Skai

Recollections: Magnanimous

Arabelle grew nervous once the plan began. There were so many factors that they hadn’t taken into account. The other wiccans could wonder where Thea went and find them luring her into the dark. The Triple Goddess could return any minute, or her minion with the hellhounds as well. She found herself gripping her coat tighter, until Blu began to play his music. She knew that his abstraction was not being used against her, yet its melody was calming. She took a deep breath through her nose and slowly exhaled. The heat of her breath warmed her cold nose. She kept her eyes on the building and did not blink until the healer emerged. She suddenly felt a twinge of guilt in her stomach, seeing the healer in such a hypnotic state. Could the healer trust them after being enchanted into a meeting, instead of being invited like a normal person would?

That didn’t matter now. Arabelle straightened her good shoulder and let her free hand hang loosely at her side. A sign that she meant no harm, and yet she was here for business. She was glad to hear Ezra explain why they had come. Arabelle glanced his way, a little shocked that he expected the healer to just come with them without further words. Still, she prepared to open a portal to the construction site like they had discussed.

Oscar’s phone rang twice, breaking the silence in the air. She hesitated for a moment, glancing the healer’s way before placing her hand against the mirror and putting her focus into it. She imagined the picture of the mirror in her head, and by whatever magic she possessed, she knew where it was in the small town. By the time she successfully made the link, Oscar announced that Tuyen had been on the phone. Arabelle slowly removed her hand from the mirror while she looked Oscar’s way. The bad news made her heart leap in her chest. She looked at Ezra first, her eyes full of worry, before she turned to the healer. “We left the skull with one of them, for protection because we were coming here, but the Goddess must still be able to feel its presence.” She didn’t know how the healer would react to this news. Was this her plan all along? No, it didn’t feel that way. “I’ve failed to keep it safe, but we may still have time to get to them- to stop the apparition your friends follow. If that is what you began to do when you gave me the skull, follow me. We can work together to end this.” She looked at Ezra, then, and nodded. “I’ll go first. Do not stop moving once you have entered. I’ll be waiting on the other side.”

Arabelle glanced around at their group, counting heads to figure out how many may walk through her portal. She wasn’t sure the healer would follow, but she hoped that she would see her on the other side. So without any more hesitation, Arabelle stepped through the mirror and walked out of the other side, now standing at the construction site with one hand on it. She stepped to the side, but kept physical contact so that the link would remain strong. “The others are on their way. The healer might be with them, and if she is then that means she is no threat to us.” She looked around at the group, and then her eyes widened as she saw the petrified woman on the ground. “Is she… dead?” She didn’t look familiar. She wasn’t wiccan or from Araminta. Where had she come from? “What happened here?”

CHILDREN OF LEE - THE FIRST GENERATION OF SUPERHEROES

Elle Miller

---

Elle was nothing but a lump under a mass of pillows and a comforter when she woke. She groaned, feeling like she hadn’t slept for long, and wriggled into a more comfortable position. Her hand snaked through the bed until she found her phone, and then slowly pulled it under with her. She pressed a button and her screen lit up. The wallpaper on the back was of a black and white skate park, a beach and palm trees in the background. The time displayed, Elle sighing as she wiped the sleep from her eyes.

11:00 AM

She hadn’t slept for long, god knows what time she crawled in bed last night, but Elle was the type that couldn’t sleep again after waking. So she tossed her phone aside and stretched, releasing one more disgruntled huff before she crawled out from under the comforter. She headed to the kitchen, glad that she could walk through the house in just a big, thrifted sublime t-shirt. She wasn’t sure when her mom would be back. Hopefully not until she was already out of the house for the day.

She grabbed a glass of water, chugged it, and then filled it again before going to the couch. For a few hours she watched reruns of Cops, Punk’d, Fear Factor, and Top Model. She snacked on a few bowls of cereal, and then headed to shower only when she was tired of watching commercials between the shows. One long, karaoke filled shower later and Elle was getting ready to skate until their rendezvous at the local sewer entrance. She put on a mixed CD of Paramore in the background as she put on eyeliner and mascara. With the sewers in mind, Elle threw on an old pair of baggy jeans and rolled them up to her ankles. On the top shelf of her closet, which she had to stand on her tippy toes to reach, she grabbed a plain black hoodie. Under the hoodie she wore a tight green t-shirt. She pulled a pair of old socks up to her calves, put on a black beanie, and finally stuffed her feet in a pair of trashed black converse that could take another beating or so before it was time to toss them.

