda replied calmly. “I teleported. It’s much easier and simpler than flying.”

“Then you admit it. You’re a witch. See, Faustus? She admitted it. That explains why you always reject me. You’re under some kind of crazy love spell.”

Zelda rolled her eyes. “Well, someone’s full of herself.”

Faustus smiled at his wife. “Oh, you have no idea.”

“How can you be smiling at her right now?!” Nina shrieked. “She just admit it! She’s a witch, she’s a creature!” Faustus bowed his head and his shoulders began to shake. “Aw, don’t cry. I’m sure she fooled everyone.”

However, when Faustus held his head back, it became apparently to both women that Faustus wasn’t crying at all, but laughing. “Look at you,” he said to Nina. “You’re repulsed! If I knew the truth would disgust you so much, I would have told you the truth long ago.”

Nina was now confused. “Truth? What truth?”

“I’m not like you.” Faustus stood up and pointed towards Zelda. “I’m like her. I’m, as you so rudely put it, a creature!”

“That-that-that’s cannot be!” Nina stammered. “There’s no such thing as a male witch.”

Faustus scoffed. “First of all, that was 1 quote in a children’s fictional youth novel. Secondly, do you believe everything you read?”

“If you do, let us educate you.” Zelda stepped up to stand beside her husband. “For any species on earth to survive, there must be a male and a female counterpoint. Witch kind is no different. Woman is to man is what witch is to warlock.”

“So, if you’re a witch and he’s a warlock,” Nina mused, “then Cordelia is”

“The absolute wrong child to take to Salem!” Faustus said firmly.

“Faustus?” Zelda called.

He put an arm around her shoulders. “Yes, my dearest?”

“It suddenly occurs to me that I can’t think of 1 single reason of why we should let this pathetic moral live.”

Nina crossed her arms. “I’ve done nothing to you.”

Zelda was aghast. “Nothing to me?! You kidnapped my youngest child, took her to Salem of all places, in order to seduce my husband, whom you’ve been lusting over for 2 months!”

“Well, when you put it that way- “Nina turned to run and had her hand on the doorknob when-

“Freeze!” Zelda ordered with her hand out in front of her. “Take your hand off that door and face me.”

Nina, of course, had no intention of obeying, but found she had no control as her hand left the door and her body turned toward Zelda. “What is happening?” She cried.

“You’re getting your 1st taste of real magic,” Zelda explained. “Not those Salem parlor tricks. Now, where was I? Oh yes. For all you put my family through, your death should be long, slow, painful, and bloody.” Nina winced as Zelda drew closer. “However, this is a public building and Faustus and I have dinner guests arrived within the hour, so this must do.” Zelda snapped her fingers and Nina was instantly in a trance.

“You’re in my power now and whatever I say will become your new reality. Nod if you understand me.”

Nina nodded silently.

Zelda smiled. “Good. Now, you are to forget everything about Greendale. Teaching here, lusting after Faustus, everything! As soon as you walk out of this room, you will go home and have an urge to book the very next flight back to New York.”

“Oh, dearest.” Faustus cut in. “Hecate knows no one wants that woman out of Greendale more than I do but the play is almost upon us and while I am listed as co-director as the bloody thing, well, the truth is I paid no attention and would be of very little help. What I’m trying to say is if she left now, we would have to cancel the play altogether and that would be unfair to the children after all their hard work.”

Zelda nodded understandingly. “How long will the play run?”

“Only 3 shows; once on Friday and twice on Saturday.”

“Very well.” Zelda turned back to Nina. “As soon as you walk out of this room, you will go home and have an urge to book the next flight back to New York for Monday morning. Better?” she checked with Faustus.

“Perfect.”

“Other than that urge to book the flight and how to direct the play, you’ll remember nothing of your life here in Greendale, nothing! Once you cross that threshold, the last 2 months of your memory will be wiped clean. If you should even hear the word Greendale again, your skin will crawl and your stomach will churn. You will never, ever set foot in this town again! Now, go!” Zelda opened the door and Nina crossed the threshold, forgetting everything.

“Well, how do you like him, Mom?”

Dinner went well. It felt a little odd having such a formal family dinner on a Wednesday, but since LJ and Peter were both doctors, they had both gotten used to planning their social lives around work, especially since they had to cancel once already. As she wished, all of LJ’s immediate family were there. Her parents, Faustus and Zelda, as well as all 3 of her siblings, Jake, Cordelia, and Prudence. The dishes that Hilda prepared were superb and the conversation was kept light and fun. A good time was had by all. They even managed to get through the entire dinner before Peter got the text that he was needed back at the hospital. Shortly after, Prudence left too. She had bed check at the academy. After the twins, who offered, had cleaned up, LJ took a cup of tea out to the porch, to her mother, where she asked that all important question.

“Thank you.” Zelda said as she reached for the cup. “I like your young man very much. He’s nice and he seemed to be crazy about you.”

“I’m glad you think so because Peter and I are moving in together.”

Zelda spat out her tea. “What?! LJ, have you lost your mind?”

LJ frowned. “You just said you liked Peter.”

“I do, but that doesn’t mean I want you to consider moving in him. You only just meet him 7 weeks ago.”

“I’m more than thinking about it, Mom. I’ve already sold my apartment and moved most of my stuff into his place.”

Zelda was shocked. “You told no one in the family about this.”

“I’m telling you now. I thought you be happy for me.”

“Darling, I’m happy that you met someone, but I think you’re moving too fast, even by mortal standards.”

LJ was getting annoyed. “How can you say that? Father always says he fell in love with you the 1stmoment he saw you.”

Zelda sighed. “Your father would never admit this, but he’s a die-hard romantic, but the truth is we knew each other a lot more than 7 weeks to even have our 1st kiss. We dated for years and it took us centuries to marry.”

“Well, I don’t have centuries, Peter’s mortal.” LJ pointed out. “I think the problem is that you barely know Peter.”

“It’s been 7 weeks; you barely know Peter.”

“I think this conversation is over.” LJ stood up and walked downstairs into the yard.

“Letitia Judith, come back here! I want to talk about this some more.”

“I know what I’m doing, Mother!”

Zelda took a deep breath. She knew that LJ only called her ‘mother’ when she was extremely upset. First Nina, now this. What else could go wrong?

Meanwhile, back inside the house, Faustus walked by his daughter’s open bedroom door. Cordelia sat on her bed, an open school binder before her and an open text in her hands. Yet, she wasn’t studying, she was simply staring off into space.

“Cordy? Did you need some help, honey?”

“Um, huh? What? Oh, no thanks, Dad. I can’t focus.” She closed the text book and tossed it aside.

“You barely said anything at dinner. Is there something on your mind?”

“As a matter of fact, there is. Aunt Hilda just said something yesterday, in passing, but I can’t stop thinking of it. The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Well, I guess there’s no easy way to say this. Dad, I think Sara is a witch.”

Faustus frowned. “Cordelia, I know you’re only 12 and your mother and I don’t like you using the b word, but you know that in this family, ‘witch’ is not an insult.”

Cordelia rolled her eyes. “Dad! I’m serious!”

“You are, aren’t you?”

“Completely. Like I said, the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. I’m beginning to wonder why I didn’t see it earlier. The clues were all there. Just like pieces of a puzzle.”

“What clues?” Faustus asked.

