"So, anyway, viewers–– rest assured, we're still working on the whole 'Lophiiformes, gates of Hell opening' thing," Laura says to her camera. "And if you ever notice a mass of people not sleeping, it might be a dead sandman sitch. Also check the video description for details about the wake we're having for the Summers and Pit covens."
Laura swallows hard, willing the tears not to come. All these people dead. Because of me.
"I'm sorry if any of you lost family or friends in that whole tragedy," she continues. "I promise their deaths won't be for nothing, and the Dean will answer for this. I'm going to head over to the house and get some answers from her today. Maybe it'll all have something to do with that Vordenberg guy. If you guys know anything about him, please contact me."
She ends the video and uploads it, making a mental note to add more details to their sandmen entry in the Book of Shadows.
Her phone rings and she answers it. "Hey, Danny."
"Hey, Hollis." There's a pause and Laura realizes there's an enormous commotion in the background. "How well do you remember the course on Not-Combatant Magical Creatures?"
"Pretty well," Laura replies, trying to figure out where this is going.
There's another pause and Laura hears a loud splash. "Jesus Christ! Will someone relocate some of the merpeople?" Danny yells on the other end. "Sorry. Someone's targeting a whole slew of these non-combatant creatures–– maybe that Vordenberg dude. Nymphs, leprechauns, mermaids, genies–– you name it. We're hiding as many as we can in Magic School until we can figure it out, but we need more hands on board."
"On my way," Laura says, smacking at a napping Carmilla on the couch. "On our way."
Carmilla grumbles and pulls the blankets over her head.
~*~
"Daycare sure has changed since my day," Carmilla comments as they orb into a chaotic Magic School lobby.
There are lines separating individuals by magical species, with signs pointing where to go. Nymphs bored waiting are creating endless piles of flower crowns. A stack of lamps and urns are flooding a box labeled "genies." Leprechauns are stacked on each other towards the end of their line, no doubt trying to see how far back they are.
"Do you think if I yank one out from the middle, I can make a fun game of Jenga?" Carmilla teases.
Laura rolls her eyes. "Be nice."
"Hey, Laura! Love the videos. Keep them up!" a kid yells out as he rushes past her, heading for the potions lab.
She gives them a small wave and Carmilla smirks.
"'Oh! Laura! I've seen every episode of your vlogs! Will you autograph my breast for me?'" Carmilla mocks, pretending to swoon.
Laura giggles. "Shut up."
Danny, looking slightly frazzled, notices them and runs over. "Great, great," she says, leading them to an emptier corner. "Carmilla, whitelighters are out on acquisition detail. J.P. can tell you who still needs rescuing. Laura, I need you to help Perry and LaF with boosting the protection spell since you're one of the more powerful spell-casters we've got."
"And what are you going to be doing?" Carmilla asks, arms crossed. "Acting as the last remaining pillar if this place falls?"
Danny mocks laughter. "No, smartass, I'm helping with the lines here."
"Laura's the only one allowed to compliment my ass," Carmilla replies.
"Right now, Laura wants your nice, leather-clad ass to do what Danny told you to do," Laura says, giving her a quick peck on the lips.
Carmilla does an overdramatic salute and walks to where J.P. is holding a clipboard.
"You remember where the school's protection spell is based, right?" Danny asks, already knowing the answer.
"In the library," Laura says, already walking away.
The library is a bit of its own character, often pranking students by hiding books, or dropping them on those asleep at their tables while studying. One time its screens flashed, "Get out!" to a group of students who were sneaking in on a dare late at night.
It must know that Laura is there to help protect the school, however, since it doesn't do anything to her as she wanders the stacks. If anything, she reaches Perry and the others sooner than expected.
"Oh, hello, Laura," Perry says, pausing the chanting. "Right on time!"
"We need you in the stacks for the next part of the protection spell," Mel says, rotating a 3D blueprint hologram.
Clearly she's diving into helping others to forget about the loss of her coven, but Laura doesn't want to draw attention to it.
Mel points at a spot. "You'll be by the children's books."
LaF lets out a snort. "Fitting, Hollis."
"Ha. Ha," Laura laughs sarcastically. She grabs a few white candles a few black candles, a couple red candles, and a green candle from the baskets on the table–– all labeled, so it was definitely arranged by Perry. She also takes an athame, a wand, a chalice, a small bottle of wine, and a small sack of herbs. Laura puts it all in a small backpack that Mel hands her and heads towards the children's section.
She passes by a few other witches, including Natalie from the elder care facility, and exchanges quick pleasantries before she finally reaches her destination.
By then, the witches have all resumed chanting, and Laura begins to set up the spell. The chant is drilled into all Magic School students as soon as they begin attending. In fact, that's how Laura learned that her spell-casting was stronger than the average witch–– most first-timers are only capable of casting it on a small section of Magic School. But little seven-year-old Laura Hollis managed to get her spell across half the school, when others could only get up to a few small rooms.
