ACT I — CHAPTER XII
Aɴ Exᴏʀᴄɪsᴍ ⵊɴ Gʀᴇᴇɴᴅᴀʟᴇ

───  ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅  ───

The whole ordeal with Jesse Putnam left Lydia exhausted. So, once Ambrose left her room after spending nearly an hour making sure she was okay, she fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

The next morning, Lydia was awoken by her sister, who was vigorously shaking her.

"Satan, what do you want?" Lydia grumbled, pulling her blanket up in order to cover her head.

"Look what I found in the mines last night," Sabrina said, shaking Lydia more.

"Can't you just tell me?"

She could practically see Sabrina roll her eyes, "It's a trapping stone. I'm almost positive that Jesse broke it in the mines, which would explain how he freed the demon, like you said."

Lydia pulled the blanket off and sat up, looking at what Sabrina was holding. It was a stone tablet that had been broken in half, but when they were together they formed the image of a worm.

"Do you think that's enough to find out the demon's name?" Lydia asked.

"I'm not sure, but I was thinking that we could look through Ambrose's book, see if we can find it there."

"You're a genius, 'Brina, a true genius! Come on, the sooner we start, the better," Lydia said, jumping out of bed, suddenly full of energy. Sabrina grabbed her hand before she could get too far, causing her to turn around.

"There's something else," Sabrina said, her voice low, "Ms. Wardwell followed me into the mines last night?"

"What?"

"She was trying to get me to talk about, well, everything. I told her that if I saw her again, I'd tell Father Blackwood," Sabrina told her, "So just keep your eyes peeled. If Ms. Wardwell tries anything, we have to go straight to the High Priest."

Lydia nodded, promising that she would. Then Sabrina stood up and they went to Ambrose's room, with Lydia knocked on his door.

"Come in!" he called. The twins walked in, and Ambrose put his head in his hands.

"Well if it isn't Thing 1 and Thing 2, here to make my life even more of a living Hell than it already is," he sighed, then looked up at them, "What is it now, cousins?"

"I found this in the mines," Sabrina said, handing the broken tablet to him, "I think Jesse broke it, and that's how the demon was freed. And we were wondering —"

"If you would let us look through your books to see if we can figure out his name?" Lydia asked, finishing her sister's question.

Ambrose looked over the tablet for a moment, studying it.

"This should help us narrow it down, although not by much. Any demons that have to do with snakes or worms are possible culprits. But I've got time, and I'm guessing you two wouldn't be here if you didn't. We'll start with these ones," he said, picking up some books from his desk and handing them to the twins.

"Thanks, Ambrose," Lydia said, and then the three of them went straight to work.

The three spent nearly two and a half hours reading book after book, looking for any connection to the tablet. Lydia's stomach had been grumbling nonstop, and she kept nodding off.

Lydia flipped the page of the book she was currently reading, her chin resting on her hand. Her eyes skimmed the page, then flipped the page. Then her eyes widened, and she flipped back to the previous page. She read it over again, and a smile grew on her face.

"Got you, asshole," she murmured.

"Huh?" Ambrose mumbled.

"His name's Apophis," Lydia told him, moving the book so that Aabrina and Ambrose could read it. She pointed to a symbol on the page, that resembled one on the tablet, "If we fuse the pieces together, can we trap the demon, like I did to Batibat?"

Ambrose picked up the tablet and put the pieces together, setting them on the chest that was in front of them.

"You'll have to get it out of Jesse Putnam first," Ambrose told them.

Lydia sighed. There lies the issue: how are they going to get a demon out of him?

─ ༓ ─

It wasn't until Demonology class at the Academy of Unseen Arts that the idea struck her. An exorcism. It was so blatantly obvious that she couldn't believe she didn't think of it. But with that, there was another issue: can a witch even perform an exorcism?

"Originally, from the time of Homer, the word 'demon' was used to describe a being of benevolence," Father Blackwood lectured, "Of course, that meaning has been perverted by the false church, and now carries with it connotations of malevolence."

"Father Blackwood?" Lydia called out, raising her hand.

