---

"We need them more off-balance. Either through the girl who wants out so we can scatter 'em. Or, by being proactive and knocking them down before they can regroup. 'Cause, we're not usually on the same page. If we do try and draw 'em to us, there's a higher chance than I'd like of us fucking it up and those kids making off with the other statue."

Shane had a point... Justin admitted to himself, but he also noted that Shane did not have an ounce of faith in his family. Now, Justin admitted that a lot of these people were probably useless due to living a pampered life and never having to get their hands dirty once... they were probably on the same level as a group of idiotic witches. Which was a little bit insulting to the Vanburens, but he had a feeling that both groups are fairly new to magic and thus were as experienced as the rest of these people. Justin knew that there are more threats out there, lurking, and he would be stupid to think that there wouldn't be other people after they supply Apparitions. Georgie sealing them away in her pocket dimension isn't going to do much when they're knocking on their front door wondering where in the world they went. If they don't just sneak into the house and kill the family in their sleep (because that's what Justin would do).

"... And you're saying that luring them out somewhere and ambushing them wouldn't throw them off guard?" Justin chuckled for a second as he ran his hand through his hair. He was going to stick to his idea because... it was easier to fight off an attacker on your terms than it would be to play on their terms. Of course, there were a few members of the Wiccan faction that they had little to no information about. Or there could be more.

They needed to figure something out fast... Justin would rather not have the Wiccans surprise them when they're less prepared.

Sabrina had covered her mouth, holding her tongue when Shane spoke... she honestly felt hurt that Shane had so little faith in her family. Yeah, she knew they were not perfect, a pain in the ass at best... but, would they fuck this up as badly as Shane surmised? Sabrina didn't feel useless, she felt different with the power of Mary Roberts at her disposal. While it wasn't as flashy as Oscar or Shane's abstractions, or maybe even Trisha's, it was something that Sabrina knew made her something... different. They could stop the Wiccans if they stopped reaching for each other's throats for just one god damn second. Sabrina's eyes drifted towards Georgie, Tansy, and Trisha for just a moment.

“But I do agree that contacting the healer is a good way to go, cause we can always try to lure them that way.”

“Perfect weather for it. After that we can invite the Wiccans out for ice cream, It sounds like we might’ve formed a plan. So in summary, we attempt to contact the turncoat and bring her to a secluded location. Potentially we can get some info from her, but considering how on edge the Wiccans might be it’s more likely they’ll follow her. So we spring an ambush, capture one of them, send the rest fleeing, find out where this Triple Goddess is and hit her before the Wiccans can regroup.”

"... but this is what I keep saying," Justin injected, irritated - probably a lot less professionally than he wanted to come off, "Do we have a way to contact her? Everyone keeps saying that we should contact her, and all, but nobody's talking about how we're gonna do it?"

"Well, we know where their little evil lair is," Sabrina finally added something. "Can't we just go there and find her? It can't be that difficult, can it?" She sighed as she rolled her eyes, and her eyes drifted upwards towards the skyline. Out here, Sabrina could see the stars in the skies at night - Araminta wasn't the most urban city in the world but it was always so damn bright at night-

... From the corner of her eyes, she saw that same silhouette of that skeletal being with horns wearing a suit. Hands behind its back, watching down on them from the roof of the Vanburen estate. He disappeared again in a cloud of black smoke, Sabrina was tempted to bring attention to it but she was wondering if this was really... real.

"I mean..." Justin trailed off for a second when he realized that she had a point. "Does anyone here have any type of stealth ability?"

“Daddy’s clinic,”

"... Please use any word other than Daddy," Justin begged Tansy.

“Does that work?”

Justin grabbed onto his chin... as he pondered for a second. A construction site would be away from the general public, and if it is insured they wouldn't have to worry about the damage. The only problem would be the unnecessary attention a fight would bring. "I'll have to take a look." Justin flatly stated before he continued,

"I know I said splitting up is a bad idea... mostly I meant that one person flying solo is a bad idea here but I digress; how about one group sets up the trap and the other group tries to find this defector?"

He took in a deep breath and thought about all the ways this could go wrong but this was a situation in which there were no perfect solutions... he exhaled.

No easy way outs either.

He was glad they weren't all dumping this on him, but he knew that he had to prove himself as the supernatural expert or else they would just find someone else. He turned towards Arabelle who was questioning Georgie and said,

"You should be there to go meet this girl."

Georgie took a sip of her tea and pretended that Sabrina yelling at her for the first time in ever didn't rattle her. Not much shook her resolve and made her want to break down, but she held it together. She sat up straighter and schooled her face, completely stoic. No more smiles or little smirks. She's over this.

"I doubt you can take on more than one of them," what's his face said.

"I'm sure I didn't ask you to be concerned for my wellbeing. I'll handle myself," she said.

And if she died trying, then so be it. The claustrophobicness of their situation had been weighting on her for weeks. James's death still heavy in her heart. Her schooling on hold, because she can't continue her program overseas. Too much going wrong when everything had gone right, for the most part, for about decade now. She didn't know how to handle it and she didn't want to. Not even Patty calling her full name bothered her right now. It's about time for her to have a mental breakdown anyway. A good cry to settle her emotions and relieve her of some of the stress from her circumstances.

“Well this family already has one mistake. I wouldn’t want to make another,” Tinsel said.

Georgie couldn't even take joy in her obvious display of nerves. She'll think about this later and laugh about it to herself. Probably bring it up to jab her with, but for now, she settled on keeping her response short.

"We're all mistakes, Tinsel."

She set her thermos on the floor beside her chair, then stood and reached for the skull Arabelle handed over. She almost cracked a smile at Arabelle's huffiness towards Tinsel, but she kept her expression schooled. She never had much opinion about Arabelle. She did her work well and didn't annoy her. She could respect someone, outside the family, that also didn't like Tinsel. Most of the town kissed that woman's arse on the regular. Quite peculiar and disgusting.

“What is this Garden, anyways? Is it what you call your abstraction?” Arabelle asked. Her voice quiet to keep it between the two of them.

"Yes. It's my own personal dimension where I control and manipulate everything in it." She took the skull and opened a portal to the Garden big enough for the skull to fit inside. She let Arabelle have a little look inside, then tossed the skull in where the soil absorbed it, losing it in the fields.

Even with a portal that small, it strained her like trying to pull something heavy. She quickly closed it and sat down for a bit of a breather and drank more of her tea. It took a few minutes for her to feel normal. With her part of the plan complete, there was no other reason for her to stick around.

"I assume you all know how to keep mum about where the skull is?" She sounded it skeptical. Too many people know where it is, so someone was bound to fuck it up somehow. "Though, I'm sure some of you would be happy to get rid of me, I digress. I'll be in my room if you need me."

She slid opened the door into the kitchen, then turned back.

"Don't need me for any reason. If any of you die on this mission, I don't want to hear about it." And with that, she officially took her leave.

---

“I was looking forward to the ice cream… Ah well, splitting in two sounds like a good plan,” Oscar nodded his agreement. “If we can’t actually find the defector then it’s not a complete loss, because we’ll still be able to use the trap the other group set up. I’m sure Tansy’s construction site will be much better than trying to raid the cult’s own base, or having the house destroyed again.”

They didn’t get that far into that plan before Georgie tossed the skull into her garden and made sure to get in more pessimism before saying she was leaving. Tuyen couldn’t help but let out a light snort of disbelief, covering her mouth quickly to cover it. Justin had just said flying solo was a bad idea and the girl had decided to go off on her own… And with the Horned God in her ‘garden’ as well. That was kind of ruining the whole set up a trap and lure them in with the Horned God thing.

Anyone smart would be going after her, since she had so much stored in her garden.

“Did she just walk away with the Horned God in her personal dimension?” Tuyen asked, unable to keep the disbelief from her tone. She looked over at Justin with a look filled with exasperation at the whole situation. It took a lot to annoy Tuyen (outside of towards herself), but Georgie had managed it. “How are we supposed to lure them in without it?”

“Hey, wait, Georgie-” Oscar hadn’t even finished his sentence before Georgie was gone. So much for nobody going off alone. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of Georgie… while he was happy she had found her passion while away, it’d be nice if she didn’t just walk off during this situation.

“Well, I guess we’re splitting in three,” he gave a rueful laugh, rubbing the back of his head. “She’s not the best at listening to others… Well, anyway, I’d like to go with Arabelle to meet the healer. I think I’m one of the easiest to talk to in this family, so it’d be best if I was there. We don’t want to scare her off! Also I know quite a bit about the extranormal so I think that'll be a help when talking to her.”

Oscar said all this without meaning to hurt any of his siblings - to him it was just a fact, he was easy going and friendly. Everyone had to know their strengths and weaknesses.

Trisha was happy Georgie had left, even if some others weren’t. As much as she didn’t really want to go talk to a cult member, or set up for a fight, the thought of being like Georgie and staying in the mansion with only her least favourite sibling was much worse. It was like picking the lesser of two evils. And since Oscar had already said what he wanted to do she could avoid another sibling she disliked easily.

The rest of her siblings were just as annoying to be around… but with her abstraction she could actually do something. It had been so long since she’d had something she could do, and they couldn’t.

”I’ll go with the group setting up the trap,” Trisha spoke from where she’d sat down, typing something on her laptop as she did. She’d need to run a program where she could get her workers to be on the lookout from different locations and feed that information back to her terminal… a bit of a hassle if she chose to use all 5. ”I still think this whole things stupid, but I’m not a coward like Georgiana. I can actually help with that.”

Tuyen observed what everyone else was saying about the splitting plan, after her initial points and annoyance - mostly because she didn’t want to commit one way or another about where she’d go. Her preference was to stay with Justin, of course, but logically they would have to split as the two experts. If something went wrong in either group it would be best to have someone that actually had experience there. She’d try to have a quick talk with him after this to figure out what to do… But at least they were finally getting somewhere, outside of the whole one Vanburen walking away thing.

There was only so much bickering she could take, and it made her worried for the future. How were they even meant to help them cure their curse if they couldn’t work together for even a moment?

---

Shane had one hand pinching the bridge of his nose with his eyes tightly shut. It felt like hours.

On and on it seemed to go. The jabs, the condescension, the "respectful" disagreements. If nothing else it made for a nice blanket to mask the long weary exhale from Shane's nostrils. He opened his eyes - pupils duller than usual - to catch Georgie on her way out.

"Though, I'm sure some of you would be happy to get rid of me, I digress. I'll be in my room if you need me."

"Don't need me for any reason. If any of you die on this mission, I don't want to hear about it."

Whether all that meant she was on board with Justin's proposition of splitting into two groups or not was anybody's guess. Other than the fact she had the skull everybody was after in her possession, Shane couldn't say he was sad to see her go. If anybody was going to speak to her to coax her back into the fold, it wouldn't be Shane. For a myriad of reasons.

”I’ll go with the group setting up the trap,”

”I still think this whole things stupid, but I’m not a coward like Georgiana. I can actually help with that.”

'Surprising.' Shane thought to himself.

His surprise at this was dashed as Trisha's follow-up indicated it was more to spite Georgie than anything. It was still something, at least. Spite was better than apathy, there's a lot you can do with spite.

