The thing about the spell was this: it was far less about the who, and far more about the where.

This meant that it was good for delivering the scraps of torn up lined paper with her note scrawled on them to places where they would definitely be found, but not so good for easing Lucy’s nerves as she stood, alone, in the darkened community centre. The building purred, low and anxious, sending goose pimples racing up Lucy’s bare arms. Absently, she pulled the olive green fleece from around her waist and slipped it on. She’d taken it off earlier, it had been a warm day even though it was October, the heat of the Summer still clinging tightly to the passing year, and she’d worked up a bit of a sweat travelling over town, making her ‘deliveries’.

Perhaps, she thought absently as she made her way to the edge of the room with a final tray of cupcakes in hand, it would have been a little less gruelling if she’d planned things out before hand, instead of divining as she went. Lucy knew her practice was messy and disorganised, mostly because Jeanine had told her so many times, often after catching Lucy doing things like consulting with the squirrels (they were unusually wise) or using an origami fortune teller for divination. For Lucy though, messy and disorganised worked, she got results that were undeniable, even if she didn’t know what every single herb did and what all the crystals were for.

Of course, if you’re planning a cross country journey across the whole town, sometimes a little precision comes in handy.

She set the cupcakes down on a rickety table next to another tray of cupcakes, a plate of sausage rolls, a jug orange squash, and a large flask of tea. Hopefully nobody had any unusual dietary requirements, she had, after all, made a promise, and it wasn’t really fair if it wasn’t a promise to everyone. It would ruin the energy of the room, and right now, it was about as good as she was going to get it.

Her converse pumps squeeked on the shiny wooden floor as she made her way across the room once more, this time heading towards a large, plastic blue box positioned by the door, the lid discarded to the side earlier. She glanced at her phone, the LED light making her eyes sting in the darkness.

Half ten.

People would be arriving soon, or at least, they should be. Lucy picked up the lid and placed it on the box, hiding the contents from view. It wasn't time for that, not yet. Later, when people's minds were more open and ready to hear what she had to say. Now though, was a time for a different kind of preparation.

She moved, heading towards the centre of the gym. Somewhat awkwardly, she sat, legs crossed. From her pocket, she withdrew a small tealight, a sprig of lavender, and a folded photograh, all of which she placed in front of her. She lit the tealight, the spark of the lighter incandescent in the darkness and the soft hiss of burning echoing in the silence.

A few words, mouthed almost silently to herself.

And then, she remembered.



“Y’know, I might not… stay here, right?” Olivia’s eyes, soft and blue in the dim light of Lucy’s bedroom, were crinkled at the edges. Worry, Lucy noted quietly to herself; Olivia was worried about how she’d react.

It wasn’t uncommon that they’d sit like this in the evenings, at opposite ends of Lucy’s bed, Olivia with her legs stretched out and a textbook resting on her lap, Lucy with her knees pulled up to her chest, toes digging into the handmade-quilt, most often not being anywhere near as productive, but enjoying the company anyway. Most of the time they were silent, mutually agreeing that talking was something for other places and other times, and not nearly as important as everyone made it out to be. They would arrive, they would sit, and then Olivia would leave, and that was that.

Lucy, however, was little confused by her statement "Well of course not, you always leave when it gets dark," she said, glancing out of the window. In the sky, the sun was a burnt Orange, hovering mere millimetres above the distant ocean, just visible through the gaps between the densely packed houses.

Olivia sighed. It was a heavy sound, one that set Lucy on edge as it twisted up with the already indescribably strange energy that seemed to constantly surround her. She closed the book, and set it down next to her, and When she spoke, the sigh was still there, "I don't... that's not how I meant it and you know it."

"How did you mean It?" Lucy asked honestly.

Olivia's teeth caught her slightly chapped bottom lip, tugged at it, then released it. She repeated this motion several times before she spoke, "I mean..." She stopped herself, and Lucy felt her energy twist and snarl, "Rawyn," she said, quick, "I might not stay in Rawyn, at least not forever."

"Oh..." Lucy said, still not entirely sure what she was talking about, because Rawyn wasn't a place you could just leave. She thought for a few seconds, trying to come up with a more reasonable answer, "I..." she began, "I probably will." she finished.

Olivia smiled sadly, "That's okay," she said.

