Amethyst paced in the bathroom, waiting for Peppa and Jonbers to join her after she had sent them a ton of panicked texts. Her guilt was starting to rapidly grow, and all she could think about was what might've been happening to Aura.
She hated herself for being so stupid. She never should've gone down there and she never should've had Aura go with her. It was her fault that she was trapped down there, and the more she told herself that, the more tears started to fill her eyes.
"What happened?" Peppa asked when she opened the door after leaving her class. "...Why do you look like you're about to burst into tears?"
Amethyst couldn't stop the words from spilling out. "A-Aura is gone..." She whimpered.
"Aura is gone?" Jonbers asked loudly when she entered the bathroom. Peppa slapped a hand over her mouth, pulling her in all the way.
"What do you mean Aura is gone?" Peppa asked in a much quieter tone than her girlfriend's. "What did you do?"
Amethyst's tears started to spill. "I-I...I wanted to go back to the dungeons after a dream I had and I know it sounds stupid and insane but I could've sworn that I heard something calling out for me so I went back and Aura went with me and-"
"Woah, slow down." Peppa laid her hands on Amethyst's shoulders. "You like, went down there?"
Amethyst sniffled, nodding and wrapping her arms around herself. "M-Mhm. Lots of scary things are down there and when we tried c-coming back up s-something followed us and grabbed Aura a-and-"
"Kept her down there...?" Jonbers finished for her when her words started to become quick and blurred together.
Amethyst looked down in shame. "Y-Yeah..." She whispered. "I couldn't get the door to open again, and now I don't know what to do..."
Peppa stared at her in horror, shaking her head and grabbing her hand. "We need to keep trying to get it open-" She said, dragging both Amethyst and Jonbers out of the bathroom. "I knew there was something off about it. I knew going down there was a bad idea."
Amethyst bit her lip, trying to stop more tears from spilling down her face. She felt awful. "I didn't know something like that would happen..."
"I did." Peppa said, the shadows around them growing larger as they approached the old classroom that held the entrance to the dungeons. "I definitely did. Nothing weird that happens in this place surprises me."
Amethyst sighed, wishing she could turn back time and not have been so stupid. The door to the room was still flung open from when she had run out of it in a panic, and Peppa led the way inside.
It was even colder inside now. Amethyst shivered and desperately wanted Aura back beside her. Without her protective nature she felt exposed and vulnerable, and she found herself cowering back as Peppa stepped into the storage closet with Jonbers tagging along behind her.
Amethyst wiped her eyes with the back of her sweater sleeve. She should've never gone down there and gotten involved with anything weird. She should've focused on her classes and stayed out of any sort of danger. And now because of her, Aura was probably in deep trouble.
She heard Peppa trying to open the door, knowing she would have no luck. But she didn't expect what would come next.
"Uh, Amethyst?" Jonbers called for her. "Can you come here?"
Amethyst was too scared to get any closer, but she sucked it up and forced her legs to move. With her arms wrapped tightly around herself, she joined them and found Peppa trying her best to pick the lock. "W-What?"
Jonbers motioned to the bottom of the door. Amethyst looked down, eyes wide when seeing water oozing out from underneath it. "What the hell..."
"That's what I'm saying." Peppa mumbled. She put all her strength into twisiting the knob and pulling back against it. Something snapped and it flung open, almost making her fall back as the girls were hit by a gust of cold wind.
Amethyst had never felt so much relief. She went to run back down to find Aura but was stopped by Jonbers quickly grabbing onto her. "Wait..."
Amethyst was confused until she looked down. The stairway was filled with water that threatened to spill right out of the doorframe. Her heart sank. "Th-That can't be possible. There wasn't any sort of water down there..."
The three girls stood in silence. Jonbers kneeled down, touching the water and immediately pulling her hand back. "It's like ice." She said, backing up against Peppa.
Peppa was lost in thought. "I think I may have an idea..." She whispered. "But I don't know if you'll believe it."
Amethyst started to cry again. "I just want Aura back..." She whispered. "I'll do anything to find where she was taken."
Peppa led her and Jonbers out, closing the door tightly. "You might think I'm insane, but come with me."