“When I first met Sara, on that 1st day of school, Sara seemed upset, angry even, when she learned that the triplets were in the 7th grade, not 8th grade like her. The fire was that day, burning down the 8 grade classroom and then they moved in with us. Later, when the triplets bought her to the sleepover, she unleashed the fear demon. Ambrose himself said that it was a really hard spell and it was completely in Latin. Now, I know for a fact that none of the triplets speak Latin and I can barely keep my verbs straight. Oh, and I saw Sara actually drink that magic coco that make mortals forget the evening yet Sara brought up the fear demon again over a month later. Remember the blood on our door in Salem? I was told they only did that for witches, so I was confused on why there was blood on the triplets’ door, then I realized, Sara was in that room too. Not to mention that my friends have been acting weird ever since she showed up. Doesn’t that prove she’s a witch?”

Faustus sighed and put an arm around his daughter. “I’m sorry, Cordy, but I don’t agree. I’m not saying that the behaviour you just spoke of isn’t suspect, it certainly is. But didn’t Sara’s family project say she’s descended from a Salem judge? Even if she did lie about that, you yourself said that you were sure that putting on a play about Salem was Sara’s idea, not to mention the field trip. If Sara was a witch, why would she do that? Or identify as a Wiccan?”

“Oh Hecate, Dad, you’re right. I’m just shooting in the dark here. I just wanted to be able to explain the triplets’ behavior so badly when any fool from the outside looking in would say that I’m just the jealous ex-friend, and they wouldn’t be wrong.” With a frown on her face, Cordelia did a belly-flop onto her bed with her head down.

Faustus couldn’t stand seeing his daughter so unhappy. “Forget about what I just said. What does your gut tell you?”

Cordelia looked up. “It’s telling me that witch or mortal, Sara is nothing but trouble and that something bad is about to happen and soon.”

On Friday night, the Greendale Middle School’s Grade 7/8 production of the Crucible was very well received. It was after the play that Sara asked the Warners to take her to the tree where the Greendale 13 were hanged.

“I can’t believe the play went so well.” Erica grinned as she walked beside her sister and Sara walked in front of them.

“I can’t believe that after all the hard work, we only get to do the play 2 more times tomorrow.” Emily remarked.

“I know.” Giggled Erin.

In contract, Sara was humorless as she stopped before a massive oak. “Is this it?”

Emily nodded. “Yup, this is where the Greendale 13 were hung as witches.”

“You know; I’ve never liked the number 13. What do we make it 16?” Sara waved her hands and faster than lighting, the braches of the trees came down and wrapped around the triplets’ necks like nooses.

“What-what are you doing?!” Emily choked as she grasped for air.

“Seeking justice for my kind and let’s see if this can get a raise out of little miss perfect.” Sara took out her cell phone and took a picture.

LJ felt bad. It had been 2 days since she and Zelda had their big fight. Now that LJ had the time to step back and calm down, she now understood where her mother was coming from. LJ still didn’t think she was moving too fast. She was completely in love with Peter and couldn’t wait to start living with him. But she also knew that Zelda was just trying to look out for her. Yet, her making up with Mom was going to have to wait. Tonight, LJ had a surprise for her boyfriend. LJ was slated to work tonight therefore she wasn’t supposed to officially move in until tomorrow but LJ got a friend to cover her shift for her and therefore Peter had no idea that LJ was on her way with her last box of stuff. LJ used the key that Peter had already given her to let herself. LJ barely had time to swing the door closed with her foot when she heard a cry coming from the bedroom. Afraid that Peter had hurt himself, LJ rushed into the bedroom without knocking. Peter was fine and so was the girl who was on top of him and once more cried out with joy.

“You bastard!” Because it was still in her hands, LJ threw the cardboard box across the room. It hit the shoulder of Peter’s mistress, causing her to turn and allowed LJ a brief glance of her before LJ ran out of the apartment, her eyes soaked with tears.

The easiest way to keep her mind off Sara, the play and the fact that none of the Warners hadn’t talked to her in an entire week, Cordelia figured, was to keep busy. She had finished all the homework Faustus had given her, served as a perfect soundboard for Zelda when she wanted to debut a new sermon. She even helped Jake clean up the morgue. Cordelia was in the middle of a bubble bath when her phone, that was playing relaxing music, dinged. She sat up when she saw the triplets and the hanging tree. The picture had no text with it but Cordelia knew exactly who sent it.

“Sara!”

As fast as she could, Cordelia got out of the tub, toweled off and grabbed the nearest clothes. Cordelia was quick but not quiet. As she stomped down the stairs, Zelda came out of the sitting room.

“Cordy? What’s going on?”

“Sorry, Mom, can’t talk now. Sara finally made a move. Hi, LJ.” She greeted her sister who had just opened the front door and rushed by her.

“LJ?”

“Mom, you were right. I didn’t know Peter at all.” LJ took a few steps before she broke down in her mother’s arms.

The hanging tree was all the way across town so Cordelia teleported her way there. “DOWN!” She cried out in Latin as soon as she saw her hanging friends.

“UP!” Sara ordered.

“I know who you are now. I know you’re a witch like me.”

Sara crossed her arms. “Well, look who finally got a clue.”

“Why are you hanging my friends? You already stole them from me.”

Sara laughed cruelly. “You think I care about those 3 mortal morons. I don’t. I came here for you, cousin!”

“No! Oh dark mother, please, no!” Faustus Spellman jolted up in bed, pushing the bedspread off his naked chest which now heaved up and down with heavy breaths.  Faustus was unaware of just how sweaty he was until he buried his face in his hands.

“Honey? What is it? What’s wrong?”

Faustus looked up to see his Zelda, in her eyes he saw concern for him. “Zelda, come no closer! Don’t make me hurt you more! Please, I beg of you, stay away!” Faustus moved from middle of the bed to the end. 1 moment he felt the mattress beneath his hand, another moment there was only air. Faustus prepared himself for the fall, only it never came, for Zelda had rushed to his side, pulled him up and in an effort to comfort him, tried to put his head on her chest, which made him very confused. He fought her. “Zelda!  Get away from me while you can!”

Still, Zelda was worried. “Darling? Hush now, can’t you see that you just had another nightmare?!”

Faustus shook his head. “It wasn’t,” He insisted. “It was too real this time.”

Zelda tried again. “What did you dream about? Walk me through it, all that you can remember.”

Faustus sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. “It was like no time had passed. I was struck inside Blackwood, who of course, trying to hurt you and the coven. I just can’t escape it, can I? I truly am evil!”

“Try to focus, Faustus. Please tell me what happened.”

“I founded another church. The Church of the Night Pilgrims.”

Zelda shook her head. “There is no such church. I would know, as an ordained high priestess, I have a current list of all the world’s covens. I can show it to you if like.”

“I won Mary Wardwell to my cause!” He said firmly.

“Impossible for 2 reasons!” Zelda’s reply was just as firm. “Mary Wardwell would never abandon her faith that easily and secondly, you never properly meet that mortal, only once when you with stuck in Blackwood.”

“I freed the Eldritch Terrors.  I did!” He insisted when Zelda only sighed.  “All 8 of them, the darkness, the uninvited, the weird, the perverse, the cosmic, the return, the endless and the void. I also almost ruined Hilda’s wedding with the uninvited.”

Zelda pleaded gently by putting her hands on his chest. “You have warned us about the Terrors ever since you spilt from the curse. We have taken all the precautions but not 1 terror has shown up yet. It’s been 13 years and waiting.  You didn’t ruin Hilda’s wedding. You escorted her down the aisle after saving her groom from armed robbers. The 2 of you have been best friends ever since remember? Darling, please, you have to stop!”

