Toni and I had ran to the only place we could think of.
Thistle House.
"There, there, Antoinette." My mother soothes. We were covered in dirt from the forest, and mother had given us a cup of tea. "Now that you've settled down with a cup of calming tea, why don't you explain this to me one more time?"
Toni looks up at her. "Mrs. Blossom, Cheryl is in danger."
" She's at the Farm with Betty, Kevin, and Fangs and Edgar Evernever. And he's harvesting organs from his followers." I continue.
"Oh, dear. Is that what he's doing there?" My mother hums. "Well, isn't it fortunate I was here collecting my mail at Thistlehouse when you arrived?" She looks between us. I feel my head becoming dizzy, the room spinning in circles. "And Betty's with him, you say?"
"Yeah, and, um, we need to go save them because we-" Toni suddenly drifts out of consciousness.
My eyes widen, "Toni?" I look back at my mom, her figure fuzzy. "What did you do to us?"
She pets my cheek. "Sleep, child." She whispers.
I'm out like a light.
I woke up, breathing heavily. I look around. This wasn't Thistle House.
This was the Hunting Lounge, on the Thornhill property.
I step out of the bed, seeing a large red dress on a mannequin, with a note ordering me to wear it. I furrow my brow, sliding on the dress.
When I step out of my room, another door opens. "Betty." I breathe, relieved there was someone else here with me. "What the hell is going on?" I hiss.
"I don't know." She admits. "Edgar was about to like, perform major surgery and suddenly I'm here." She gestures. "Where are we?"
"Another house on the Thornhill Estate." I explain. "Come on." I say.
We reach a staircase, stepping down it, where we see a table, already accompanied by Veronica, Jughead, Archie, and my mother. "Guys." Betty says sternly.
"Elizabeth, Emilia, how lovely." My mother hums. "Come join us, why don't you?"
I glare at Mother. "You, you poisoned me!" I shout as I stomp down the stairs.
She scoffs. "Oh, please."
"Penelope, what...what is this place?" Betty whispers.
"The Blossom Hunting Lodge on the grounds of Thornhill." I mumble
Betty looks at me, flabbergasted. "How did I get here?"
Penelope smiles. "I bought you from Mr. Evernever. Just as he was about to cut you into butcher's parts." She hums. "Now, Agatha here will show you to your place."
I turn around, nearly jumping out of my skin. "Sister Woodhouse." Betty stumbles out of her lips. The old woman holds a gun up to my cousin, her eyes cold.
"You naughty, naughty girl." She hisses at Betty.
"Agatha was one of my mentors. She cared for me when I was an orphan at The Sisters of Quiet Mercy. Taught me everything I know about poisons." Mother explains.
Betty's eyes widen in realization. "The murdered nuns. You did that?" She says as she sits next to Jug.
"Oh, loose ends. Such a bother, aren't they?" Penelope hums.
"Loose ends? Is that what we are?" Veronica asks as I am placed on the right of Archie, next to my horrific mother. Archie grabs my hand under the table, trying to soothe me.
My mom shakes her head. "Oh, gosh. No, not you. You are featured players." She looks around the table. "The sons and daughters of the original Midnight Club." She grins maniacally.
"Jug, what's happening?" Betty whispers.
Jughead never takes his eyes off my mom. "I've almost figured it out." He says under his breath.
"Oh, have you?" My mom hums. "Because if anybody could, it would be you and my daughter, Mr. Jones." She smirks. "But first, two more guests. I believe you know them already."
She rings a small bell, and slowly the Black Hood walks out from the hall behind my mother. And then, a curtain flies open, The Gargoyle King standing in all of his horrific glory. They stand side by side, and my grip on Archie's hand grows tighter.
"What have I told you? No masks at the dinner table." Penelope glares. "Take them off."
First, the Black Hood. Hal reveals his face, Betty, looking away. "Oh, my God." She whispers.
As Hal sits next to Betty, The King goes to take off his own. "Wait, King, before you do," She looks at my best friend since kindergarten. "Hellcaster. Care to take a stab?"
Jughead looks at me for a split second before back towards my mom. "Sure. Arthur Conan Doyle famously said, "Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.""
"In which case, whoever it is underneath that mask must've had a connection to Hal and to you, Mummy Dearest." I say.
"But it's not Jason, because he's dead." My eyes widen. Jason was a suspect? "Even though his corpse is missing."
"His corpse is missing?" I ask.
Jughead nods. "The one corpse that hasn't been accounted for and who was last seen by the Black Hood."
