Freya
I spent the rest of that night freaking out. When Ambrose returned home I even had a baseball bat tucked away in a corner... you know... just in case. He reassured me that there was nothing to fear. Only that there is AN ACTUAL JUDAS SOCIETY. And that Ambrose was asked to join. He said yes of course, but kept on promising me that he would make sure that nothing would happen to me or the rest of the Spellman family. Needless to say, I slept with one eye open that night. Just in case the High Priest of my coven sent my warlock boyfriend to kill me. He didn't.
"This wedding will be the re-making of the Spellman family." Aunt Zelda says as we all sit around the kitchen table, trying little red bows on creepy wedding favors. "The Anti-Pope, the Unholy Papal himself, is traveling from Rome, the Vatican Necropolis to marry Faustus and I." She beams. At the mention of Father Blackwood, Kai lets out a soft hiss from under the table and I gently push him with my foot to shut him up.
"I shall, forever more, be Mrs. Zelda Spellman-Blackwood." Wow. What a name. "I only wish I could be there to see you down the aisle." Aunt Hilda says with a sad smile. "Oh, stop bleating, Hilda. I told you, I'm going to speak to Faustus about lifting your excommunication. After all, you have your duties as my maid of dishonor." Zelda says. I look up from my bow to raise an eye at Sabrina. Maid of dishonor? She rolls her eyes and gets back to her box.
"If not all of those responsibilities fall to Sabrina who has been unusually quiet these past few days." Zelda says. "Well if you can't say something nice..." Sabrina says trailing off. "I mean putting aside the fact that you clearly don't love Father Blackwood-" "-"love?" Zelda asks, cutting Sabrina off.
"You're 16. What do you know about love?" "But you don't even trust him." Sabrina argues. Ah yes, Sabrina and Zelda arguing. Just like old times. I almost missed this. "Sabrina, in less than 48 hours, I will be the wife of the High Priest, whether you approve or not." Zelda barks back.
Salem must be fed up with the arguing because he meows and hops up on the counter. Ambrose grabs an empty box and chucks it at Salem. "Hey!" I yell. "Leave Salem alone!" Sabrina hisses. "I will, as soon as he regurgitates Leviathan." Ambrose argues. I sigh and lean my head down on the table. His familiar is gone for a few hours and he is ready to blame Salem.
"Salem didn't eat your familiar, Ambrose." Sabrina argues. "Yeah, then where is he?" Ambrose argues back. I put my hand on his upper arm to try to calm him down. "Why Salem? Why couldn't it have been Kai?" Sabrina taunts. Kai raises his head in confusion. HA! He would never blame Kai.
"Because I've already checked Kai." Ambrose hisses back. Wait what. "Um. Hi. How did you 'check Kai' exactly?" I ask raising my eyebrow. No one messes with my familiar. Not even my boyfriend. "Would you all relax? He's probably in the walls with the other mice." Aunt Hilda says trying to ease the tension.
"Enough!" Aunt Zelda says slamming her hands on the table. "I'm getting married. Only smiles this week." She says. Ambrose and Sabrina give Aunt Zelda the biggest, fakest smiles they possibly can. I try not to laugh and throw a ball of ribbon at them.
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Freya
"And then he told me that Father Blackwood was responsible for the deaths of mom and dad as well as Freya's parents!" Sabrina claims. Here we are. Another argument at the kitchen table. I check the clock. Only six hours since the last time there was an argument in this exact spot. Only this time Sabrina is claiming that the ghost of her dad appeared to her to tell her to stop the wedding. Is it true? Or is Sabrina really just being a brat?
"Edward told you this?" Aunt Zelda asks condescendingly. "My brother, who's been dead for 16 years." She says. "His ghost!" Sabrina explains. "Oh, spirits do love a witch wedding. There is an awful lot of hauntings when someone's getting married." Aunt Hilda says excitedly.
Aunt Zelda leans her head into her hands on the table. I just sit back and grab another grape from the fruit bowl in the center of the table. Ambrose watches everything intently as if he was watching his favorite TV show.
"There was an independent inquiry conducted by the council when both your parents died. They concluded that the plane crash was the result of mechanical engine failure. Nothing more than that. It was a horrible, tragic accident. Your ghost is ill informed." Zelda says dismissing Sabrina's claims.
"My father also told me that I was to finish his work. He mentioned a manifesto." Sabrina says trying to convince everyone still. Aunt Hilda looks up. "Oh yeah, Edward did have one of those, do you remember?" She asks Zelda. "I read an early draft. Romantic musings about mortal-witch intermingling, nothing more." Aunt Zelda says with a wave of her hand.
"Why are you dismissing everything I say, Aunt Zelda!?" Sabrina asks throwing her hands up. "I don't know, something to do with the fact that you were sitting in a bar drinking absinthe in the middle of the day when you had his visitation." Aunt Zelda accuses. Dammit. Sabrina went to Dorian's without me? Rude.
"Now, as for ghosts, the only specter I'm worried about is Constance Blackwood." Zelda says returning her focus to everyone else at the table. "What do you mean?" Ambrose asks leaning forward. Of course, you mention anything about the dead and Ambrose is all over it. Wow. My man's a keeper.
"I saw her, in the cemetery, wandering amongst the gravestones with malicious intent, no doubt." Aunt Zelda explains casually. "Oh. Okay." I say as if this was just some normal thing that happens. "Hilda, as my maid of dishonor, would you please handle it?" Zelda asks. Hilda gets all excited and starts bouncing around in her seat.
"Yes! Constance Blackwood, eh? I haven't trapped a ghost in ages!" "So, no one is worried about what my dad's ghost told me?" Sabrina asks still in shock that no one cares. I give her a sad look. I kinda do? I don't really know anymore. "Not until I hear it straight from the horse's mouth. Do send Edward my way if he appears again, won't you?" Aunt Zelda says with a wicked smirk.
Sabrina storms off and I quickly run after her. I hear footsteps behind me and assume it's Ambrose. "Sabrina, wait up!" I call as I run after her. She doesn't listen and keeps heading towards the stairs. "Sabrina, I think you might be right." Ambrose calls from behind me. Sabrina instantly stops in her tracks. Again, rude. Ambrose fiddles with his hands before explaining.
"I had a horrible tarot reading in which he ordered me to kill you all. And there's more. Blackwood inducted to into a...a club. A secret society. We meet tonight, ahead of the Anti-Pope's arrival." Ambrose explains. "What kind of club?" Sabrina asks all intrigued.
"Warlocks only. Some elite misogynists." I say casually. Ambrose sends me playful glare. "I don't really know." He says. "Well, you have to find out. We have to find out everything." Sabrina says excitedly. "It's as if the High Priest is preying on our family." Sabrina says more seriously.
"First our parents. Then inducting Ambrose. Then he's marrying Aunt Zelda. What's next?" I ask. We all stand in silence before Sabrina heads to the front door. "I know someone who can help us put the pieces together." She says. "Great..... Who?" I call.
"Wardwell!" She yells as she exits the house. I sigh and sit on the stairs. Ambrose comes and sits next to me, putting an arm around my shoulders.
"Do you think we will ever be able to have a normal conversation at dinner in this house?" I ask. Ambrose smiles. "We're Spellmans. Of course not." I roll my eyes and lean my head on his shoulder. "I'm not a Spellman."
"You're a Spellman by proxy. Besides, you'll be an official Spellman one day."