In case Wattpad didn't update my former draft of 24., I added this to the ending:

Alex turned on her blackberry and texted Lacey.

I want to come back.

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25.

Alex arranged the pink and yellow butterfly china in the parlor on an antique tablecloth. She decorated a three-tier tray with doilies, scones and petit fours she ordered from a bakery downtown with her mother's credit card. Of course, her mother knew nothing of the tea party. Alex was technically grounded for saying "fuck" so many times. But it was not uncommon for Alex's parents to be away during the day, much of the evening and sometimes for days at a time.

And so the parlor was a vision. The windows were draped with yellow and white pinstriped drapes. In a hatbox next to the fainting couch, Alex set up white gloves and hats. She made the room her own.

The doorbell ringing threw Alex into a panic. This was it. Lacey said she needed to come see if Alex was ready to come back or not. Had she proved herself true to the coven? Alex went to the door, Aethelwulf underfoot. She took a deep breath before opening the door and greeting her guest with the warmest of smiles.

"Hello!" she said.

"Oh my," Lacey said, eyeing Alex from head to toe. "You're wearing my name."

Alex looked down. Her dress happened to be very lacey and it was far too formal compared to her guest's bright green sundress. Lacey came in and fawned over Aethelwulf and his beautiful coat. Alex noticed a glitter-laden butterfly against Lacey's French twist. The whimsical accessory made her feel a little less excessive in her wardrobe decision.

"Doggy!" Lacey giggled. The beast normally didn't instantly take to strangers, but Lacey had him frolicking and kissing her face as if he were a peasant mutt. "What's his name?"

"Aethelwulf."

"Oh my God." Lacey finished ruffling his fur and went into a slow spin as she absorbed her surroundings. She looked all around, awestruck by the house. She gazed at the crown-moulding on the door frames as if they were the bejeweled embellishments at Versailles. Sigh after fascinated sigh, Lacey acted like a farm girl in her first museum. Something about this display endeared her to Alex.

"This way," Alex said, showing her into the parlor.

"I feel like I'm in a BBC Masterpiece series," Lacey said. "Why would you ever want to leave this place?"

"You don't know my parents."

"Hm. Tom sends his love, by the way. He's jealous that you didn't invite him."

"I thought we were going to speak about our mutual friends."

"Oh, them? You're still interested in them? I thought you were interested in Nathan."

"I'm not. I got rid of him. He won't be chasing after me anymore."

"Is that right?" Lacey said. "And how did you do that?"

"I stole from him. Nathan and I are officially over."

Lacey nodded, staring off a little. "It's a shame. You guys were ridiculously cute together."

"The coven is more important to me."

"The coven?" Lacey scoffed. "You mean those wannabes? Whatever floats your boat, little girl. Anyway, I'm glad you reached out to me. I don't have a lot of female friends."

"Really?"

"Have you not seen the way people look at me?"

Alex could see why Lacey might have a problem in Shark River Hills. She looked like a human manifestation of Jessica Rabbit and it didn't help how she swayed when she walked or how she would stand with her shoulders aslant.

They each took their places in gilded chairs at the marble table. Alex poured Lacey a cup of white peach tea. She took her own with milk and smiled as Lacey fawned over the petit fours and little scones.

"May I ask something?" Alex said.

"Yeah, of course." Lacey washed her scone down with some tea.

"Can I still join?" Alex said coolly, blowing over the surface of her tea. Lacey leaned back in her chair and crossed her long legs, eyeing Alex dubiously.

"I don't know why you'd want to hang out with those freaks."

"I know what you're doing. You're casting me out because of Nathan. It's not my fault he hunted me down. I would have continued to fast. I would have been ready to couple with Baphomet and sign my name in the book!"

Lacey's eyes went wide. She stifled herself at first but then erupted into a fit of laughter. "What are you talking about, hun?"

"Hypatia said that to join the coven, I had to fast for a week under her watch in that motel. Then she would shed my virgin blood and I would sign my name in the book—"

"You believed her?"

"She has real magic, Lacey. I saw it that night under the horned one's tree."

"Hypatia's magic goes only as far as your mind allows it. Come on. That chick's real name is Cheyenne, which, I mean, can you blame her for changing it?"

Alex frowned, staring hard into her tea. "I guess I was tripping pretty hard for a few days."

"Yeah, hun. There's no covenant with the devil to be had. And you're way too impressionable to be hanging out with that crowd. If I'd known you were Nathan's girlfriend when I saw you there, I would have never let them take off with you. Those kids are junkies. Through and through. Half of them will be dead by next year."

"Cheyenne?" Alex asked incredulously.

"Yep."

"Oh my gosh. You must think I'm so stupid. And is Lacey Heart your real name?"

"Yeah! Lacey's short for Adelace. Hart is spelled H-A-R-T like the stag. It's German."

"Of course!" Alex exclaimed. "How silly of me."

"No. When I was little, all the girls wished their names were Lacey Hart. I was the most popular girl in my sixth grade class. That changed in high school. People started asking me if my mom picked her baby names out of Hustler."

"Oh no. That's awful."

"I didn't care."

"My name is way stupider. My mom is so full of herself she gave me two middle names, each with a million syllables."

"It's better than your mom being an alcoholic and giving you a stripper name." The carefree attitude Lacey had spirited before was gone. "I may have fake eyelashes, and fake nails, and yeah, in case you were wondering, fake tits, but my name is real."

Alex was mortified. "Lacey—I swear I meant nothing—"

Lacey's face lit up with glee. "You poor little cake!" she laughed. "I'm not mad at you. Relax. I love how anxious you country club girls get when you think you're being offensive."

"Yeah," said Alex meekly, hiding her nose in her teacup.

"Oh you sweet little cake, you. I brought a little something for us. We're having a tea party, so it seems only right to eat some magic mushrooms."

"Oh. Okay," said Alex.

"Ever done these before?"

"No."

"Christ. Are you a virgin too?" Lacey asked. Alex dropped her spoon and Lacey's cackle pierced the air. "That's a yes! Sweet, little cake."

Alex covered her hot face with her hands. She'd given up on finishing her scone. This tea party was getting out of control. Her stuffed animals never put so much pressure on her.

"Not even oral?"

"Can we change the subject?"

"I guess," Lacey said, drinking her tea. After a brief silence between them, Lacey reached into her satchel and presented little balls of aluminum foil. "Let's call it a day and have some trippy chocolates."

Alex twisted her napkin under the table. "Will you take care of me if I get scared?"

"Of course, little cake."

Alex unrolled a chocolate and ate the whole thing. With a bit of tea, it melted in her mouth. She looked up and saw Lacey pop a couple chocolates in her mouth, her eyes smiling over the top of her teacup.

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Music: "A World of My Own" Alice in Wonderland OST

If you didn't catch it, Alex stole Nathan's pills on purpose with the intention of getting caught. She needs to get him off her back if she wants to join the coven. But why is Lacey pushing her away? Find out soon! With updates every Friday and Saturday.