But Faustus couldn’t stop; He was afraid if he stopped talking, he would give into the tears that were just below the surface and then he would never be dried eyed again. “Oh, and Lilith gave birth to a boy and called him Adam.”

“Easy fix. Lilith’s son is named Alexander and shortly after his birth, she met a man called Adam who was working for Emperor Blackwood. You just got your wires crossed on that 1.”

Rather than calm down, Faustus stiffened. “Oh goddess! Emperor Blackwood! Even if I had the power, why would I go around arresting witches? It makes no sense! For goddess’s sake, I’m a witch myself! And why would I spent so much time and energy to get rid of Sabrina? She’s such a sweet girl and we have made our peace.”

Zelda listened patiently. “Yes, I agree with you about Sabrina, but I have no idea what else you’re talking about. Blackwood took the title of Emperor when he stole Elizabeth’s throne, not you. As for arresting witches, well, my love, that simply never happened.”

“What of the weird sisters?” Faustus demanded.

“They’re fine,” Zelda assured him.  “Prudence, Dorcus and Agatha are all fine.”

“No. Agatha was insane and was murdered by Prudence and Dorcus.”

“You cured Agatha of her insanity years ago and then all was forgiven, for her and for you.”

“And the other sisters?”

“What other sisters?” Asked a confused Zelda.

“Well, for 1, Rosalind Walker.”

“What?! Rosalind is a seer, not a witch. Never was, never will be.”

“And Mambo Marie? Or Baron S-something, as he turned out to be. He was a lord of the underworld, who was still in love with you.”

“What? Poppycock! Mambo Marie is still living in New Orleans. We know that because she got married last month. Prudence went to the wedding and we sent her off with a gift. Hecate, Faustus, you signed the card. We all did! I just got a lovely thank you card from Marie and her new wife the other day. Anyway, it doesn’t matter because I love you.”

“Well, you shouldn’t!” Faustus jumped away from the bed and from Zelda’s gentle touch. The tears finally started to fall. “I killed Sabrina! Or I helped her to her death when I tried to sacrifice her to the void so I could have it power for myself. You tricked me which made me blind and later, Prudence took a chainsaw, cut off my limbs and buried them at the 4 corners of the world and you were both right to do it!”

Zelda calmly got off the bed and went to her husband. “I don’t know what the void is, but I do know that Sabrina is fine. Yes, she is!” Zelda stressed when Faustus shook his head violently. “In fact, right before I came back in here to check on you, I just off the phone with her. Sabrina just got final approval for her new office and she wanted me to thank you.”

“Sabrina thank me? Whatever for?!”

“Perhaps because you helped her find the place? Or because you co-signed for the loan. Or because you gave the idea to be a therapist in the 1st place?”

“I did?”

“You did.” Zelda confirmed. “What about the other things you said? Are you blind now?”

“Only by my tears.” Faustus mumbled.

Zelda gently wiped his eyes for him. There. Now, what do you see?”

“What I always see when I look at you. The most beautiful woman, witch or mortal, in all the realms.” Zelda smiled at him and it would have been so damn easy to give in. Faustus wanted so badly to believe he could be this great guy who would live with this goddess who had owned his heart forever.  He leaned in to kiss her but turned away at the last second. “No! I can’t! If I can dream all this, then I must still be dangerous.”

“Faustus- “

“Zelda, I’m going to leave now and you must promise me that if you ever even hear the name of Faustus Blackwood, you will run the other way!”

“Alright, I will.”

It broke his heart completely to hear her agree but it was for best. However, he only half turned before he felt Zelda’s hand on his arm.

“You know; Faustus Blackwood no longer exists. You are Faustus Spellman and this” Zelda leaned over and took a framed picture from the nightstand. “is Faustus Spellman’s family, taken not even 2 weeks ago.”

Faustus looked at the photo. They were all there. Him, Zelda, Hilda, Dr. C, Sabrina, Ambrose, Prudence, the twins, Judith and Ju-no, their names were LJ and Jake now. They were all smiling and happy. Then Faustus saw a face that was not in his dream at all. “Cordelia?”

“Of course, Cordelia.” Zelda smiled. “Our 12-year-old is probably downstairs right now, eating cereal and watching TV, like she does every Sunday. I love you, and I won’t let you throw away 13 years of your hard work to be mentally well. It was all a dream, Faustus. It means nothing. Everything’s fine. I really hate that it’s been over a decade and Edward’s curse still has the ability to haunt you like this.”

Faustus couldn’t quite hide a little smile. He was touched beyond words how Zelda thought of it as Edward’s curse, not his own. Still, he wasn’t sure. “How can I know that this isn’t the dream?” Faustus wondered. “What if I’m still stuck inside Blackwood?” That thought terrified him.

“Blackwood has been gone and buried for the last 12 years. Still, if you have to be convince that this isn’t a dream.”

“Ow,” Yet he smiled when Zelda pinched him.

His wife raised her eyebrow. “Not enough? Okay.” Zelda leaned forward and kissed him deeply.

During the kiss, Faustus felt Zelda unbuttoning his shirt. “What are you doing?”

“Checking,” Zelda said matter of fact. “Earlier you mentioned Prudence cut your limbs off. If that actually happened, you would have scars.” She lowered his shirt and kissed around his shoulders. “No scars here. Wait, I need to check on something.”

“Where are you going?”

“On the night we buried Blackwood, I had to save your life with a binding spell. Which means that if you have a mark on your body, I have it on mine as well.”  Zelda explained as she went to look in the mirror.

Faustus came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her middle. “I was beheaded too, but your neck seems fine.”  He gently brushed her hair aside and began kissing her neck.

“What about my shoulders?”

Faustus was still kissing her neck when he tugged off Zelda’s silk robe and let it fall to the floor. Then 1 at a time, he pulled down the straps of her nightgown. “Nothing here,” he reported. He claimed her lips with his own and then kissed her brow. “You know; I did say all 4 limbs.” Zelda felt a delightful shiver as Faustus let her nightgown fall to the floor. His long arms felt the front of her until he got to the limbs of her thighs. His fingers made quick work of her underwear, letting them fall as well. “You are perfection.” He whispered as he touched the most secret part of her.

As soon as she was able, Zelda turned around. “Now that I’m all checked out, let’s finish with you.” The pretense was dropped entirely after that, just like Faustus’s pants. They tumbled backwards onto the bed, clinging tightly to each other as they made love.

“I love you, Zelda.”

“I love you, Faustus.”

Faustus fell asleep quickly after their lovemaking. It was no surprise to Zelda. After all that dreaming in the night, he must have gotten very little rest. She kissed his forehead and whispered, “Sleep long, sleep sound. Let no more dreams come around.” Happy with her spell, Zelda got up, got dressed and started the phone calls.

 Faustus awoke to the sounds of a busy kitchen. 1 look at the clock told him he had slept the day away. Just taking a shower and getting dressed made him feel better. He went downstairs and the 1st thing he saw was the weird sisters, who were setting the table.

Prudence looked up first. Although Faustus felt weary, her eyes and her smile were welcoming. “Hello, Father.”

“Hello, Mr. Spellman.” Agatha and Dorcus said together, in that unique weird sister way.

It was oddly comforting. “Hello, girls.” Faustus was still smiling when he felt a pat on his back.

He looked beside him to see Dr.  C. “Hey buddy! Zelda called and said you had a rough night. We thought a nice family dinner would make you feel better.”

Faustus remained speechless but he walked into the kitchen with Dr. C. Then he saw the steel wrist band on Dr. C’s arm. “You still have the incubus?”