She moved, shuffling across the bed until she was next to Lucy, their shoulders touching. Tenderly, she unfurled Lucy's hand from where it was wrapped around her knees. Lucy felt herself relax at the contact. An involuntary response to the impossibly gentle fingers intertwining with her own.

"It's okay," she repeated, resting her head on Lucy's shoulder, "We're both here now."

And they were.



Lucy opened her eyes at the soft growl of the hall around her, barely perceptible. Somebody was about to arrive, it seemed. A few more murmured words, and she snuffed out the low-burning candle, retrieved the objects, and stood.

In her heart, she already felt more certain.

She was ready, and she hoped to the gods the others were too.

Mair Branwenn

---

Mair's blue eyes scan the note from this.... 'Lucy' once more. It so bluntly seemed like a trap, but due to that, there was a strong drive to go check it out. She had found the slip of paper left behind in a newspaper stuffed underneath a bench on her route home.

Mair's only assumption about the note is that the 'she' it mentions was that girl that had gone missing... Octavia, or something of the sort. She had never paid much attention to the papers, assuming she would hear about whatever event everyone was talking about at the check out stand.

Finally, Mair's eyes travel from the note to the community center... Why she had rode her on her skateboard in the dark, she wasn't exactly sure. Some deeper feeling told her she needed to come here, tonight, following this note. Mair lets loose a soft sigh and picks up her board, tucking it under her hooded arm. She currently wore a black hoodie, with a circle of mixed purple shapes around her chest, reaching to her stomach. The design seemed homemade, with only paint keeping the colors. As well as her hoodies, she wears black jeans and a darker gray beanie.

Mair strolls towards the hall, her eyes darting cautiously between every shadow as she makes her way in. She winces at each noise she makes, seeming to echo in the quiet building. With her eyes and ears straining, she makes her way towards the man's voice. She ends up on the opposite side of the gym, her eyes still adjusting to the gloom.

"Lucy?" Mair hears, a woman's voice calling out this time. She recognizes the name, though she was pretty sure the person wasn't confident on who she was speaking to. She souneded as puzzled as Mair felt. Mair clears her throat before speaking. "So, uh... Is this where the club is meeting?" Mair calls out, though a hint of fear edges her words. She winces internally, knowing it made her sound much more like a child than she was.

Evelyn had found the note this morning right in front of her room door. After breakfast she had asked the receptionist if someone had entered her room and left it there, but the answer was as she had anticipated. Whoever had written the note, Lynn was the person they had wanted to address. When she had read the newspaper later this day, she had known the most reasonable thing she could do was to call the police. But as always, curiousity had been stronger than caution. She needed this. She needed something to focus on after what had happened to Ian.

The long, dark alleyway Lynn had entered looked empty. Dim street lights revealed the tatty looking facade of the community center. Nothing about what she was doing right now felt safe. She‘d been in similar situations before, but most of the time she knew at least vaguely what to expect from the locations she‘d planned going to. Ironically this felt more surreal than her visions. Lynn felt a shudder, making her close the zipper from the denim jacket she was wearing.

As soon as she was in the hall, Evelyn knew she wasn‘t alone. Judging by the silhouettes, there were at least three other people in here. Lynn heard a woman's voice echoing. "So, uh... Is this where the club is meeting?" Apparently she wasn‘t the only one who got an invitation. The realization made her calm down a little. With more confidence than she was really feeling Lynn decided to call out.
"Hello?"

It was 8 when Reina left her room for the evening. The actuality of evenings and mornings made no difference to her, though lately the nights become longer and stiller. Her shrink had the idea of moving her away for awhile, thought a change of atmosphere would help her yet it seemed to have done no such help since she stayed in Rawyn. She could not shake the feeling that it had something more to do with the place rather than their suggestion. At least her parents got her a nice place to stay for the whole 'vacation'. Quaint, homey, and situated just about right on the overlooking the sea.

Perched lazily on the table, the attendant placed a cup of tea next to her. Somebody left this morning's paper on the window ledge, she reached out to it lazily. That's where Reina first knew about the missing girl. It was the first she heard of something like this since she came here. Flipping a page a note fell on her lap, a curious message was written on it. There isn't much to go for, enough to dismiss it as some kid playing a prank on bystanders yet it subconsciously piqued her interest, as odd as it might sound. She thought less of it for now.

