CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Arnie was exhausted. He'd been called in to help heal people at Myron's and had worked all night. It was six in the morning when he finally headed toward his house.

He was confused to see Tommi waiting for him. She had a look in her eyes that he'd come to recognize meant something was wrong.

"What did you see?" He asked. Tommi's prophetic visions were pretty much always right. As someone who also had visions sometimes, Arnie knew how hard they could be to cope with.

"Inside," Tommi said.

Arnie nodded and unlocked the front door. They both entered the house before he said, "Out with it."

"I saw the death of everyone," Tommi said.

"So it's just the apocalypse again? Must be a day that ends in Y."

"No, Arnie... I mean everyone... In Mirror, in Valley, it doesn't matter. The worlds were destroyed."

"Like, completely destroyed?" He asked.

"Like nothing was left of either dimension anymore." Tommi was shaking. Arnie grabbed a blanket off of the couch and wrapped it around her shoulders.

"Alright, no big deal. We'll stop it. We always do," he said confidently.

"There's outside interference... Whichever Power That Be is secretly evil is going to make sure that people die... And we won't be able to stop everything... Maybe some of it, but not everything."

The look in her eyes worried him. "There's something you're not saying," he said.

"I can't, Arnie," she replied.

"Tommi, how can I help if I don't know everything?"

"This part doesn't involve you. Not directly." She paused. "I need you to promise me something. Unless I tell you not to, after the battle, assuming there's still a dimension to exist in, open this." She handed him a sealed envelope.

"What is it?" Arnie asked.

"You'll find out after the fight. Promise me, okay, Arnie?"

Her serious tone convinced him not to argue. "Okay," he agreed. "I promise."

"Good." She gave him back his blanket. "By the way, Melissa's going to come by in about twenty minutes. I suggest you clean yourself up." She smirked at him before walking out of the house.

Arnie shrugged and headed upstairs to take a shower. Almost exactly twenty minutes later, Melissa used her copy of the house keys to let herself in.

"You're up early," she said before giving him a kiss. "I was going to sneak into your bed to steal some snuggles."

"I haven't gone to bed yet," he admitted. "Snuggling sounds pretty good, though."

"Well, since you're up, we could do more than snuggle," she suggested with a smirk.

As tempting as that was, Arnie knew that he needed to get some sleep. "You have school," he reminded her. "It's the last day before graduation, so you should probably actually go."

She laughed and said, "I can't believe you're telling me to go to school! But you're right. I shouldn't miss the last day. It sucks that we're stuck in school on the Summer Solstice, but whatever."

For reasons he couldn't identify, Arnie had a bad feeling suddenly. It's the solstice, a day of power for the Light, but the spell hasn't been broken yet... We're still stuck in darkness, he thought.

"Wait here for a minute," he said. He ran up to Dawn's room. He almost never went in there. It was too painful, but he needed something now.

"I think you'd be okay with this, right, Mom?" He asked as he opened up the jewelry box which contained her large collection of necklaces with sun charms. One began sparkling despite the lack of sunlight, so he took that as a sign. He removed the necklace from the box and said, "Thanks, Mom."

He was confused as another charm began to sparkle. He knew he was meant to take it, but he wasn't sure why. Still, he put it in his pocket before bringing the first necklace downstairs to Melissa.

"Missa, I want you to have this," he said. He showed her the necklace. The sun had a face. It was smiling, and its eyes were lit up with mischief. It was perfect for Melissa. "It was my mom's."

"Arnie, I can't take this," Melissa said in surprise. "It's sacred."

"She wants you to have it. With her name being Dawn, she collected sun charms. She blessed them all and charged them with magick. This will protect you, Missa. Please keep it with you." He put the necklace around her neck.

He had one of his own, which Melissa knew. Dawn had given it to him before she died. Arnie never took it off.

Who's the other charm for? He wondered again. He had a feeling he'd know when the time came to give it to the person.

"Thank you, Arnie," Melissa said. "I'll keep it safe." She kissed him, and Arnie felt better. He knew he'd made the right choice.

"Come on," Arnie said. "Let's grab some coffee and then I'll take you to school."

~*~

The last day of class at Bishop High School was largely uneventful. Jade had forced herself to go to school that day after Corey promised he would be alright on his own for a bit. To keep his mind off of things, he'd volunteered to watch Joey for the day.

Finals were already finished, so Beth and Randy now officially knew they were going to graduate with their older friends, not that Jade had doubted they'd pass everything. Spirits were pretty elevated. Everyone was excited and happy to see the year finally end, and with Bartholomew Bryce no longer trapped beneath the school, the building actually felt a lot lighter than usual.

At the end of the day, after the very last class, the Bishop High School Wiccan Club was gathering for their last meeting together in one room while the E.V.S. met in another.