She starts to cite the chant when a book falls off the shelf behind her. She's not sure what it is that compels her to do so, but Laura turns around to look down at it.
That's the last thing she remembers before everything goes black.
~*~
Carmilla orbs back into Magic School, soaked from head to toe.
"One humanoid lively piece of sushi, delivered," she says to J.P. flatly.
"And you dropped the merman off at the pool?" he asks, checking off the list.
She nods. "Well, it's been real swell helping you all out, so if you don't mind, I'm just gonna––"
"Nice try, Miss Karnstein. There's a nymph wandering around Central Park you need to obtain."
Perry's rapid footsteps approach them and she looks absolutely frantic and harried. "There's, uhm... Well, something's..."
"Miss Perry, what is the matter?" J.P. asks calmly.
"Laura's gone missing," Perry blurts out.
Carmilla's eyes widen. "What?"
Perry wrings her hands together nervously. "We realized her section of the spell hadn't gone up for quite some time, and when I went to where she should've been, she wasn't there. The candles were all lit and ready to go, but she had vanished."
Carmilla closes her eyes and tries to sense for Laura. "All I'm getting is that she's in Magic School," she growls.
"I already have LaFontaine scrying for her and the others are searching the stacks but that could take some time," Perry sighs.
Carmilla brushes past her and heads for the stacks herself. Where are you, Laura?
~*~
Laura groans as she sits up, her head pounding. She gradually realizes she's in the middle of a forest at night.
"Oh, my. Dear, are you okay?" a voice asks from behind her, footsteps crunching on leaves as a middle aged woman approaches Laura.
"I think so. Where am I?" Laura asks, regarding her warily.
The old woman cocks her head to the side, puzzled. "You're in a forest near my home. Would you like to go there to rest for the night until you can get your bearings?"
Something feels off.
Laura nods slowly. "Yes, please."
The woman seems satisfied and begins leading her through the trees. "Do you know who you are?"
"I didn't lose my memory," Laura says carefully. "I'm just not sure how I got here."
"Okay," she replies, chuckling politely. "Maybe a good night's sleep will fix that."
The cottage is only a ten-minute walk from where she found Laura, and within half an hour, Laura finds herself eating some delicious stew. "Tastes great! What's in it?"
"The tender meat of children," the woman states.
Laura's eyes widen.
"Oh, darling! I'm teasing–– it's just some beef from the cattle my granddaughter's family owns. She just dropped it off earlier," the lady says, throwing her head back in laughter.
Laura giggles nervously, still unnerved. She finishes the stew quickly after that.
The woman shows Laura to her room and bids her goodnight. Laura carefully settles in, unable to ignore the sense that something is off as she closes her eyes.
Maybe Carm's general disdain for people is just rubbing off on me.
After all, the woman seems perfectly lovely. If anything, she comes off as desperately lonely, and hungry for company.
Laura feels a presence and her eyes snap open. The woman is reaching out for her, but she's no longer middle-aged.
Instead, she's transforming into a wolf.
"I haven't had someone to snack on in ages," she sneers. "And here you are, dropped off not ten minutes from my home!"
Laura yelps and rolls out of the other side of the bed. "You're a werewolf?" She stares out the window. "But the moon isn't anywhere near full yet!"
The half-woman, half-wolf cackles. "Oh, darling. You really have no idea where you are, do you?"
"Nope," Laura admits. "But I know I'm getting the heck out of here." She turns and runs out the door, slamming it closed behind her and propping a chair up against the knob. "Ah-ha!"
The woman pulls the door open.
"Oh, crap," Laura groans, darting out the front door.
~*~
"She never even started the spell?" Carmilla demands, frowning at the still-lit candles.
LaF shakes their head. "All we found were all the ingredients laid out."
"Oh, and this book," Natalie volunteers, holding out a thick, red hardcover.
Carmilla frowns at the book. "Where was this?"
Perry points at the floor near a bookcase.
"Do books have a habit of just falling off the shelves?" Carmilla asks.
The three witches shake their heads.
Carmilla sighs and opens it carefully, only to find a detailed account of classic children's fairly tales. A few lines on every page are accompanied by a moving picture that loops every few seconds.
"Seems like it would be a popular one," Perry notes, looking over Carmilla's shoulder. "I wonder why I've never seen it before."
Carmilla shrugs and flips through a few more pages before getting bored. That is–– until one picture in the Red Riding Hood chapter catches her eye.
LaF gasps. "Holy moly, that looks... that looks like..."
Carmilla swallows hard as her grip on the book tightens. "Laura."