Blackwood gave her an unamused look, "Yes, Miss Spellman?"

"Is it possible for a witch to perform an exorcism?"

The Weird Sisters, who were unfortunately in that class as well, laughed at her question. Lydia resisted the urge to shoot them a glare.

"Miss Spellman, I'm not sure what the question has to do with anything we're discussing in this seminar, but no, witches may not," Blackwood answered, "Someone tell Lydia, please, why that is?"

"Exorcisms are a Catholic rite, in which male priests call upon the false god for assistance to expel demons," Prudence explained, a snide smile on her face.

"Correct," Blackwood said, "Now, as I was saying, the ancient Assyrians, particularly, were —"

"Father Blackwood?" Lydia called out, again, raising her hand once more.

Blackwood rubbed his brow, "Yes, Miss Spellman?"

"Let's put ourselves into a hypothetical situation where my friend's uncle was being possessed by the Apophis. What if this hypothetical possession brought unwanted attention to the witches of Greendale?"

"That's not a concern, as possessions involving Apophis rarely last long," Blackwood explained.

"And why is that?" Lydia asked. Blackwood's face scrunched with annoyance, and then he stormed over to Lydia.

"Apophis is a parasitic demon, also known as the devouring worm," he told her, "He's hypothetically feasting on your friend's uncle from the inside out. If he's alive, he won't be for long."

"Then something should hypothetically be done about it, and fast," Lydia said.

"No need. As I said, this hypothetical mortal will be gone soon."

"Well, where would the demon go, once he's done feasting?"

"I imagine he'll do what all parasites do. Jump to another warm host," Blackwood explained, "Usually a body that's already come into contact with Apophis."

Shit, Lydia thought, tensing. Images of Susie in the same position as Jesse, looking like she was already dead came to mind.

"So, if witches can't perform exorcisms, can they — we, do anything? Banish it? Hypothetically speaking?" Lydia asked

"Some demons can be banished. More tenacious ones, like the devouring worm, would require an exorcism. Which, again, witches are not allowed or able to perform."

The bell rang, and with that, Blackwood released the class. Lydia stood up and left, looking for her sister, who just had Conjuring. To her surprise, Sabrina was outside her class waiting for her.

"So I was thinking," Sabrina began, "What if we performed an exorcism —"

"Already thought of that, and already asked Father Blackwood. He gave me some real attitude about it, but it can't be done by witches. Something about rites and the Catholic Church," Lydia told her.

"Hey, Lydia!"

Lydia turned around and saw Thomas, who had called her, and Nicholas walking toward them.

"Please just kill me now," Lydia muttered, and Sabrina slapped her arm. She turned back around.

"Hi," Lydia greeted. Thomas looked back at Nick, and then back to the brunette.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked. Lydia's eyebrows furrowed.

"Talk about what?" she questioned.

"Whatever's bothering you," he said, as if it were obvious. Lydia gave him a tight mile.

"Man, you know, I wish I could, but Sabrina and I gotta —"

"Save your friend's uncle? Exorcise a demon?"

Lydia's eyes widened, "That was a completely hypothetical situation that I made up —"

"No one is that stupid, no offense," Thomas told her.

"You're a rebel, Spellman," Nick said, although Lydia knew he wasn't talking to her, because he was looking at Sabrina when he said it, "That's how I like my witches."

"Nicholas, to be clear, I have a boyfriend," Sabrina reminded him.

"Yes, but you also have two natures," Nick pointed out, "You go to two schools. Why not date two guys?"

Lydia's jaw dropped. Why this was a conversation that Nick decided to have in front of her and Thomas was beyond her.

"I'm down with sharing," Nick continued.

Lydia looked at Sabrina, who had a very similar look on her face.

"You know, I think it's time for us to hit the road," Lydia said, "You guys have a good day, though."

Lydia grabbed Sabrina's wrist and began dragging her away.

"Lydia, wait!" Thomas called, following them.

"Meet me outside," Lydia said to Sabrina, who nodded. Sabrina left while Lydia turned around to face Thomas again.

"Was there something else you needed?" Lydia asked.