But the night would again drive her sleepless, her thoughts lingered deeply under the dim glow of her nightlight. She wasn't entirely sure where this personal interest on this girl was coming from, maybe she genuinely is and her curiosity is drawing her to know more. Without another minute she stood up from her bed grabbed, her jacket, her camera and her bag, the note tucked inside her key pocket and left.

When she arrived at the location, Reina heard voices from the other end. She was surprised at the few people who were there. It did not occur to her that this would be some sort of group meeting. She leaned at the corner of the door, silently witnessing what was going on on the other room. As far as she could gather from the happenings inside the girl with shoulder length hair was Lucy. "Seems like I'm not the only one who got the memo..." She muttered audibly, without meaning it, probably just enough for the others to hear.

---

---

---

---

The hands of the antique grandfather clock that sat in the corner of Spectral continued to move forward no matter how hard Elias wished for time to pause. Earlier in the day he had found a strange, and incredibly vague, note underneath a sleeping Morpheus when he opened the shop. He could only assume that the girl the note referred to was Olivia, the girl who had either suddenly disappeared, or who had simply run off depending on who you asked. He wasn’t sure why the note was sent to him, or how someone had managed to get it inside his locked-up shop either. At first, he had thought it was part of some kind of prank; rile up the town crazy, try and get him wrapped up in a crazy conspiracy theory for a laugh. In the back of his mind, however, he could feel the intentions of the note’s writer and it felt genuine.

He thought about going, if he could do something that might help find that poor girl he would, but the fear of getting involved in something that could drag him back into the supernatural held him back. If this truly was a mundane case, or if the girl had simply run off, then he could see no reason why anyone would involve him. The note in his shop had to mean some sort of supernatural involvement and that was just the sort of thing he didn’t want to be involved in. So, he had spent all day alternating between trying not to think about it and asking for guidance on what to do. He had consulted his tarot deck, tea leaves, and the Ogham runes but everything was so inconclusive; so either this was a choice he must make on his own or he was letting his fears color his interpretations, trying to ignore the obvious so he can continue to lie to himself.

”This is ridiculous, I mean obviously I shouldn’t go right. No way anything on the up and up even goes on at the community center after eleven anyway.” Eli spoke to a barely interested Morpheus. The cat lay on Spectral’s main counter and Elias leaned against the same counter consulting with the wisest of all spirits; the cat. He scratched underneath the cat’s chin and Morpheus happily purred. ”Excellent, so we are in agreement.”

Morpheus let out a long meow and gave him that judgmental look all cats seem to know how to do. Apparently, the cat was not going to leave things up for interpretation. ”I’m almost doing well, you know, I don’t need to get involved with this. I’ve got a real bad feeling, this is gonna take me back to a place I don’t want to be.” He continued, although now he was thinking maybe talking to the cat wasn’t exactly saying wonders about his mental state to begin with. Morpheus continued his disappointed look although the cat was still happily accepting the chin scratches. Eli glanced at the day’s newspaper that lay beside the cat which contained the article about the missing girl, which he had read several times that day. ”I guess you’re right, I’d be a pretty shit person if I didn’t try and help. Well at least they’ve promised refreshments. My sanity for tea and biscuits, I hope they’re worth it.” He said with a sarcastic chuckle to himself before locking the shop up for the night and heading to the other side of town.

Eli was only a little late to the party and he was happy to see he wasn’t alone at the community center. There were a handful of others looking about as confused as he was as well as a glorious table covered with cupcakes and sausage rolls. He also noticed no one seemed to be eating which was pretty bizarre considering how good the food looked, and smelled. He took a quick second to study the other faces in the room and didn’t immediately recognize anyone except for Lucy, who had worked at Shifting Sands for a short stint. Well that was one mystery solved; he knew who wrote the note. He figured Lucy would explain what was going on when she was ready so he went ahead and helped himself to some of the food and some tea. It was a chilly walk down to the community center and the hot beverage was much needed.

”Here I was expecting a packet of stale biscuits but you went all out with the refreshments. Much appreciated.” He said, snacking on a cupcake.

---

---

The seaside winds brushed past the window, whistling as it travelled. Aiden sat at the desk within, distracted from his work by the constant weather and the sounds it produced. The town was unlike Chester - sure the days were always dark and cloudy but the winds carried wholesome air unpolluted and fresh. The buildings were smaller than what Aiden was used to, the quality of his B&B proved that although he shouldn't complain, the low prices were a godsend.