He didn't disagree either with Oscar volunteering himself to go with Arabelle as the group to meet with the cultist turncoat. He couldn't say he liked the plan overall, or the three-fifths of a plan that it felt like. But those two were probably the best suited for the job. Speaking of which.

"I'll go alongside Team Trap." He said, his tone more eager to wrap things up than was normal. "S'in my area of expertise," He gave a knowing glance to Oscar. "And I'm not the best representative of this family. Pretty low on Georgie's list of preferred siblings too; in case anyone wants to get on that."

He turned to pick up his cup of rapidly cooling "tea". Placing his other hand in his jacket.

"I'm gonna go wait by the front door for anyone goin' with me." He took a sip and already began his leave. "Come find me if the plans change again, or..." Shane didn't finish his sentence so much as wave his hand slightly. Disappearing back into the warm orange glow of the manor.

---

---

Place was still a wreck.

Of all the places in the manor, the front end was the one that proudly displayed the most damage. Sporting a rather chic 'open concept' with several of the walls missing, letting the cold air flow in on the otherwise cosy yet elegant home. Shane felt his lips purse and his toes curl at the clash of the manor warmth and the chill of outside. Still, it beat just outright standing in the garden.

Shane attempted to combat this battle of temperatures with another sip of his enhanced tea, only to let out a small grunt of disgust as the liquid met his tongue. Cold.

Good for the whiskey portion of the drink, bad for the tea portion. Which was enough to be the predominant voice of this stage of the drink.

Shane opened the door and emptied the cup's contents onto the grass beside the door steps. Ensuring every drop of the foul concoction was disposed of before placing the cup onto the stone banister with a clink. He looked onward, fully in the embrace of the cold weather once more, towards the front garden.

Squinting his eyes at where the "Triple Goddess" had appeared. Despite the subtle warmth coursing through his body after a much needed hit of alcohol, it was a sobering reminder of what they'd be up against if they didn't get this right.

'Reassuring.'

Shane wordlessly picked the cup back up and returned back to the entrance of the manor. The furniture and debris strewn around the front lawn indifferent to his departure.

---

---

“Georgie, wai—” Tansy motioned for Georgie to stop as she hideaway the skull and stepped towards the sliding door, but barely managed to take one step towards her before the door was already slid shut. Tansy covered her mouth with her fist and bit down on a knuckle, a frustrated sigh streaming out past her hand that sounded like a locomotive coming to rest at a station. She regretted what she said but knew there would be no point in apologizing. When it came to talking with Georgie it felt like any move Tansy made was the wrong move.

She wrapped her arms around herself as the family divided themselves into two groups. Her abstraction could allow her to snatch some information about the Wiccans that any townies knew, but being present at the construction site would solve a number of headaches for the rest of them going. “I’ll go to the construction site in case any overzealous beat cop tries to bust anyone for trespassing. In the meantime, I think I’m going to go warm up,” said Tansy as she headed towards the door, stopping next to Ezra to whisper, “Perhaps you should convince Georgie that it’d be safer for her to sulk in the foreman’s office than in her own room? Your house, your rules, right?”

Ezra's forehead wrinkled at the suggestion. Georgie would do whatever she wanted, regardless of what he said. Besides, he wasn’t the woman’s guardian. Ezra suppressed a chuckle that hopefully sounded like a cough when Oscar suggested he was the easiest to talk to in the family. It wasn’t a high bar. After Oscar, LeBeau was maybe the only one in the family who having a conversation didn't feel like navigating a minefield and that included the days where the ocelot was feeling particularly bitey. Ezra would even admit he was difficult to speak with sometimes, preferring the few moments of silence he ever got these days over any other sound in the world. Although not necessarily the case for him, Ezra realized there was one other Vanburen who could qualify as actually being easy to talk to: Sabrina. He sidled over to Sabrina as Tansy disappeared after Shane to pass along the request.

“I’d appreciate it if you could check on Georgie in a moment. Convince her that holding the football in a room by herself when we’re going up against a cult who can track ram skulls, open portals, and shapeshift might qualify as a fucking awful idea,” hissed Ezra quietly, letting a rare moment of emotion slip by unfiltered. He didn’t need more destruction done to his house and a dead sibling would raise a lot of questions he couldn’t possibly answer. He ran his fingers through his hair and closed his eyes, continuing, “She’s clever and probably has some kind of contingency plan, but she’d be safer with family. Take her with whichever group you’re joining. Wrap her up in blankets and drag her if you have to.”

Ezra turned towards Justin and raised his voice so the others could hear, “I’ll help find the healer. I don’t know if anyone here has anything that makes them stealthy,” said Ezra, rubbing his chin. He knew by now the basic abstractions most of his siblings had thanks to the attack or from previous conversations. Blu was a mystery, he could be Blind for all Ezra knew. Tansy had been vague, something about being in touch with a celestial being. From what he knew about Arabelle’s abstraction she was probably the only one who could do any sort of espionage, but he wasn’t about to volunteer an injured person. “My ability is extremely versatile but can be finicky. I could potentially find a way to make myself stealthy with the right item. At the very least, I know that I can get us quietly through just about any locked door.”

---

---

Warming up turned out to be an impossibility thanks in part to the decorating, but it was the sight of the open front door that sent a chill through Tansy’s spine. She’d hurried inside to catch a moment alone with Shane to see if she could melt some of the glacier that’d slid between them. Growing up she’d always felt close to Shane and she’d been truly hurt when he began to bail on their hangout nights in New York, so hurt in fact when she’d caught Shane attempting to sneak out last Christmas she’d drowned him in a tidal wave of honest concern polluted with harsh insults and unfiltered thoughts. Seeing each other since then was a rare occasion, while speaking was even rarer. Now he’d run out again. Tansy was turning red in the face when Shane walked back in.

“And for a moment there I thought you’d run off on us again. Not like there’s a precedent,” said Tansy with a sweet smile, as if she wasn’t twisting the knife. She swigged the rest of her tea, flinching at the burn of the alcohol. Her drink hadn’t been so much weaker than his. She looked around the room. “Our house is ruined. All of this is just so terrible, I mean, thank god nobody important got hurt but this? This won’t be fixed in time for Christmas. And this curse! Ugh! I just hope this is all figured out by New Year’s Eve, I mean, over a hundred people have already RSVPed and it’d just be awful to cancel on them. ”

Tansy fidgeted with her teacup. Shane would know her well enough to realize this was the typical Tansy smalltalk salvo, the nervous flood of words she spilled when she needed to buy herself time to work up the courage needed to ask someone about something they wouldn’t want to talk about or make a demand she knew wouldn’t be liked.

“But it’s not all bad, I suppose. It’d be kind of fun to have us all under one roof again. Give us all plenty of time to catch up. You know what I was thinking about the other day?” A rhetorical question. From her smile slipping down to just one raised corner and the way she squinted one of her eyes it was clear she was going to spring it on Shane. The melody went out of her voice. “I was thinking about how you never told me why you quit the NYPD. We need to—I deserve to know, Shane.” Her voice became hushed. “There are rumors. I don’t believe any of them and even if you did something awful I wouldn't care. We just need to take care of it before word spreads further. I need—I can protect you, and we can protect the family, but I need you to talk to me. Otherwise…”

Otherwise? She closed her eyes and exhaled. The thought of using her abstraction on Shane should’ve made her feel more sick. She opened her eyes, seemingly having conjured up tears. “Otherwise I don’t know. Please, Shane, I know you already used your monthly quota of words but just talk to me.”

---

Blu's empathy was an absolute burden to possess. Even without supernatural enhancements, it plagued his own psyche like a suffocating smog that filled his being. The tension and the back and forth—when would it end, he thought. He was feeling smothered by the negative emotions in a way he had never felt before. It constricted his chest and prodded at his gossamer heart. Hands trembling in the cold, he consumed the remainder of his tea and then placed the mug on the rail—pulling down the sleeves of his oversized sweater until they covered most of his hands.

He had hoped his idea would prove useful—worthy even. But alas, when Justin denied its viability, Blu nodded acquiescently and shrunk inward. It reminded him of the times back home when his grandmother would scold him for not taking his training to become a Funérailles serious enough. Blu would always meander off on some curiosity-induced escapade—exploring a hidden seaside grotto or befriending the nicer variety of wild animals that roamed their encampment. Blu had other ideas and things he'd wanted to express, but his grandmother was keen on shutting them down each and every time.

Those memories flooded his mind in that moment and Justin's rejection reminding him of those times. There was no hiding his disappointment of course—his cute round face had fallen into dismay and drew him out of his wistful reverie. At least there was Oscar around, whose warm reassuring smile and kind words filled him with a sense of stillness, and for a moment, helped to drive away all the negative energy that billowed from everyone. But it didn't last—not entirely. When he looked back to the group, his eyes met with Shane's and he felt his body tense again. That look. Was it animosity? Perhaps a glare of repulsion at Blu's impromptu arrival.

Blu could only exchange looks with Shane for so long before he looked away—visibly intimidated by the much bigger fellow. These were his "siblings", not by blood of course, but that matter? Perhaps it was too soon to consider them siblings yet. Maybe not even family. Blu wasn't unsure, but he found himself feeling more nad more afraid of them each waking moment. Maybe the idea of interloping even deeper with James' children brought a fear of the unknown. Blu had no fear of death. His profession made it so that death was an intricate aspect of reality, his reality—one that he had seen over and over and over again. But he'd always been on the outskirts of death—burying its aftermath out to sea. Being here, tonight, meant the possibility of seeing someone die before him was real and that was a different story he didn't want to explore.

Free from his inner thoughts for the time being, Blu remained quiet as he listened keenly to what everyone was saying. They were still using words that were unfamiliar to his ears, but he was starting to better understand the situation now. He wasn't naturally smart, but he was a quick learner once he truly focused. He was at least glad, that finally, they had come to some agreed upon solution. Whether it would work, however, was left to seen. But what he had seen, just before everyone started separating, was remarkable. The girl, Georgiana, had created a portal and then tossed the artifact into it, snapping it shut—a smell of flowers escaping the pocket realm and Blu was sure it reminded him of a pie he'd eaten before.

So they did possess magic, like him. He'd never met anyone else who could use magic, not the real kind anyways. But hers was so different from his own and it fascinated him. When Ezra asked if anyone had magic that made them stealthy, Blu was sure that more in the group had magical powers too. Maybe this was the connection Blu was hoping to find. At least it was something that bound him to them, no matter how fickle the connection actually was.

As Georgie stormed into the damaged mansion, Blu thought maybe he could help soothe her aching heart, even if just for a moment—it might be enough to get her to cooperate for the time being. Blu tugged at Oscar's sleeve and looked up at him with a gentle smile, "I'll be back."

Having heard Ezra's request to Sabrina, Blu thought it right to seize the opportunity. Maybe it wasn't his business—maybe none of this was his business—but he couldn't just sit idly by and do nothing. He slowly made his way to where Ezra stood and then tapped his back softly to get his attention.

"Ugh..hi Ezra. Ummm...I can go fetch Georgiana for you, if you'd like. Right...soooo, stealth is not a talent I possess, but I too have magic—like you guys. I can sort of, make people feel better, or something like that. Anyways, it's no trouble. I swear it."