“Of  course. Why wouldn’t I?”

“Uh…never mind.”

They reached the kitchen where he saw more Spellmans readying dinner. Well, most of them. Ambrose was leaning against the island, casually reading a book and dipping his free hand into a food bowl, until LJ slapped his hand away.

“Father! You’re finally up, sleepyhead!” Jake tossed him a teasing smile as he carried the chopped carrots to the stove and dropped them into the pot that Hilda was stirring.

“Hey Dad,” the child’s comment was casual as she walked by him, carrying a side dish, bound for the dinning table. However, Faustus had to reach out and touch her, afraid she would disappear right before his eyes.

“Cordelia!  You’re real!”

Her face, exactly like Zelda’s, clouded over in confusion. “Thanks? So are you?”

He watched her walk away and for the 1st time, Faustus thought that perhaps Zelda was right, perhaps it all had been just a dream! Then Faustus saw something that made his heart drop into his stomach. A very   much alive Vinegar Tom got off his dog bed and went to his food bowl. Of course, he had no problem with the dog being alive. Heaven, when he first heard of the familiar’s death, his gut instinct was to run and comfort Zelda, yet he couldn’t because he was still married to Constance at the time. No, the problem was that Tom’s life was Marie’s final gift before returning to the underworld. If that part of the dream was real surely everything else was real too.

Faustus was still trying to sort fact from fiction when an arm came around his waist and Zelda kissed him. “Feeling better, darling?”

“Vinegar Tom is alive?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“Don’t you remember?”

“Humor me, dearest, please?” Faustus begged.

“Well,” Zelda’s voice lowered to a whisper. “As you know, I cried hardest for Tom on his birthday and you always do your best to comfort me. But 3 years ago, when she was 9, Cordy must have heard us for later, when we went downstairs, we found her petting Tom’s stuffed form.”

“Yes!” The memory struck Faustus’s brain like lighting. “I managed to get Cordelia out of the room, but you called me back a moment later, Vinnie was alive. We didn’t know how to explain it to Cordy, so you kept Tom at the academy for a few weeks. When Vinnie came back, we told Cordelia that he was a new dog, named Vinegar Tom as tribute.”

“Yes! That’s exactly what happened.”

Faustus was smiling at his wife when his feet felt warm. He looked down to see Vinnie sitting on his shoes. He picked up   the dog and, together with Zelda, petted him. “I’m glad you have your soul mate back.”

“I’m glad I have both my soul mates back.”

“You said that to me before. The night VT came back.”

 5 minutes later,  with everyone around the table, Faustus finally realized who was  missing. G  He was about ask when the front door opened.

“Hi all. Sorry I’m late.”

Before he realized he was doing it, Faustus ran to her and hugged her. “Sabrina!”

“Hi Uncle Faustus. Nice to see you too.”

“Your tongue! For the love of Hecate, please show me your tongue!”

“O-okay.” Sabrina spit out her tongue.

“Pink and normal. Yes!”

“What’s with him?” Asked Sabrina.

Zelda came up behind her husband. “Your uncle had an awful dream last night. I’m afraid he’s still recovering.”

“Oh, well, don’t worry, it’s just a dream.” Sabrina kissed his cheek.

Zelda didn’t believe what she just heard. She walked across the room so she could read the text herself. She read it twice and still shook her head. “No, I don’t believe it. Our Cordelia just can’t be on her way to Salem. She just can’t be!”

Jake, who wasn’t exactly in the loop, gasped. “You can’t mean that Cordelia is on her way to Salem, that Salem, THE Salem?!”

“Apparently so,” Ambrose answered him.

Faustus, meanwhile, checked his watch and walked quickly to the front hall where everyone followed him.

“Where are you going, Uncle Faustus,” Ambrose called out.

“It’s 8:30 now and I know that the bus should have left at 5:30. Despite that 3-hour head start, I going to see if I can catch it before they reach Salem.”

“I’m going with you.” Zelda reached for her coat but Faustus stopped her.

“No, dearest.” Faustus shook his head. “I understand completely why you want to come along, but if worse comes to worst and I have to go all the way to Salem, I won’t be able to explain your presence. It’s my class on that trip. The only reason I’m not with them right now is that I told them I was sick.” Zelda looked upset and Faustus sought to comfort her with his next statement. “Our girl is very clever. She might get away and come home on her own so someone needs to be here.”

Zelda was still upset but managed to put on a brave face. “Faustus, your trip will go by faster if you don’t have to stop much. I could pack you some sandwiches if you want.”

“Excellent idea, my love.”

10 minutes later, the car was packed and Faustus was ready to go. Jake and Ambrose hung back to allow Zelda and Faustus a private goodbye.

“Do you have everything?” Zelda asked.

“I think so.”

“Call me as soon as you find Cordelia. I don’t care where you are.” Faustus nodded and Zelda sighed and threw her arms around her husband. “And for Hecate’s sake, Faustus,” Zelda whispered into his neck. “Please, please be careful. I simply wouldn’t know what I would do if anything ever happened to you or Cordelia.”

“Shhh, hush my love, the only thing that going to happen is mine and Cordelia’s safe return. Any other outcome is unacceptable.” He then kissed her goodbye. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Zelda returned “Bring home our girl.”

Faustus nodded, kissed her again before he got into the car, and drove off. Even before Faustus’s car drove out of sight, Zelda could feel Ambrose’s arm around her shoulders.

“Don’t worry, Aunt Z, if anyone up to this task, it’s uncle Faustus.”

“Absolutely,” Jake agreed. “They’ll be back before you know it.”

The 7-hour bus trip flew by. From the very back, Cordelia watched the other students filed off the bus. Cordelia took a deep breath and got up and tried to get off the bus. However, Mrs. Robinson blocked her.

“Not yet, Cordelia. They’re not ready for you.”

“Ready for me?”

Nina didn’t respond but when Cordelia was allowed to leave the bus, Nina was right by her side. Cordelia noticed that the rest of the class had formed a half-circle. Then, a tall, scary man dressed in a black robe walked out of the shadows and stopped right in front of Cordelia. “Is this the child, then?”

Nina nodded. “It is, your honor.”

Your honor? Cordelia looked from 1 adult to the other.

The man in black pointed at Cordelia. “Has she been charged yet?”

“No, your honor. We thought it best to get her down here and then charge her.”

Charge me? The horror finally dawned on Cordelia. This was no field trip, this was a witch trial. HER witch trial!

Meanwhile, the man in black continued. “What is the child’s name?”

“Cordelia Spellman.” Nina answered.

The man in black arched his eyebrow. “Really? SPELLman? And the name Cordelia hasn’t been in fashion for at least an century. It’s like she’s not even trying to hide it.” For the 1st time, the man in black spoke to Cordelia directly. “So, what do you say, girl? Do you deny it? Do you deny that you’re a witch?”

Cordelia stood tall. “Of course, I deny it. Everyone knows that witches don’t really exist.”

“Is that right, girlie? Let see if you say that after you see this!” He grabbed Cordelia roughly by the arm and guided her between 2 old houses.

“Hey!”

The man in black let go of Cordelia after giving her a little shove. Cordelia looked up and was in shock. There they were; all in a row, bound and gagged, all standing on barrels with nooses around their necks. Her entire family, Faustus, Zelda, Jake, LJ, Prudence, Ambrose, Sabrina, Hilda, and even Dr. C.

Without a 2nd thought, Cordelia turned to the man in black. “Okay, you got me. I am a witch. But I’m the only 1. My family didn’t even know, they’re completely innocent. Do whatever you want to me but let them go!”