Aiden was busy scouring his mobile which was plugged into the one socket in his rented room, a picture of the missing girl - Olivia along with a headline and a news story. several copies of the local paper wedged underneath Aiden's right elbow and the desktop, the latest from this morning was on the top of the pile. A segment titled "Local Girl Still Missing" was circled crudely with pen ink. To his side his left hand lay, holding a pen over a near-blank notepad with several words scribbled sporadically; Tylwyth Teg, Bwgan, Spirits, Dragon these four words and nothing more.

Aiden sighs, there wasn't much more he could research about the disappearance. Not from what he could find within the papers or internet. It seemed as though it was time to research through other methods, he lifted himself out of his chair and walked to his bed - reaching inside of the briefcase that lay there are retrieving a leather-bound book.

Aiden hadn't been in the town for long, a weekend so far although he was certain that this was the reason he was called here - by whatever called him here. A teenager going missing for around two months barely makes the headline and wouldn't have reached Aiden's attention if it wasn't for the message that appeared on his arm only several days prior. It had one word, "Rawyn." the name of a Welsh seaside town. Without much holding him back at home he travelled to where he is now, trusting that whatever called him wasn't deceiving him.

It wasn't difficult to learn about the missing girl either what with all of the missing posters hanging off walls and within shop windows. The most obvious possibility was most likely the likely possibility in this situation - it was probable that the intention of the message was for him to invest in the girl's vanishing as there was nothing else that seemed foul in the town from what could be seen from a glance.

A scrap of paper fell from within the book as Aiden opened it to which he retrieved it noticing words not in his own writing, he read the contents with suspicion. "If you want to know what happened to her, come to the community centre at 11pm sharp." a tad ominous, even if it continued by explaining that drinks and refreshments would be offered and a name was included "Though that doesn't mean it couldn't be a false name" thought Aiden.

Nonetheless, somehow this note found it's way into his book which must amount for some credibility. Aiden knows better than to leave a stone unturned and he had magick if something went awry though he had better be moving, it was nearing the expected time.

---

---

There was already a crowd as Aiden entered, wearing his raincoat in the event of rain and briefcase slung over his shoulder. Several people had already turned up and most were glancing in confusion - none seemed the wiser about who the others were, at least it seemed that way from the stiffness that most here seemed to carry. Though saying that there was one who was happily munching away at food to the side, he seemed suspiciously laid back in this circumstance...

Though for now Aiden would have prefered to watch rather than begin a conversation he did have questions that needed... well, answering. He walked over towards the food stall, excusing anyone that he passed. Reaching the man he mutters "You seem quite calm..." realising that this probably wasn't enough information Aiden retrieved the note from his pocket and continuing. "... I suppose you know a bit more than me then, you wouldn't happen to know the Lucy that sent me this would you?" he quizzes, handing out the note for the man to see.

The first to arrive was a man, who, judging by his slightly surprised expression, and then his actual words, was not expecting to find someone like Lucy waiting for him. He seemed unsettled, but that was okay. It was, after all, what some might consider an unsettling situation. Of course, most people didn’t offer to walk the cause of their disquiet home. Lucy wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about that - was this man really someone who wanted to find Olivia?

He’d turned up though.

And not because she’d made him, because the spell didn’t do that - all it did was make you want to look, and he’d looked, and he’d made a decision, and… well… that decision had brought him here. Whatever the motivation, it didn’t matter. She didn’t need a special kind of motivation, all she needed was the intent, and anyone with the guts to show up tonight was bound to have it in spades. She bit down on the inside of her cheek, nerves clawing at the inside of her gut. It didn’t matter who. All that mattered was-

Someone brushed past the nervous man - someone who only remained a ‘someone’ until Lucy noticed the steely intensity radiating from every movement. Oh dear.

"Lucy?" Okay, so maybe it mattered a little bit who. At least, insofar as the when the who was, incidentally, Olivia’s sister who, incidentally, was not Lucy’s biggest fan. Lucy knew this because, despite the fact that they’d never really talked properly, not even Lucy could ignore the outright resentment Abby seemed to hold towards her. Or at least, she couldn’t ignore Jeanine asking her if she’d gotten into a spat with her as the two of them had walked out of the police station after giving their interviews.