---

The wind assaulted his back as Shane quickly returned to the embrace of the manor. All but seeing his cheeks flush red from standing outside merely for a moment, he was happy to retreat to the comparatively warmer confines of inside, even if the wind was still whistling through portions of exposed wall. Unfortunately for the reclusive Vanburen, he had found he'd traded one cold view for another.

“And for a moment there I thought you’d run off on us again. Not like there’s a precedent,”

Ignore. Block it out.

Shane lifted his hands to his mouth and blew into them for warmth, letting Tansy's onslaught of small talk wash over him like a wave. He was well aware what it was, the verbal equivalent to body blows before setting up the big right hook. Being amongst multiple members of his family was bad, but at least they distracted themselves with their own agendas and score settling. One on ones were awful. Interrogations. People in his family only spoke to Shane when they wanted something.

“But it’s not all bad, I suppose. It’d be kind of fun to have us all under one roof again. Give us all plenty of time to catch up. You know what I was thinking about the other day?”

He looked up from his self-made cocoon. Eyeing her with his cold stare. Almost missing her setting up the knockout blow as he pondered the first half of her statement - with Tansy it could well be sarcastic or sincere.

Only at the last second did he foresee the big right hook.

“I was thinking about how you never told me why you quit the NYPD."

Justifications spilled from Tansy's mouth, a convincing job of almost sounding earnest in her concern. She deserved to know. The family deserved to know. Rumours. Danger. Protection.

It was a subject Shane had steeled himself with, not that the average person could really tell. But, compared to how he was with it initially, he was practically a saint in regards to his patience on the topic. That is to say, he didn't immediately leave the second it was mentioned. But when he'd returned, naturally, it was only anyone wanted to talk to him about. He found it easier to dismiss regular people from his life, but it always felt more difficult when up against his family.

His jaw clenched, his eyes shut. As if hoping that when he opened them, Tansy would be gone. The Christmas party rang in his mind. Truthfully, Tansy had made some valid points when she laid into him that night. But it was all a blanket to shield her real concern, herself. Even now. Motivated only by the damage Shane's quitting of the force might do to her. She liked to hide her real fears beneath empathy. Even when they'd been close, he'd seen her do it so effortlessly, but wrote it off as merely a skill adopted for the sake of business. It was a bit like their Father in that regard, but James was harder to get a read on. Easier to believe. With Tansy, once you spotted the strings, you could see the performance.

You just knew.

“Otherwise I don’t know. Please, Shane, I know you already used your monthly quota of words but just talk to me.”

He opened his eyes, saw the tears welling in hers.

An unexpected hurdle that made him falter. He felt the anger that bubbled inside him subside, if only somewhat. Even when he knew it was an act. He fucking hated himself for it, but he could feel the venom that was about to lace his words regress.

'Should've just been an actress.'

Not to say the question still hadn't stirred enough inside of him to provoke visible emotion on the normally glazed Vanburen. All the tears in the world wouldn't keep him from holding up the walls that had gotten him through the days for a long time now.

"What are they?" He said, voice as cold as the air outside. "The rumours."

Arms folding on their own accord, eyes narrowing in a stare that Shane previously reserved for interrogating a suspect. "'Cause whatever they are; maybe they're right."

He stepped forward.

"If whatever you, or these people, think I might've done was so bad." A sneer. "Then maybe, there's a good reason I haven't gone spreadin' it around."

If you didn't know Shane it would really be impossible to tell, it may well still have been for the Vanburens with how little they saw of him. But his expression softened. Somewhat. Trading stern for sincere as his arms uncrossed and his eyes relaxed into the dull but composed look they always carried. He didn't step back however, needing to ensure his words weren't taken as any power play. Any psychological angle bullshit some of his family liked to play.

"You. Them." He gestured to deeper inside the house. The Vanburens. "Whoever's talking about me. You can all think whatever you want. I really don't care. But, my entire life, even you've got to admit I've never done anything with the intention of hurting this stupid family."

Stepping back, exhale escaping his lips. Shane slowly sat himself down on a sofa next to them. Spring green, miraculously untouched save for the dulling of colour as a layer of dust laid atop it.

"So I'm asking you to trust me, when I say you're better off not knowing." He looked ahead toward some vague distance, beyond the hall, beyond the home. Eyes tired. "Whether you can live with it or not, it doesn't matter. What happened, happened. No good comes from digging it back up."

He cleared his throat after a moments silence hung in the air. His voice ached. He'd been talking far too much today.

'Really hope they're about done.'

Georgie went to the liquor cabinet in the kitchen and took out a bottle of sweet white wine. Not her drink of choice. In London, beers and harder drinks are the norm in pubs. On the rare occasions her ex got her out of the house, she'd knock back a few and get trashed, but that wasn't her goal tonight. She needed something to take the edge off the day and a wine to keep her warm, but won't knock her on her arse will do the trick. She popped open the bottle with the wine opener, then poured it into her thermos. It mixed with the tea and that might be an awful combination, but she's had worse swell. Lucien wasn't known for his taste in pubs.

A little less than half the bottle was left, so she took it with her in case she needed a refill, then she made her way down the ruined hallway, passed wrecked living room, then stopped when she got the library. Should she go to her room and drink herself to sleep or should she study all she can about whatever monsters James came across during his life? She decided to go to bed. She cared about the situation earlier, but her efforts were futile. They're all going to get themselves killed. Whatever. No skin off her nose. She took a large gulp of her tea and wine concoction. The sweet alcoholic taste of wine mixed with the Earl Grey tea wasn't the best combination, but not the worst she's had. Not like she cares.

She went upstairs to the East Wing where her room was, happy it's on the opposite end of the mansion to the living room. She downed another gulp of tea and wine and kicked off her boots. The liquor warmed her and made her slightly tipsy. She hasn't eaten in hours, so the wine hit harder than it usually would. She changed into her flannel floral nightgown, then laid down in bed, wrapped in her covers. She pressed her face into the pillow and cried. She wants to go home. She wants her life back. She hates it here. Everything was fine, then James did something to wreck everything. Even in death, he's a piece of shit. Crying and drinking hit her hard. She fell asleep before she realized it.

---

"Georgie!" Sabrina hissed as Georgie just threw the skull into the pocket dimension and then just left. Sabrina did expect this type of behavior from Georgie, but was it helpful? No. Sabrina got the feeling that from all the bickering Georgie decided to be petty. Even though Sabrina wasn't too fond of this plan - too many risks for her family, who seem to be more interested in bickering and throwing shade than figuring out this curse - she could see that Georgie's idea was... not a good one. Of course, she decides to ruin their plan in the process too, and she knew what she was doing. However, Ezra maneuvered towards her and gave her an idea.

“I’d appreciate it if you could check on Georgie in a moment. Convince her that holding the football in a room by herself when we’re going up against a cult who can track ram skulls, open portals, and shapeshift might qualify as a fucking awful idea. She’s clever and probably has some kind of contingency plan, but she’d be safer with family. Take her with whichever group you’re joining. Wrap her up in blankets and drag her if you have to.”

The last sentence elected a chuckle from Sabrina. Because, honestly, tying up Georgie and dragging her down some stairs didn't sound like that bad of an idea... Bah, she doubted that she could get Georgie to come with them, however. Whenever that girl gets an idea in her head; it's next to impossible to get it out of there. However, she figured that, at the very least, she could get the skull from here. Though, she was wondering if that was a good idea either... but, she was going to do her part and then get it over to where they were setting up the trap.

However, the strange native American guy spoke up to Ezra. Sabrina has seen him around just performing but has never truly interacted with him a few times.

"Ugh..hi Ezra. Ummm...I can go fetch Georgiana for you if you'd like. Right...soooo, stealth is not a talent I possess, but I too have magic—like you guys. I can sort of, make people feel better, or something like that. Anyways, it's no trouble. I swear it."

While it wasn't Sabrina's place to butt in on a different person's conversation but she knew that it was a long shot for anyone but Sabrina to convince Georgie to come. She spoke to both Moon and Ezra at the same time... but mostly Ezra. "I think it'd be better if I go do it... no offense, but me and Georgie have a closer connection. I'm going to try to get her to come.... if not, I can get the skull from her. Then I'm going to head to the trap site, just believe in me."

However, her attention turned towards Justin because the second that Georgie threw the Skull in her little vagina dimension and strutted off, well...

... Professionalism went out the window very fast for Justin.

"Yo, what the fuck?!" He shouted at her as she pretty much just ignored him. Now, Justin got the idea that the Vanburens were spoiled and pampered their whole ass life - he knew that, from the gate, they were probably going to be more annoying than useful. For some of them, such as Oscar and Shane, they had proven themselves to be better than that. But, this... This right here pushed him over the edge. Justin bared his teeth as he had never seen something so petty and childish before in his life. Georgie knew the plan but just chucked the skull into her pocket dimension and stormed off by herself. Of fucking course. Because little miss thing is under the impression that she's better than everyone else here. Justin literally just said that the cult likely has the ability to sense where the skull is, and the trap isn't going to work if they can just bypass all that bullshit and whoop her ass. Maybe she was under the impression that the skull was safer under her care, but to be honest... Justin would rather the Horned God break free than anyone here dying.

He took a step towards Georgiana to metaphorically shove his foot up her ass and get the skull back when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked over expecting Shane or Oscar or somebody else but it was... Sabrina? He caught her name but she barely spoke until her little stupid idea.

"I'll handle her," Sabrina softly said before she did a quick jog over to the manor to go after Georgie. Justin shook his head as Ezra approached him.

“I’ll help find the healer. I don’t know if anyone here has anything that makes them stealthy. My ability is extremely versatile but can be finicky. I could potentially find a way to make myself stealthy with the right item. At the very least, I know that I can get us quietly through just about any locked door.”

Justin nodded his head.

"Good to hear, but we need to get a move on ASAP if we're going to pull this plan off," Justin sighed. "I'm going to hope your sister is going to make Princess-" Justin's new nickname for Georgie "play ball, but if not; we're going have to put the plan off until we get the Skull."

He started walking, before he announced to the group, "Anyone who's coming to make contact with the healer, come with me, we're touching off now."

He suddenly stopped, then he turned to Tuyen then said, "I know they're... a lot, but you should go with the other group." Before he nodded his head.

---

Deep within the woods of eastern Araminta lied a peculiar place: The Sunrises Resort. Araminta was probably the last place between locations like Lancaster and Philadelphia to attract tourism - well unless they had a fetish for train tracks and heroin addicts. Naturally, the place crashed and burned and became another den for the homeless that was only run out by the occasional sheriff. However, recently a new lot moved into the place and ran out all the degenerates... another group of degenerates. Ever since they moved in, not even the bravest homeless dared come close to the Sunrise. There were reports of the damned place being haunted or Wiccans worshipping Satan there... which wasn't all that wrong.

Whenever people were seen heading to that place, they were left alone even by the most vicious animals (perhaps they knew they weren't an easy target as they looked). There were some very strange things going on there, and not a soul dared to witness it in fear of losing their lives in the process. Every other night there was a fire lit there, one that's glow couldn't pierce the treeline but one that carried the weight of something wrong. It was possibly more concerning the nights in which it wasn't there.

The individuals that made up the Wiccan cult moved their way through the forest before the sun went down, and when it finally began the fire lit again. That unnerving presence scared away anyone that was nearby as they all assembled in the lobby. Members of the cult formed a circle around the fire, in front of the said fire was an innocent-looking white billygoat with a beard and it was chained to the wall by a chain that seemed to be rusted by blood.