~*~
Laura trips as she hears the wolf's rapid approach behind her. She made a few attempts to call Carmilla for help, but it's all been in vain, and her phone doesn't have reception. At this point she's just stumbling through trees and she has no idea which direction she's headed.
She spots a building ahead and pauses, trying to decide if she should go towards it. A snapped branch behind her is the only indicator she needs as she darts forward. The front door is unlocked, so she thrusts herself in and closes it.
The building seems decorated for the holidays, but also appears abandoned. There are signs of slight neglect amidst the festive lights.
She spots the wolf outside, but it stops short when it sees the building. It growls lowly, but retreats into the darkness. Laura frowns.
"Can I help you, girl?" a tall Eastern European woman asks from another room, making Laura jump.
"Sorry, I just didn't know anyone else was here, what with the... dust and the spiders and everything," Laura says nervously.
The woman lets out a warm laugh. "Oh, don't be silly. This is the Klaus Kuchen Haus, the most famous Christmas destination in all of Austria. We built it here after we had to leave the Pole. That unfortunate incident with the reindeer, you know." She waves her hand dismissively. "But look at you, poor bird. Exhausted, all alone, so far from home! Let Mama whip you up a Christmas treat!"
Laura ignores the urge to point out it's nowhere near Christmas. Who am I to argue with someone who has dozens of gingerbread cookies lying around? "Yes, please, if it's no trouble."
The woman nods, satisfied, and heads into what Laura assumes is the kitchen.
Laura sighs, trying to figure out where she is. I wish Carm were here.
~*~
"Crap, I lost track of her as she ran from the wolf-grandma," Carmilla groans. "Leave it to Laura to go through this book non-linearly." She frantically flips through the book for any pictures of a small blonde.
"Wait! Go back. I saw her," Danny yells out from behind Carmilla.
Carmilla goes back and frowns at the chapter title, which seems more dramatic and written in a different style than the others.
Mama Klaus. Inside what looks like an abandoned diner are Laura and a large woman as they wait for some sweets to finish baking. Carmilla flips further into the chapter and her eyes widen. "Oh no."
The book is magically adding pages and words before their eyes.
Perry's mouth drops open. "Is there a way we can talk to her?"
Carmilla hands the book to LaFontaine before orbing off without a word.
J.P. frowns. "I do hope she's not trying to orb into this book, because––"
Carmilla reappears a few minutes later with a quill in her hand.
"What's that?" Kirsch laughs. "Did you pluck a chicken?"
Carmilla stares at him, dumbfounded. "No. It's the quill that wrote Beowulf. It's enchanted." She pulls out a stack of paper. "And this is a stack of papers that was found by J.D. Salinger's unpublished works. If you guys work on a way to get Laura out of there, I should be able to stall. Together, these objects should work."
"To do what?" Perry asks.
~*~
"What's the matter, sweet girl?" Mama Klaus asks, her voice gentle. "Would you like something else? Jellybeans or gumdrops? Chocolate cake or marzipan?"
Laura laughs softly. "No, that's okay. This is wonderful. It's just... I miss my girlfriend and friends."
"Of course you do," she says understandingly. "I miss all my little helpers. And my fat husband."
Laura frowns. Mama Klaus had only just introduced herself, but she didn't see any hint of a husband. "Did something happen to him?"
"Well, once the customers stopped coming, certain sacrifices had to be made," she replies, gesturing at the empty space around them.
Laura's frown deepens.
"But food can be such a comfort," Mama Klaus quickly amends. "You just let the sugar and butter and the spice fill you up to the brim."
Laura flashes her a nice, warm smile, trying not to look nervous. "Of course!"
Mama Klaus nods and goes to get the batch of gingerbread cookies she's heated up in the oven.
Suddenly, Laura's head starts ringing and she grabs it with a wince.
"LAURA, CAN YOU HEAR ME? IT'S CARMILLA," Carmilla's voice booms through her head.
"Ow! Yes, yes, I can hear you," Laura says. "What the heck!"
"Sorry, I think I was writing too hard on this enchanted paper. It's been a while since I wrote with a feather quill pen."
Laura rubs at the pounding headache. "How are you in my head? And what do you mean you're writing with a quill pen?"
"Cupcake, you're stuck in a book. The book was originally a children's book, but it was spelled and meant to contain Mama Klaus. It was supposed to be placed in the special edition section of the library but there was a shelving mistake. You'd think after that demon you chased down in a bookstore, they'd learn to be more careful," Carmilla writes, adding another enchanted page to the book.
"Why would anyone want to capture Mama Klaus?" Laura asks, her voice hushed.
She can actually feel the sigh from Carmilla as she picks up a gingerbread cookie from an earlier batch and takes a bite from it.
"You don't think any of this is suspicious?"
Laura cocks her head to the side, confused. "Any of what?"