In her backpack she packed her ipod shuffle, headphones, a change of clothes, another pair of dingy shoes, and her wallet. She headed to the kitchen next. It took her a moment of digging under the sink, but she grinned as she pulled out a large flashlight. It would be great lighting, and could also double as a weapon if needed. She stuffed it into the backpack, tested its weight, and decided it was perfect. Finally, Elle filled a bottle up to the brim in the sink. She tucked that in the almost unusable bottle pocket on the side of her bag. It was all packed and ready. Now she just had to wait.

---

The roads heading out of town seemed to disintegrate the further Elle went. Potholes dotted the road, and weeds poked out of cracks. Skating all the way out here was a feat, but she made sure to leave early enough to make it. She’d had to stop to tie her hair back halfway here. The occasional sprinkle of rain from above would have made her hair cling to her neck by the time she made it.

Elle was mulling over the events of the party, a way to distract herself from the distance she still had to go. The Smirnoff Ice had kicked in way too quickly last night, but Elle still remembered what Willow said about the origin of the rock monster. “It melded with one of the sewer pipes and traveled down the tunnel.” Willow had said. Elle was relieved that Willow hadn’t been face to face with the culprit, but she was also disappointed that was all Willow had seen below the street. The one thing Elle could wonder was how long this person’s range was to use their power. How long could they hold it? How old was this person, too? She imagined that it was a disgruntled grad, taking their frustrations out on the town. It was hard to imagine that a student at Leesburgh high was behind it. I mean, how could they attack other students? Elle wasn’t comfy with the idea that they could be in a class with her and she’d have no idea. They could hulk out in the middle of a quiz, and she’d have no time to react.

It also meant that they might know the other student’s abilities, and know exactly how to take them down.

Great.

---

Ten minutes later, Elle rolled to a stop at the beginning of the access road. She was a little late, yet she couldn’t hear anything down below but slow moving water. She pulled her phone out of her pocket, convinced that she’d missed a text that the group had chickened out, but saw nothing. With a shrug, she picked up her board and began to make her way down to the waste tunnel entrance. It was a relief to see Doug sitting on the other side of the wall of ugly trees as she rounded the corner. She jogged lightly over to the car with a smile on her face and invited herself into the car with a pointed finger at the backseat. Elle climbed inside, letting out a happy sigh as she sat down for the first time in twenty minutes. “Hey girls, ready for an adventure?” She said as she shut the door. She looked them each over, and then noted the duct tape on Willow’s cuffs, her ski goggles, and the bandana looking cloth. “Wow, I feel really under dressed.”

Recollections: Magnanimous

The group had left so quickly that Arabelle had only the time to grab a pair of winter boots, gloves, and wool socks from her car. It had been annoying enough to put them on with one arm, but tying them had been another difficult challenge. Enough of a challenge that Arabelle kept an eye on her laces as well as the snow covered ground of the woods. Her coat was buttoned once at the middle, and her lame arm kept a hold of the lapel to keep it from blowing open. The cold was enough to convince her that she should have stayed at the manor, but when a gold streak struck the ground a mile ahead, followed by a malicious scream, Arabelle froze in place. As much help as she could be on this mission, she definitely felt like she should have remained behind. Her eyes widened ever so slightly as Justin told the group that their position had been discovered.

Turn back? Would they make it to the cars before the wiccans were upon them? She glanced over at Ezra, who stood close by and glanced her way too. For a brief moment she made herself remember the image mirror at the construction site. Practice, in case they needed to bolt with the mirror he brought with him. She admired the thought. Oscar was the first to answer. She felt her shoulders sag in relief. She’d all but forgotten that the other group was meant to get the wiccans attention. Hopefully that was the cause. Ezra motioned for them to crouch, and Arabelle tried her best to get as low as possible with one functioning arm. She pressed a hand against the ground so that she could push herself back to her feet. The cold began to seep through her glove quickly as she listened to the smart Vanburen. A nod of agreement was her only acknowledgement, her mind focused on the distant earthquake-like sounds of hellhounds paws hitting ground. Nearby she could hear Blu’s murmured prayer.