“Bull!” The man in black declared. “Everyone knows that magic goes through the bloodline so if you're a witch, so is your family.”

“But I’m adopted!” Cordelia stressed. It was the 1st thing she could think of.

“Then why do you look exactly like your mother? You’re lying!” The man in black turned to the men behind the barrels. “Hang them!” He ordered.

“NO!” Cordelia screamed but the man in black held her as the barrels were kicked and the Spellmans were hanged.

“And as for you,” The man in black stared hatefully down at Cordelia. “You’re a witch by your own admission. Your punishment will be to burn at the stake.”

Cordelia didn’t, couldn’t say anything. Her entire family was just murdered for just being born witches. She choked back tears as she was tied to the stake.

“Daughter, would you like to do the honors?” The man in black asked.

“I would love to.”

Suddenly, Cordelia was face to face with Sara, who had a torch in her hand.

“I knew you were trouble since the 1st day I saw you!”

Sara only smiled. “Goodbye, witch. Thanks for the friends.” Sara lit the pyre and Cordelia watched the orange flames crack, flickering, and then it jumped? When the fire jumped for the 2nd time, Cordelia felt her body jump with it.

The next thing Cordelia knew, her eyes opened and she realized she was still on the bus. As the other students were laughing and talking, some about the recent speedbump they just passed, Cordelia sat up. Her hand on her chest, willing her heartbeat to go back to normal. Cordelia looked up at the sound of loud laughter. She grew sad when she realized it was Sara and the triplets. Cordelia frowned; she was so happy and excited to get the text this morning. She practically ran all the way to the schoolyard. When she discovered that they were already on the bus, Cordelia thought nothing of going on the bus. Yet the more she talked, the more Cordelia saw the triplets’ faces grew blanker and blanker. They had no idea what she was talking about! Cordelia’s heart sank yet she knew she wasn’t crazy. She knew that the text came from Erin’s phone. Cordelia suspected that Sara may have stolen the phone and sent the message herself to make Cordelia look foolish. Cordelia turned to get off the bus when Mrs. Robinson stopped her. Mrs. Robinson then showed her the paper and the name on it. Cordelia knew it was faked, (it must be!) There was no one there to save her. Cordelia’s heart fell into her shoes when she realized the bus to Salem was moving and she was still on it. With no other choice, Cordelia sat in the very back, which on a deluxe bus was like a padded bench with seat belts, and tried to control her breathing, just like she was trying to do now.

“Are you okay, Cordelia?” asked a classmate who sat nearby.

“I’m fine, Anne.” Cordelia lied. She was anything but fine! It was actual life and death if someone discovered her secret. As she sat up and looked around the bus, she envied the happy carefree smiles of her peers. Half of Cordelia just wanted the earth to open up and swallow her whole. The other half of her just wanted to stand up and scream. This entire journey was billed as an educational trip but Cordelia couldn’t understand what, if anything, could be ‘educational’ about a town infamous for killing witches, her kind, her people. For Cordelia, this was just as cruel as taking a person of the Jewish faith to tour a WW II death camp. Cordelia sighed as she quickly wiped a tear away. She had already decided that the only way to survive this weekend was to stay down and keep quiet. Hoping to distract herself, Cordelia took out her phone.

“Aw, man!” Cordelia groaned as she read the new message. Cordelia decided earlier not to involve her family. After all, nothing good could come from bringing even more witches to Salem. Despite this, by around 8:30, in a fit of panic, Cordelia texted her father. The instant she hit send, she regretted it. The only thing she could do now was hoping against hope that Faustus didn’t get the message. Now she knew; not only did her father get the message, but he also sent a reply.

Dear Cody,

Stay clam. I’m coming to get you as soon as can. I love you. Dad.

With a defeated sigh, Cordelia let her phone drop into her lap and rested her forehead against the window. She was already stressed as hades and they weren’t even there yet! When Cordelia noticed the sun was beaming down on her, she reached for the golden crescent moon at her neck. “Father sun, mother moon, make time fly. Make this weekend end soon.” She whispered.

Faustus didn’t understand. It was only 2 days ago that Cordelia came home crying at the mere thought of going to Salem, convinced she would die. Now she was on a bus going there? It just didn’t make any sense. Faustus knew how important Cordelia’s friends were to her but still, he just couldn’t imagine his strong-willed daughter being so desperate to win her friends’ favor that she would be talked into taking the trip. Further proof of this was Cordelia’s own text message. The message wasn’t a confessional of a kid who got carried away. It was more like a cry for help. It actually contained the phase S.O.S, which had to be a plea for help. Even if Cordelia had gone to Salem willingly, it shouldn’t have been allowed by her teachers. Even though he had always planned to claim illness and pull out at the last second, as the 7th-grade teacher, Faustus was preparing for this trip all week. Therefore, he knew that every student needed a permission slip signed by a parent or guardian to even go on the trip. Now he knew that Zelda would never sign anything that would put their daughter anywhere near Salem and Hecate knows he didn’t sign a permission slip so Cordelia should have never been able to leave with the others. She should have been kicked off that bus the moment a teacher saw her. Every time Faustus thought of his sweet, youngest child alone in that witch-hating town make Faustus pressed his foot hard on the gas pedal. He was driving on the highway, just about to enter yet another town, when something odd happened. The bottom left side of the car bounced and then dragged. The sudden movement startled Faustus so he took his eyes off the road for just a second to see what was wrong in the back. When he turned his attention back to the road, he saw a cat lying in the middle of the laneway. On instinct, Faustus turned to miss the cat and went up onto a curb. As soon as Faustus collected himself, he got out of the car. He slammed the door, angry at what he saw. The rear left tire had a big nail in it and was still leaking air. The front tire was busted up from hitting the curb.

“Damn!” Faustus swore. So much for catching up to the bus before it got to Salem. Unless…Faustus knelt by the rear tire, raised his hand, and was about to say a spell when-

“Hi there, fellow. Do ya need some help?”

Faustus looked up and saw a kind, elderly man with a tow truck right behind him. Faustus sighed, now he felt stuck. Yes, it would undoubtedly be faster to fix the car by magic, Faustus couldn’t use magic in front of a witness nor could he deny that he was in trouble. So he greeted the man, who was named Gus and it turned out that Gus owned an auto shop in the city. So Gus hooked Faustus’s car up to his truck and they drove to the shop. When they got there, Gus left Faustus in the lobby. 10 minutes later, Gus returned, frowning.

“I’m sorry, friend, but I just found a note from my partner and he had to go tend to an emergency so I’m the only 1 to look after the shop. Plus, I was just in the back, and I swear this never happens, but we seem to out of tires. So, I’m afraid you’re stuck here for a while.”

Faustus sighed. He knew he should have used magic! “Thank you for the ride into town.” He told Gus. Faustus began to walk around the waiting room as Gus went back to work. In the seating area, among the magazines, Faustus found a town map.

“Hey, do you have a bathroom here?”

“Yeah. 1st door on the left.” Gus answered.

“Thank you.” Faustus was pleased to discover that it was a private, single-person bathroom. After locking the door, Faustus unfolded the map and studied it until he found that there was A Walmart supercenter in this town. Astral projecting to a place you never been before was always risky, but desperate times called for desperate measures. He laid the map on the floor and then he laid beside the map. Faustus closed his eyes and slowed his breathing. It worked; for when Faustus opened his eyes again, he was right in front of the store. After thanking Hecate, Faustus entered the store. It was big and crowded so Faustus knew he had to hurry. Faustus made quick work of finding the auto department and selecting the correct tires. The trouble, as Faustus soon learned, was upfront. There was only 1 check-out station open and a very long lineup. Faustus stood in line, carrying a tire in each hand when he saw the 1st of those hateful birds in the window.