"Well, I keep hearing about your sister's boyfriend, but never about yours," Thomas said.

Lydia stared at him. This was a very hard-to-navigate topic.

"Well, that would be because I don't have one. Can't talk about something you don't have," Lydia said, an awkward, uncomfortable smile on her face. Thomas didn't seem to notice.

"In that case, I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me sometime?" he asked.

Surprisingly, Lydia was kind of flattered. People didn't usually like her. Or, if they did, they'd see Sabrina and leave her behind. But Thomas had seen Sabrina, and still favored her. It was weird, but made her feel nice in a way.

"Uh, I'm really sorry, but I'm kind of in this unfortunate phase in my life where I'm, like, hooked on one person who I don't think likes me. Or maybe they do. I don't know. But I can't seem to get over them. I'm sorry," Lydia blurted out. She was careful to keep the pronouns inconspicuous — she didn't want to accidentally out herself to him.

Thomas nodded his head slightly, "That's fine, don't worry about it. I just figured I'd see. But, if you do happen to get over them, let me know, okay?"

He gave her a quick wave and then walked away. Suddenly, Lydia felt bad about being so cold towards him.

─ ༓ ─

Before heading home, the twins stopped by Susie's house. Lydia ran up to the porch steps and knocked on their front door. When there was no answer, she peered through one of the windows, just to make sure no one was coming. When there was no sign of movement, she walked back to her sister.

"Any sign of them?" Sabrina asked. Lydia shook her head.

They departed from the Putnam's house in silence, at least until Sabrina suddenly spoke up.

"Lydia, we were baptized by the Catholic Church," she said.

Lydia raised her brows, "Yeah?"

"So then wouldn't we have the rite to perform an exorcism? Or at least get a priest or something to do one for us?" Sabrina asked.

"This, Sabrina, is why you are a true genius. A genius, I tell you!"

─ ༓ ─

"Aunties, we're home!" the twins called out. Lydia set her bag down by the door.

"How was the Academy, loves?" Hilda yelled from their living room.

The twins walked to where their aunt's voice had come from. Lydia immediately stopped in her tracks when she saw Ms. Wardwell sitting on the couch with both of her aunts.

"What are you doing here?" Sabrina asked.

"Lydia, Sabrina, please don't be cross," Wardwell pleaded, "Sabrina, after our encounter in the mines, and having recognized the demon Apophis on the stone, I became concerned that the two of you were putting yourselves in danger."

"Do our aunts know what you are?" Lydia asked.

"I've told them everything," Wardwell answered.

"Did you make sure to mention the part where you're a lying, stalking bitch?" Lydia asked.

"Language, Lydia!" Hilda scolded.

"What do you think about this?" Sabrina asked their aunts.

"I wish I could say we were surprised," Zelda began, "but this is just like Edward, isn't it, Hilda?"

Hilda nodded as Zelda continued, "It's insulting, of course, that he didn't think we'd be up to the task of protecting you ourselves."

"Well, maybe you aren't," Wardwell quipped.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Lydia and Sabrina have been finding themselves in increasingly difficult predicaments since fleeing their Sark Baptism."

"That is a good point —"

"Quiet, Hilda."

"Aunties, lying bitch —"

"Language!"

"Sorry, Aunt Hilda. Aunties, Ms. Wardwell, Jesse Putnam is going to die if we don't do anything!" Lydia exclaimed, her voice rising as she spoke, "And then our friends will be next. And if we can't get help from the Church of Night, we'll just go to that Catholic Church down the road."

"Have you lost your mind?" Zelda questioned, "Turning to the false church for help? Has your Aunt Hilda's excommunication taught you nothing?"

"I don't see what choice we have," Sabrina argued, "Father Blackwood told Lydia that there is no exorcism rite for witches to perform."

"Actually, it so happens Edward wrote a rite expressly for that purpose," Wardwell said, opening up the purse on her lap.

"And how, Ms. Wardwell, is that information at all helpful?" Zelda asked.

"Always thinking outside the box, Edward," Hilda muttered.

"It so happens, I have a copy of the rite with me," Wardwell said, pulling it out of her purse.