Justin motioned for the group to hide. She released a slow breath as she got back to her feet to keep her cool. She followed Ezra into the bush and crouched close to him, inching ever closer as the hellhounds blew right by them. They were closely followed by the wiccans, and Arabelle only dared to peek out of a gap in the bush to search for the blonde healer. Thankfully she was not among them.

While Arabelle was thankful that the woman with the hellhounds had taken the other group’s bait, she was still nervous as they approached the wiccans home. Nervous enough that when Justin literally floated over to a window, she wasn’t the least bit impressed. He carried bad news with him when he returned. Her lips pressed into a tight line. Did the leader know the skull was with Georgie? Even if it was in her pocket dimension? Or were they just going to raid their poor, trashed manor again?

Wildly enough, Arabelle found herself nodding in agreement when Oscar suggested she speak with the healer alone. While it was horrible to think of the others distracting the wiccans that remained behind, she wanted the healer’s treachery to remain a secret. Blu appeared on the other side of Ezra. Arabelle looked over the young Vanburen’s face as he explained his abstraction and chewed on her lip in thought. It could work. She’d just have to hope that the healer was the only blonde left in the resort.

Ezra seemed to be thinking the same thing. She wasn’t happy to hear that half of the group would have to cause a scene in order to make this work, but it was a better shot than sneaking inside and risking exposure.

Arabelle was already looking Ezra’s way when he turned to ask her for a description. “No mask, thankfully. She must have taken it off to look for the skull.” She turned her attention to Blu and tried her best to describe her. “The healer is a little taller than I am. She appears to be in her late twenties or early thirties. Her hair is platinum blonde, almost white, and her eyes are a bright blue- almost grey.” Arabelle’s hand fidgeted by her side as she tried to explain the healer in more detail. “She has… a small nose. Nice cheekbones. A septum piercing… and she was wearing dramatic black eyeshadow. Her eyebrows are brown, though.” She trailed off, giving Blu an apologetic smile and glancing between him and Ezra. “Is that, uh, enough?” She then glanced at Justin. “Did you see a woman in there that fits the description?”

CHILDREN OF LEE - THE FIRST GENERATION OF SUPERHEROES

Elle Miller

---

“I could take it.”

Elle heard Henry’s reply and turned her head towards him, still slowly making her way towards her friends on the couch. She’d been unsure of his reaction and hadn’t expected anything but a shrug, and yet… “I could take it.” The simple words meant more than what was implied. It sounded heroic. Elle’s eyes followed his body movement and noticed that he was rubbing his forearm. She looked back up at him immediately and simply nodded when he continued. She couldn’t imagine what pain he went through, and she also couldn’t imagine what the damage the rock would have caused if he hadn’t been there. The whole town owed Olin for what he did.

Helen came rocketing out of nowhere and onto the couch, and Elle had heard bits and pieces of what the fastest boy in town was saying to Willow before Henry snorted in amusement. Elle was glad that his boisterous mood had returned and smiled back at him. The hard conversation now blown away with the idea of hearing what Willow saw of the rock monster. Elle noticed the bit of space Henry had left for her and took it. With her own mischievous mood returning she grinned wide as the smell of mary jane hit her in Helen’s presence. “Girl, you’re fried.” She looked at Helen and raised her brows to share her amusement.

Her attention then turned to Dexter, who was now giving Henry a thumbs up. Her balance shifted, the iced drink finally hitting her, and she swayed a second before resting a hand on Henry’s arm to hold herself still. “What’s the plan, then?” She asked no one in particular, glancing at the three of them on the couch. She looked to her friend, who was still locked in Helen’s hug. “Did you see something, Willow?” Dexter’s words about a manhole were now catching up to her and she removed her hand from Henry’s arm to stand straighter. “If you’re going looking for who’s behind this, I’m coming with.”

Recollections: Magnanimous

“You should be there to go meet this girl.”