"The magical treats? The angry wolf-grandma too scared to come in here, the gingerbread dioramas of doom?" Carmilla's sarcasm drips through.
Laura rolls her eyes and takes another bite of the cookie. "Puh-leez. She is literally Mama Klaus."
"Ya killin' me, Hollis."
Mama Klaus walks in with a tray and places it in front of Laura. "What about me, dear?"
Laura plasters on a smile all too wide. "Nothing. Just admiring your name."
"LAURA GET OUT OF THERE!" Carmilla shouts to Laura.
Laura groans and grabs her head.
"Are you okay?" Mama Klaus asks. "Perhaps you should lie down. I have a room in the back ready."
Laura nods as she's led to the back.
"DO NOT GO IN THERE."
Laura ignores Carmilla as Mama Klaus opens a door and gestures for Laura to go first. She starts to, but then pauses for a moment.
"Uhm, this room looks kinda..." Bare? Small? Not like a room at all? Laura's eyes widen as she realizes where she's been led. Like an oven. "Oh, crap."
"Why aren't you going in, dear? You're not well. Indulge yourself."
Laura gulps, trying to go around Mama Klaus, who's now backed Laura up with nowhere to go but the room-sized oven. "Uh, I'm just so worried about sleeping in new places, what with bed bugs and different brands of s-softener..."
"No need to worry about those things, my little Lebkuchen. My little Weinchten snack."
Laura flinches. "Yeah... Just so we're clear, you totally turn people into gingerbread and eat them, don't you?"
Mama Klaus grabs Laura's arm. "It's been so long since Mama's had a Christmas feast!"
Great, she refers to herself in the third-person. Next she's gonna tell me she named her oven 'Lucy.'
"I'll roast you like those bastard reindeer!"
Mama Klaus's grip tightens and she moves to shove Laura into the oven. Laura grits her teeth but returns the grip, holding onto Mama Klaus's arm and bringing them both crashing onto the floor with a grunt.
Laura rolls her off and tries to get out of the room, but Mama Klaus's hand clamps around her ankle and brings her right back down.
"Haha. Yep. Okay," Laura laughs nervously, her ears ringing from the fall. She can feel some blood running down the side of her face. "Carmilla?"
Nothing happens and she groans.
"Where do you think you're going?" Mama Klaus sneers.
Laura huffs. She'd gotten this far without using her powers, but clearly that was going to have to change. "Let go of me," she commands.
Mama Klaus lets go and watches in horror as Laura scrambles to her feet, running out of the oven and slamming the door closed behind her.
Lights swirl around Laura and her head spins before she refocuses and realizes she's back in Magic School. "Oh, sure, now you get me out of that book."
"Didn't want to ruin your fun," Carmilla teases, walking Laura over to a chair.
"Maybe it's the head trauma, but I'm not finding you very funny at the moment," Laura snaps.
Carmilla chuckles and gets started on healing the gash on Laura's forehead. "Don't get mad at me. Get mad at whoever shelved that book incorrectly."
"It wasn't a shelving error," Perry says as she and Danny enter the library with a laptop in hand.
"Or, at least, not an accidental one," Danny clarifies. "Glad to see you're back, Hollis."
Laura gives a small wave.
"What are you two talking about?" Mel asks.
Perry sighs. "When Laura went missing and everyone went to search for her and subsequently rescue her, that took attention away from protecting the magic creatures seeking sanctuary here, as well as slowed down casting the protection spell over the school."
"A few mermaids went missing, as well as a whole bunch of nymphs," Danny elaborates. "The distraction worked."
Laura looks horrified, and LaFontaine nods. "I had a hunch but I was working with Mel on a spell to get Laura out of the book, so I asked them to look into it."
"Magic School installed security cameras after we graduated. The students don't know. But the faculty also wanted to investigate LaF's hunch," Danny explains, turning the laptop. "Right before we came here today to help make Magic School a sanctuary, the cameras caught this."
The video starts playing, showing someone entering the empty library with a book in hand. She places it on a shelf in the children's book section, before holding out her hands. A few moments pass and the book glows. The culprit turns around and, oblivious to the camera's presence, walks towards it to leave.
Mel's mouth drops open. "Elsie."
"Yeah, so we sent J.P. and Kirsch to go find her and get her," Danny says with a sigh.
J.P. runs in, looking shaken and out of breath. "One of the witches used a truth spell on her."
"And?" Mel asks, looking absolutely pissed off.
"She admitted to planting the book and spelling it to capture Laura and serve as a diversion," he says. "And she says someone named Vordenberg commanded her to do it."
Laura and Carmilla look at each other. Carmilla gives Laura's shoulder a squeeze.
"I think that it's time we start looking into this Vordenberg dude," Laura says.