It was strange though. even in the darkness, Lucy could see the family resemblance. Although maybe not. Abby reminded Lucy more of the Olivia from the posters; the one who’s every pore had oozed a kind of restlessness fire. The one who hadn’t joined in the snickering that one (of many) times Lucy had walked out of Maths, not out of kindness, but because she simply hadn’t needed to join in. The one who’d ignored Lucy in the halls of Rawyn High because why wouldn’t she have done that? Lucy had never disliked that Olivia - she didn’t really dislike anyone. She just preferred her Olivia more. Lucy opened her mouth about to speak, before someone else walked in.

"So, uh... Is this where the club is meeting?" the girl with the long hair and the hoodie and the skateboard said. She had purple on the ends of her hair, and it made her look more confident then she sounded. She was nervous, like the man. She was younger than him though, and probably younger than Abby, too. Closer to Lucy’s age - to Olivia’s age. Lucy thought she recognised her from one of the shops in town - TK Maxx? Jeanine like to go there sometimes, she liked that they sold lots of pans.

Before Lucy had chance to respond (again), someone else who she hadn't seemed to notice walked in, "Hello?" the newcomer said in what sounded like a Scottish accent, confidence belying the fact that she too was a little unnerved by the meeting. It wasn't Lucy's fault the place was so creepy, or the meeting so late, and she felt a little put out by everyone's apprehension. Also by the fact that they were all arriving so close to each other - although to be fair to them she had provided a fairly specific time frame, and really, they were just being punctual. Always a good thing.

When nobody walked in for a few seconds, she deemed it safe to finally respond. She cleared her throat, a little dramatically, but perhaps no more dramatic than the situation itself demanded -"Hello - yes, this is-"
And then, of course, somebody else arrived. A woman with a camera bag who positioned herself near the back of the room, before mumbling something about memos.

Lucy frowned a little. "I think I'll just wait until everyone arrives, this isn't going too well," she said, loud and clear, her voice carrying in the slightly less quiet than earlier hall, "although that's assuming other people will be arriving. I definitely left more notes than this, and yes, that was me, but the pull of free will mostly turns out to be a bit stronger than... other things," the community centre growled, and chills ran up Lucy's spine, but she continued on because really, it wasn't being very polite right now, "which is a good thing," she said, a little more forcefully, "considering where we happen to be living," she paused, glancing to the woman with red hair and the woman at the back who had sounded distinctly English, and not just any kind of English, southern, "or staying, if that's what you're doing."

She paused as a man walked in - he looked vaguely familiar. Had he been a guest at Shifting Sands? That was a while ago, and not something Lucy liked to look back on too often, especially seeing as she'd been chased out of the place by a broomstick-wielding Mrs. Smith for being 'one of them no good hocus-pocus lunatics that scares the birds!', the irony of which was not lost on Lucy. He was definitely local though, she'd seen him around town, so he was probably more of a 'guest' there than a guest.

She was rather pleased when he said, ”Here I was expecting a packet of stale biscuits but you went all out with the refreshments. Much appreciated.” and started snacking, because really, she had put quite a bit of effort into them. Of course, it had been a result of seeking guidance from Jeanine. Apparently the best way to get people to show up to an event was free food, although Lucy really wasn't sure if clandestine meetings involving strangers, missing friends, and the supernatural could be counted as 'events'.

This was Rawyn though. It wasn't like there was much else going on.

That thought was quickly dismissed, however, by the arrival of a man in a raincoat. Lucy wasn't sure why, the weather hadn't been too bad today. Perhaps a little hit and miss late morning time - but after that it had cleared up nicely. The forecast for tomorrow was a bit grim, or at least, Lucy's one from scrying in the kitchen sink was, but the news was saying it was going to be alright for the rest of the week. The news wasn't very often right concerning the weather though, you didn't have to have been raised by a witch to know that much.

But still, that wasn't the important part.

The important part was that things finally felt right. Everyone that was going to be here was here. She looked around the room - eight people. Not... the best number. Nine would have been better. Nine was divisible by three, eight was most definitely not divisable by three. They weren't missing anyone though. Or at least, Lucy didn't think they were missing anyone.

Except Olivia.