Arabelle glanced away from Georgie as her attention was turned towards Liao. What was it they were saying? She simply gave him a small nod, still a little confused. The skull was pulled from her hand and Arabelle returned to Georgie in time to hear her explanation of her “Garden.” Arabelle blinked and her mind raced. Then what Georgie said made perfect sense as a small tear in the fabric of reality was opened near her head. Arabelle peered inwards. Fields of bushes and flowers lay beyond, and… all of the sealed objects that once stood in the manor oddly stood between them. Arabelle watched the skull land inside like it was nothing but an unwanted piece of bone among Georgie’s collection. She could have peered inside for much longer, but the portal quickly dissipated into nothingness. The night was cold and dark again. As Georgie returned to her tea, Arabelle was left to compare Georgie’s expanse of lush green to her own bare innards of a mirror portal. If only she could decorate it.

“Did she just walk away with the Horned God in her personal dimension?”

Arabelle pressed her lips together and took the seat that Georgie had just been in. She pulled her coat closer to her neck and took a moment to think about the situation as the others continued to plan. Oscar volunteered himself to go with her to meet the healer. She had to agree that he was the most pleasant of the Vanburens. Trisha and Shane agreed to go with the group that wanted to trap the cult. Arabelle was more concerned for that group’s safety than she would verbally admit. At least the cult would be distracted while her group spoke with the healer, but was it really the right move? Would they be able to handle a confrontation between the few of them that were going? She wasn’t sure if she should voice that opinion or not in case it dampened their spirit going into it.

She heard Ezra’s quiet words to Sabrina. He was right to say that Georgie shouldn’t be left alone with this cult on the loose. While the cult had no idea that Georgie now possessed the Horned God, she wondered if their tracking spells would latch on to her from now on. It wouldn’t be right to leave her alone now. Arabelle secretly hoped that Sabrina wouldn’t go with the group that would confront the cult. Especially now that Ezra agreed to join Arabelle’s attempt to contact the healer.

“I don’t know if anyone here has anything that makes them stealthy.”

Arabelle gave him a sideways glance at this. Was he forgetting to mention her abstraction on purpose? If she had one mental image of the inside of the cult’s compound, she could easily sneak a few of them inside. Getting out would be their only concern, really. Sure, she had a bum shoulder now, but she wouldn’t need to fight. She just needed to get them in and out. “At the very least, I know that I can get us quietly through just about any locked door.” So he was offering himself up in case things went south. Perhaps she could be the getaway car if he depleted himself without her help in the first place.

Arabelle rose slowly as Blu attempted to offer his help. She didn’t know Blu much, but at least he appeared to be selfless. He could make people feel better? She wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but perhaps it was a way to manipulate others emotions. It could come in handy for either team if applied the right way. That would be up to Blu to decide.

With her thoughts in order, Arabelle glanced at Oscar before looking Ezra’s way. “I think it would be best if Georgie came with us, if she chooses to leave the house. I don’t want her alone if she is to keep the skull, and I certainly don’t want her near the cult. If the others decide to confront them, Georgie should be far away from the fight that might ensue.

I don’t want the healer to know that Georgie has the skull, either. Instead, I think we should tell her that the skull is being kept in a place we can decide upon. If the cult attempts to retrieve the skull from that place, we will know that she isn’t worthy of our trust.”

Arabelle leaned back in the chair. “If the cult comes for Georgie, I can also get her to a safe location with only a mirror. The healer doesn’t know how I escaped from the manor, thankfully, so she won’t be expecting that either. In fact I don’t think any of the cult members know, but they must think I have some sort of way to get in and out of a room with no exit. Otherwise their hound would have gotten me.” She tried not to grimace in response to that horrible memory.

“I also want to make it clear that I don’t think the healer will lie to us if we speak to her. I can’t think of a reason why she’d hand the skull over to me when she could have easily overpowered me. I hit my shoulder when I ran from the hound, but I'm sure she could have done worse if she wanted to.” Arabelle tried not to flush with embarrassment as she admitted to that.