"Of course you do. Isn't that oh, so convenient," Lydia said.

Wardwell gave her a look for a moment, before continuing, "If Lydia and Sabrina insist on following this madness through, they should be armed with the proper tools at least."

"I'm sorry, are you actually suggesting that my nieces perform an exorcism?" Zelda questioned.

"We stopped by Susie's house on our way home from the Academy," Lydia began, "She and her dad aren't there, so if we act fast —"

"They're determined to, it seems," Wardwell interrupted. Lydia shot her a glare.

"You claim that your entire raison d'être is to protect the girls," Zelda scoffed.

"Well, it is," Wardwell stated, "And I shall be with them, of course. And, at the first sign of danger, I'll spirit them away."

"No. I won't allow it. I forbid it!" Zelda said, standing up from the couch.

"Aunt Zelda, we're not asking for your permission. We're doing it, and if Ms. Wardwell wants to chaperone us, fine," Wabrina told her.

"What?" Lydia asked, "I don't want her to come!"

"Compromises have to be made, 'Di," Sabrina muttered to her. Lydia sighed.

"Fine," she said, reluctantly, "But no whisking us away. I am not leaving that room until Jesse Putnam is free."

"It's a good thing Edward had me looking after you," Wardwell began, "Your aunts, it appears, would have you two perform the exorcism alone."

"No, not me," Hilda cut in, "I'll go as well."

"Hilda!" Zelda hissed, looking down at her sister, "Need I remind you the Church of Night expressly forbids performing exorcisms?"

"Yes, but I'm excommunicated, aren't I? So really, what have I got to lose?"

"Has the entire world gone mad?" Zelda exclaimed, "None of you are ordained!"

"Unlike the Catholic exorcism, which draws its potency not on the priest performing it, but from the false god, Edward's rite relies on the power of the individual witch challenging the demon, and on the continuum of witches that predates us all," Wardwell explained.

"Well, in that case, Ms. Wardwell, what are we waiting for?" the twins asked. Wardwell and Hilda stood up from the couch.

"Sabrina, Lydia, you can't possibly trust this stranger, can you?" Zelda asked.

"Oh, no, I don't trust her at all, Aunt Zee," Lydia told her, "But unfortunately this lying bitch —"

"Language, Lydia!"

"Sorry, Aunt Hilda, sorry. Unfortunately, this liar is our only option," Lydia finished.

And with that, the four witches left the Spellman house in order to do what could very well be the impossible.

─ ༓ ─

The Putnam house looked eerier than it had when the twins had previously stopped by. The four slowly walked up to the house.

"Have you guys ever seen The Exorcism?" Lydia asked. The others all shook their heads.

"I haven't either," Lydia continued, "But I did see the Shrek version of it. Point is, it feels like that scene where Shrek walks up to Pinocchio's house."

They entered the house and then walked upstairs to Jesse Putnam's room. Lydia slowly opened the door, and could immediately hear the demon groaning in pain.

"How lovely," the demon spat upon seeing Lydia enter the room, "You're back. And you brought your friends. Four little piggies, all pink and plump and ripe for eating!"

"I'm pretty sure there were only three little piggies, so your metaphor is irrelevant," Lydia said, "And my sister took a little trip to the mines last night and found out your real name."

"Apophis. Devouring worm," the four witches said in unison.

"The Putnams could return at any moment. We should begin," Wardwell advised.

"There's nothing you can do. You have no authority over me, witches!" the demon cried.

"Speak with a loud, clear voice, girls," Wardwell told them, handing Lydia the rite that they needed to say. They nodded.

"Always," the twins said, focusing their attention back on the demon.

"We call forth the witches from the shade," the twins began, "Those who came before us, and died, so that we might live."

"Visit us, sisters. Intercede on our behalf," all four witches said. The flames in the candles around the room shot up.

"That's rich," the demon said, "You two aren't even witches, barely half-witches."

"We call forth the powers of Lilith of Aradia, of Morgan le Fay," the twins persisted. The demon writhed in its restraints.

"Visit us, sisters. Intercede on our behalf," the four of them said. The flames in the candles dimmed once again.