----
Irene waited until that night to go see her teacher. Luxx clung onto her hand and followed her down the corridor, despite still being sick. She had refused to listen to her girlfriend when she was told to stay in bed, insisting that she was still going to help.
"Why do you think Miss Colby can help?" Luxx asked, shivering as she snuggled herself under Irene's arm.
Irene was quiet, unsure if she should share the teacher's secret. "...Because she knows more than most people think." She said, tightening her arm around Luxx and leading her to the library.
The door was cracked open, dark feathers littering the floor around it. Irene pushed it open fully before closing it behind her and Luxx. She didn't want to risk any other student or teacher hearing their conversation.
"Miss Colby?" She called out for her, staying on the lower level. All the students knew by now that the library doubled as the literature teacher's room since she hardly ever seemed to leave it. Between there and her classroom, Sasha was hardly seen anywhere else. "Are you here?"
Instead of getting a response from her teacher, she got one from the raven that was perched on the stairway to the second level. Irene tried not to groan when she heard it squawk down at her, making Luxx giggle. "Can't I go anywhere without that damn bird?"
Luxx smiled a bit. "Be nice, you're technically the one in her territory now." She said, looking up at the bird who had flown down in front of them and now circled them. "Come on, I think she's trying to lead us."
Irene reluctantly followed the bird up the steps, holding onto Luxx protectively. The books around them went from neatly stacked and organized to looking as if they had been frantically scattered and strewn around. They were all filled with notes and opened to different pages. The only light was from tons of lit candles and the smell of sage grew stronger the more they walked. Irene began to feel uneasy when seeing the different salt circles along the floor.
"I think Miss Colby might be insane..." Luxx whispered, keeping close to her girlfriend's side. Irene nodded a little, even though she knew she wasn't any better.
The raven flew over to a large window. In front of it was a desk, and there sat Sasha. Her head was resting on a pile of stacked papers, a quill in her hand as if she had fallen asleep while writing.
Irene stopped walking when she saw her. "...Miss Colby?"
Sasha jumped awake, shaking her head and rubbing her eyes. Irene and Luxx watched as the raven landed on her shoulder and nudged her head gently. Sasha turned around, looking at the two girls through tired eyes. But her panic started to rise when she saw Irene.
"Irene..." She whispered. "What happened? What did you do?"
Luxx tilted her head, looking up at her girlfriend. Irene just sighed, approaching their teacher cautiously. "I...I need your help."
Sasha was silent before standing up from her desk, the raven keeping herself perched on her shoulder. "What did you do...?" She asked again.
Irene began to feel uneasy, looking behind Sasha and out the window. The moon had been covered by dark clouds. "I haven't done anything, that's the problem. Every time I attempt to do anything, something always stops me like it doesn't want me to succeed."
Sasha stared at her before letting out a sigh. "You went back to the creek, didn't you?"
Irene looked down so she didn't have to meet her teacher's gaze. "I-I had to. I have to lift this curse..."
Sasha stroked the feathers of her bird, flinching slightly when hearing the sound of thunder. "Tell me the truth, Irene. Why are you so determined to do this?"
Irene was silent. Luxx laid a gentle hand on her arm to encourage her, so she took a deep breath.
"Because it's my sister who's cursed." She whispered, leaving out the fact that it was her who had done it. "A-And she's falling in love, but if she falls in love and experiences her first kiss with them, then..."
Sasha understood. She understood all too well. She held her hand up to silence her, and the bird perched herself on her finger and looked up at her.
Sasha looked down at her. "You make sure nothing happens to Bosco. Keep an eye on her at all times. Alright?"
Irene watched in confusion as the raven nodded her head and took off. She flew past them, leaving her and Luxx standing there in confusion. "Miss Colby-"
"No more magic. No more spells. No more anything..." Sasha started to pace anxiously, her eyes turning towards the window. "Your sister will be fine until you're able to make things right. But something has awoken. Something you're not strong enough to face..."
Irene shook her head, stepping closer to her. "I can't just-"
"You need to." Sasha interrupted her, her body starting to tremble as she laid a hand on her head. "You don't know what you're facing, Irene. Soemthing is here. And it isn't happy. The more you attempt to perform this spell, the more it feeds off of your energy."