CHILDREN OF LEE - THE FIRST GENERATION OF SUPERHEROES

Elle Miller

---

Elle tried not to look too proud as the crowd began to cheer her victory. In fact, she wasn’t sure she’d have made that last throw if it weren’t for Evelyn’s power-up. Which was pretty unexpected and nearly threw her off guard. Should she thank Evelyn for that? Nah, it wasn’t like she needed it. She was doing just fine on her own and it wasn’t like she was desperate to win either.

Still, the cheering of the crowd, whom she’d never heard cheer for her before, and Evelyn’s aura breeze had her grinning wide as she watched Henry come her way. She happily moved to return the fist bump only to feel utter shock and betrayal as he revealed the drink in his hand. Her jaw dropped. “Congratulations cutie, you’re cold as ice.” Elle looked up at him from the drink. Her shocked expression softened into amusement, and any smart comment she could have given him was lost by the fact that he called her ”cutie”. So she shook her head as she took the bottle from his hand. “You sore loser.” She muttered with a sly grin.

She glanced around once and was glad to see that most of the crowd gathered around the table had returned to the party. Then she used her sleeve to twist off the cap, knelt on one knee, and began to chug at it. Halfway through the bottle she playfully gave Henry the bird and held it in front of her face to hide the slight flushing of her cheeks until she finished. She took a deep breath after and held the bottle high before getting back onto her feet. She swayed a little, but played it off smoothly with a grin as she wiped her mouth with her sleeve. “I’ll get you one day, Olin.” She shook a finger at him, and that was when she noticed Dexter and Willow on the couch.

“Hey, you know Willow, Helen, and I were on Main Street Friday?” She asked Henry, nodding her head towards Willow and Dexter. “We saw everything, but we couldn’t figure out who was behind Rocky Balboa.” She began to move towards the couch, but she looked over at Henry to make sure he would follow. “I’m not sure you want to talk about it, but you might want to hear if Willow found anything.” She cleared her throat a little. “You really stepped up against that thing, by the way.”

Recollections: Magnanimous

Arabelle was still looking at the skull with disdain as Justin made his way over to touch the skull. Her hand held tightly to its base in the fear that he’d snatch it away and her eyebrows furrowed as he continued to touch it, pull away, and touch it again. A random skull? It hadn’t even occurred to her that the healer might have thrown her the wrong sealed apparition. At least this was confirmation, in Justin’s own odd way.

Ezra’s words made her turn her head in his direction. She was glad to hear him support her idea. He was a grown man by the time she was old enough to have a personality; he’d moved out of the house before she was able to know him. Yet he’d picked her up from the hospital, and was now defending her. It was comforting to know she had made one connection with the family today. He held his hand out to her and offered to take the skull but Arabelle didn’t hand it over. He was trustworthy, yes, but something told her not to give the skull away so easily. She was its protector now, until they could find a better place for it.

“Do you have her number?”

Arabelle stiffened and looked at the skull as she realized her answer would be “no.” Her cheeks were just starting to burn with the frustration of it before she was saved by another Vanburen. While she was trying to figure out what her “Garden” was, Arabelle watched Georgie as she offered two plans. Attempt to contact the healer and gain more of her trust, or wait for another ambush with added protection. Justin countered and Arabelle had to agree with him. She had a life outside of the Vanburen home. She couldn’t just abandon it because of this cult.

“Have we thought about just giving them the skull?”

Arabelle’s jaw dropped. Thankfully Shane stepped in to explain why that would be a horrible idea so she wouldn’t have to. Then relief passed through her when he turned to her and agreed to find the healer first, and then Oscar as well. “They were all sealed by dad for a reason and we shouldn’t let them out.” Arabelle felt a pang within her at the mention of James. If he’d been here, he could have settled this easily.

Oscar made a move to touch the skull. Arabelle watched him closely, still reluctant to hand it over to anyone at all. She was still wondering if Georgie could take it when Oscar asked the Vanburen woman about James’s notes. Arabelle didn’t remember seeing anything about this Triple Goddess when she went through them, but there were plenty of apparitions mentioned. She could have overlooked it.