"I'm going to eat all your little friends, one by one!"

"I call on Black Annis, I call on Anne Boleyn. I call on the Witch of Endor."

"Visit us, sisters. intercede on our behalf."

The demon levitated up into the air, being held back only by his restraints, which he was relentlessly pulling against.

"We call on Hecate, on Artemis, on Luna to expel this demon. Expel Apophis. Return him to the Dark Lord."

"Visit us, sisters. Intercede on our behalf."

"We call on Hildegard of Bingen, we call Marie Laveau. We call Tituba, we call Mary Bradbury."

"Visit us, sisters. Intercede on our behalf."

"We call Nehman, Badb, Macha."

"Visit us, sisters. intercede on our behalf."

Thunder and lighting were crashing outside, even though it had not been raining. The exorcism seemed to have no effect on the demon whatsoever as he writhed against the ropes holding him down.

"Uh, I don't think this is working," Lydia said.

"Keep going!" Wardwell urged, "Energies are gathering, you can feel them! keep going! Keep going, keep going!"

Lydia gulped, before the twins began again, "We call Circe, we call Moll Dyer."

"Visit us, sisters. Intercede on our behalf."

The demon's hands broke free from its restraints, launching towards them. The four witches screamed and stumbled back. Luckily, the demon was still being held back by the restraints around its ankles.

"Dirty, unclean mongrel!" the demon yelled.

"Don't listen to it!" Hilda cried.

"Psychological attacks!" Wardwell added.

"You're polluted things —"

"We call on Juventas, the virgin, on Juno, the mother —"

The demon lurched towards them, once again, his hand inches away from Lydia's nose. The twins screamed and they all backed into the wall.

"Your parents died because of you! Because you're impure half-breeds!"

The windows shook. There was a wind blowing through the room that had no origin.

"Lend us your power. Expel the demon," all four of them recited, as the demon reached out for them, "Visit us, sisters. Intercede on our behalf."

"Something's wrong!" Lydia yelled.

"We're not strong enough!" Sabrina cried.

"Yes, you are!"

They turned to the door and saw that Zelda had burst into the room.

"I call upon Cybil Leek!" Zelda called, "I call upon Priscilla Spellman! I call upon Francis Spellman! I call upon Evanora and Locasta Spellman! Continue, Sabrina, Lydia!"

"Come forth, kindly ones! Come forth, Mother of Darkness! Lend us your power! Expel the demon Apophis!" the twins yelled.

"Visit us, sisters! Intercede on our behalf!" the five of them chanted

The demon fell back onto the bed, writhing in pain. The five witches circled around to the foot of the bed, and they all proceeded to throw salt on him as they chanted.

"Visit us, sisters! Intercede on our behalf! Visit us, sisters! Intercede on our behalf! Visit us, sisters! Intercede on our behalf!"

The demon writhed in pain, gave a final, gut-wrenching scream, and then laid still. Lydia could see something moving under his skin.

"Thar she blows," Hilda breathed out.

The demon suddenly threw up onto the floor next to the bed, before collapsing back onto it.

"Is it — is it over?" Hilda asked.

"I don't know," Wardwell answered. The twins walked over to the side where the demon had thrown up, and saw a giant worm, wiggling around on the floor.

"Apophis, devouring worm," they mumbled, before turning back to Wardwell, "Now what?"

Wardwell walked over to the worm, grabbed a blanket from off the bed and wrapped the worm up in it, then briskly walking out of the room. The rest of the witches followed, but not before Lydia caught a glimpse of a normal, almost peaceful-looking Jesse Putnam.

They left the house, and Wardwell took the demon to the well that sat on the Putnam's lawn. She dropped the worm into it.

"The stone, Sabrina," Wardwell told her. Sabrina removed the broken tablet pieces from her bag and dropped them into the water.

"And you really don't think it can get back up, Ms. Wardwell?" Sabrina asked.

"Not with that seal in there, and not in the state it's in," Wardwell answered, "No, that worm will burrow its way back to hell where it belongs.