Oh no! Come on, come on, come on! Faustus silently willed the line to get a move on already.

Soon after, came another bird and another. By the time there were 4, Faustus realized his nose was bleeding. When 6 birds were all in a row, Faustus’s entire body was shaking and his head felt ready to explode. He could hold on no more. Sighing, Faustus dropped the tires and closed his eyes, only to return to his body on the bathroom floor. Faustus sat up and hit the titles with his palms. “Damn it!” He had to find another way to fix his car and get to his daughter and soon!

After all the stories about how all the mortals tortured and killed them, Cordelia wondered if any of the Salem witches ever simply died from boredom. If so, Cordelia may have found their descendent. It was late afternoon and the class was listening to a lecture in an old town hall. The only thing that Cordelia found remotely interesting about this guy was he has been talking for over 2 hours and had still to get a single fact right. If this so ‘witch expect’ attended the academy, Cordelia felt certain that he would easily fail 1st-year witch history. Cordelia sighed and looked out the window, only to see a graveyard, because, of course, there was a graveyard right there! Maybe it was because she was a real witch, but ever since she had arrived in Salem, Cordelia has been experienced odd things. Like wherever she went, Cordelia heard noises, like moaning and weeping, possibly from the murdered witches. Even though the Salem roads were paved, Cordelia could swear she heard splashing, as if she was walking on blood. Cordelia shook her head and turned the other way. Cordelia managed to lock eyes with Erin, and they smiled at each other. The bus had arrived in Salem at 12:30. So the first thing the class did was have lunch at a restaurant called The Witch’s Brew. (Salem got absolutely zero points for subtly.) Cordelia had a bit of luck when she was seated next to Erin at lunch. She was finally got to explain about the text, how the girls wanted to talk to her before leaving for Salem and how it came from Erin’s phone. Erin then explained that she lost her phone 3 days ago. In fact, the last thing Erin did before she left the house this morning was to ask her mom to keep looking for it. Therefore, Erin couldn’t have written that text. Still, the 2 girls got to talking during the meal and at least, for now, there was peace between Cordelia and 1 of her friends. The lecture was finally over and the class started to file out. Cordelia sneaked away to the bathroom. She did this several times today, whenever she felt the need to regroup.

You’re doing great, girl. Cordelia thought to herself. All you have to do now is get through supper, another walking tour, and then it’s off to the motel for the night. Then just 3 more days, Cordelia sighed.

When Cordelia returned to the front, she noticed that everyone from before had gone and only 2 maids were talking to each other.

“I don’t know, Dru. We come in here every day and we listen to that blockhead, every single day, telling lie after lie. But it seems especially wrong to let him tell all this to schoolchildren. It just seems so irresponsible to me.”

Drusilla, the other maid, sighed. “Shelley, if I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a million times. It doesn’t matter. At the end of the day, he’s just another mortal spinning fairy tales for mortal children. It has nothing to with us.”

“Us?” Cordelia jumped into the conversation without thinking. “You’re not mortals either? Are you witches?”

The 2 maids were visually shocked. “Mortal? Who said mortal?” Drusilla asked. “I said more tell, yeah, more tell. That darn lecturer is always leaving without telling us.”

While Drusilla was trying, very unsuccessfully, to talk herself out of trouble, Shelley knocked over the bucket of water she was mopping with. “Oh, for Hades’s sake!”

Cordelia smiled. “For Hade’s sake? That sounds like a witch phase to me. Don’t worry, I’m a witch too.”

“Oh, great. Another little girl who thinks she’s a real witch.” Although Drusilla muttered this to herself, Cordelia still overheard her.

The Spellman witch raised her hand and the spilled water was back in the bucket. “Now do you believe me?” Cordelia smiled.

“You are a witch.” Shelley said with awe and then pointed to the door. “What about the class you came in with? Are they witches?”

“No.” Cordelia shook her head. “They’re all mortals, I’m the only one.”

Drusilla raised an eyebrow. “You’re here all alone? What are you? 11?”

“12, actually,” Cordelia answered. “Yes, I’m alone, but it’s a long and confusing story and I don’t know how to explain it. What about you 2? Do you live in Salem as well as working here?”

“Dru lives in town, but you wouldn’t find me here after dark.”

Drusilla rolled her eyes. “Oh, don’t be such a baby, Shelley. I figured I’m safer here than anywhere else, kind of how like a farmer will never search for a fox in a henhouse.”

Cord smiled, she wasn’t sure whether that statement was madness or brilliant.

“Don’t worry, kid.” Drusilla continued. “Your day trip must be almost over. You’ll be home before you know it.”

“Oh, it’s not a day trip. The class will be here until Monday.”

“You’re staying overnight? Here? At a motel? But what about the rebels?” Shelley seemed frightened.

“The rebels?” Cordelia asked. “Who or what are the rebels?”

“They’re a secret group of mortals who believe that witches never left Salem. It’s said that to this day, they go around at night, leaving fresh blood on the motel door of witches.”

“Don’t scare her with that old wives’ tales! I’ve lived here for almost ten years and that never happened to me.”

“That’s because you don’t use motels.”

Drusilla dismissed Shelley with a shake of her head and took something out of her pocket. “Pay no mind to Shelley, but I would feel better if you took this good luck charm.”

“I just can’t take it. What if I pay for it?” Cordelia suggested. “$5 bucks?”

They agreed and as they exchanged items, Drusilla caught sight of Cordelia’s wrist. “Oh my gosh! Have you always had that?”

“What? My birthmark? Yes, I’ve always it.”

Drusilla rubbed it a bit with her thumb. “It’s not coming off. If this is what I think it is, well, honey, you are not a witch, you are THE witch.”

“What does that mean?”

Before anyone could speak further, Mrs. Applegate, another teacher from Greendale middle school, appeared at the door. “Here you are, Cordelia. Come along, it’s time for dinner and it’s starting to rain.”

It was still raining when Faustus watched the sunset from 1 of the auto shop’s windows then he sighed and turned away. Faustus simply couldn’t believe he had wasted most of the day here. This partnership with the van had yet to show up and Gus was busy with a steady stream of customers. Despite being in the same place most of the day, Faustus tried desperately to make contact with his daughter with a series of calls, texts, and video messages, all to no avail. It wasn’t surprising. After all, the class must have arrived in Salem hours ago and the 1st rule of any field trip was to turn off any and all cell phones. As for Zelda, Faustus sighed again. Faustus was too ashamed to call Zelda. Yes, he promised to call his wife as soon as he found Cordelia, but not only had he yet to find their daughter, he had no new news of her whatsoever. Maybe because it was later, Faustus thought he should try to reach Cordelia again. He took a seat in the waiting room and once again, pulled out his phone.

“Hey, I know that girl,” said the guy next to and tapped where Cordelia was on the family picture that was Faustus’s screen.

Faustus turned to the stranger. “You do?”

“Sure. I’m a traveling salesman and today I had a business lunch in Salem. Anyway, I was just leaving the restaurant when I saw a bus with a pile of kids coming off it. I remember that girl because she was the last 1 off the bus and she didn’t seem at all happy to be there.”

Faustus nodded as he listening to the other man. Knowing that his daughter was in fact in Salem and had been since lunch lit a fire under Faustus. He stood up and walked with purpose.