Lucy's chest tightened. She ignored it. "Okay," she said instead, "I think we're all here. Probably. Possibly. You can never really be certain with these things..." she trailed of, but then quickly resumed her initial train of thought, "Anyway! I think I should probably explain some things to you all," she paused, allowing herself to take in people's, somewhat bemused and anticipatory faces, "before that though, err, thank you? For showing up, that is, you didn't have too. And... it says a lot about you all that you did. Which is good, because - err, explaining, right, I should probably do that before I start talking like you all know what's happening."

She paused again, she should probably get to the point if she expected people to stay, "Anyway, starting at the start for anyone who doesn't know the start, at least not properly, a bit ago, a girl went missing. That girl was Olivia Davis," her breath caught in her throat at the name. It was strange how hard it was to say out loud, like her tongue had forgotten how to do it after so long not doing so. She deliberately avoided eye contact with Abby. She doubted that she had the same problem, doubted that Abby had been able to go even a day without saying her sister's name, especially with all the attention on the Davis family.

"She... she was a good person. She had plans, and dreams, and things she wanted to do with her life, same as anyone who goes missing, and whatever it is that's happened to her, she didn't deserve it." she took a breath, heart rate picking up slightly, "she doesn't deserve it."

She was definitely avoiding Abby's eye now, really, her reaction could go one of two ways, and from what Olivia had told Lucy of her sister, she doubted it was going to be the on she was hoping for.

"Please, before you say anything, hear me out," she said, addressing the room, "first off, I don't know where Olivia is. If I did, she wouldn't be there anymore, she'd be back home. Safe." Lucy remembered when Olivia had been safe. When she'd smiled nervously over the rim of her mug of hot chocolate in Costa and said that she thought her maths exam had gone pretty well, but she didn't want to jinx it. When she'd had tea at Jeanine's flat and laughed along at Jeanine's stories about a younger Lucy, bungling spells in this very room. When she hadn't lost interest when Lucy had been weird, or quiet, or all of those other things that she wasn't supposed to be but was. When she'd-

It didn't matter.

She took a breath.

"Second," she said, hands shaking a little, becuase if this went down badly, then the whole thing would go down badly "I might not know where she is, but..." her eyes flickered to the box in the corner of the room, "I think I might know how to find her, and... I'm going to need your help." She held up a hand, indicating that she still wasn't done, "please, I know that sounds bad, but... I really do need you to be a little patient. It'll make sense. I promise, and I always stick to promises, or at least I try to," she walked across the room, towards the box.

She peeled the lid off, and it came away with a plasticy crack. From inside, she withdrew a small, closed pouch, a black tealight, and a small, furled up scroll of lined paper. She held them up in one hand, "I found these the other day. I... don't know who sent them. I do, however, know that they can help. Find Olivia, that is. The scroll has instructions. For a spell. It said I needed people with intent, and... that's you."

She stopped, she knew that this was unlikely to be the kind of thing normal people would be on board with.

Hopefully, these people were as un-normal as turning up to a meeting with a total stranger about a missing girl in a creepy building after suggested they might be.

"I know that this isn't something that people normally do, but..." and great, she was begging, she'd never begged for anything in her life, "I can't do this without you, and I think it might be the only way to find her." More than think, really.

But that part was hard to explain.

"So... thoughts?"

---

---

Evelyn listened closely to Lucy‘s words, while thoughtfully nibbling on a cupcake. Some parts of what she‘d said seemed questionable, but Lynn still couldn‘t help but believe her. This wasn‘t some kind of joke, considering the seriousness in Lucy‘s voice. For now she decided giving her the benefit of the doubt.
Lynn still wasn‘t sure how exactly a scroll was going to help them find a missing person. Evelyn had seen a lot in her life, and she had to admit there were many things she couldn‘t even explain to herself. Most people didn‘t believe her, she‘d been making that experience from a young age.

Her father was - had been one of the few exceptions. When she was a small girl one of her dreams had led him and his expedition team to an ancient burial site near Chichen Itza. Lynn had always felt like she was an asset to him rather than a burden.
Towards her mom she felt quite the opposite. Every time she‘d been picked up from a police station after one of her tours - every time she‘d been given that reproachful look, Lynn had wondered if her mother wouldn‘t have prefered to stay childless. There was this silent accusation when her own eyes met her mom‘s: Why can‘t I just have an ordinary daughter?
Then there were some people who didn‘t care much if at all about her weird side. Like her childhood friends - or Ian. Her boyfriend never had given her the impression that there was something wrong with her. On the opposite, he had listened to her thoughts without judging. But at the same time he‘d always charmingly managed to draw her attention to himself and their relationship. Ian had been an anchor to reality for Lynn.

