KAIROS | CHAPTER THREE

"I SHOULD HAVE BEEN
GIVEN A REWARD FOR
KEEPING MY MOUTH SHUT
WHEN THERE WAS SO MUCH
TO BE SAID. "

October 31st, 1993 (9:08 PM)

The black cat practically tackled Max to the ground once they got outside, "Nice going, Max!" He exclaimed, his tone condescending. "It's all your fault."

"You can talk!"

"No kidding!" Thackery exclaimed once more, "Now, get the spellbook!" When the brunette hadn't moved, Thackery slapped him with his paw, "Come on! Move it!"

Max had run inside, smashing the glass case and grabbing the spellbook, before running back outside. The group ran into the woods, out to the street that the old cemetery was on. Thackery lead them to the gate, "Come on! This is a graveyard!" Max exclaimed.

"It's hallowed ground," Thackery refuted. "Witches can't step foot here."

Thackery jumped through the gate, "Follow me!"

Max, Dani, and Allison opened the gate, entering the cemetery. Riley stood on the sidewalk, awkwardly rubbing her arms up and down. Max looked back at her, a frown on his lips. "Are you coming?"

"Y-Yeah, it's just. . . I haven't seen that cat since 1693."

"So it's true? You're her daughter?"

"Yep, unfortunately." She sighed, "You saw me in the cemetery, earlier. I can go in, found a way around it, but I'm scared."

Thackery ran towards them, "Violetta, get moving. Now!" He demanded, his tone venomous as her name left his lips. The word sounded like poison, stinging her as she looked to him.

"Someone's still holding a grudge. . ." She muttered, before following her friends inside.

"Over here!" Thackery exclaimed, "I wanna show you something. Give you an idea of exactly what we're dealing with."

The teens, and Dani, walked down the stone steps, and came face-to-fur with Thackery Binx. He was stood on a headstone, that of William Butcherson.

"William Butcherson? Lost soul?" Max read aloud.

Thackery nodded, "Billy Butcherson was-"

"My father." Riley interrupted. "He had an affair with my aunt Sarah, so Mother poisoned him and sewed his mouth shut with a dull needle so he couldn't rat her out."

Allison looked at the cat, "You're Thackery Binx?"

"Yes."

"So, the legends are true." She then turned to Riley, "And you're Violetta Sanderson, the missing daughter of Winifred. The one who was believed to bring her back."

Riley cringed, "I wouldn't have brought that bitch back if there was a gun to my head. The rumors about Mother are true, but not the ones about me. Hell, I even heard a rumor that I-"

"Killed Thackery Binx." Allison finished, looking between the girl and the cat. "Did you two even know each other?"

"Yes, very well." Was all Thackery said, before changing the subject. "Well, come along. I want to show you something else." He lead them to another grave, one that Riley knew all too well. "Because of me, my little sister's life was stolen. For years, after Violetta went into hiding, I waited for my life to end so I could be reunited with my family. But, Winifred's curse of immortality kept me alive. Then, one day, I figured out what to do with my eternal life. Now, I'd failed Emily, but I wouldn't fail again." He looked at Allison, "Violetta hid her true identity to keep herself safe, and I believed that she was just like her foul mother when I discovered who she was. . . moments before Emily's death. But, she'd tried to help many children by that time, and had failed."

Riley sighed, "I told Thackery to give up, which he didn't." She looked to Max, "I told you I lived on Skid Row for two years, that was thirty years ago. I've done every drug known to man, drank every form of alcohol, and have despised myself for years because of that night." She then turned to Thackery, "But now, I refuse to allow my mother to take another life - unless it's mine. I created a binding spell, one that I made for when this day would come. If I die, so does my mother. It only works one way, though, thankfully."

"For three centuries I've guarded the house on All Hallows Night, when I knew some airhead virgin might light that candle. Violetta warned you, Max. You should have listened."

Max rolled his eyes, "Hey, look, I'm sorry. Okay?" He stood up, "We're talking about three ancient hags versus the 20th century! How bad can it be?"

"Bad." Both, Thackery and Riley said in unison.

Allison had opened the spellbook, causing Thackery to yell. "Stay out of there! Give the book to Violetta. . . she's it's rightful owner."

"Let's torch it!" Max exclaimed, but was quickly shut down.

