"Did anyone in the Midnight Club ever mention getting a tattoo as part of the game?"
"I thought I told you there was nothing else to say about that night," FP said, not looking up.
"I'm not talking about Ascension Night specifically, I'm asking about the entire time your little group was playing G&G," I clarified.
FP sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Someone may have. A way to remember it before it all went to hell. Why?"
"Ben Button, Dilton Doiley, Baby Teeth, and Kurtz all had the same symbols carved or tattooed on their backs," I began. "And they were all trying to ascend. Well, except Baby Teeth, who was sacrificed. Did Warden Norton or any of the nuns have the marks on their backs?"
"I don't know, but I can reach out to Dr Curdle Jr to find out," FP replied. "Does this have something to do with that book Jughead has? The Gospel of the Gargoyle King?"
"You know about that?"
FP smiled. "Yeah, I do. You think my kids are that good at hiding things from me?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Remind me again, how long were Jughead and the Serpents running Gargoyles off street corners without your knowledge?"
Don't push it, girl," he warned. "Now, what's this about?"
The Gospel says those tattoos are necessary to get into the Kingdom," I explained. "Three of the bodies had the symbols carved into them after death, making it more symbolic than anything. Kurtz had them tattooed, like he knew there was a chance he wouldn't Ascend in the usual way."
"He was a Fizzle Rocks junkie, it's a miracle he didn't overdose," FP pointed out. "Babygirl, where are you going with all this?"
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "I don't know. But I feel like we're missing something. Something connecting the runes, the Gospel, and the Gargoyle King then and now." FP waited patiently as my thoughts raced in several directions at once. "Either the Gospel was written after Ascension Night and the current Gargoyle King is following it, or whoever was the King back then decided to ignore that little line about the necessity of the symbols and just wanted to commit murder via suicide."
"Have you run any of this by Jug?"
"No, I had enough of Betty trying to pin it on the Farm and Edgar."
FP nodded in understanding. "That girl's like a dog with a bone. I'll let you know if anything comes up."
"Thanks, FP," I said, letting myself out of the office. I puzzled over the symbols, still making no sense of it as I drove to Riverdale High where Jughead had called a meeting in the Swords and Serpents room. He and Betty were hatching some new plan to catch the Gargoyle King and needed help with it. And for some reason that Jughead refused to tell me over the phone, the Pretty Poisons were needed as well.
Walking into the room, the division between the two gangs was clear. The Serpents were seated on the left side while the Pretty Poisons were on the right, both groups ignoring the other. "What did I miss?" I asked, sitting on the desk Sweet Pea was at.
"Don't know," Colton said. "Only said Jughead told them to be here." The other Serpents nodded in agreement while the Poisons pretended not to hear.
Sweet Pea pulled off the desk and onto his lap, whispering in my ear. "About last night..."
I looked around quickly to be sure no one was listening. "I told you, I'm not going to say a word to anyone." He nodded gratefully, resting his head on my shoulder while he played with my hand.
Last night I'd seen a side of Sweet Pea he never showed anyone. He'd broken down and told me what had happened to his family, how he'd ended up in Riverdale. It was something he'd never told anyone, not even Fangs, his closest friend.
Before long, Betty and Jughead entered the room, taking their usual places in front of the teacher's desk.
"Serpents, Poisons, we have a proposition for you," Jughead announced.
"The Pretty Poisons don't take orders from you," Peaches said.
"You might want to reconsider that, considering I don't see either of your leaders here," I said, catching her attention. "Besides, if it weren't for Jones kicking Toni and Cheryl out of the Serpents, your little gang wouldn't even exist."
Betty stepped forward, a pleading look on her face. "Please, Peaches. We're talking about a prom night truce. So that we can all work together to catch the Gargoyle King. How does that sound?"
Every eye turned on Peaches. "The Poisons can get behind that," she announced finally.
"During prom, groups of you will be stationed at every entrance," Jughead began, launching into the plan. "Once the announcement for Prom Queen begins, you guys are gonna bar anyone from exiting the gym. Whoever's cosplaying as the Gargoyle King is going to be there, and this is going to be our one shot at nabbing him."
I raised an eyebrow at the pair, waiting to hear the rest of the plan. It couldn't be as simple as locking everyone in and forcing everyone in masks to reveal themselves. As if thinking along the same lines, Peaches spoke up.
"Will he be in costume?" she asked.
Jughead shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. At the minimum, he's gonna have some sort of kingly signifier like a crown or antlers or the like, and he's going to make his move after Betty is crowned Prom Queen."
Around me a few people shifted their stances, though why was a mystery. It could have been unease at working with one another, the prospect of unmasking the Gargoyle King, or the fact that Betty was receiving the title.
“Abigail, do you think we can get some extra help from your, uh…” Jughead began, fumbling for the right word. We’d somehow managed to keep it secret that I had a small hold over part of the Gargoyle gang. Somehow they were still holding on despite their loss of Kurtz, Gladys Jones, and the Fizzle Rocks industry.
I’ll have them ready,” I replied, earning a few curious looks.
"Let's end this nightmare," Betty said, stepping forward. "Once and for all." She held out a hand, and slowly everyone stood to join her, in support of the plan.
Everyone filed out of the room, leaving Sweet Pea and I behind. He sat on the edge of the desk, pulling me to stand between his legs. "Looks like I get to take you to Prom after all," he said with a small smile.
"What about those mysterious plans you had for us?" I asked, hoping he'd finally tell me what they were.
