𝕬𝖑𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖔𝖓 led Max, Dani, and Donna to the Sanderson sister house. Creaking up the old porch steps, Dani held Max's hand with her left hand and Donna's hand with her right. Allison unlocked the door and it opened with a loud squeal, dust invading their lungs.
"I cant see a thing." Dani coughed, swinging her lit up candy basket around the dark area. Chills crawled across Donna's skin as she pulled her sweater tighter around her body.
"Well, there's a light switch around here somewhere." Allison replied, searching the wall in the dark. Max vent down to a display rack of dusty lighters. He removed one and flicked it open, flame erupting from the top causing Dani to gasp.
"Found a lighter." Max smirked, wiggling his eyebrows at Donna who shook her head with a small smile. Max shown the flame in the direction of the wall where the light switch was supposed to be, Allison found the switch and flipped it.
"Let there be light." Donna remarked, admiring the old cottage. Brooms, cauldrons, books, and more. Donna was amazed, she had never actually been to the museum because her mother always told her all the history in the cottage was fabricated. Even though it might be, Donna imagined Sarah Sanderson dancing around wildly.
"This is the original cauldron, and upstairs is where they slept." Allison informed them. A glass box holding an old spell-book caught the blue eyes of Donna.
"That spell-book belonged to Winifred Sanderson. It was said to have been given to her by the devil himself. It's bound in human skin." Donna stated from above the glass box. She felt Max's presence at her shoulder.
"I get the picture." Dani scoffed, Max chuckled in Donna's ear. His warm breath tickling her ear and sending a minuscule shiver down her back.
"What's that?" Max pointed to a candle. The candle.
"It's the Black Flame Candle." Allison whispered mysteriously from across Max and Donna. Max shot the blonde girl next to him a smirk before walking over to the candle, poor Dani looked terrified. Allison scoffed softly and nudged Dani, hinting to the little girl to lighten up.
"The Black Flame Candle. Made from the fat of a hanged man..." Max read the plaque underneath the candle. "Legend says that, on a full moon, it will raise the spirits of the dead when lit by a virgin on Halloween night." Max finished, wiggling his eyebrows at the girls in front of him. He shrunk back behind the wooden beam he had been leaning on and reappeared on the other side grinning. "So let's light the sucker and meet the old broads." He suggested, flicking the lighter he found earlier in front of him.
"Max, no." Dani pleaded, shaking her head. Even now Allison seemed to have lost the confidence from moments before. Max's eyes slid over to the girl in the red sweater, as many thought coursed through her mind. Was this real? Would it even work? If it did, would the Sanderson's recognize her as one of their own? Would they be disappointed in her for not wanting their return? Or would they-
"Donna, care to do the honors?" Max interrupted her thoughts, Donna raised an eyebrow in mischief.
"Fuck it." Donna shrugged, smirking as she sauntered forward. Max held the lighter out to her but suddenly a cat came sprinting, screeching loudly as he attacked Max. The black cat knocked Max to the ground and ran off.
"Stupid cat!" Max shouted after it, Donna helped him up off the ground as he dusted his jeans off.
"Okay, Max. You've had your fun. It's time to go. Come on, Allison." Dani said, hugging Allison's torso.
"Guys, she's right. Let's go." Allison beckoned for both of them. But now, curiosity had gotten the better of Max and Donna.
"Oh, come on. It's just a bunch of hocus-pocus." Max argued, as Allison and Dani stood waiting by the door.
"Max, I'm not kidding this time. It's time to go!" Dani yelled at her big brother. "Donna, come on. Tell him to knock it off." She said again, looking to Donna for help. Now Donna could not ignore the fate, the pull of lighting the candle.
"Look, if you guys want to leave, then go. But I'm staying with Max." Donna told Allison and Dani with a sigh. Max smirked again and lit the candle.
"Max, no!" Dani yelled once more, just as the flame of the candle turned from orange to black. Dani gasped and covered her eyes, Allison held the little girl tight, Max took Donna's hand and began to pull her away.
"Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit..." Donna muttered as Max pulled her to the door by Dani and Allison. The lights in the room began to burst open one by one, Dani shrieking with each one. A wind picked up as Donna's frizzy blonde curls whirled about her face. Max stepped to the center of the room but the wooden floor boards began to shake as a lime green light shown through them. Donna ran to him, in hopes of protecting him from whatever might happen next. But it stopped. Max met Donna half way and wrapped an arm around her back.
"What happened?" Max asked, frowning.
"A virgin lit the candle." Dani replied, re-adjusting the witches hat on her head and sighing.
"This was a bad idea." Allison muttered, grabbing the door handle and leaving the old rickety cottage.
"Allison!" Dani and Donna called out, but the girl did not come back. Leaving Dani by the door. Suddenly, the lights that had exploded were lit like candles. Even a fire in the fire place and under the cauldron at the center was lit back up. A maniacal laugh echoed from outside and the cottage door swung back open, Donna took Max's hand and dragged him to hide behind a desk just was Winnifred Sanderson came waltzing in, followed by Sarah and Mary.
"We're home!" Winnifred cried out as her sisters jumped in excitement. "Oh, sweet revenge! You see, sisters? My curse worked perfectly." The red haired witch exclaimed. Donna watched as Dani snuck swiftly behind a counter.
"That's because thou art perfect, Winnie." Mary complimented Winnifred who laughed again as hurried to their cauldron. Sarah stood in the open doorway. "I knew I left this cauldron one. Didn't I tell you? Oh, I knew it!" Mary smiled to her sister.
"My lucky rat tail! Just where I left it!" Sarah played with an old rat tail she had found somewhere, Donna watched the witches in interest. Winnifred gasped as she noticed the candle.
"But who lit the Black Flame Candle?" She pondered, Donna considered jumping up but Max shook his head at her. Winnifred gasped once more, her eyes falling on her spell book. "Wake up. Wake up, sleepyhead." Winnifred tapped her long nails on the glass case. "Oh, I've missed you. Did you miss me, too?" She cooed to the waking book.
"Winnie." Mary neared her sister, eyes wandering frantically.
"Yes?" Winnifred replied back.
"I smell children." Mary whispered lowly, Max and Donna shared a wide-eyed look before glancing in Dani's direction.
"Sic'em." Winnifred smiled evilly before following Mary in Dani's direction. Donna moved to stand but Max took her arm again.
"They're literally going to suck the life out of your sister Max, we have to do something!" Donna whisper-yelled at Max, who seemed to be thinking hard.
"Don't, Don. I'm going to figure out a plan." Max hushed her, frowning more.
"It's a little girl." Mary said, then taking a large sniff. "Seven, maybe eight and a half." Mary shrugged, turning to her sisters.
"Let's play with her!" Sarah clapped in excitement. Winnifred and Sarah followed Mary to the counter Dani was hiding behind. "Come little children, I'll take thee away in..." Mary shushed her blonde sister as Winnifred cupped a hand over Sarah's mouth.
"Come out, my dear. We will not harm thee." Winnifred spoke, her voice now sweet and fake.
"We love children!" Mary shouted, smacking the counter. Dani shrieked and stood up, shaking like a leaf.
"I thought thou'd never come, sisters." Dani covered quickly for her fear. Donna had to give it to the little girl, it was quick thinking.
"Greetings, little one." Winnifred greeted smugly.
" 'Twas I who brought you back." Dani straightened her posture and wore a confident smile.
"Such a pretty little..." Winnifred seemed choked up in her words as Sarah let out a giggle. "Child." Mary rounded the counter to see Dani closer, poking her arms and playing with the girls curls.
"Look at her. And she's so well-fed, isn't she?" Mary's eyes glowered down hungrily at Dani who walked backwards away from the witch. "Plump, so plump." Dani shrieked. "Shish Kebaby!" Mary teased Dani who let out another shrill sound.