The leader of the cult, Morgana, - the one wearing the red robe and the deer skull mask on - walked from behind holding a black cloth with a ceremonial jeweled knife on top of it. She marched towards the goat and handed the cloth off to Thea and grabbed onto the sacrificial weapon. She unsheathed it with a satisfying sound as she stepped towards the animal chosen as a sacrifice. The red-haired cult leader grabbed onto the poor goat by the horn, placed her blade to its throat. She didn't even waste any time before she slashed its throat and sprayed its blood all over the ground as it loudly cried out in pain. Before it expired and fell over onto the ground, Morgana knelt and gestured for two members of the Wiccans to come along and they helped roll the goat onto its back.

Morgana raised the knife high up into the air and brought it down on the dead goat's chest area... she cut the thing open like it was a turkey until she laid her eyes on the goal: its heart. Using the knife she cut the arteries she detached the thing - before she stood straight up and faced the fire. She brought the oozing heart to her chest and whispered the prayer...

"Maiden of the waxing Moon, Mother of the full Moon, and the Crone of the waning Moon. Cursed be those that oppose your infinite beauty and wisdom and bless us with power and knowledge of your own. We, as your faithful servants, offer this sacrifice to you on this cold night and hope that you may access-"

Her prayer was interrupted by the door loudly creaking open and Morgana paused in utter shock as she immediately turned on her heel. The rest of the Wiccans watched as Samantha tried to slip into the room...

... Completely nude.

"God damn it, Sam!" Morgana hissed as she tossed the goat heart over her shoulder and it flew into the fire. "We were wearing robes, didn't you read the text I sent out?!"

"I don't read the stupid group chat because you all are always talking about weird shit in it!" Samantha hissed back before she added on, "But, I'm tired of trying to explain the bloodstains to the cleaners every other week!"

"You need to pay attention," Morgana rolled her eyes. "It's shit like this why the plan failed-"

"... no, the plan failed because it was fucking stupid! " Penelope's obnoxiously high-pitched voice pipped up from behind her own ram skull mask.

"The plan would have worked fine," Morgana answered.

"The plan would have worked fine," Penelope put her hands on her hips and shook her head back and forth in an obnoxious fashion as she mocked her leader. "If they were all retarded, obviously not as it went tits-up the second somebody with a working brain cell walked in."

"Well, I don't see you having any other better ideas, Penny." Morgana rolled her eyes.

Penelope's eyes shot open as she gave Morgana an empty look and she tensed up as she said.

"I had a whole fuckin' boatload of better ideas than trying to impersonate two random-ass chucklefucks and hoping that they could fucking distract the Vanburens long enough to find the Horned God," Penelope put both fists on her hips as she rolled her eyes and said, "Like, I don't know; maaaaaaaaaaybe have Thea honeypot her way into the bitch and grab it - they're rich as fuck and she's a tall blonde-haired white girl, it's a match made in fuckin heaven. Or, or, better yet, we could have just had Haley and Samantha sneak into the bitch and just grab it. Those rich motherfuckers wouldn't know a thing.'

Penelope snorted as she walked towards the fire and then turned her upper body back around towards Morgana, "But nooooooo, we had to go with your sister's fuckin' stupid idea. At the very fuckin' least it was a better idea than yours, Morgana." She rolled her eyes before she scoffed.

"Yeah, I bet you still fuckin' think than an upfront assault on the bitch would have worked."

"Penny," Daniel tried to reason with her. "That's enough."

"Yeah, listen to your boyfriend, Penny," Morgana hissed, "Before you get hurt."

"The boyfriend that almost wasn't here because you almost killed him," Penelope hissed at Morgana. "Like, what the fuck were you even thinking dragging him by a chain like that?"

"Thea could fix him, and she did," Morgana shrugged.

"And you know that Mother Theresa can't revive the dead, right?" Penelope tilted her head as she looked at Thea. "Shit like this is why you're basically a shitty leader and we have people coming in naked."

"Oooh, you just wish that you were that confident, Chica," Maxine teased as she slid her own mask off just to stick her tongue out at Penny.

"Shut up!" Penny replied.

Morgana stomped a foot on the ground.

"Why don't you shut the fuck up, Penny?!" Morgana summoned the chains in her hands.

"Try me, hot sauce hair," Penelope took a step forward and had a fire in one hand and water in the other.

"ENOUGH"

---

---

An orange bolt of lightning struck the fire and sent embers flying around in all directions. When the flash (and the ringing) faded, it revealed the image of the Triple Goddess. In her strange, three-faced glory, she floated above the flames and everyone had her attention. The being's three faces hovered around her face as they scanned each member of the Wiccan cult.

"Thornton Walters, Babylon the Great, the Nightmare..." The Triple Goddess listed off the three names and each face spoke in a different voice. "Three major threats that lurk here in Araminta and the whole lot of you are ready to tear at each other's throats. Disgraceful."

The fire dimmed for a second as the goat heart that was charred black from the fires floated out of the flames, it was launched off to the side as the Triple Goddess said. "The Goddess rejects your offering. Because of your buffoonery at the Estate, we may have lost our only window to save my brother."

She closed her eyes as she said.

"He's in a different dimension. I can sense the world he's in, however, I cannot pierce through it. Oh, I can only trace it to one person...."

"Oh, Goddess, how may we remedy this?" Morgana stuck her hands out as she faced the Triple Goddess and sent the chains back to hell.

"Hmph," The Triple Goddess's six eyes looked down at Morgana as she answered. "Stop acting like such a child and disgracing me or I will find another, more suitable leader."

The Goddess sighed as she said, "Right now, the Vanburens are plotting retaliation...." The Triple Goddess trailed off. "How you handle this, is truly up to you, Morgana. I would suggest that you flee and come up with a strategy and find my brother - but I'm certain that you will think of something to justify your position... if you don't want to end up the next sacrifice. Good day."

The Triple Goddess disappeared in another orange bolt of lightning and left the Wiccans staring at each other.

"... Well, good job, dumbass we lost the skull for good, high fives all around!" Penelope clapped and put her hand up for Morgana to clap and she grit her teeth as the chains reappeared.

Thea sighed in relief, but she saw the tension between the two and quickly got in between them. She had one hand up for Penelope, and another hand up for Morgana as she said, "Will you two please calm down?!" Thea shouted and played mediator between the two. "At the end of the day, we all could have done that just a little better and Penny, please,"

Penny put her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes as she braced for Thea's mother Theresa act.

"... You can complain all you want about how bad the plan was, you still went into it."

Penelope scoffed.

"So, what's the plan, boss?" Maxine asked as she placed a hand on her hip. "Please don't tell me we're gonna let these rich bastards keep the Horned God and boss us around."

"Hell no," Morgana answered.

"Nooo, no, no!" Penny put her hands up. "We are not picking this fight."

"Yeah, let's just go," Thea pleaded. "What are we getting from this fight?"

Morgana summoned the chains and they cackled as they hit the ground and dragged on the ground as she marched towards the exit with a purpose. "We are going to please the Goddess, duh." She rolled her eyes. "If we blitzkrieg them right now, while they're planning, we're gonna win."

She stopped like she forgot something before she looked back at the Wiccan cult.

"If you don't want anything to do with it, then stay here. I'll handle it... I'd just advise that you cover your ears."

That was when she let out an ear-piercing scream... the same one that she let off in the manor. When she stopped, the ground began thumping, and her hell hounds broke through the ground. She menacingly laughed.

---

Sabrina crept through the Vanburen estate, quiet as a mouse. It was usually quiet at this hour but she was never used to it being this quiet. The threat of the Wiccans, the air soured by the curse and of course... she walked by the foyer which had a giant painting of James right up the stairs. She shuddered when she saw it, in the past she used to constantly tease her father about the painting. Oh, how egotistical it was. Now, it just constantly reminded her of what she had lost, seeing his face here. She was surprised that Ezra or Georgie didn't get the picture taken down at all, or maybe James stipulated in his will that the photo has to stay up at all costs. Either way, Sabrina passed through it to get to the eastern wing, where Georgie's room was.

She didn't want to sneak up on her sister, but at the same time she was worried about who else was lurking through these halls. Didn't want to come up, too loudly... She heard some sobbing right when she made it to Georgie's room and her heart sank. She suddenly understood that Georgie was simply acting out... but then the sobbing stopped. Sabrina knocked on the door pretty hard, which was contradictory to her "don't be too loud" plan.

"Georgie, can we talk?"

---

The night was almost over Araminta, and Justin was hoping to had been come up with a plan and moved out but... not important. Snow crunched underneath his boot from each step as he manuevered through the woods... he wasn't very fond of this plan not because of the plan itself, but because of the people executing it. It seemed that the Vanburens were more concerned with pointless bickering than, you know, solving their curse. However, it was asking for way too much for a bunch of rich kids to focus on the bigger picture for just a short period of time. He was going to make the best of a shitty situation and hope that they can be useful for just a short period of time. He glanced at his phone, and knew that they were going in the right direction and all they had to do was keep heading in this-

An orange bolt of lightning struck not too far away from them and Justin jolted. It was similar to the one that the Triple Goddess escaped in which made Justin realize that they were definitely on the right track. A few moments later another bolt of lightning appeared and he heard Morgana screamed.

"Shit!" Justin hissed underneath his breath. He turned back towards his group and then said. "We might have been discovered."

He put a hand on his chin and pondered. While it was likely that the Wiccans have some ability to discover them, there was nothing definite. He looked at his group, before he asked,

"Before we get a move on, what do you all think?"

---

"I know they're... a lot, but you should go with the other group."

“Got it,” Tuyen nodded. She didn’t really want to split up, but she’d expected it. The plan was already risky, nevermind leaving it in the hands of useless rich kids. “I’m sure I’ll manage, but I’ll get in touch when we have the skull.”

And Tuyen sincerely hoped they ended up with the skull, because she couldn’t handle another “discussion” over what to do.

With the discussion mostly done, Oscar's mind had drifted off, snapping back into focus when Sabrina went off to talk to Georgie. He quickly approached Blu - he didn’t want him to feel like he couldn’t come along because his help had been brushed off this time.

“Sorry you had to witness all that, the rest of the family are a bit… touchy,” Oscar rubbed the back of his head while offering Blu an apologetic smile. “Why don’t you come with me to talk to their healer? If you can make people feel better with your abstraction then that’ll be helpful when we’re talking to them.”

Plus it would be nice to have another person there who wasn’t going to bicker with anyone else. Oscar was friendly, sure, but he also knew his limits when it came to convincing people. Having someone with an abstraction that possibly manipulated emotions would be very useful.

---

---

Oscar was quite excited to be going on an evening trip to have a little chat with a magical cultist and hopefully seal an apparition. His mind was filled with questions he wanted to ask, and he secretly hoped he’d be able to see their abstractions a bit more.

Then a bolt of lightning interrupted his thoughts, head whipping around to where it had hit. Well shit, that was a little too close for comfort. With the scream there was clearly something happening… Oscar turned to look at Justin before speaking quietly.

“Let’s keep going. Maybe… maybe it’s not us, but the skull that they’ve found. If we continue to their lair we can catch any left behind or follow them from behind and catch them unaware.”