"You can't. There are enchantments on it." Riley sighed, before turning to Allison. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

Allison shrugged, "It's fine, I understand why you didn't. . . two questions, though." She looked between the girl and the cat, "First off, was he hot as a human? Secondly, were you two. . . you know, a thing?"

Riley's face grew red, "This is not the time-"

"What?" Thackery spoke, interrupting the girl. "Now is not the time for that discussion! To answer your irrelevant questions, Allison - Yes, I was hot by modern standards. No, we were not a thing, as much as I wanted us to be. It was forbidden, and we couldn't risk it. Violetta would have been killed by the townsfolk if they discovered that she was a witch. Now, can we please focus?"

Before anyone could speak, the laughter of the Sanderson sisters invaded their ears. "It's just a bunch of hocus pocus!" Winifred mocked, before her eyes landed on her daughter, "How are you standing on hallowed ground?!"

"It's called loopholes, Mother." She yelled back, the book tight in her grasp.

Winifred rolled her eyes, before calling her book. It fought against Riley's hands, before flying from her palms; Thackery jumped onto the book, anchoring it to the ground. "'Fraid not!"

"Thackery Binx, thou mangey feline. Still alive?"

"And waiting for you!"

"Oh!" Winifred smiled, "Thou hast waited in vain, and thou will fail to save thy friends, just as thou failed to save thy sister!"

Thackery hissed, before Winifred began to fly toward them. "Grab the book!" He yelled, before running. Riley listened, following her friend through the cemetery. Soon, they were surrounded by the witches, right in front of Riley's father's grave.

"They can't touch us here, right?" Max asked.

"Well, they can't." Thackery spoke, causing the three to look at him. Riley was preparing herself, slipping the spellbook into her duffle bag and fastening it shut.

"Bag of mine, stayed sealed shut, open to others you shall not." She whispered, causing her bag to sparkle momentarily. She then looked up towards her mother, "Do it, I dare you. You will find that the results of your cruelty are not to your benefit."

Winifred rolled her eyes. "Unfaithful lover long since dead. Deep asleep in thy wormy bed. Wiggle thy toes, open thine eyes, twist thy fingers toward the sky. Life is sweet, be not shy. On thy feet. So sayeth I!"

The ground began to shake, and her father's coffin slowly raised to the surface. It was quiet for a moment, before the dead man burst through the wooden coffin. How had he not fully decayed, yet? He sat up, looking to the teens. He was confused, it was obvious. They screamed, running away from the man, but Riley stayed put.

Billy looked to his headstone, releasing an annoyed groan, before looking to his daughter. "Father, 'tis I." She smiled, tears in her eyes. "Mother's trying to hurt my friends. We're on hallowed ground, so she is trying to use you to hurt us - to hurt me."

The man growled, looking to the sky.

"Catch those children! Get up! Get out of that ditch!"

He looked between Riley and Winifred, sending his daughter a sorrowful look. She nodded, placing her hand on his shoulder as he began to get up. "Father dearest, listen to my cry, hurt us not, close thy eyes. Go back to sleep, forevermore, no longer listen to thy former whore."

Within moments, Billy slowly sunk back into his grave. His coffin lowered itself, and Riley's eyes met those of her mothers. "You are no longer stronger than me. I will not allow you to hurt anyone else! You'll have to kill me, first."

Winifred smiled, "No problem with that."

She struck the girl with electricity, sending her flying, before screaming in pain, herself. Riley had hit her head on a gravestone, falling unconscious on the ground as her family flew off to tend to Winifred's wound.

Thackery lead the others to the old Salem crypt, before going back out to search for Riley. He found her, and his heart stopped for a moment. He saw her chest moving, signaling that she was still alive, but her head was gushing blood. The deep gash on her forehead made his stomach churn, and he immediately ran to her side.

"Violetta!" He yelled, panic in his tone as he jumped onto her chest. "Violetta, wake up! Please."

She hadn't moved, so he ran to fetch Max. "Max, I need you to crawl out of there and come help me."

"Why? What's going on?"

"It's Violetta! She's been knocked out, and she has a really nasty gash in her forehead."

...

"So, Thackery." Allison spoke, finishing the wrapping on Riley's head. "What happened between you two?"

"We were best friends, I fell in love with her, and then I despised her for years after I discovered who she was. . . seeing her now is, just. . . well-"

"Nostalgic?"

"I was going to say kairotic, but yeah, sure."