And here she was again, in an old, spooky building surrounded by strangers. Undoubtedly some of them were just as surprised and clueless as she was. Maybe some of them had made experiences similar to Lynn‘s. Maybe this was an opportunity for her to learn more about herself. And perhaps all of this worked and they‘d find the girl that went missing.
Plus, the cupcake she was eating right now was extremely delicious.
After she‘d taken another small bite, Lynn decisively stepped forward.
"I‘m not sure what this spell is about." She took a quick, doubtful glance at the paper scroll in Lucy‘s hand, then smiled encouragingly. "But ye can count me in."

---

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---

---

A man in a raincoat approached him, Elias didn’t think he recognized him, being that Rawyn was a rather small town and Elias had a knack for remembering faces he was guessing the guy was an out of towner. The man mentioned he seemed calm, asked him about Lucy, and showed him the same note he had found underneath a sleeping cat earlier in the day. Was he calm? He was certainly less worried about the situation when he noted Lucy was behind the note, she seemed like good people, at least that was the vibe he got. Something about the choice to come here felt like the right decision, although he hadn’t wanted to be here, something within his intuition told him he was supposed to be here.

I wouldn’t say I know her, seen her around town. You live in Rawyn long enough you learn the faces. Don’t think I’ve seen you around though. I’m Eli, guess we got the same invite.” He said introducing himself as he looked at the letter the man in the raincoat showed him. “As for being calm, I guess there’s a bit of tranquility in accepting what the universe wants from you. The universe wants me here so I guess I’ll just enjoy some free food and see where it takes me.” He added as Lucy began addressing why they were all here.

The room was full of nervous energy as she spoke, he could feel it, there was desperation in her voice. She had called them here for magic, some kind spell to find the missing girl, Olivia, clearly someone who Lucy was close with, having felt loss before Eli could understand. His experience with practicing magic, the real kind, was very minimal, but he enough to know that eight people would mean serious energy. This was something to be taken lightly, doing a powerful spell with doubt could be dangerous. Getting involved in more weirdness was not what he wanted, not what he thought he’d be doing when he woke up this morning, but it was what was needed of him. Someone’s life was at stake so now was not the time to be selfish, he decided at that moment he was in for whatever was necessary.

”I’ve spent my life doing things people wouldn't normally do so I’m in, whatever you need.

Mair Branwenn

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Mair listens to the girl, a slight frown on her face. She chews her bottom lip as she leans against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest. However... Strange... The girl's story was, something was screaming at her that it was all true. The desperation and concern in her voice is enough to sway Mair, however... She still wasn't sure exactly what it was they would be doing. Mair wasn't a stranger to the supernatural, however, she had always scoffed at the people who thought spells and magic would solve their problems and here she was, about to help a girl perform one.

As the girl finishes speaking, Mair eyes the others with a hint of suspicion. For the most part, people seemed as confused as she felt which gave her a little bit of reassurance. Her gaze moves back to Lily. The girl really seemed to know what she was talking about, so... Either she was right, or she belonged in the mental asylum. Either way, Mair felt confident that nothing crazy would happen. For the most part, her story made sense, in a rather strange way. Plus, it was the weekend. She didn't have plans anyway, so why not go cast spells with strangers?

"I'm in." Mair replies simply, speaking loud enough to be heard from where she stood but not annoyingly so. "You just tell us what we need to do."

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_{South Rawyn; The Community Center. 11:10PM}

Rawyn wasn't a tiny town. But it was small enough that Abby had expected to recognize more than one face in a meeting about her own sister. But none were familiar as they came trickling in one after another. Some didn't even sound Welsh, and none gave any indication they knew what the hell was going on. All were too calm. Her eyes followed the man who immediately made way to the ridiculous table or refreshments she hadn't noticed at first. So casual. Like it was a book club meeting for tea rather than a group of strangers discussing a now cold case near midnight.