---

---

Tuyen felt like she’d ended up with the short end of the stick group wise.

After Justin had gone off to find the healer she’d headed back to the mansion with anyone else joining her to find Tansy and Shane - asking the former to take them to her construction site. It was then that she’d realised she’d ended up with the most difficult of an already difficult to handle of an already difficult family.

Two were very untalkative, and one talked far too much. Nevermind the possibility of miss stuck up plan ruiner being dragged along here later. Justin owed her big time for this. There was something especially intimidating about Tansy - she reminded Tuyen too much of her aunt, all fake smiles before quickly cutting you down with words. A few words from her would be enough to make her feel insecure and that was the last thing she needed right now.

At least she’d gotten Justin to get the water out of her phone with his abstraction before leaving - and thankfully the thing was old enough to still function after all that, so they’d be able to keep in contact if needed.

It was beginning to grow dark once they’d reached the construction site - which didn’t exactly make Tuyen optimistic for setting anything up. She took a quick look around as best she could… But this really wasn’t her forte. At least it was better than the mansion, with less things to destroy.

“Alright,” Tuyen cleared her throat to get her group’s attention. She realised she barely even knew what these people could do, or if any of them would be helpful. She didn’t even know how to set up an ambush, if she was being honest. She’d just been caught in far too many. “For this trap to work, I need to know what you can all do. Abstraction or mundane skills, anything that can help and any ideas.” She paused, before continuing for transparency sake. “I can manifest my own shadow. It can easily take on a couple of the cultist’s hounds by itself… and I imagine they’ll be one of our biggest threats.”

It wasn’t entirely true, but she wasn’t about to tell them that she couldn’t always control her abstraction. That was a weakness she wasn’t willing to share with anyone that didn’t already know.

Trisha didn’t really want to be here, out in the cold at the construction site of one of Tansy’s stupid projects. But she also hated Georgiana more and was entirely driven by spite to pretend to be more helpful. So when the far too young expert (anyone younger than her wasn’t an expert on anything!) talked she half listened.

”I can summon creatures that’ll do whatever I tell them,” Trisha shrugged, somewhat unwillingly forcing out the words in a sullen tone. ”I won’t be fighting.”

Tuyen resisted frowning, shoving her hands into the pockets of her coat. She could only hope the others were going to be a little more helpful. “I’m strong enough to handle a lot of them, but I need all of your help if we’re going to actually stop them from being a threat again.”

And you are going to help me. Tuyen glanced downwards, eyes narrowing into a glare towards the shadow skulking around her feet. She had to stay firm and confident, both with the Vanburens and her shadow. The earlier meeting had been a disaster on her part and she was going to make up for it.

“I don’t know this area very well, what direction is where we think the cultists are?” Tuyen turned towards Tansy, assuming everyone had taken a look at the location Justin had found. While she didn’t particularly want to talk directly with Tansy it was her construction site… And she’d have a better idea of what was going on there than her. “If we know where they’ll come from we can figure out where’s best to set up.”

As Tuyen spoke she glanced around, already filled with a sinking feeling that this wasn’t going to go the way they wanted tonight. She didn’t know if it was just paranoia, or the influence of her shadow on her mind, but she felt like she could already hear unnatural sounds in the distance.

---

---

“Thanks, Blu. I appreciate the offer. Sorry you had to be involved in our family’s mess,” said Ezra as James’s ward proposed falling on the sword that was dealing with Georgie.

Sabrina suggested she do it alone. Ezra felt a weight push down on his shoulder as she asked him to believe in her. Even though he had been the one to approach Sabrina, he doubted anyone in his family would be a surefire way to get Georgie out of the house. An outside perspective might be what was really needed to snap some sense into Georgie. Yet he had a history of questioning Sabrina’s confidence, and the last thing he needed was another family member storming away. He nodded in approval and Sabrina jogged away. It was only when she was out of earshot that he leaned over to Blu to whisper.

“Go with her but hang back and let Sabrina do the talking. If Georgie doesn’t respond to her, maybe you can work your magic,” said Ezra, his focus shifting over towards Arabelle as she began to explain her plan. “Sabrina’s going to take Georgie to the construction site with the others to help setup a trap. If Justin’s right about them being able to track the skull then Georgie’s going to be at the center of any conflict no matter what. It’d be safer to have a spot where we have an upperhand. Although you are right that once they arrive Georgie should be as far away as possible…”

Ezra snapped his fingers. “I got it. Justin, give me five minutes.”

---

---

What were the rumors being spread about Shane? So many swirled through Tansy’s mind, but it was hard to parse the ones that could be true from the ones that she had started as excuses to explain his absence. She wiped her eyes and caught his cold, narrow stare as he said they could be right. She stepped back as he stepped forward and looked to the ground as his expression softened. Shane maybe didn’t care what others thought about him, but Tansy cared. Why was it so difficult for him to realize that maybe some of the people in his “stupid” family actually wanted him to have a good, successful life?

The silence was chillier than the wind blowing through the shattered windows. Tansy studied the carpet, burnt black and slashed to pieces. Shane asked her to trust him, yet he didn’t trust telling her the truth. She sat down on the arm of the sofa, her face knotted in disgust as she glared at her brother. All Tansy needed was for him to look at her, but he just stared forward, looking at something that wasn’t even there. Her manicured fingernails dug into her coat. Look at me. Her lips quivered as she shivered from something that wasn’t the wind. Look at me. Just at the edge of Shane’s peripheries a soft, golden glow began to emerge.

“Look at me—”“Shane!”

Tansy closed her eyes and the golden light disappeared as Ezra staggered into the room holding something a few feet large wrapped up inside of a blanket. “A hand!”

“What is that?” asked Tansy, stiffly standing from the sofa as she ignored the sick feeling in her stomach.

“Heavier than it looks. Help me carry it to the car. I’ll explain in a minute.”

---

---

Two cars pulled up in front of the construction site in East Araminta for what would become the Vanburen Memorial Rehabilitation Center. That was at least according to the massive, moonlit coming soon sign that had James’s smiling face on it, the shadow of the billboard falling on the derelict structures in the neighboring lots. A twelve-foot tall barred fence surrounded the construction site which was peppered with bulldozers, some cranes, one crane with a wrecking ball, and forklifts as well as a number of shipment containers and mobile trailers doubling as offices. The rehabilitation center itself was still little more than a skeleton, three stories of steel, stone, wood that rivaled most large department stores in length.

Tansy stepped out of the backseat of one of the cars, looking as pale as the fresh layer of snow that draped all of the construction equipment, as she stepped towards the gate. She punched a code into a keypad and the gate parted in the middle. She waved the cars forward and followed behind them on foot, closing the gate on the other side, thankful to be out of those death machines. The cool air calmed her nerves as she moved with pride towards her baby, the snow crunching beneath her boots. It would be a shame if it got wrecked by the Wiccans, but the airtight insurance policy and the certainty that charitable, goodhearted folks would come out in droves to donate to the next fundraiser eased her worries.

She pulled a little key out of pocket and opened the door to the foreman’s office as the others pulled Ezra’s package from the top of a car. The space inside was cramped but tidy, blueprints pinned on the wall showing plans for an olympic size swimming pool and tennis courts to be constructed eventually in the lots nearby. Two desks and a couch were crammed into the office. One of the desks clearly belonged to the foreman, while the second one was decorated with familial memorabilia. There was a photo of Trisha in a graduation cap smiling with her friends, an article about Oscar winning a science fair, a photo of Sabrina and Tansy at a fashion show, some of Georgie’s favorite flowers pressed in a frame, a photo of Ezra and his (now ex) wife on their wedding day, and a family portrait from a Christmas several years ago that upon closer inspection appeared to have been folded to fit the frame.

“Place it down there,” said Tansy, shaking her jitters from the car ride. After the others placed the wrapped item against the wall, Tansy stepped forward and pulled the blanket from it. Her reflection stared back at her in the full length mirror. She pulled out her phone, stepped back to get some of the foreman’s office in frame, and took a picture and sent it to Ezra. “There. Ezra said if the Wiccans show up or if something goes wrong to give him or Arabelle a call. Supposedly she can use the mirrors to open a gateway if we need reinforcements or to retreat.

“But in the meantime, let’s begin setting things. All the keys to the fun stuff are in there,” said Tansy, nodding to a lockbox on the wall that contained the equipment keys to the construction vehicles. “But it’s locked and, I’d imagine, quite sturdy. I doubt any of us know how to drive those things anyway, so we might be limited to our hands. Anyway, Tuyen, I don’t know why I’m talking since you are the expert. What should we do to set up an ambush for the Wiccans? We are yours to command.”

“Alright,” Tuyen cleared her throat.“For this trap to work, I need to know what you can all do. Abstraction or mundane skills, anything that can help and any ideas.”

Tansy rotated to the office's couch and took a seat as Tuyen explained her abstraction. It was nice to know that there was someone there that could take down a few of the cult's monstrosities. Although, Tansy did not know if she wanted to be explicitly candid with her abstraction yet. She had mentioned to her family that she had come in contact with an Apparition that knew their father, but had neglected to mention that the Apparition was still hanging around. She certainly couldn't tell them all it was capable of doing. Not yet, anyway. Didn't need to give any of them another reason to treat her like she was some kind of invasive parasite.

”I won’t be fighting,” said Trisha.

"I'd hope not," said Tansy sweetly, her hand on her heart as her words dripped with a suffocating level of sincerity. "We would all just be mortified if you were badly hurt or, worse, disfigured. Don't worry, Tuyen, I'm sure that Trisha's little imaginary friends that she makes will be so helpful that we wouldn't even miss her not being there! Anyway, I will of course help in anyway I can, although I do not know how strong of an abstraction I have. I can create a blinding light, but can only really focus on one person at a time. Otherwise I know the site here like the back of my hand so I can probably help with determining what's the best spot to, ahem, welcome the cultists at."

“I don’t know this area very well, what direction is where we think the cultists are? If we know where they’ll come from we can figure out where’s best to set up,” asked Tuyen.

"If they come from their resort then they would be coming from the woods east of here," said Tansy, getting up from the couch to point at the treeline through the front window of the office. "The only way inside is through the front gate, although judging by our house they could just crash through the fence over there. We can walk the grounds in a moment after everyone—what was it your friends say, Trisha? Sips the tea?"

---

---

This had been the longest day ever and ending it with a hike through the woods just felt miserable. Ezra already knew his body would be kicking his ass for the next week once morning came and the adrenaline wore off, but for now he’d push through it. A hand mirror was wrapped carefully up inside of his jacket that he could Configure large enough to allow Arabelle to crouch through, giving them a way to link the two groups if things went south. The jacket was a camo one used for hunting. It had belonged to James and Ezra felt like an asshole wearing it, as he’d never gotten the appeal of creeping around in the woods while masking his smell with animal piss at five in the morning. Still, some testing had shown that it could serve as a catalyst for his spells.

Although Ezra did not need to become a hunting prodigy to know that Justin was moving through the forest like a thundering herd of bison. Each crunch of snow and sticks was like a sharp knife being jabbed into Ezra’s ears. If any of the Wiccans were at the resort then hopefully they were all inside, because anyone would hear their group stepping through the winter wonderland. Justin had seemed to get a little heated early with Georgie’s little stunt. Ezra couldn’t blame him, but there was an impatience to the kid that rubbed Ezra the wrong way. Rushing was a surefire way to screw something up.