“What are you doing?” asked the salesman.

“What I should have done hours ago,” Faustus murmured to himself. He borrowed a phone book from behind the front desk, looked up the listing for a local cab company, and called. He then took a taxi to Walmart and picked out the 2 correct tires in person. 20 minutes after he returned to the auto shop, a man came to see him.

“Mr. Spellman, your new tires are on and ready to go.”

“Great!”

“But I’d like to have a look at your muffler.”

“My muffler?” Aside from the tires, Faustus knew that his car was fine. This guy was just trying to play him for a sucker and Faustus simply didn’t have time for this.

Still, he just said, “Sure, do whatever you have to.”

The man went back into the garage. Faustus found a discreet place to hide, where he could see his car. He waited until someone touched his car before he whispered a spell in Latin. Then the car roared to life, seemly by itself.

Faustus then ran up to the man. “Wow, you seem to have the golden touch. My car is purring like a kitten now. I gave Gus my address so you can bill me. Thank you.” Faustus got into his car and drove off while the man was still trying to figure out what just happened.

Before long, Faustus was back on the highway. One advantage of driving at night was there was barely any traffic. However, as the hours passed and Faustus got closer to Salem, the rain came down harder and harder. So hard that the paved road, that Faustus could barely see, seemed like silver. Still, Faustus kept on driving because of heaven or high water, he was determined to find his daughter…tonight! The clock on the dash read 10:37 when he finally passed the Welcome to Salem sign. Now, all he had to do was find the motel with a bus in front of it. He found it on the 3rd block he went down. Faustus parked his car and ran out of the rain and out the roof of the motel. He ran into some of his students that were lingering outside. They seemed surprised to see him but unfortunately, none of them knew where Cordelia was. Faustus was making his way to the motel’s office. He rounded the corner and ran into Nina, who smiled at him.

“Fausty! You made it! I knew you would.”

“Mrs. Robinson, please tell me, where is my daughter?”

“Oh, she’s rooming with a couple of other girls.” Nina said casually but then she leaned in and whispered “As for me, I’m in room 13, alone and ready whenever you are.”

As Nina walked away, Faustus rolled his eyes and beyond him, he heard a door open, girlish laughter, then a firm closing of the door, and finally a splash, as if falling in a puddle. Faustus turned and indeed, it was a mud puddle. It took a second for the girl to moan and turn over.

“Cordelia?”

Her eyes widened. “Dad?” Cordelia got up and went up to her father. With a quivering lip, Cordelia let go of the tears that she had kept inside all day as she threw her arm around Faustus’s waist.

“I’m sorry, Dad” She nodded. “I really am. I got scared and panicked. I regretted that text message the moment I sent it. I never meant for you or any of the family to come here.”

Faustus gently put his hand under Cordelia’s chin and forced his daughter to look up at him. “Never mind that text.” Faustus gently said. “What are you doing here?”

Cordelia shook her head, furiously. “I don’t know, I really don’t! I meant it when I told Jake I would be back in 10 minutes. I only got on the bus because the triplets were already on it when I reached the schoolyard. It was a total bust because Erin didn’t even send me the message and they just kicked me out because, for the 1st time in my life, I lied to the triplets about believing in witches.”

“Cordy, why didn’t you get off the bus?”

“I tried, but Mrs. Robinson wouldn’t let me. I begged and begged. I even considered teleporting myself home but there were too many witnesses. Then she showed me my permission slip.”

Faustus was confused. “What do you mean? Permission slips are useless until they’re signed.”

“But it was signed, Dad,” Cordelia told him. “It had your signature.”

Mine? Faustus thought, dumbstruck. Then, Faustus thought about how everyone was rightly surprised to see him, except for Nina. Faustus took off his coat and wrapped it around Cordelia. “You’re wet, muddy and you must be cold. Go and wait for me in the office. I’ll be right there, I promise.”

As soon as Cordelia was out of sight, Faustus sighed, turned, and muttered to himself, “Nina Robinson, for your own sake, I better be wrong about this!”

Faustus walked up and knocked on the door of room 13.

“Come in.”

As soon as he opened the door, Faustus noticed that there were candles everywhere in the darkened room, even on the 2nd bed. On the 1st bed, lay Nina, on her stomach, posed as if she was in a playboy magazine. All she wore was a black leather corset, a matching thong, and heels. “I knew you would come. All I had to do is get you away from the school and your wife.”

Furious, Faustus entered the room and slammed the switch that turned on the big light.

“Where are they?” He demanded.

“Where is what?” Asked Nina.

“The permission slips. You have them with you I know it!” Faustus returned, quite fiercely.

Nina said nothing so Faustus looked around and saw a teacher’s leather briefcase leaning against the TV.

“Ah!” Faustus went to the case and searched through it. 1 brief look in the mirror told Faustus that Nina had crawled to the end of the bed and was now was dangerously close to him. “Madam, I advise you to keep your hands to yourself.”

Oh?” said Nina in a flirty manner. “And why is that?”

“Because anything of yours that touches me, you are not getting back!”

Nina frowned. “You’re in a mood.”

Faustus turned to face her. “Yes, I am. Especially since I just found these.” There was a piece of paper in each hand. “Here is a permission slip for Cordelia Spellman and it does indeed bear my signature but I don’t remember signing this but this might explain it.” Faustus raised his other hand. “This is a lined paper, with nothing but my name written on it, over and over again, front and back. Yet the strange thing is at the top of the front paper looks like your handwriting, but the bottom of the back page looks like my handwriting. You forged my name on this permission slip, didn’t you?”

Nina wore her smile proudly. “It worked, didn’t it? You’re here.”

“I came here to bring Cordelia home!” Faustus fumed. “It has nothing whatsoever to do with you! And where do you get your nerve? Kidnapping my daughter and bringing her here, of all places!”

“Kidnapping? Oh, don’t be so overdramatic. It’s only a field trip.”

“To a town infamous for its injustice and murder! It wasn’t your place. It’s up to me and Zelda to decide what our daughter is exposed to!”

“Did you really have to bring your wife up again?” Nina asked, looking bored. “If you ask me, I think that Zelda is too old for you.”

“Not that’s any of your business, but Zelda and I are the same age and you want to know what I think? I think you’re not worthy enough to speak Zelda’s name!”

“Oh, come on, next you’ll tell me that you’re not attracted to me.”

“I’m not and another thing- “Faustus’s voice was drowned out by the ringing of a phone. Faustus automatically looked to the bedside table, where Nina’s phone lay charging. However, Faustus soon realized that the ringing was closer to him. In fact, the phone was in the briefcase. Nina leaped off the bed, trying to get the phone first but because he was closer, Faustus got it.

The pink, sparkly girlish phone looked oddly familiar. “Hello?” Faustus answered. “Mrs. Warner?” Faustus listened for a moment. “Oh, I see. May I ask how long has Erin been looking for this phone? Oh, I see. Yes, I’ll bring it by soon.” He ended the call and then turned to Nina. “Oh, this is low, even for you.”

Nina gave an innocent shrug. “What?”

“You know perfectly well ‘what’” Faustus snapped. “This cell phone belongs to Erin Warner. According to her mother, Erin had been looking everywhere for this for the past 3 days. This makes it impossible for Erin to send that message to Cordelia about wanting to make up at 5 this morning. You did it, didn’t you? You knew the girls were fighting and you knew that Cordelia and I were not coming on this trip. You took advantage of my daughter’s desire to make up with her friends, and once you got her on that damn bus, you kept her there, knowing full well I would come to collect my daughter!”