"We can work around Prom," he replied, pressing his lips against mine. We broke apart minutes later, before things went too far.
"I'm going to find Toni," I said. "Maybe she can help me find a dress that doesn't look like it came from a cheap costume shop."
"You'll look beautiful in anything, Abigail," Sweet Pea said with a smile.
I rolled my eyes, sighing. "You were doing so good at not using those cheesy lines."
"Hey, how can it be cheesy if it's true?" he whined, grabbing my hand as we walked out of the room.
"Don't you have a class to get to or something?" I laughed.
"I'll see you tonight," he gave in, kissing me quickly.
Walking down the hall in the opposite direction, I couldn't help smiling to myself. I'd never had any interest in school functions like these so-called milestone dances, but Sweet Pea seemed happy about it so I'd go without complaint.
I tried to ignore the sound of heels clicking on the floor behind me. There were only two people who'd be wearing those and I didn't want to see either of them at the moment. Unfortunately, I wasn't given much choice in the matter.
"Abigail, are you insane?" Veronica snapped, yanking me backwards into an empty classroom.
"Some would say so," I joked, trying not to show my annoyance at having been stopped that way.
Veronica glared at me, clearly not amused. "You forged Mrs Andrews' signature so that Archie could be in the tournament."
"She wasn't going to sign that waiver, so I did it for her. What's the big deal? Afraid Archie's pretty face will get messed up right before Prom?"
"No. The big deal is that there is no way Archie can fight two matches in one day."
"Veronica, what are you talking about? The exhibition match on Friday night is just to show off his skills. The Regional Classic is Saturday afternoon. I mean, yeah, they're less than 24 hours apart, but he's got time to recover between them."
"No, he doesn't. The tournament got moved up a day, it's now Friday, Veronica said.
"Okay, so what am I supposed to do about it?" I asked. "Convince them to move the tournament back to Saturday?"
"I told Archie I'd give him a ride from the Regional Classic back to the El Royale. He won't listen to me about choosing one or the other, but he might listen to you. Please, Abigail."
I studied Veronica for a moment, noticing how she wouldn't quite meet my eye. "There's something else, isn't there?"
She sighed, twisting the handle of her purse in her hands. "Archie's crash-dieting right now, refusing to come to school so he can stay at the gym and work out."
"Why? Those two combined are going to cause more problems than anything," I said.
"I know, but he has to lose six pounds to make his weight for the fight," Veronica said. "Please, you have to do something. Anything."
I ran a hand through my hair, trying to keep control of my temper. "You know what? No, fuck this. I did my part in helping Archie with the tournament. I'm done. If he wants to push himself past his limits and try to come out the victor in two matches back-to-back, let him. And if you want to support this idiotic plan by shuttling him from Point A to Point B, then so be it. I'm done."
"Abigail, please," Veronica cried as I walked out the door.
Pushing through the crowded hall, I ignored everyone, knowing I'd likely end up losing my temper on some innocent bystander if I didn't. I paused in the parking lot, leaning back against the side of the truck.
"Hey!" Toni greeted, appearing beside me. "Wow, what's got you so pissed off?"
"The fantastic duo that is Veronica and Archie," I replied. "What are you doing out here?"
"Sweet Pea said you were looking for me."
I"d forgotten about that. "I was. You think Cheryl can spare you for a little while? I need a dress for Prom."
Toni grinned. "I knew he'd convince you to go. Come on, I saw a few dresses the other day that would be perfect for you." I decided not to say anything, letting Toni have the perceived win.
Hours later, Toni and I left Pop's where we'd ended up after buying everything needed for the dance. "You want me to drop you back at school so you can get your bike?" I asked, starting up the truck.
"No, uh, I actually got a ride with Cheryl this morning," Toni replied. "You can drop me at the Farm."
I sighed, not wanting to even be close to the place. "I know Cheryl's mother can be a bit overbearing, but is staying at the Farm really that much better?"
"For me it is," Toni answered. "My whole life, I've been searching for a family. The Serpents, the Pretty Poisons. I've never felt such a belonging as I do at the Farm."
"I get it, Toni," I replied, glancing at her quickly. "I know that feeling of not belonging, but I'm not gonna lie, I don't like you or Fangs or anyone else being there. The Farm is shady as shit."
Toni let out a small laugh. "That's what I thought too, until I actually sat down and talked to Edgar. He's helped me let go of a lot of things I hadn't realized I'd been holding onto."
It was a classic scam, popular with fortune tellers. They'd trick you into revealing just enough information for them to run with, convincing you they knew more than they did. The more vulnerable the person, the more likely they were to go back again and again. Edgar had to have something else going on though, to lure so many into his trap.
After dropping Toni off, I drove home, carrying my bags upstairs to where Sweet Pea was watching tv in our room. "That looks like more than just a dress," he said, watching me put everything away.
"You seem to have forgotten who took me shopping," I replied. "With Toni, it's not just the dress, it's the dress and everything that goes with it."
"So, do I get to see?" he asked, wrapping his arms around my waist from behind.
I looked up at him, matching his smile. "Are you going to tell me what else you have planned for Saturday?"
"Nope. You're going to have to wait."
"Then so will you."
Author's Note: When I started writing this chapter, I was going somewhere with the tattoo thing but then I lost it. I didn't want to delete everything I'd already written, hoping it'd come back to me as I kept going. Unfortunately, I still have no idea where I was going, so there you have it.
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