Mystical lightning crashing and a girl screaming only reinforced Ezra’s doubt as the bracelet on his hand glowed orange and he cast a prodigy spell on himself. He felt his muscles stiffen as his focus tightened. His vision didn’t improve and his hearing didn’t sharpen, but he began recognizing the difference between everyone’s footfalls as they stopped. He glanced over at Arabelle and made sure she was close by in case they needed to make a hot exit. He’d already shown her the image Tansy had sent him of the mirror at the construction site just in case.

"Before we get a move on, what do you all think?" asked Justin, Oscar replying that they keep going.

“Wait.” Ezra held a finger up to his mouth and signaled for everyone to crouch down. He heard what sounded like shifting earth and the large thundering mitts. Something was headed their way, although it may not be on their direct path. He continued in a hushed whisper, “Those dogs are on the move. But remember, we’re here for the healer. Let’s try to hide and let them pass first.”

It was possible that the hellhounds had their scent and could find them. Fortunately, their group had Oscar and all the snow he’d need to give those dogs an unending bath. He just hoped Oscar wouldn’t turn out to be totally gungho and try to get the drop on them. Ezra locked eyes with his brother and mouthed: only if they find us.

"Start spreadin' the news...

I'm leavin' today."

"Thank you Commissioner." A decorated officer stands on stage, medals clinking on his jacket as he shakes the Commissioner's hand, relieving him of his speech to collected applause. He turns to the podium and clears his throat. Smiling as he lays out a crisp sheet of paper and reads aloud to the hall.

"In each graduation of recruits in the Police Academy, awards are presented to outstanding members of the graduating class. Each recipient is given an engraved plaque for various categories." Reaching into his breast pocket, he retrieved a pair of glasses as he flipped the sheet over.

"At this time, I'd like to ask the Mayor and the Police Commissioner to present the following awards." The Commissioner stood back up, making the task look Herculean for some polite laughs from the audience. The Mayor opted for the professional approach, statically maintaining a beaming smile as the two moved next to the podium.

"Our first award, is The Mayor's Award. This award is given to the Student Officer who attains the highest overall average scoring. With an overall average of ninety-nine point sixty-five percent; Mayor de Blasio presents this award to Police Officer Shane Vanburen."

Forward he walks, greeted with applause as he steps onto the stage. He stands straight, as rehearsed. Saluting the Commissioner, the Mayor and the man at the podium. He steps forward once more, taking the plaque with practiced dignity and shaking the hands of both men. The Commissioner gives him a smile.

"Lookin' forward to workin' with you, Son."

Shane turns - plaque shining proudly as its held against his chest. Hand of the Mayor on his shoulder as the cameraman readies the shot.

Click.

---

His mind was elsewhere. Perhaps internally trying to put together the moment he made whatever choice had led him to this mess.

Elsewhere enough not to notice the creeping glow until it began encroaching the right side of his vision. Like the sun creeping in through curtains. He snapped back into place, aware of his surroundings. Hearing his sister's voice. Sounding like dread.

“Look at me—”“Shane!”

Head snapping to the side. Whatever had been clouding his mind, lighting the ruined foyer of the manor, had receded. All there was now was Ezra dragging in an object cloaked in a white blanket with some effort on his part.

Shane gave only a slight nod and stood up at his eldest brother's request for aid. Picking up the bottom half of the object as thought it weighed nothing at all. He still had his uses.

Tansy offered only customary prying into the details, an object hidden from view and carried by Ezra especially should have flared up every intrusive instinct in Tansy's mind. Instead she merely let the matter drop as Ezra stated he'd explain later. A show of understanding unheard of from Tansy, especially in regards to Ezra. Shane gave her a glance as he and Ezra passed by on their way to the car. She avoided eye contact with a look he couldn't quite place.

Indignation? At being denied answers yet again? No... Shane was familiar enough with that look even before their relationship severed. It was something else, more bitter in her throat. If Shane didn't know better, he'd say it looked like regret.

---

---

It was a rather strange feeling. Driving past the ostentatious sign of James Vanburen, promising the construction of the Vanburen Memorial Rehabilitation Center. Of all the siblings, including the ones that didn't live in the manor, Shane felt he saw James the least. But even he was pretty sure a giant sign like that wouldn't have been his Father's first choice of advertisement.

He was depicted with that smile people liked to remember him by. The one that seemed to assure you in all the ways you wish you were believed and understood in. Shane, middle child that he was, couldn't help but wonder to himself what the hell James would be thinking as his children drove by him in the wee hours towards the construction site. Too late to ask him now.

Again, showing he still had some value, Shane more or less dragged the object - revealed by Ezra to be a mirror - by himself. Laying against the wall inside the foreman's office, per Tansy's directions. For better or worse, she'd perked up in the car ride over.

“There. Ezra said if the Wiccans show up or if something goes wrong to give him or Arabelle a call. Supposedly she can use the mirrors to open a gateway if we need reinforcements or to retreat."

'Let's hope it doesn't come to that.' Shane thought to himself. Their line-up wasn't exactly awe inspiring. When the strongest relationship you have in the group is with Trisha, things aren't looking great teamwork wise.

Tansy helpfully pointed out the keys to the construction equipment. Owing to his current means of employment, Shane could just about drive a forklift. Beyond that... Questionable. Now wasn't the time to try experimenting either. Still, it was good knowing where things are. Some of the equipment could be used as a makeshift weapon if the need really arose.

The girl, Tuyen tried getting the lay on all their abilities. He sympathised with her, she already seemed liable to implode at any moment and now she was left with the all star team. Still, her powers sounded useful in any case. Trisha's did too, whether she would actually make them useful would be a completely different story. Already snipes began to bubble as Tansy put on the pleasantly passive aggressive big sister act. She at least took the chance to describe her own ability, making a blinding light. This caused Shane to side glance her, the light in the foyer and her look of disgust. She was playing her cards close to her chest, no doubt in his mind.

"I can soak up hits and blast them back at people." Shane stated, looking at Tuyen and trying to be as candid as possible. Perhaps too much. "I can take the dogs head on. Beat a couple down back at the house. I was a Police Officer. I know how to fight and how to use a gun."

'All too well.'

He couldn't help himself, thumb resting under his jaw as he turned back and stood at the open door of the office - looking out at the rest of the site. Synapses firing as he began piecing together what they could try here. A fool proof plan was not happening, they were too uncoordinated and the teenagers were too unpredictable. The goal was to stack the deck. If they were luring the cultists here, then Georgie would be with them too. No matter what they had in mind, she would go against it. That had to be taken into account.

His thumb began restlessly rubbing against his chin as he pondered just about every best and worst case scenario.

"Mind if we look through the grounds now?" He asked without asking, taking a step back outside into the cold, back still towards the ambush team.

"I'm thinkin'... I can probably take the most out of everyone here, so maybe have me out in the open." Voice dropping off into the mumble as he squinted and looked towards the bones of the future building, he'd get a better idea of how to go about it when they were over there. He turned.

"I could draw 'em towards me. If Georgie actually shows up, I'll have the Horned thing. I can keep it secure with my... Power. Then, assuming they don't go for me immediately, we can lure em towards a point of the site. Hit 'em from every angle."

Brow furrowing as pieces formed together in his mind. Wasn't perfect, but it was a start they could jump off from.

"Have Trisha's creature things act as scouts, if they can do that." He looked towards Tuyen. At one time he could've found the words to reassure her, channelled the charisma of James Vanburen to confirm all the best scenarios were possible. That they could achieve them together. Instead, all he could offer her now was a slightly more determined look as he spoke.

"You could use that to manuever behind 'em" He pressed his knuckles against each other for emphasis. "Hit 'em from both sides."

---

Why was everyone rejecting his proposals? Perhaps it was because he was an unfamiliar figure within the group. He was a mystery to them, one who had yet to solidify a position within the circle--for better or worse. And that uncertainty meant he was not a first pick for any sort of current undertaking.

And what Sabrina said was true...

"I think it'd be better if I go do it... no offense, but me and Georgie have a closer connection. I'm going to try to get her to come.... if not, I can get the skull from her. Then I'm going to head to the trap site, just believe in me."

-Sabrina

"That's okay. None taken." Despite the gentle flow of his words, he stepped back instinctively and his expression fell into something like lukewarm despondence. This was the second time his offering of help was rejected and in that moment, he wondered if he should just stay quiet and 'know his place'. In truth, he wasn't really even supposed to be here, but Oscar had pulled at his heart with a story that was so disquieting that Blu felt the alarm in his chest as if it were his own. How could he not come to help? It was in his nature. But was his help even needed? Blu hated not feeling useful; it was one of his complexes.

Blu blew the warmth of his breath into his cupped hands to thaw the chill that crept through his veins. he felt as though he were hovering aimlessly about, watching as Sabrina ran off to get Georgie. Suddenly his head was hurting again and his fingertips were nipping with a prickly sensation and he wasn't sure what he should do. Before he could fall into a daydream, Ezra leaned in closely...

“Thanks, Blu. I appreciate the offer. Sorry you had to be involved in our family’s mess. Go with her but hang back and let Sabrina do the talking. If Georgie doesn’t respond to her, maybe you can work your magic.”

-Ezra

On one hand, Blu was glad that someone finally wanted his help, even in some minor way. But then again, should he? Sabrina said she could handle it and he didn't want to impose on a situation that he really wasn't privy to. Also, what if Sabrina thought he came along because he saw her as incapable? Surely not, but Blu didn't want to take that chance, so instead, he simply shook his head feebly. Having come to the least offensive conclusion, Blu said "Think nothing of it. And no family is perfect right?"

Blu smiled softly, thinking about his own family back home. "But I shouldn't impose though. Sabrina said she should handle it, so, I suppose I have no reason not to trust her resolve." Ezra seemed to take his words in kind, because he quickly turned to the ginger-haired woman to continue making preparations. Just then, Oscar ran up to him and apologized on behalf of his family.

“Sorry you had to witness all that, the rest of the family are a bit… touchy. Why don’t you come with me to talk to their healer? If you can make people feel better with your abstraction then that’ll be helpful when we’re talking to them.”

-Oscar

An inner glow filled Blu as the taller fellow spoke to him--a familiar face (James was that person for him...) often felt like a safe space in a world that was unfamiliar and dangerous--as was this very situation that Blu found himself falling deeper into. He just hoped it would end well for everyone.

But a thought lodged in his mind. Abstraction? Was this the term that these people used to describe magik? His curiosity took hold--nodding sweetly at Oscar's request for him to join in on the mission to talk to the healer. He wasn't much of a fighter, so it was better that he wasn't going with the ambush squad at the construction site. His presence would be more of a burden. But maybe, like Oscar said, maybe he could be useful after all. Only time would tell.

---

Never in his twenty five years of living had Blu ever done anything like this before. Sneaking through the forest on some deathly mission he still knew very little about. The night shadows dancing on the trees, the howling winds--it was all so spooky. He closed his eyes for a brief moment and daydreamed about his grandmother's face and encouraging words.