“But Faustus, I did it for us.”

“There is no us, you lunatic!” Faustus spat. “And I’m getting so tired of rejecting you.”

Nina smiled. “Then don’t.” She tried to put her around Faustus’s neck but he fought her off.

“Enough!” Faustus growled. “I have had it with you! I’ve tried to reason with you, to avoid you, and to explain to you how important my family is to me. All that’s left is the ugly truth so here it is. I will NEVER sleep with you! You could be the last woman, scratch that, the last person on earth, and I would still never sleep with you. In fact, you sickened me because you remind me of who I used to be and who I swore I would never become again. The fact that you would steal a child’s phone makes you a disgrace to the entire teaching profession!” Faustus then ripped up the permission slip and let the pieces fall to the floor. “Consider this me taking back custody of my daughter.” Faustus turned and left without another word, slamming the door behind him. Faustus didn’t want Cordelia to see him angry so he took a moment on the motel’s tiny porch. That’s where he first saw the thunder and lighting in addition to the rain.

The Spellman house had been filling with family all day. As word got around about Faustus, Cordelia, and Salem, people came running. Prudence was first. She was worried when Zelda, who was never late, missed the morning assembly at the academy. Prudence was even more worried when she learned when Zelda wouldn’t be leaving the house today. Hilda learned everything when she called the mortuary. By the time late afternoon rolled around, all the family knew and Ambrose, Jake, Prudence, Hilda, Sabrina, and LJ were all at the house. After dinner, they were joined by Dr. C and the other 2 weird sisters. At first, the plan was simple, just keep Zelda busy and distracted until Faustus called then everything would calm down. But the later it got, the more worried everyone got. By 11, they had run out of topics of conversation and games to play. They all felt helpless as they just sat in the drawing-room and Zelda walked0 up and down the hallway for the million time. Zelda couldn’t sit down; the only reason she ate at all was due to Hilda’s pleading. Zelda refused to go 10 feet without a phone so she stayed on the main floor all day. Zelda had no idea what to do with her hands since her last cigarette was long gone. Zelda sighed when she checked her watch. It was getting so late. If there was still no word from either Faustus or Cordelia by dawn, Zelda had already decided to go to Salem herself but she hadn’t told the others because she didn’t want anyone to talk her out of it. Zelda’s head whipped around as the phone began to ring. She ran to the phone and picked it up.

“Hello, hello?” Zelda tensed as the family gathered around her.

“Zelda? Dearest?”

Zelda’s grip tightened on the phone and closed her eyes and cherishing her husband’s voice. “Faustus! Finally, how are you? Where are you? Have you found Cordelia yet?”

“I’m fine, my dearest,” Faustus assured Zelda. “It’s been an insanely long day but I’m finally in Salem and as for Cordelia” The line went silent for a second and then… “Hi, Mom!”

Zelda bit her lip to keep her tears of joy and relief in check. “Oh, Cordelia, my sweet, precious girl. How are you? Did anyone hurt you?”

“No. I’m fine, Mom. I’ve been with the class all day and no one suspected me at all, I promise. And I definitely feel safer now that Dad’s here with me. Mom, is LJ there?”

“Yes, she’s right here.” Zelda passed the phone to her stepdaughter.

“Hello? Cordy? What’s wrong?”

“LJ, I’m so sorry.”

LJ was confused. “Why are you apologizing to me?”

“Because tonight was the night you were supposed to bring your boyfriend to dinner to meet the family.”

LJ was touched. “The fact that you remember that after all, you had to deal with today proves that you are the sweetest little sister in the whole wide world. Peter can wait. What’s important now is to get you and Dad home safe and sound.”

The sisters chatted for a few minutes and then LJ gave the phone back to Zelda and after a few moments, Cordelia passed the phone back to Faustus.

“So, now that you’re located Cordelia, are you in your home now?” Zelda asked.

“Oh, not exactly dearest. I know that it was my idea to just grab Cordelia and then drive all through the night back to Greendale, but there’s a problem here. You see, there’s a raging storm here and it’s not safe to be on the road. I barely made it here.”

“Can’t you teleport?” Zelda suggested. “Surely you must know the way home.”

“I do, but people saw Cordy and I come in this motel room so we just can’t up and disappear.”

Zelda frowned. “I don’t like the idea of you and Cordelia spending the whole night in Salem.”

“Neither do I,” Faustus agreed, “but it could be a lot worse. You see, Mrs. Applegate was kind enough to give up her room so she will have to share with Mrs. Robinson.” Was it Zelda’s imagination or was there laughter in her husband’s voice? “Anyway,” Faustus continued, “this is a single room so Cordy and I will have to share the bed tonight. The storm is sure to be over by morning and then Cordy and I will be on our way. I can assure you, dearest, I won’t be in this town a moment more than I need to.”

Zelda sighed; she still didn’t like it, but she understood. “Please be careful, Faustus, and give Cordy a goodnight kiss for me. I love you.”

“We’ll be home before you know it. I love you too.”

Although she had taken her wet clothes off when she first got to the room, Cordelia was still cold after the phone call home, so she treated herself to a hot bath. Since she had no PJs, she put the white plush motel robe back on and double knotted it so she could wear it as a nightdress. Faustus then took a quick shower to wash off his road trip. When he stepped back into the main room, he found Cordelia standing before the window, the rain and the moon casting her face in a ghastly glow.

“You know; you were born on a night very much like this.”

Cordelia looked up at him. “Don’t you hear them, Dad?”

“Hear what?”

Cordelia frowned. “The moans pleads and cries of our people. Thousands and thousands of them, crying out in pain and for justice. I’ve been hearing them all day, ever since I got off the bus.”

Faustus heard nothing and thought it must be a divine child thing. “Come on honey, we have a long drive home tomorrow. We better get some sleep.”

As they made themselves comfortable in bed, Faustus noticed something he hadn’t before. “Cordy, why are shivering? Didn’t that bath warm you up?”

“Oh, am I shivering?” His daughter asked. “I’ve been doing it all day. I guess I don’t even notice it anymore.”

Faustus could help smiling to himself. As a 12-year-old witch who had in the company of mortals, doing a tour of Salem all day, Cordelia had every right to be afraid but she would never admit it. She was so strong, so proud, so like her mother. “You’re very brave.”

Cordelia rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. If I was so brave, I would have never caved and texted you that message.”

“Oh, will you stop! I’m glad you sent that message. I’m glad that I was able to track you down. Besides, the text doesn’t take away from the fact that you just spent an entire day learning about 1 of the darkest chapter in our people’s history.”

“Yep, that’s me. Cordelia the brave…and the friendless.” She muttered.

Faustus felt his face grow hot. This whole thing started because Cordelia wanted to make right with her friends. She must have been heartbroken to learn that her friends didn’t text her this morning. Damn you, Nina! Faustus thought and then said out loud, “Don’t worry Cordy. You’ll make up with the Warners soon, I know it.”

Faustus turned off the lamp and despite being quiet, neither Cordelia nor Faustus slept all night. Maybe they were overtired or overstressed by being 2 witches in Salem. It was dawn when exhaustion finally took Cordelia and she rolled over into her father’s arms. Faustus curled his long-limbed body around her protectively before kissing her forehead. “Don’t worry baby, Daddy’s got you.” He whispered before sleep claimed him too.

1 hour later, a scream woke them up. They jumped out of bed and open the door to see the class, teachers and all of the hotel staff were in front of them. Faustus looked at the door. “Is that paint? Or blood?”