"What about Uncle Jesse?" Lydia asked. He had looked relatively fine when she left, but that didn't mean that he would survive, especially after being possessed as long as he was.

"He'll be weak for a while, I imagine. But he's alive, thanks to you two," Hilda said.

"Thanks to all of us," Lydia corrected, "Including the lying bitch and Aunt Zee."

"Lydia!" Hilda scolded.

"Sorry," she muttered, turning her attention to Zelda, "What made you change your mind about coming?"

"The first witch exorcism ever performed. That seemed like something I should witness first-hand. If only for educational purposes," Zelda answered, "But don't get too big for your britches, girls. You're grounded."

"Grounded?" Sabrina asked.

"A mortal punishment for interfering with mortal affairs," Zelda explained.

The twins shared a look, and then Lydia shrugged her shoulders.

"Don't know about you four, but I could do with a nice, big cup of tea," Hilda said.

"Oh, yes. Let's go home," Zelda agreed.

They all began to walk away, but Sabrina pulled Lydia back to see a retreating Wardwell.

"Ms. Wardwell, won't you join us?" Sabrina asked. Lydia raised her brow and looked at her sister.

"Oh, no. No, I've interludes enough for one day," Wardwell said, "I should go."

"I think that's best, yes," Zelda cut in.

"But I'll see you two bright and early in the morning for homeroom," Wardwell said.

"Ms. Wardwell?" Lydia prodded, "Thank you. I still don't like you, or trust you, but thank you. We couldn't have saved Jesse without you."

And with that, the twins walked past Wardwell, and the Spellmans went home.

─ ༓ ─

"Aunties!" Ambrose called the moment the Spellman witches opened the front door. The four of them walked into the living room where they saw Ambrose by the fireplace, looking very rigid.

"We have company," Ambrose told them. Lydia looked to the chair that her cousin was gesturing to and saw Father Blackwood with his hands folded and an angry look on his face. Lydia could feel her heart start to pump faster.

"Father Blackwood. To what do we owe the honor of this visit?" Zelda asked.

"It has come to my attention, Sister Selda, that you, Sabrina, Lydia, and your excommunicated sister have just performed an unauthorized exorcism," Blackwood stated, clutching his cane so hard that his knuckles were white.

"Word travels fast amongst the damned, it seems," Zelda muttered, running a hand through her hair.

"For the record, I did not inform him," Ambrose quickly said, "His Excellency had an inkling and humbled us with a visit."

Blackwood stood up, glaring down at the four witches.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't excommunicate the pack of you," he spat, his voice low.

"I can give you two," Zelda responded, walking up to him, "Earlier today, I received the results of your wife's tests. Congratulations, Father Blackwood. Constance is expecting twins."

"Twins?" Blackwood asked.

"Yes, it's good news," Zelda continued, "However, it may be a difficult pregnancy. Not to worry, though, I'll be tending to her every need. Unless, of course, you feel I, or any members of my family, are unworthy in some way."

Blackwood's jaw tensed.

"I have a reason, too," Lydia said, "The whole situation I talked to you about in class was hypothetical, so really nothing —"

"Miss Spellman, no one is that stupid."

─ ༓ ─

The Spellman twins woke up the next morning at approximately 6:25 AM. As Lydia got ready for the day, she had a spring in her step. They had saved Jesse Putnam's life, their friends would be alright, and Susie wouldn't have to worry about her uncle's health.

The twins headed downstairs and were about to head to the kitchen, until Lydia stopped in her tracks upon hearing Hilda address Mr. Putnam on the phone in the hallway.

"Yeah. Of course. Just come when you can, and we'll be here," Hilda said in a low voice, and then she hung up the phone. Lydia hesitantly walked towards her.

"What happened?" she asked. Hilda turned to face her, a saddened look on her face.

"Jesse passed," Hilda told her, and Lydia found that she couldn't breathe, "sometime during the night. His — his poor heart gave out."

"But — but we saved him," Lydia stuttered, "We exorcised him, we got the demon out, we banished it. I — I saw him, he was fine. He was supposed to be okay, and Susie —"

Hilda pulled her niece in for a hug, which stopped the girl's rambling. Lydia wrapped her arms around her aunt tightly, silently crying into her chest.