The others continued to talk, either grumbling about the current situation or offering better advice than the last. Georgie revealed that James had in fact mentioned the Triple Goddess and Horned God multiple times. Then she continued to explain the power that the two apparitions would have if together. It was unsettling to think of. She looked back at Ezra, just in case she could see what he was thinking on his face, and he motioned towards Georgie with the hand he’d offered her. Arabelle glanced Georgie’s way only to find Tansy standing before her. The embarrassment that she didn’t have a way to contact the healer returned. This time she didn’t flush- no, instead she eyed Tansy with a look of steel. The girl was spouting subtle accusations at her with a voice that made her feel like she was drowning in corn syrup. Arabelle’s lips parted as if she was going to retaliate, but the little bitch continued. “You must be relieved and there’s nothing wrong with that! You’ve already done so much for this family. If you need help with anything while you’re out of commission, let me know.”

Arabelle’s expression had turned from steel to utterly vexed. She began to bare her teeth as if she had a few indecent words to say and the adopted Vanburen was lucky that she turned away before Arabelle could begin. She shut her mouth, quietly fuming to herself until Georgie got in a few good jabs at Tansy for her. Ezra’s apologetic frown wasn’t enough to settle the simmering feeling within her, but hearing those words from George did the trick.

Arabelle felt her mind settle, but she sent a small huff in Tansy’s direction as she handed the skull over to Georgie. That gesture alone was enough to explain how she stood with Georgie now. She still didn’t know what the “Garden” was, but she felt enough respect towards the younger Vanburen now that she assumed the skull would be safe with her. “What is this Garden, anyways?” She asked quietly so that the others wouldn’t be interrupted. “Is it what you call your abstraction?”

CHILDREN OF LEE - THE FIRST GENERATION OF SUPERHEROES

Elle Miller

---

“Just seemed like you were itching for a game.”

Elle playfully rolled her eyes in response, although Henry was already distracted by the beers. Whatever he may have meant by that comment wasn’t a concern as the intoxication began to settle in. To mask the level of her buzz, Elle stepped forwards and placed both hands on either side of the pong setup. She casually leaned her weight onto her arms and tilted her head like she was waiting for the beer. Switching to a lighter drink seemed like a good idea. Rad Chad really knew how to spike the punch, in a good way.

Henry’s attention was pulled towards the couch to whom he smiled and waved. Elle followed his gaze, secretly hoping that Titus had not returned, and was happy to see Willow sitting where she once sat. She was glad that the other wallflower of the town came out. In fact, she hadn’t seen Willow since Friday evening. Elle was replaying her final words to Willow that evening as she gave her friend a smile as a hello. Either Willow hadn’t searched for any reason behind the golem or she didn’t find anything pressing to tell them sooner. Hell, maybe her parents didn’t let her out of their sight until things cooled off.

Some of the football team nearby began to howl like wolves on a full moon and Elle’s attention returned to her opponent on the other side of the table. One of Elle’s eyebrows rose as she beheld Henry’s massive arm curled to show off the muscle under his scales. The beer was now rolling down his forearm. Elle pulled away from the table as she realized that he was about to bump the beer to her like a volleyball. She took a step back and held her hands in front of her. In one all too fast move the beer was flying towards her. This had to be the most impressive beer toss that Leesburgh High had seen in years.

The beer flew higher than Elle expected. In response she took another step back, hoping no one was too close behind her, and successfully caught the can at chest level. As she uprighted the can she began to shake her head at Henry’s second shotgun of the game, her finger tapping the lid to calm the beer before she cracked it open. “You’re impossible to keep up with,” she said the moment Henry discovered the ball squashed beneath his foot. She laughed quietly to herself. “Y’know, I think Chad goes through more pong balls than the entire state alone.” She quipped with a grin in Chad’s direction. She had to admit that she was pretty funny when she was drinking. Plus, this game was fun. She could feel herself relaxing with each moment. It was the atmosphere or the alcohol to thank for that. The uncomfortable moment with Titus earlier was no longer in mind.