Her attention snapped back to Lucy the moment the girl opened her mouth. In turn, Lucy made pointed efforts to avoid the stare. It wasn't surprising really, Abby had been cold to her before, and wasn't exactly warming what with all the secrecy. But understanding didn't blunt the frustration she felt the the second time Lucy's eyes skipped over her while scanning the rest of the group. She had the most right to be there after all. In fact, if Lucy actually knew anything at all she should have come to Abby first, if not the police. Lucy knowing anything however, seemed less likely with every word she spoke. Slowly, with pauses that dragged endlessly for Abby. Still, she didn't interrupt. She wasn't about to lose it in a room full of strangers. Instead she chewed the inside of her cheek, dug her nails into her forearms and listened.

"Is this a fucking joke?" She'd been quiet when Lucy had finished- because she couldn't have finished. There had to be more to it. Finding Olivia had to depend on something a bit more substantial than 'spells' and the intent of strangers. But Lucy was content to remain silent, and others were too eager in agreeing to her 'plan'. If it could even be called that. A candle, a pouch, and an ominous note. Might as well have brought out a damned Ouija board.

---

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Don’t think I’ve seen you around though. I’m Eli, guess we got the same invite.” The man greeted himself with such a line - admitting to knowing the person known as Lucy as well as hinting at being a local.
Though, of course, that was to be expected. You take enough trips and you notice that your clothing will usually show signs of packing that can separate it from clothes in a drawer - creases on clean clothes showing where the clothes have been tightly packed as well as the irregular appearances of said creases... Eli had neither and to be frank, he didn't seem like much of a tourist what with that kind of face.

A younger girl began to speak up from the center of the room, bringing Aiden and Eli's attention away from each other. A short brunette, twenty with perhaps years' difference give or take. She wasn't much of an imposing figure though you rarely had to be to cast spells though that was assuming she was the one who had sent him the message - her speaking up made Aiden suspect as much anyhow.
The girl began to train almost as soon as she began, thanking people for attending and all of that ceremonious jazz. Aiden took the time to gaze at the group that had gathered, of course being a hermit-class tourist within the compounds of the village as so far meant that Aiden recognised absolutely nobody that was here. Well it wasn't as though he wanted to. Aside from Eli, the girl and himself there were four females and one guy... A rainbow of purples, reds, browns and blacks coated their heads, shifting with their hair as the bodies swayed and turned.

"First off, I don't know where Olivia is. If I did, she wouldn't be there anymore, she'd be back home. Safe."
Aiden returned his attention to the speaker, it seemed that she had reached whatever she needed to say - though not already being aware of the girl's location was already a bad sign, especially if really was her who sent him a message via magic...
"I might not know where she is, but... I think I might know how to find her, and... I'm going to need your help."

... Oh god, this'd better not be what he thinks it is...

The girl walked briskly towards a box, bending over and retrieving several items, one of which seemed to be a tightly wrapped scroll... Dammit this was exactly what he imagined it to be.
"I found these the other day. I... don't know who sent them.
Oh well wasn't that just splendid, not only did she want to go coven on Aiden let alone the others, but she didn't know where her spell had come from. Walking through a horde of zombies would be safer and you know what you're getting into!

"I do, however, know that they can help. Find Olivia, that is. The scroll has instructions. For a spell. It said I needed people with intent, and... that's you."
Finally the girl pleaded for the aid of them all, her wails were responded by a strangely supportive reception. Four of the total seven jumped at the chance to aid the girl, of course Eli was one of them as was the third male. Perhaps here the idea of level-headedness was just that, an underutilised idea that was shoved under the carpet whenever something mysterious occurred. It sure seemed that way.
A sharp voice lashed out from the collective, "Is this a fucking joke?" The voice belonged to another girl - with arms crossed and the signs of irritation if not anger plastered over her face, the girl was silent after that although her thoughts were clear. She believed this was to be complete malarkey, no spells were real to this one and she had travelled all this way for nothing of value. Aiden thought otherwise.

"I'm with you on that." interrupts Aiden, he had questions that needed answering and so he turned towards the 'spell girl'. "You say you don't know who gave you that 'spell' and yet you think it would be wise to go along with it? Regardless of if it's the only choice, that would sound suspicious even to a toddler!" He looks over those that had jumped at the offer before returning to the girl. "Secondly, how can you be sure that this spell will even work? That it does what it claims?" If the girl couldn't answer then it would be clearer than it already was that she was wholly unprepared for anything that may follow.