Things were never boring at the coven, Angel had discovered. After her heart-to-heart with Cordelia, Angel had gone to sleep. She had been so tired from the day's events that she didn't even notice that Misty's bed across the room was unoccupied. She woke up the next morning to Cordelia shaking her awake. Her face was tear-stained and it caused fear to leap into Angel's throat. She never liked seeing anybody cry, much less the kind Cordelia.
"Miss Cordelia? What's wrong? What happened?" She asked, her voice still heavy with sleep.
The headmistress took a deep sigh, "Nan has died. I was wondering if you could bring her back. I would ask Misty, but... she's nowhere to be found."
Angel's eyes widened, she looked over to the empty bed, the sheets still crisp and tucked in as they had been the day prior. She threw the sheets off her body and sat up straight, looking Cordelia in the eyes, "What do you mean she's nowhere to be found?" The panic clear on her face.
Once again, Cordelia sighed, "She's missing, Angel. Nobody knows where she is." She felt so bad for the young teen. She had just told her the night before that Misty would never leave and now she stood corrected. Of course, she didn't believe that the older sister would leave Angel behind but as she told the girl, she was nowhere to be found; no one had any idea where she disappeared to.
Angel's breath became rapid quickly, her eyes blurring with tears. She raised a shaky hand to cover her mouth. A few sobs slipping through. Her sister couldn't be gone. Where the hell did she go? Why would she leave her behind? Was Cordelia lying to her yesterday, just trying to make her feel better?
The older blonde sat on the bed beside her and pulled her close, running a comforting hand up and down her back as the younger one continued to cry. "Shh, it's alright, Angel. We'll find her. I'm sure she couldn't have gone too far. And she wouldn't willingly leave you behind." She tried to comfort the girl but it only made matters worse. That meant something terrible had happened to Misty, and the younger Day sister had no idea what.
After a few minutes, and the prevention of an anxiety attack, Cordelia led the young swamp witch to the room where they had placed Nan's body. Angel had almost asked exactly what happened to the clairvoyant but decided against it. She knelt beside the bed and leaned in close, attempting to bring life to the girl. She tried, over and over, but something was preventing Nan from coming back to this side of the mortal coil.
Again, Angel began to cry. Not only was her older sister missing, but she couldn't bring Nan back to life. Why the hell would her powers fail her now?! Cordelia brought the girl in close again and cried with her. Cordelia had failed another one of her girls.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Miss Cordelia." Angel hiccupped. The blonde just continued to rock the girl back and forth in her arms. She didn't blame Angel, the girl was already distraught with the news of her sister's disappearance; she didn't wish to make the girl feel even worse.
With that, all the girls in the coven prepared for the funeral of their fallen fellow witch.
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Everyone in the coven, Marie Laveau and Kyle included, stood in the New Orleans cemetery, Nan's white casket placed before them. Everyone was dressed in black and deathly silent. Angel stood next to Cordelia, her left arm wrapped around the older one's right.
"Our coven mourns. After facing so many trials, defending ourselves against onslaught. Forging enemies into friends." Fiona spoke, "The witches of Miss Robichaux's Academy have fought for their lives, and won. And so, it is with great sadness we must say goodbye to Nan... who fell in the tub."
"Amen!" Marie shouted.
Angel narrowed her eyes at the Supreme. Was she the one who found Nan? Was she the last one to be with Nan? After everything that Misty and Cordelia had told her about Fiona, it didn't sit right with her. And Fiona's dark, tainted aura wasn't helping to prove her innocence to the blonde teen.
"If only Misty were here to bring the poor girl back." Myrtle spoke. Angel dropped her gaze to her feet. She felt bad enough that she wasn't as powerful as Misty; why did Myrtle have to make her feel worse about her failure?
Cordelia gave Angel a supporting squeeze to her arm. "I have to do something. Before one more of our girls dies." Cordelia responded to Myrtle.
"Your mother's Pol Pot in Givenchy. What can be done?" Myrtle asked.
"Whatever is necessary."
"Misty's probably twirled her way to the Everglades by now. Don't bother." Madison cut in.
"No." Angel glared at the actress, pain written in her eyes. "Misty wouldn't leave me behind like that." Her words were strong, but she doubted them.
"Are you sure about that?" Madison smirked.
"Enough." Cordelia chastised, sending her own glare to the witch. Angel had been through enough. She didn't need Madison planting any seeds of doubt into the young girl's head.
"The gardener said you'd be here." A loud voice spoke, grabbing the attention of those who remained standing by Nan's casket.
"You're alive?" Fiona asked Queenie, who walked Madame LaLaurie by a leash around her neck.
"Bitch, you left me for dead." Queenie spoke to Marie, ignoring Fiona's question- considering it was a stupid one.
"Oh, girl, I thought you were." Marie said, approaching the black girl to give her a hug. "Oh, get your ass over here."
However, Delphine decided to spit in her face as she drew close. "That's for dismembering me." She spoke, bitterly.
Marie gasped before slapping Delphine across the face. Angel wincing at the sharp and painful sound it made. "And that's for coming back. I thought I told you to put her white head in the trash." Marie said with disgust, looking at Queenie.
"I had my own ideas." The girl responded.
"Queenie." Cordelia whispered. She, just like everyone else, believed the living voodoo doll had died in the shootout at the salon.
"You put her back together." Zoe said, looking up and down Delphine's unmarked body.
"No scars." Kyle said, observing the same.
"If I'd done you, you wouldn't look like you'd been jammed through a blender." Queenie said, looking at the frat boy. Kyle only frowned in response.
"The most important thing is that you're safe." Cordelia cut in, once against being a mediator- preventing a fight from breaking out.