~This world is full of darkness my love. But you must ignite your inner flame and move through it with not even a whisper of indecision~

Blu replayed those words in his head over and over, doing his best to ignore the fear that sullied his spirit and turned his heart to stardust. Were they really going to confront this healer? And if she was a healer, why was she working for the enemy? So many questions, so little time to answer them. Not a moment later, a loud crack echoed through the forest nearby. It was so loud, like the cry of a thunderbird from his tribe's lore.

When Ezra told them to get down, Blu did so with no hesitation.

“Those dogs are on the move. But remember, we’re here for the healer. Let’s try to hide and let them pass first.”

-Ezra

He heard...no, he felt the thrumming on the forest floor. Somethings heavy, dangerous, and moving with great intention. Were these dogs? How could dogs cause his bones to quake like so? Blu's hypersensitivity kicked in overdrive and he felt an ominous aura spilling out into the air like tendrils. This was an aura he had never felt before, not even from people with the darkest of hearts. Blu was choking in fear, and in his enveloping trepidation, unwittingly gripped his hands around Oscar's arm for comfort and pulled himself in a bit closer.

Blu whispered to Oscar, his voice and body trembling feebly, but noticeable nonetheless, "Are those actually dogs like Ezra says? They feel like something else, something...macabre...?". Blu, having buried more bodies than he could count, imagined these bodies rising up from the depths of the ocean and laying waste to the world of the living. This was the nightmare he conjured in his mind that could best reflect what he was feeling in this moment. It was indescribable and he wondered if anyone else was feeling this--if anyone shared his unique sensitivity.

"Oscar...should I be worried? My majik...I don't know how useful it will be. I've never used it in this kind of situation before." His chest was palpitating so fast, it might burst. For now, he would do his best to timber his stirring heart, if only not to burden the others. Blu would do what he was told and think about a brighter tomorrow.

'Ole Ancient Ones...please give..." was the tribal prayer he began to mutter under his breath and in his mind. He would call upon his ancestors and his inner flame and carry with it with as much hope and courage as he could possibly muster.

@Punished GN

Or rather, Georgie almost fell asleep. A loud pounding on her door startled her. She sat up, heart pounding and breathless. Were they being attacked again? Though, she suspected the wiccan would blow another hole through the mansion and wouldn't bother knocking on the door.

"Georgie, can we talk?" Sabrina called through the door.

A familiar voice, one she didn't want to hear any time soon since she yelled at her before. Sabrina's never yelled at her before. As much as she doesn't want to admit it, it hurt and shocked her and made her cry. She's not a little girl anymore. There's no one she can cry to when she's sad or scared. She hasn't had a shoulder since she moved to London a decade ago. No one was there for her when she needed them, so she doesn't need anyone now.

"What's there to talk about? I hate it here. Everyone hates me. Leave me 'lone!" she yelled, accent thick in her drunken slur.

She leaned down for her house shoe. A wave of dizziness came over her from her sudden position change. She fell off the bed, creating a loud thud.

"Ow," she groaned.

The fall didn't stop her from her mission. She grabbed the shoe and lobbed it at the door.

"S'en aller!" she tried to yell again, but her words were cut off by her vomiting up all she's drank in the last thirty minutes. She head hurt, her stomach hurt. Drinking on an empty stomach was a mistake and she didn't make mistakes. She retched over and over, holding her stomach. She didn't have the strength to make it off the floor to bathroom, so she sat there and suffered. This was the worst night of her life.

---

---

Tansy got on Tuyen’s nerves as soon as she started speaking, even though her sickly sweet words were directed at another member of their group. She stuffed her hands in her pockets, fingernails digging into her skin to try to ground herself and concentrate on what she had to work on. Two useful abilities and one person who knew the place, that was good enough. Shane was definitely their best asset, and she was glad to have someone with some kind of combat experience.

"We would all just be mortified if you were badly hurt or, worse, disfigured.”

”Shut up, Tansy,” Trisha hissed, dark eyes glaring at her oldest ‘sister.’ ”At least I can do more than make a light.”

As if her snapping had ever stopped Tansy from going on and on, pushing at Trisha until she stormed off. She knew that bitch was doing it on purpose but it got to her every time.

But in an effort to brush it off, she just flipped Tansy off at the mention of her friends… The ones she really wanted Tansy to stay the hell away from.

“They definitely won’t be polite enough to go through the front gate,” Tuyen gave a light laugh as she followed Tansy to the window, looking where she was pointing and memorising where it was.

"Mind if we look through the grounds now?"

About to suggest it herself, Tuyen gave a sharp nod. Not that Shane needed any agreement… but that was fine, they needed to look about anyway. Tuyen pulled her coat closer to herself and stepped out behind him. She kept quiet as Shane spoke, head slightly tilted to try and pick up all of his words as his voice continuously dropped towards nearly inaudible.

It was a better plan that she could have come up with. Though not perfect it pushed most of the risk onto her and Shane. Tuyen didn’t really want any of the family they were working for to be in that position, but someone with experience like Shane was best for the job.

“I hope she shows,” Tuyen muttered under her breath before talking louder. “I agree, you can definitely take the most. If we work under the assumption they’ll come from this direction,” Tuyen pointed in the direction Tansy had pointed out, “we can figure out where’s best for everyone to be.”

She frowned, glancing around the work site. An empty shell would make it difficult to block them in… Perhaps if there was an area more built up than the rest.

“If we’re going to hit them from both sides it should be somewhere more narrow. I can take up a lotta space and block them in, so they can’t just circle around and do the same to us. There’ll be more of them than us, I bet. So that’d be the best way to minimise any damage on our side.” She glanced over at Tansy. “Any place you think will work?”

"Have Trisha's creature things act as scouts, if they can do that."

“They can,” Trisha replied, helpful enough for once. It helped that it was a tolerable sibling asking. “I’ll know what they’re seeing,” through the logs she’d be shown, “and can make five. Doesn’t affect me if they die either.”

Tuyen raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment on that last bit. “Five is enough. We just need to know where they’re coming from so Shane can lure them in, and I can manifest my shadow in time to hit them from behind.”

And at least her shadow was silent for once, allowing her to concentrate on planning. A little too silent for her liking… but she would take it as a good thing. As long as it listened when she needed it to, it didn’t matter what it was like right now.

---

"What's there to talk about? I hate it here. Everyone hates me. Leave me 'lone!"

Georgie shouted, followed by her falling on her ass Sabrina presumed, and throwing something at the door. The bang caused Sabrina to jolt and nearly fall on her own ass... So, Georgie chose to get drunk when there's a crazy satanic cult at their gates and she has the one thing that they want. Even Sabrina was getting a little fed up with Georgie and her lack of common sense. A vein nearly exploded in her head because Sabrina was getting so frustrated, but she saw that Georgie was under a lot of stress and maybe that was clouding her decision-making. Just a little.

Okay, a lot. Sabrina thought to herself.

The best that Sabrina could think of was getting Georgie to the trap group and hoping that everything goes well but she realized that she was babysitting a child. She sighed, hoping to clear her tone of all vexations before she approached the door. She graced the door with one hand and then softly spoke,

"Georgie, we don't hate you, we all love you," Sabrina started, "We're a family, and any family has disagreements... but you have to understand that you've been nothing but condescending and abrasive towards the whole family for no reason!"

And also put a god damn target on your back and get drunk. Sabrina thought to herself before she sighed and continued.

"I understand we all have our little squabbles from time to time... and that Tansy was being antagonistic... but we need to see the bigger picture here. We need to figure out this curse so we can get back to our own lives. If we just pull together, we can solve this and never have to deal with this again. So... just open the door and come with me. We need you."

---

“Those dogs are on the move. But remember, we’re here for the healer. Let’s try to hide and let them pass first.”

Ezra was right... the group was at half strength and Justin counted on their odds being less than ideal if they got caught with the Wiccans at full strength (Especially if his little theory that there might be more than they expected was true). Oscar could probably eliminate the Hellhounds, but what about all the other ones? Justin would rather not get chased when all they need to find was the healer. Justin put his finger to his lip and gestured at everyone as he crouched down, and with his other hand, he pointed at the bushes. He quietly got into the bushes and hoped that everyone else could use the same level of silence that he had demonstrated.

A few moments later, the dogs had charged past them without even noticing them, he thinks. The good news is that they won't have to deal with the Hellhounds... the bad news is that they have no clue where the Hounds were heading. They were heading in the direction of the manor but he trusted that Ezra had a contingency if they attack the manor. Or that Georgie and Sabrina had left already - that was the ideal because that place couldn't take any more of a beating.

He sighed as he gestured, a mere point, for the group to move towards the resort, and still crouched down and walked towards the place. Eventually, they made it to the place; the front doors were wide open and Justin could hear a faint chattering coming from within. He couldn't make out just what they were saying but he knew that going through the front door was not a smart idea. He looked at the group before he nodded his head and pointed towards one of the side windows and began moving towards it. Now the idea of everyone poking through their heads through one window was comical so Justin began to float upwards a little bit to get a good view.

"... Morgana's clearly gone off her rockers, right?" Penny said, walking around in a circle with her arms crossed, face towards the ground.

"Yes..." Thea said. "Rushing them head first was not the smartest idea... but it isn't like Morgana would listen."

"Well, when she drags her ass back here with her ass whooped; she'll get the message, ay?" Maxine laughed as she sat on a strange pumpkin minion that Justin had not seen before.

"Any second now she's going to call Tegan asking her to make a portal so she can save her ass," Penny shrugged.

Justin immediately hopped down and reported back to the group,

"Morgana is heading towards the manor... does anyone have any idea if Sabrina and Georgie are out of there yet?" Was Justin's first concern.

---

---

Tansy lifted her chin and smiled ever so slightly as Trisha told her to shut up, turning her head so the finger Trisha flipped at her was deflected by the high collar of her coat. She joined the others at Shane’s suggestion that they scope out the grounds, unhappy to be back out in the cold especially after how quickly Trisha had heated up the trailer. The snow crunched as they trudged through the construction site towards the side most likely to be hit by the Wiccans. Shane and Tuyen bounced ideas back and forth, determining that funneling the Wiccans into a narrow spot would be the best idea.

“Any place you think will work?” asked Tuyen directly to Tansy.

“I’m afraid that I’m better at planning banquets than battlefields,” said Tansy with a shrug.

It was unfortunate then that this side was going to be the extension for the parking lot. Barren and flat, there weren’t any locations for ambushes out here unless they constructed one themselves—and Tansy didn’t need any knowledge of construction to assume that would be highly difficult and timely. She sighed and turned, looking at the partially built rehab center. Blue plastic sheets had been tied to post and pinned to the ground to protect the construction from the winter weather. As the others planned, Tansy wordlessly slipped in past the curtain and disappeared from sight.

Moments later, a tearing noise ripped through the quiet night as a boxcutter horizontally cut through the middle of the plastic tarp, the bottom half collapsing to the ground. Tansy slid the razor back into the boxcutter and slipped it into her cut pocket before she stepped under the curtain and folded her arms, nodding her head towards the inner guts of the under construction building. Beyond her was a maze of pipes and load-bearing beams, the unfinished walls allowing everyone to see through the entire floor of the building. At first glance it didn’t appear to fit the bill, yet Tansy was already smiling as if in success.