Henry’s next shot tanked. Instead of laughing with him, Elle raised her beer into the air as he lifted his next to his lips. “Hell, I’ll drink on that one too.” Her tone was empathetic as she took a long swig. She leaned forwards to pick up the ball, only then smiling at Henry as she posed for her next shot by leaning on the balls of her feet to get more air over the table. “It’s up to you if we count that one, buut,” she started to say, extending the end of that last word as she tossed the ball towards the cups, “You do have to count this one.” Elle watched the ball fly towards the cups, and rested back on her heels as it sank right into the cup next to the one Henry had sunk his own throw into.

Elle grinned and looked up at Henry for his reaction. She exuded complete confidence in that moment, as if she’d known it would sink before she’d thrown it. Yet to those closest to the table, Elle’s eyes shined with the excitement of actually making the cup.

Recollections: Magnanimous

“Well, Miss Matthews, everything came out okay with your scans. No major tears or fractures to be seen, but you’ll need to follow the usual treatment for dislocations.”

Great.

The doctor before her set down a small stack of instructional and medical papers. Arabelle glanced over them quickly. Fortunately for her, she wouldn’t have to come back for any treatment. She didn’t see anything about seeing a physical therapist but she had an inkling that at least one appointment would be recommended. Arabelle would politely refuse.

“You’ll only need to wear the sling for a few days. I want you to wear it for two nights while you sleep with a pillow tucked under your arm for support.” The doctor continued as she helped Arabelle stick her arm into the fabric trap. Arabelle couldn’t feel a thing in her shoulder, but she knew that it would have hurt to move it without the painkillers.

Once the sling was properly secured, the doctor held up a bottle before slipping it into a paper bag, along with her instructional papers. “Take one pill in the morning and one at night with water and crackers for your stomach. There should be enough to last you until your shoulder is doing better. The papers have information and resources for physical therapy, but you can also look up treatment exercises online through our website.”

“Unless you have any further questions, I think we’re all wrapped up here.” The doctor finished with a smile. Arabelle nodded before pushing herself onto her feet.

“I don’t have any questions now, but if I do I’ll contact a PT.” She smiled at the nurse and took her goody bag, stuffing it into the hand that poked just barely out of the sling. “Thank you, Doctor.”

The doctor returned the smile. “It’s my pleasure, Miss Matthews. Let me help you with your cardigan.” Arabelle watched her with an awkward silence as the doctor turned to the chair by the door. She took a step forward, just in time to prevent the doctor from also picking up the (super fucking weird) ram skull hidden underneath.

Arabelle cleared her throat and scooped it up with her good arm before clutching it to her chest. “Sorry, it’s a- um, a family heirloom. Just want to make sure it doesn’t fall.”

I can never come back here again. Arabelle thought as the doctor raised an eyebrow.

“Mhm”

Yep. Never coming back.

The doctor placed her cardigan over her shoulders, said a short goodbye, and led her far enough out of the wing that Arabelle could find her own way out. Arabelle would have flushed in embarrassment if she hadn’t seen Ezra down the hall.

“Let’s go before they admit me to the psych ward.” Arabelle muttered to Ezra before she continued towards the exit. She wanted to get this ram skull back to the estate as quickly as possible.

---

Arabelle returned to the estate with too much on her mind. As she walked inside, her body shaking without her coat to protect her from the winter night, Arabelle immediately headed for her coat in the closet closest to the door. Thankfully the Vanburens were already gathering for a family meeting and missed the awkward display of Arabelle shuffling the coat over her shoulders. She wasn’t sure how she was going to manage wearing a sling for four days if it was this difficult to wear for an hour.

She could hear the whistle of a kettle from the kitchen. Tea time, right. Who would be making tea without a servant to help? Arabelle figured it was Georgie. She never missed tea time. Arabelle headed down the hall and towards the kitchen, but it seemed that she’d just missed the Vanburen sister. She was hoping not to miss the beginning of the meeting. Although what she had to say would be enough to explain why the cult attacked in the first place, she wanted to know what the others thought had happened first. Well, unless Ezra explained her hospital visit for her before she made it out there. Into the cold, cold night. Arabelle took a breath to compose herself as she made a hot mug of tea with honey to sweeten it. She sipped it on her way towards the others, anxiously pondering their reactions to her side adventure.

She stepped into the freezing air just in time to hear the beginning of the speech.