"Tell, me dumping," Winnifred started, taking Dani's arm in hers. "What is the year?" The witch asked.
"1993." Dani replied back.
"Max..." Donna started. "Now or never. What's the plan?"
"Sisters! We've been gone for 300 years." Winnifred announced, pushing Dani back into a seat where Sarah played with her hair. Max nodded to Donna as he snuck away, leaving Donna to decide whether or not to intervene.
"Well, Winnie, how time flies when you're dead, huh?" Mary joked, all three sisters let out cackles of laughter, Dani joining in. But it quickly died off as they all stared down at the little girl.
"It's been great fun, but I guess I'd better be going." Dani finally said, trying to leave her seat.
"Oh, stay for supper." Winnifred pushed her back down, Sarah continued to play with Dani's hair.
"Oh, but I'm not hungry." Said back, shaking her head.
"But we are." Sarah mailed brightly down at the girl. They all lifted Dani into the air, trying to throw her into the cauldron when Max appeared .
"Hey! Put my sister down." Max shouted at them, rounding on the witches.
"Roast him, Winnie." Mary muttered.
"No, let me. Let me play with him." Sarah argued, reaching for the boy with one arm and holding Dani back with the other. Winnifred raised her arms and shot a stream of green light from her finger tips into Max, sending him backwards into the ground.
"Max!" Dani shouted, Donna ran to Max's aid. The sisters gasping at the sight of a third child. Winnifred shot another beam of light at Max and Donna but the girl raised her hand in protection. A small force field rejecting the curse. Donna took their moment of surprise to grab a nearby broom form the wall and swat Mary with it. Then reaching for a pan on the wall to slam into Mary's head, the witch fell to the ground. This released Dani as Max was being thrown around by Winnifred now.
"You leave my brother alone!" Dani yelled at the ginger witch before smacking her with the heavy candy bag Dani had never dropped. Max fell to the ground with a groan as Donna hit Sarah with the pan next. Winnifred reached for Dani who's back was turned but the black cat returned and attacked Winnifred from behind. Dani shook Max as she pulled him up, Donna ran to help Max up. Winnifred shouted at her sisters to remove the cat from her body but they were far too stupid to do so. Max stopped in the door way and looked back at the witches.
"Get out! Go, go, go!" Max shooed the girls away. Donna pushed Dani out of the house and shook her head at Max.
"This is our problem, Max." Donna reminded him, Max nodded and scaled the wooden wall and stood on a loft in the cottage, helping Donna up next to him.
"Hey!" Max yelled down at the witches, one hand holding the lighter and the other holding Donna's hand. "You've messed with the great and powerful Max and Donna, and now must suffer the consequences." Max smirked mischievously and looked over at Donna who wore the same expression.
"We summon the Burning Rain of Death!" Donna announced loudly, the sisters shared confused glances and scratched their heads. Max raised the lighter in his hands to a sprinkler in the ceiling that reacts to fire. They gasped as the fire seemed to be coming from his hand and not the lighter.
"He makes fire in his hand." Winnifred murmured. The fire started the sprinkler as the water poured down on everyone, Donna raise her own hand to magically blow out all candles in the room. It went dark, save for a few lights. The witches screamed in gear as they scrambled for cover. Max hopped down from the loft followed by Donna, both soaked now. Max ran for the door but slipped on the wet wood. The black cat from earlier leapt gracefully onto Max's chest.
"Nice going, Max." The cat spoke to him, catching both teens off guard.
"You can talk?" Max asked the cat.
"Yeah, no kidding." The cat said back sarcastically, then turned its green eyes up to Donna. "Get the spell-book." He ordered, Donna nodded and tan for the glass case. She shoved her left fist into the case and it shattered, reaching in to take the human leather bound book. The cat jumped off Max and ran for the exit, Max waited for Donna as she came running back with the book in one arm. Once again he was taking her hand and pulling her away into the night.