"Chic." Betty, Jughead, and I all say
Sure enough, Betty's fake brother slides off the mask, his hair dyed a dark red.
"What the hell?" Archie mumbles.
"Since when does Chic have red hair?" Veronica asks.
Jughead replies, "I'm guessing since he started working with Penelope. Doing her bidding. But this was after he got the Gargoyle symbols tattooed on his back. It's why Ethel said the Gargoyle King was Jason."
I look at my mother, my eyes watered. "Because you called him Jason." I glare. "Cause you dressed him up like Jason." Tears stream down my cheeks. "You replaced my brother."
"You didn't murder Chic." Betty looks at her father. "After you chased him through the woods, you-"
"I recognized a kinship in him, and I spared him. He begged for mercy and pledged his life to me in service of my mission." Hal explains.
"But it wasn't just your mission, was it, Mr. Cooper?" I ask, it all clicking in my head.
"Maybe not at first, but eventually, you started working with someone else who also had a grudge against Riverdale." Jug says.
"In the middle of all that stuff with the Black Hood last year, my dad was having an affair with Penelope." Betty says with realization.
"Yes, I did cultivate your father's...murderous impulses, it's true. To take my revenge on a town that allowed me to be sold as a child bride to the Blossoms. Your parents knew. I told them. And they did nothing but mock me. And years later, when my Jason was murdered in cold blood, do you think one of them reached out to me? No, they were too busy ignoring the rotting, fetid truth that Riverdale is a hideous and cruel place, twisted and cursed. And the Black Hood and I, we were doing quite well. Exterminating its sinners."
"Until my dad got arrested." Betty adds.
"Yes, but that was fine because Hal's disciple came to me, lost, and I gave him purpose. To continue our great work" She hums.
"But not as the Black Hood. So instead, you made him dress up like the boogeyman. The Gargoyle King."
"You introduced G&G to our parents years ago, and then reintroduced it this year to Chic." I say.
"His name is Jason." Mother glares.
"Who gave it to..." Betty continues.
"Ben Button. Who started playing with Dilton Doiley." Jughead says.
"Then Ethel Muggs. And then G&G spread like a virus or a poison." Betty says.
" And the true mastermind behind it all...the true king is you, Penelope." Jughead finishes.
"Well done. Well done." She cheers, taking a sip of her drink. "But now, it's time to play one final round. With you, the Midnight children." She hums.
"To what end?" Jughead asks.
She looks around. "Say it's to reveal your true nature. To prove that you are as dark-hearted as the town that birthed you."
Archie speaks up. "And what?" She looks at him. "If we win, we escape?"
"You won't win." My mother chuckles.
"So what happens if we lose?" Veronica asks.
Penelope shrugs. "Well, then, your parents will feel the pain that I felt. The death of a child. Could there by anything more dreadful?"
"But, Mom, I'm your child-"
"You're also Kimberly's child, Emilia." Mom hums, her hand brushing my cheek. "If I must lose you to hurt her and her bastard family, I will."
"You're nuts." Archie says as a clock starts to chime.
My mother smiles in excitement. "It is time." She stands, looking at us. "Come to the lawn for the gathering."
As we walk outside, Archie grabs my hand. "Emmy," I turn around, and Archie cups my cheek. "I'm sorry this is happening."
"It's fine, Archie." I sigh, "You guys will get through this." I look down. "But if I don't," I bring his face close to mine, kissing his lips softly. "I love you, Archie Andrews."
Archies eyes water. "I love you too, Emilia Blossom."
"The task before you is simple. Make it through the woods, survive the night. You will be tested, each of you. Refuse my tests or try to escape, and my Gargoyle minion will kill you." A line of Gargoyles stand behind her. "May the final quest begin!"
The five of us look each other, not really sure what to do.
"I'd start running, if I were you." She says.
We do.
After some running, the five of us come to a walk. "The good news is, if Penelope wanted us dead, we would be." Jughead says. "She wants us alive."
"Yeah, well, at least long enough to complete her bizarre social experiment." Betty snaps.
"Yeah, or die trying." Archie adds.
"We don't even know where to go." Ronnie adds.
I nod. "We could be going to wrong way!" I snap.
"Actually, Sorceress and Enchantress, we might." Jughead says, shining his light on a sign, pointing us in a direction.
Archie grabs my hand. "Come on, let's go." He says.
___________
22 is in three parts,
and i hope you all enjoy it:))