"Sometimes the mortal body just can't handle the effects of an exorcism," Hilda explained, "But you're right, we did save him. Because of what we did, Jesse was able to die in peace instead of in pain."

The Putnam's arrived a couple of hours later. As Mr. Putnam discussed funeral details inside with her aunts, Lydia sat outside with Susie in the bed of her dad's pickup truck.

At first, Lydia didn't know what to say. Even though Lydia had lost her parents, she didn't even have any memories of them. Susie had memories with Jesse, though. Lydia couldn't imagine what Susie was feeling.

"I'm — I'm really sorry about your uncle," Lydia said. She hesitantly placed her hand on Susie's shoulder.

"My dad and I visited the place where we were gonna send him, the asylum," Susie said, her voice barely above a whisper, "Honestly, maybe it's better. He would've rotted in there. At least — at least he's free now. You know?"

"Yeah, I think so," Lydia replied.

They went silent. Lydia looked out at the still-rising sun as she rubbed Susie's back, trying to comfort her. For a moment, Lydia considered telling Susie she was a witch, that Jesse had been possessed, but that she had saved him, that he was able to die in peace. The idea left her mind just as quickly as it had entered.

She took a good look at her friend, from her head to her boots, "You know, I don't think I've ever seen you in a dress before. You look pretty."

Lydia immediately regretted the words as soon as they came out. Yes, Susie did look pretty in her dress, and yes, she was curious as to where Susie got her cardigan, but this was not the time. Her uncle had just died, and all Lydia could think of to say as words of comfort was how pretty she was.

"I'm not an abomination, Lydia, and I won't be one," Susie suddenly said.

"What?" Lydia asked, "Do you think that I think that? Because I don't. Why — why are you saying that?"

Susie shook her head, and said, "Forget it. It doesn't matter."

She got out of the trunk bed and went into the mortuary. Lydia sighed. Had she insinuated that she believed Susie was an "abomination"? Was it because she said she'd never seen her in a dress? Was it because she had said she was pretty?

Lydia didn't know. She hated having all these questions and doubts in her head.

─ ༓ ─

Lydia was reluctantly dragged to Ms. Wardwell's house by Sabrina later that evening. Sabrina was worried that Lydia was going to go through an existential crisis due to their failure to truly save Jesse, and she figured that Ms. Wardwell might provide some comforting answers.

"What does it all matter if, in the end, we couldn't save Jesse?" Sabrina asked.

"But you did," Wardwell said, "You saved his soul. That might not feel like a victory at this point, but it is one. Apophis raved him to the point of death. With mere hours to spare, you two brought him peace. Made him whole again."

Lydia rolled her eyes, "Okay, I already got this whole 'peace' speech shit from my aunt this morning, and I really don't want to hear it from you."

Sabrina slapped her arm, quickly returning her attention back to Ms. Wardwell, "Did we really?"

"We've no reason to believe otherwise," Wardwell answered, completely ignoring Lydia.

"I just — can't help it," Sabrina said. Lydia looked at her sister. She hadn't noticed that Sabrina had been crying. She didn't know that the whole ordeal had taken such a toll on her.

"I feel like we failed. I feel like I failed," Sabrina sighed, "I mean, how are we ever going to outwit the Dark Lord?"

Lydia sat up in her seat, eyes widening, looking at her sister. She was silently hoping that Ms. Wardwell would just overlook that entire sentence.

"Outwit the Dark Lord?" Wardwell asked, "Why, Sabrina, whatever do you mean?"

"That was a completely hypothetical situation, take it with a grain of salt," Lydia said, trying to quickly fix their situation.

But it was too late.

─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───

REWRITTEN: february 2024
EDITED: july 2024
WORDS: 5,162

AUTHOR'S NOTE! i rememeber i hated writing this specifically the exorcism part. i dont have much to say because im getting on a plane in like nine hours? or so and i havent packed yet lol. i hope you enjoyed this chapter! if you did, please feel free to vote and comment :) have a wonderful day!!!