“We could take some of the extra tarps in storage and those hanging around outside to create a narrow passage in here and limit line of sight. They won’t prevent anyone from breaking through them, but neither did the walls of our house so I feel like that point is moot,” said Tansy. “So unless anyone has a better idea, I say we start tearing down tarps and setting up our stage. Then once the Wiccans arrive Shane will take the skull and funnel—”

Her eyes darted around the site and did a quick head count. Tansy’s expression shifted into one of dumbfounded realization as her mouth fell agape. Where was Georgie? How could they set a trap for the Wiccans if the one holding their bait wasn’t even here? She turned quickly to look over her shoulder, as if the little brat would somehow have already been inside of the construction site. She whipped her head back towards the other, her eyes widening and her face setting not into the look of concern that should be there but one of angry accusation. She stomped one foot down as she flailed her arms out towards the others.

“Where is that little psychopath!?” barked Tansy, her control crumbling. “Did none of you idiots check if she was actually coming? Areyouallthatfuckingstupid!?”

She turned and began to furiously pace, snatching her phone out of her pocket and making a call. The robotic voice of a lady asking for her to please leave a message could be momentarily heard alongside a ding of a bell before being cut short as Tansy’s phone shattered, spiked like a football onto the concrete flooring of the construction site. She inhaled deeply, looking at the dozen of pieces that made up her phone, and turned back to the others, the red on her cheeks now more from embarrassment than anger. The leather of her gloves could be heard groaning as she held her hand at her side in tight fists. She inhaled again and gave a sheepish smile.

“Ezra’s not answering. Could one of you call Georgie and find out what’s happening?” asked Tansy, the calm in her voice as chilling as the night’s air. “I would just…” Her fist tightened. “...hate for something to have happened.”

---

---

Ezra stayed crouched with the others as Justin went forward to peak in through the window. He could feel his heartbeat slow and steady but knew if it wasn’t for his abstraction it would’ve been racing still from the hellhounds crashing by them. His eyebrows arched as Justin floated above the ground. The kid was young, but he had an impressive skill set. Ezra just hoped that didn’t lead to their supernatural expert being too overconfident. Justin had been the one to suggest that they just raid the place. With their leader gone maybe he’d get the stupid idea to just start blasting.

Ezra untensioned as Justin returned. "Morgana is heading towards the manor... does anyone have any idea if Sabrina and Georgie are out of there yet?"

“Georgie was shaken by today’s events but she’s smart, and Sabrina knows what she’s doing. I’m sure they’re with Tuyen’s group by now,” said Ezra, wishing to believe his siblings could band together when things matter. Yet that sentiment didn’t stop him from pulling his phone out and turning his back to the resort to block the light from the screen. “I’ll let the others know to get ready. Once Morgana doesn’t find the skull there she’ll probably hunt them down.”

A text warning Georgie, Sabrina, and Tuyen’s group that Morgana was headed to the manor was quickly composed and sent. Ezra quietly put his phone back in his pocket, the dim screen of the silenced phone lighting up the moment it slipped into the fabric. He wasn’t going to dress up in this ridiculous hunting outfit only to make some dumb mistake like having his ringtone go off while sneaking into the lair of their enemy. He assumed the others were also smart enough to have silenced their devices.

“I warned them, just in case,” said Ezra, looking up at the others. “With Morgana gone this is our best time to find their healer, assuming she’s in there, but if the rest of them are in there I doubt they’d be willing to hear us out. We need to find a way to isolate her. Anyone got a way we can get her attention or secretly send her a message to meet us out back?”

---

The more they walked, the more Shane questioned himself. The idea itself was sound but the stage for its execution was much to be desired. He'd hoped the site would be more... complete than it was. Plenty of open space, multiple entrances and exits, not much to keep everyone else concealed. Not ideal.

A low annoyed sound rumbled from his throat as he began to think again. The girl, Tuyen, was on board at least. Hopefully her experience could help pick up the slack if things didn't go according to plan. Trisha, even despite her back-and-forth with Tansy, seemed content to help scout the cultists movements. So, the group should know where they're coming from and have time to re-position as needed. Even still, it wasn't a great position to be in. Tuyen agreed, echoing Shane's sentiment that a more narrow area would work in their favour.

Tansy moved forward, disappearing into the Rehab Centre with some sense of purpose. Shane hadn't really considered the building to be that viable, though it did have some walls and ceilings it had just as much open space and seemed liable to collapse from a stiff enough breeze. Regardless, Tansy set to work moving around tarps, creating some makeshift cover in the building. It was better than nothing, at least. She returned to the group with a smile as Shane examined her handiwork.

“We could take some of the extra tarps in storage and those hanging around outside to create a narrow passage in here and limit line of sight. They won’t prevent anyone from breaking through them, but neither did the walls of our house so I feel like that point is moot,”

Fair enough point, Shane had certainly seen the dogs be more than capable of tearing through the sturdy walls of the Vanburen Manor. He wasn't quite as sure that the cultists, however many there ended up being, would follow right along their path like rats in a maze. Still, he wasn't quite ready to put it past them either. The problem, in Shane's mind, was that while it made it easier to spring the trap, there were plenty of ways for some cultists to slip out of their grasp.

Shane's eyes darted towards the machinery. He could try move them over to the Centre. Use their weight to reinforce some of the walls or close up the gaps in a way that wasn't quite so obvious. As he considered voicing this, Tansy continued talking. On her way to a sudden meltdown.

“Where is that little psychopath!? Did none of you idiots check if she was actually coming? Areyouallthatfuckingstupid!?”

She continued, a moth attracted to her own indignation. Frantically dialling a number on her mobile. Truthfully, Shane had hoped to see the brat here by now himself, but they'd only just recently arrived. As far as he'd been told, Ezra had left behind people to drag her out here if necessary. There wasn't much time to point this out to his eldest sister as she tossed her phone onto the asphalt with an, admittedly pretty decent, spike.

Her sense of decorum overrode her rage as she returned to the performance that kept her centred. Inhaling and calming herself for the performance. Shane side-glanced at Trisha, assuming his sullen sister must have be having the time of her miserable life after such a sight.

“Ezra’s not answering. Could one of you call Georgie and find out what’s happening?”

"Don't have her number." Shane stated plainly, as if he didn't just see Tansy lose all semblance of control for the first time. "I can't imagine any of us do. I'll call the house, see if they're still there."

As he turned and took a couple of steps away, it occurred to Shane how much more difficult things would be here with Georgie's inclusion. Sparing a glance to the group as he went through his saved numbers. Tansy, who's confidence only seemed to break around Georgie's loathing. Trisha, who had hated Georgie since day one with the sentiments very much returned. Tuyen, whom, from their brief interactions, had seemed to engender no trust from Georgie regarding her skills. Shane himself, whom Georgie had on more than one occasion implied ambivalence to if he'd be dead soon.

Couldn't help it. As the phone rung, Shane reached into his jacket pocket and took out a small steel flask. A present from James. With practiced movement, he gulped down its contents. Sharply hitting his tongue and rolling down his throat like liquified fire. It made things more bearable as the dial tone continued to ring on and on.

'Pick up, dammit.' He thought to himself. Teeth clenching as he swayed the flask around in his other hand.

---

---

Tuyen held back her doubts about Tansy’s ‘setup.’ She was right that walls didn’t stop the hounds either… But did they really have the time and manpower to put up enough tarps to set it up? Tuyen only had any physical fitness when it came to running (too much experience), not lifting. She didn’t have the luxury to use her shadow for this either. And a quick glance at Tansy and Trisha told her they weren’t going to be much help for that kind of manual labour…

“Where is that little psychopath! Did none of you idiots check if she was actually coming? Areyouallthatfuckingstupid!?”

Tuyen flinched back, fingernails digging into the skin of her palms hard enough to draw blood. She shoved her hands in the pockets of her jacket to hide their shaking and the white glow that engulfed them. The extra sharp pain she felt as the light wounds healed was enough to distract her, expression only wavering slightly. This wasn’t about her. Stupid. Unlike the other three, she’d stuck around long enough to see Sabrina go off to get Georgie. But it had been stupid of her to assume they knew too.

Smash. The sound of shattering glass rang in Tuyen’s ears, distorting until it turned into a high pitch screech that wouldn’t go away. She winced, momentarily closing her eyes and turning away from the Vanburens. It was like someone was scratching glass right against her ears, a phone smashing turning into a horrendous cacophony of screeches in her mind. She needed it to stop.

”Oh do calm down, Tansy, at your age this much stress could strain your heart,” Trisha sneered, smug smile tugging at her lips showing how pleased she was with the thought. If only Tansy was actually old enough to fall over from a heart failure over her anger. Now that would be quite the sight to see. Her phone buzzed in her pocket as she went on, but she ignored it. Probably nothing important. ”You didn’t even notice Georgie was missing? Doesn’t that make you the stupidest of all? You sure don’t pay attention for someone who pretends to care so much!”

Tansy was enjoying this so much, watching Tansy lose control and then struggle to get it back. It almost made being stuck here worth it. Ah, she didn’t have many opportunities to witness something like this.

“Oh yeah, sure, I send Georgie hate texts all the time,” Trisha rolled her eyes at Tansy. Her phone buzzed in her poc “We’re not all creeps like you that check up on our siblings every move through text.”

Yeah, no, she’d rather die than have Georgie’s number on her phone. Was bad enough seeing her at family occasions.

The bickering, and Shane’s to the point words, filtered through the noise still ringing in Tuyen’s ears. She gritted her teeth and forced it away. Even if they didn’t trust her, rightfully so, she had a job to do. It was just auditory hallucinations, and she’d been dealing with those of a much worse nature for too long now. She had to stay in control.

“Your sister, Sabrina I think, went to get her,” Tuyen turned back towards the Vanburens with a cold gaze, an attempt to cover up the panic that was still clawing at her lungs. “Maybe try calling her?”

Or whoever Shane was calling would work, assuming they picked up. She would do it herself… if she had anyones number but Justin’s. Really it would’ve been much easier if he had just knocked Georgie out and let them drag her here.

“While he’s trying to get through, let’s start setting up. It’s better for us to be prepared for when they get here.” Because right now, she didn’t want to consider the possibility of this falling through. Any failure here would be on her.

---

---

"Are those actually dogs like Ezra says? They feel like something else, something...macabre...?"

“They’re hellhounds,” Oscar said quietly, awkwardly patting the hands that had ended up wrapped around his arm. For all he was friendly he wasn’t really the type to comfort someone else… It was all facts and logic to him. “It’s fine, they’re gone.”

It didn’t take them much to reach the resort, with no hellhounds on their tail. He only hoped they were heading towards where the other group was rather than a lone Sabrina and Georgie.

“I agree with Ezra, I’m sure they’re both out of there by now. Georgie’s stubborn but she’s smart.” He checked his own phone, just in case there were any updates. None. “I hope they managed to set up a trap in time...”

Oscar fell silent in thought at Ezra’s question, trying to think it through. Unfortunately his abstraction wasn’t so useful when it came to distraction or getting someone’s attention. “If anyone’s going to be able to get a secret message to her it’ll be Arabelle, since she spoke to her before. Perhaps it would be easier to just distract the rest rather than secretly trying to get her attention?”

Maybe a concert from Blu… No, that was a ridiculous idea. He glanced at Justin.

“Maybe we can try and force them all out, and catch her attention that way, I can easily make it look like the sprinkler system was set off.”