"None of us are safe!" Fiona shouted, sending a glare to her daughter. "Why can't you understand that?" A tear fell down Cordelia's cheek and she swallowed hard. Angel leaned her head onto the woman's shoulder, hoping to give her even a sliver of comfort she had been provided herself that day. Cordelia gave a small and thankful smile to the young girl.
"You are coming with us." Fiona declared, pointing at the two returning members before heading out. "Okay, the funeral's over. Say your prayers as you exit."
"I'm not going anywhere with any of ya'll." Delphine spoke, the hate clear in her eyes. "I've been suffering the tortures of the damned. I'm not taking another step. Oh!" Queenie had cut off her little speech by walking off and pulling on the leash, forcing the former socialite to follow after her.
Great, more dark auras to look at all day, Angel thought. A headache already beginning to form. Cordelia took one last glance around the cemetery before leading herself and the young Day sister out. God, how she wished Misty were here with them.
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Once returning from the funeral, Angel had retired to her room. Where she remained for the next few days. She was lost without Misty and the fear of her never returning grew. As the days moved forward, Angel was becoming more certain that someone had killed Misty- she could feel it in her soul. Her happy, bubbly, Stevie Nicks-loving, older sister was gone and no one knew where she was. Angel had spent her days, laying on Misty's bed, her various shawls wrapped around her arms. She had become nearly catatonic, only leaving the room to use the bathroom and occasionally grab a glass of water- but never food. She never spoke to anyone, never even looked really looked up from the floor beneath her feet. She was basically a robot, it was as if someone had taken the life out of the small blonde.
After 3 days of the same behavior both Cordelia and Zoe were becoming concerned. Angel's eyes were constantly bloodshot and the dark circles under them were only becoming larger and darker as the day passed, looking as if someone had given her two black eyes. Finally, after the 4th day of Angel refusing to join everyone for breakfast, Cordelia decided to try and get Angel out of her room.
She knocked on the door, waiting a few seconds before stepping inside. The curtains were closed tight, leaving it so dark it looked as if it was nighttime. She closed the door behind her quietly, waiting a few seconds for her eyesight to adjust to the low levels of light. The room was fairly clean, the only untidy part being Misty's bed that was currently occupied by Angel. She approached slowly and peeked at the girl, seeing that she was awake. Cordelia sat at the foot of the bed and placed a hand on Angel's thigh.
The girl gave no response to her presence. Her only movement being the rhythmic rising and falling of her chest as she breathed.
"Angel? Darling, you've been in here for a long time. Wouldn't you like some fresh air?" She tried to gently coax the young girl. "Some sunlight?"
Again, no response.
Cordelia sighed, "You at least should come down and get something to eat. I don't think I've seen you take a bite of food in a few days now. It's not healthy." She tried once more.
The smallest shake of a head.
"Yes, come now. You need to get something in you." Cordelia grabbed Angel's hand, trying to drag her out of bed but the girl remained firmly in her spot on the mattress. The headmistress looked down at Angel sadly. To be honest, she was at a loss, she didn't know what to do. She could deal with angry witches, but she didn't know how to handle a depressed one.
"Come on, Angel." Cordelia sighed again, "Misty wouldn't want you to do this." That garnered a reaction.
Angel's eyes turned hard as her gaze finally focused on the older witch, her jaw clenching tightly. She ripped her hand from Cordelia's grasp and quickly turned her back to her. She gripped the shawl in her hand closer to her chest, curling in on herself.
"Get out." She finally whispered, her voice cracking from disuse.
"Angel, please." Cordelia pleaded.
"Get out!" She shouted. The door to her room quickly slammed open, the unexpected loud noise causing Cordelia to jump. Since when could Angel use Telekinesis?
She slowly rose from the bed and walked to the door, stepping out into the hall. She sent one last glance back at her small figure before the door was suddenly slammed shut in her face. She leaned her forehead against the door, a tear falling down her cheek. How is it that she could be such a failure? How is it that she couldn't help any of the girls here? Madison had died, Nan had died, Queenie had left only to be nearly killed when she was gone, Misty was missing- presumably dead, and essentially so was Angel. The bright and curious young blonde Cordelia had come to know was gone, left in her wake, a heartbroken shell of a person.
"I take it you didn't have any luck?" Zoe asked, approaching after hearing the door slam.
Cordelia simply shook her head without looking at her student before walking off. A plan formulating in her head; she needed to get Misty Day back and it seemed like there may be only one way to do it.
Zoe sighed as she watched Cordelia depart. She was hoping that maybe the witch would be able to coax Angel out of her room but if she couldn't do it, there's no way Zoe would be able to. She felt awful for her friend; she didn't have a sibling so she didn't know what it was like to lose them. The only thing she could compare it to was when Kyle had died and that was incredibly hard for her. Of course, she had known what happened to him, no one knew what happened to Misty- if she was even alive or dead. She decided that Angel wasn't going to be much use for her in her investigation into the death of Nan, so she left, deciding to bring Kyle along instead.
On the other side of the door, Angel briefly felt bad about her attitude towards Cordelia. She was only trying to help. But she didn't dwell on it long, her brain simply didn't let her. It was as if her mind was moving a million miles a minute, but also frozen at the same time. She felt so lost without Misty's guidance, her bright beacon of a smile and aura gone- never to return. Even if Misty was here, she wasn't sure if she would want to leave the room. The academy was now filled with more dark energy than ever before. Fiona, Marie, Delphine, Madison, even Queenie had developed more dark energy in her time away from the coven. The only truly pure people around here were Cordelia and Zoe, Angel officially locking the former out of her life. It was too much for her, too suffocating. But the suffocation of the room was better than the numbness she felt when she left it. Despite the others around her, the girl had never felt more alone in her life than she did right now without her older sister.
The only thing she was capable of in that moment was crying while wrapped up in her big sister's shawl.