Sabrina did end up telling Harvey just as Lilith had said. I suppose in a way it did fix things. She was able to put Tommy back in the ground however, the truth was too much for her mortal boyfriend to bear and so he sent her away. It was her first true heartbreak. She scarcely ate and we nearly never saw her leave her room. She had it bad. A few days after it happened we all sat in the kitchen. My mother grabbed her paper and moved to take her seat but as she did so her tea spoon fell. "Blast it," She frowned, rolling her eyes. Aunt Hilda looked back, "Someone's having a baby." My mother scoffed, "What? What in Satan's name are you talking about, Hilda?" She sounded a bit defensive if you asked me. My stomach twisted at the thought of having a sibling that was a child of Blackwood's. Aunt Hilda brushed her off, "You know the saying. 'If a spoon falls, a baby calls.' Probably Lady Blackwood's." Mom cut her eyes, "Kindly spare me your old wive's tales, sister. Lady Blackwood's barely started her fourth trimester. It'll be ages yet. Where is Sabrina? Ambrose? Nicole?" Way to change the subject, mom. "In her room, I believe," I shrugged. "Still? It's been days," my mother mused. "Yeah, but considering what she's been through—" Ambrose started. "I know exactly what she's been through, Ambrose. I was there to pick up the pieces wasn't I?" Mom cut him off, "She has school. People will start to talk." Aunt Hilda stepped in, "Well, I've made her a little balm for her broken heart. I'm gonna take it up to her." My mother sat down her cup, striding over to her and snatching up the jar. "No, I will," She said flatly. Aunt Hilda and Ambrose looked at me in confusion, I simply shrugged. Eventually Sabrina did come out and even went to school despite having to face Harvey and even the coven. By now rumors of what she had done spread like wildfire. I was surprised when I hadn't heard from Lilith all day or even that night. It started to concern me if I was being honest with myself. Just after midnight I felt a dip in my bed causing me to look up from my Grimoire. "So nice of you to join me, babe," I said sarcastically, casting my eyes back down to what I had previously been focusing on. She clicked her tongue pulling the book from my hands as she moved closer. "Now, darling, you can just say you missed me," She smirked. I furrowed my brow, "Miss you? I-" Whatever I was about to say died on my lips as she kissed me passionately closing the space between us. "Okay fine, I might've missed you a bit," I admitted smirking when she pulled away to let me breathe. She pecked my lips, "Good. I missed you too, my little witch." I watched as she moved about my room removing her coat and heels. "Do I even want to know where you've been?" I questioned. "Probably not, no," She answered bluntly, sliding into bed next to me. I shivered as she began combing her fingers through my hair and down my back. "You're lucky I love you," I sighed, rolling my eyes. "And I you, my love. Never forget that. No matter what happens," She murmured, pressing a kiss to my knuckles. I wouldn't get the meaning behind her cryptic words until the following day when the High Priest called a meeting during daylight hours. Everyone knew something was amiss then. The church never congregated while the sun was still shining. The entire coven filled the church to hear the High Priest's message. "Brothers and Sisters," Blackwood addressed the coven, "last night I witnessed an omen. As so many of you did. A horrifying sign that can portend only one thing: the Fires of the Abyss are being made ready. The Pit is yawning beneath us. The Dark Lord has seen our contemptible weakness. Our blatant disregard for witch law and doctrine. And Satan, vengeful god that he is, plans to punish us!" I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes at how ridiculous he sounded. Or how ridiculous his congregants were for believing him. Suddenly Ambrose burst through the door with his beau, Luke, close behind. "Father Blackwood! It is not the Dark Lord's wrath that has come for us, it is the Greendale Thirteen," Ambrose panted. "We stumbled upon them in the woods last night. They were performing some kind of ritual. A summoning spell," Luke explained further. "They bore into our minds. Bewitched us. We're only alive because they wanted us to deliver a message," Ambrose continued. "What message? Spit it out," Blackwood commanded. "They've returned to visit Death upon the town of Greendale. Last night, they rose to call forth their Crimson Avenger. Tonight, on the witching hour, he rides!" Ambrose said, still trying to catch his breath. "Who rides, Ambrose? What are you talking about?" My mom asked, holding onto Sabrina protectively. Ambrose lifted a figurine riding a horse into the air, "The Red Angel of Death, Auntie. The Thirteen will knock down all the doors in town for him, and in his wake, the firstborns of Greendale both mortal and witch alike, will perish!" Worried murmurs and gasps broke out amongst the crowd and my mother squeezed my hand reassuringly. "Silence! Silence!," The High Priest hushed the crowd, "You've done well to bring this to us, Brother Ambrose, but if it is the wrath of the Thirteen and their messenger of Crimson Death we face, I, your High Priest, will protect you." Aunt Hilda spoke up saying what we were all thinking, "With all due respect, Your Excellency, and acknowledging that I'm excommunicated, protect us how?" She made a rather good point. "The coven will gather within the walls of the academy. Fortified, bound by our combined impenetrable magics, we will stand together until the blood-red horseman has passed through Greendale!" he announced. The coven erupted in applause and as loath as I was to admit it was a good idea. "But what about the mortals? The people of Greendale," Sabrina asked standing. I had to suppress a groan. One would think she had learned her lesson in trying to save mortals but apparently not. "Let them run to their False God and gnash their teeth and wail, or whatever it is they do," Blackwood said bluntly, "Brethren, be inside the academy by midnight...or face the Thirteen and their avenging angel alone." Once we were dismissed my family and I exited the church. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed one particular person or rather demoness who stood out from the crowd. "You guys go on. I'll catch up," I told my mom, releasing her hand. She turned to look at me with a raised eyebrow before noticing Lilith standing there over my shoulder. "Make it quick. You're not to be out of my sight until this is all over," She told me flatly. Nodding in understanding I walked over to Lilith and grabbed her hand pulling her around the corner of the desecrated church. "I didn't realize you were so eager to get me alone, Darling," She smirked. "If I wanted you alone it certainly wouldn't be here," I rolled my eyes looking around in disdain, "Speaking of here. What in Satan's name do you think you're doing?" She took off the sunglasses I can only assume she thought was a good disguise. "Why, keeping an eye on all of our Dark Lord's little disciples of course, dear," she said playfully. Suddenly realization struck me as I remembered her words from the night before. "You summoned the thirteen didn't you?" I frowned, crossing my arms. She looked around making sure there were no eavesdroppers before stepping closer. "I did-" she started. I cut her off immediately, "What were you thinking?! Lilith I've never lost faith in you not from the time I took the oath as your handmaiden and not even now that I'm your lover but this is a bit far don't you think?! Half of Greendale will die! I will die! I'm a firstborn-" I hadn't realized I had in fact started raising my voice but was successfully hushed by Lilith's kiss. She wrapped her arms protectively around me eliminating any space there was between us. "Don't say that. I won't let that happen. This is the final push to get Sabrina to sign her name and after that all of this will make sense," She said, taking on a more serious tone. Looking up into her blue eyes had a calming effect and as much as I wanted to resist or argue I simply couldn't. "Fine," I told her rolling my eyes. A single manicured finger came to rest under my chin so I'd look up at her. "I need you to be in the academy by midnight. As much as I loath the High Priest that's where you'll be safest," She murmured. Frowning I interlaced our fingers, "Do you really think that'll be enough? I mean we're talking about the Crimson Avenger.." Her arms tightened around my waist, "It'll have to be. If it's not I'll come and find you. You have my word no harm will come to you." It wasn't me who I was worried about but I didn't have to speak the words out loud for Lilith to know that. Before anything else could be said my Mother popped around the corner. "Come along, Nicole. We're burning daylight here," She told me making sure to glare at Lilith as she spoke, "Wardwell." Lilith returned a glare of her own, "Spellman." Pulling Lilith's attention back to me I placed a lingering kiss to her lips, "I'll see you when this is all over?" She smiled softly kissing my wrist, "Count on it." Casting one more glance back at Lilith I joined my mother who wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "She wouldn't happen to be a firstborn would she?" My mother asked with a hopeful lilt to her voice. "She's definitely the first..." I said under my breath rolling my eyes at my mom's blatant dislike of my girlfriend. When we got home a family meeting was called in the kitchen. "I don't understand. Why would the Greendale Thirteen be angry at us?" Sabrina questioned pacing. My mother stood at the kitchen sink staring out the window as she smoked a cigarette. "It's a bloody mess what happened to the Greendale Thirteen. The most ignoble chapter in the Church of Night's history but it is our history, and we cannot deny it," She explained, "After the witch trials of Salem, all the witches in this part of the country were terrified." Aunt Hilda turned to Sabrina, "Trouble was brewing in Greendale, and people... mortals were identifying and arresting witches, including the original Thirteen. And while they sat in their cell, the other witches met and decided—" my mother finished for her when she trailed off, "The Thirteen would be sacrificed. To appease the mortals' bloodlust. While those 13 women were tortured and hung, the rest of the witches burned their poppets and buried their cauldrons." I poured whiskey in my teacup continuing, "They were scapegoats to quell the rising witch hysteria." Aunt Hilda smiled gently, "That's a teacup not a shot glass, love." I pulled it closer to me as if she might take it away. "Works just as well. These are dire circumstances, Auntie," I told her shaking my head. She simply rolled her eyes squeezing my arm fondly. My mother spoke louder ignoring us, "The coven could have come together to save the Thirteen, but they... we, our ancestors... decided not to risk it." Sabrina furrowed her brow, "So we're all descendants of the witches who turned their backs on the Thirteen and let them die? No wonder they hate us." Ambrose added, "And the mortals that did the actual hunting and hanging, to be fair." Sabrina simply was not having it. "Well, you'd better believe that I am not abandoning my friends to go hide in some magical doomsday bunker. And before you even try to stop me, Auntie Zee—" we were all surprised when my mother cut her off "On the contrary, I think we should all stay and protect the town." She finally turned to face us as well all looked at her surprised. "Really?" Aunt Hilda questioned taken aback. "I didn't expect that," Ambrose said surprised. "You're not the only one," I told him. "And why not?" Mom asked, "The Greendale Thirteen were sacrificed so that the pack might survive. But we need not make the same mistake again. We are Spellmans. That means we stand tall, with dignity, and we do what is right. As your father always did Sabrina and yours Nicole. The mortals may be weak, but they do not deserve this grim fate. Doom has been unleashed by witches. It must be averted by witches." She leaned against the table looking at all of us expectantly. "All right, but protect them how? We can hardly be all places at once we can't protect the whole town," Ambrose reasoned. "We can if we do the same as Father Blackwood is going," I suggested. My mother looked at me proudly, "That's my girl. We gather the mortals together," Mom started but was interrupted when Aunt Hilda raised her hand. "Zelda, I think I might have the answer," She said excitedly and my mother rolled her eyes, "Um, Dr. Cerberus told me something. He used to be the local weatherman-" My mother stood from the table sighing loudly, "Oh, for Satan's sake, Hilda.." Aunt Hilda ignored her continuing, "Um... he said that in the even of a tornado or severe weather, that the town's designated shelter was Baxter High basement." Sabrina smiled, "That's a great idea, Aunt Hilda. All we need is a tornado." Ambrose pat her shoulder, "That's easy enough." He plucked a sugar cube off Aunt Hilda's tea tray and winked at my Mom as we shared a knowing smirk before standing to go gather what we needed. Lilith was going to kill me.