Irene didn't know what to say. Her teacher's words made her incredibly nervous. She backed up towards Luxx. "Miss Colby...?"
"Go back to your room, please..." She said softly, turning to the books on her desk. "I have so much work to do..."
----
"It's hard to study when creepy things are always happening..." Marcia said from Anetra's bed, trying to study for an upcoming test. She looked up at the other girl, desperately wanting the comfort of being next to her but not wanting to seem clingier than she already came off as. It was just them awake in the room. Aura hadn't shown up yet and Jax was fast asleep.
Anetra sat at her desk, tapping her pen against her textbook and staring out the window. The mist seemed darker today. It made her feel uneasy, especially when she heard thunder. "Yeah..."
Marcia looked down at her book, letting out a small sigh. "I-I don't mean you. I just mean the twins and the mist and-"
"It's okay, I know what you mean." Anetra said. She turned away from the window and faced Marcia.
Marcia bit her lip. Anetra was so hard to read. She had no idea what the other girl really thought of her. She almost seemed far away. Like she was here, but also wandering somewhere else that Marcia didn't know about.
But she did know that she wanted in. She did know that she had developed feelings for Anetra.
Anetra sat beside her on the bed, studying her closely. "What are you thinking about?" She asked, able to tell there was something going on in her mind.
The question caught Marcia off guard. There was simply too many things running through her head to just name one. "There's a lot..."
"One at a time then?" Anetra suggested. Marcia looked up at her to meet her eyes. They gave nothing away.
Marcia fidgeted with the pages of her book, trying to gather her thoughts. "...This place is scary." She said softly, keeping eye contact with Anetra in search for any sign of emotion. "B-But you...you make me feel safe."
It was quiet. Marcia looked away, regretting her words until feeling a cold hand on her waist. She squeaked, eyes wide when Anetra pulled her off of the bed and into her lap. Her heartbeat sped up as she faced her, and she bit her lip nervously as she waited for Anetra to say something.
The taller girl leaned in close, so close that Marcia could feel her breath fan across her face. She glanced down at her lips, heart starting to pound at the realization of what was happening.
Anetra stopped, leaving barely any room between their lips. "That's very cute and sweet of you, Marcie."
She pulled away and sat Marcia back onto the bed before she got up. The smaller girl was completely caught off guard, watching her go in confusion. "I- wait- you can't just leave me like that-" She quickly got up to follow her.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Anetra played dumb, opening her dresser to find a pair of clothes to sleep in.
Marcia huffed a little, feeling flustered and blushing like mad. "Are you trying to tease me?-"
"Tease you? I would never." Anetra couldn't hide the smirk on her face, pulling a shirt out and laying it over her shoulder.
Marcia whined a little. "B-But- you just-"
She was interrupted by her chin being gently held. Her eyes went wide, and she looked up to see Anetra had turned to her. The other girl smiled, leaning down and this time closing the space between them completely.
Marcia froze in shock, only able to feel Anetra's lips on hers. It was only when Anetra moved her hand to the back of her neck that she snapped out of it and kissed back, grabbing onto her shirt to keep her close.
Anetra pulled away after a few moments, tucking a strand of Marcia's blonde hair back behind her ear. "Go get in bed. I'll join you in a minute."
Marcia felt lightheaded, but in a good way. She stumbled back over to Anetra's bed with her face still red and a lovesick smile on her face. Anetra had kissed her. That was all she could think about now.
Anetra did join her once she changed. She laid down beside her, holding an arm out that Marcia immediately snuggled into. She laid her head on Anetra's chest, heart fluttering when her hand rested on her hip.
"...You should kiss me again." Marcia whispered, her voice hopeful.
Anetra almost laughed. But she gave in, kissing her forehead softly and holding her closer. "There." She said. "Now rest."
Marcia curled up closer to her, draping an arm over her shoulder. Anetra kept her close, starting out the window at the growing mist.
She sighed softly, laying her head against Marcia's. Something felt off. Like something was happening. But whatever it was, she knew she was going to protect the girl in her arms from it.
----
I hope the Marcia and Anetra fluff made up for what I've done to Aura