Arabelle stood a few feet from the circle with her back to the warm light of the estate home. She listened to the ghost facer’s opening lines. He seemed experienced enough to know what steps to take next, and even though he was young… too young, she listened to him closely. To hear that they already knew where the cult had its base was surprising. Arabelle honestly didn’t think the family was smart enough to put in that detective work. Especially within such a short amount of time. She glanced towards Shane for a moment and wondered if she underestimated the hermit, but she also figured it was partly because of Justin that it happened so swiftly.

They hadn’t even put a tarp over the hole in the estate yet. Was that what they were doing instead of working on repairs? Arabelle pressed her lips into a tight line. Was she the only one that cared about the state of their home?

By the end of his monologue Arabelle was fully ready to step forwards to explain the ram skull shoved between her elbow and ribs. Maybe even to object to fighting the cult without reason as well. Unfortunately the other Vanburen’s beat her to it. She was glad to hear one Vanburen was already against the fight. It wasn’t surprising that Oscar was taking Justin’s advice sincerely, since the Vanburen had invited them in the first place. Yet her eyebrows rose as Oscar described the abstractions of the wiccans. He had a point to strike first. Did he really think the others were capable of it? She hadn’t been around to see them in action, but based on her knowledge of their character she was only sure a few of them could hold their own in an offensive position.

“There’s also a healer.” The other expert, Tuyen, mentioned, and it lit a lightbulb in Arabelle’s mind. The healer was the woman that gave her the ram. Arabelle realized that she didn’t even remember her name. She blamed that tiny mistake on the shock of dislocating her shoulder.

"Going to have to put that cult down. Sooner or later."

Shane’s gruff voice sent shivers down her spine and Arabelle turned her head to give him an incredulous look. Was he suggesting what she thought he was suggesting? Yes, they’d broken into the estate, wrecked it beyond simple repair, and attacked them with water, fire, and hellhounds, but from what she gathered from the healer, they were extremely misguided. It didn’t warrant any bloodshed. His first words were enough to leave Arabelle apprehensive of what he had to say next. Still, she found herself surprised by his capabilities as he mentioned maps, the knowledge of a few of the wiccan’s names, and the possible locations of a few. It was enough to make Arabelle consider the quiet, brooding Vanburen in a different light. Perhaps he was capable of all of this before the experts arrived. How much else could he figure out on his own? Arabelle was now considering how much time Shane may have spent in his father’s study, before or after his passing.

Arabelle watched Shane as she finished voicing his thoughts and retreated to the edge of the balcony. He may very well have convinced most of the Vanburens to fight before she could get a say in. Before any others could follow after him, Arabelle took a breath and put her mug into her sling hand. It was time to make her own stand. She kept her head high as stepped her way into the circle, reaching for the ram skull under her arm. As soon as she’d taken her place among them she held it out into the center of the group by its horn.

“This is what they came here for.” Arabelle stated plainly as she looked at each of them. “The Horned God,” Arabelle tried not to visibly shudder as she spoke his name, ”is sealed within this skull.” Just saying it aloud sent shivers down her fingertips, up her arms, and to the back of her neck. His voice was an eerie caress across her mind that threatened to scatter her thoughts. He was still trying to convince her to set him free.

“A woman within the cult- the healer, spoke to me before I escaped. I confronted her in a room where she was searching for this. She is against this Morgana and the Triple Goddesses plan to release him, saying that most of the wiccans are misguided and unaware of what they are doing. What she said could be a ruse, I know, but she still gave this to me for protection.”

She turned towards the Liao ghost detective.

“Why would she hand this over so easily if it is what her leader wants? If this healer is truly against their plans, she may know a way to stop the cult without violence. She could tell us plenty more about this Triple Goddess and any weaknesses as well.” Arabelle glanced at Shane on that note to prove she’d been listening before she spoke to the other Vanburens in the circle. “I think we should try to contact her before we make any hasty decisions.”

Finished with her speech, Arabelle lowered her arm and looked down at the skull. She was careful not to look into its empty eye sockets. “We also need to decide what to do with this in the meantime.” The corners of her mouth tugged downwards in what could only be disdain.

Recollections: Magnanimous

Whoops