The Wiccan Club sat together in their usual spots. Maya was sketching at her favorite desk. Ro was sitting next to Aurora. They were holding hands and kept stealing glances at each other. Kit was sitting on the teacher's desk and swinging her legs back and forth in boredom. Beth and Jade sat together taking in the fact that this was the very last time they'd be meeting in that room. Deanna stood in the center of the room looking a little bit sad, but more like herself than she had since Brett's death.

"Ladies... This is our last meeting, but it is not the end of our sisterhood," Deanna began.

"I can't believe everyone's graduating except for Kit and Maya," Ro said. "Will you girls keep the club running next year?"

"We'll have to drum up new members," Maya replied. "It won't be the same. I'm not sure I can fill Dee's shoes... I think Kit should be the President."

"I've got my own shoes, and they're designer," Kit replied.

"But will you run the club, Kit?" Deanna asked. "Young Wiccans need a safe place to call home. I don't want our legacy to end with us."

"Well, it's this or joining the E.V.S, so I guess so," Kit replied with a shrug.

"You'll make a great High Priestess, Kit," Beth said.

Kit laughed. "No, I'll probably become an evil dictator, but Maya will be here to make sure that I behave myself," she replied. "Maybe I can finally get some testosterone up in this club by finding some boys to join us."

"Let's make a pact," Aurora said. "We're an official coven now. The seven of us will always be sisters in magick."

"And Deanna is our High Priestess," Ro agreed.

"Guys... Are you sure?" Deanna asked.

"Who else can handle leading the rest of us misfits?" Aurora asked with a grin.

"You deserve it, Dee," Jade said. She'd never expected to join a real coven, and she'd always expected Aurora to join her mother's Blue Star coven when she turned eighteen, but staying together felt right. These girls had become like family to her, and there was no one else she'd rather practice magick with.

"Sisters forever," Beth said, placing her hand out. The other girls each placed a hand on top of hers.

"Sisters forever!" Deanna echoed. They released their hands.

"We need a coven name," Ro said.

"I guess we have outgrown calling ourselves the Bishop High School Wiccan Club," Deanna agreed with a laugh.

"How do you name a coven?" Beth asked.

"People name covens after all sorts of things," Deanna replied. "The group's ideals, traditions, important people in their history, or even inside jokes or pop culture."

"The name should reflect who we are, what we stand for, and what brought us together," Maya added. "It can be whimsical or practical. It doesn't have to be fancy, but it should mean something to us."

"The Coven of Room 229," Jade joked.

"Salem's Vixens," Kit suggested with a smirk.

"The White Rabbit Coven," Maya added, pointing to the portrait of white rabbits she'd painted for the room when they first started the club.

"The Love and Light! Coven," Deanna suggested with a laugh.

"Salem's Sacred Sisters of Sorcery," Aurora said. She shrugged and added, "Everyone likes alliteration, right?"

"Bishop's Brujas," Ro chimed in. That one made everyone laugh.

"What about the Sisterhood of Bridget?" Beth suggested shyly. The others stopped laughing and turned to look at her. "Our school is named after Bridget Bishop, so she's technically the one who brought us together. More importantly, she was a strong, independent woman. She was a force to be reckoned with in a time when women weren't allowed the slightest bit of freedom. She didn't care what others thought of her and was unapologetically herself. She was really kind of amazing, and I think she embodied everything that we strive to be."

"Beth... That was incredibly well thought-out," Deanna replied. "I think it's perfect!"

"Aye, I could not agree more," someone replied from the back of the room. Everyone turned around to see who had spoken.

There was no mistaking who the Puritan spirit must be, but Jade was surprised that everyone else could see her. "Bridget Bishop, I presume?" She asked.

"Aye," Bridget confirmed. 

"Goody Bishop, we are so honored you've joined us!" Deanna said in genuine excitement. That was the moment Jade knew that Deanna would be alright eventually despite her grief.

"Nay, 'tis I who am honored to have seven young women such as thee invoke my name to create their sisterhood," Bridget replied. "You feisty, passionate ladies are truly worthy. I will watch over you with pride as you become full members of your society. I know you will lead Salem to greatness." She smiled at them before adding, "And if anyone tries to stop you, show them the Devil as only a woman can!"

"Right on!" Aurora cheered.

"We'll make you proud, Bridget," Ro promised.

"Thank you for giving us your blessing," Maya added.

"Let's do a dedication!" Deanna said. She grabbed four white candles and one purple one. She set the white ones in a circle around them and put the purple one in the center. "Ro? Would you do the honors?" She asked.

Ro lit the candles with her pyrokinesis. Bridget smirked at that.

"I hereby proclaim on this, the Summer Solstice, that we are the Sisterhood of Bridget!" Deanna announced. "May the Goddess bless us in our magickal workings going forward. Know that we will always be bound to one another!"

"By Earth, we are grounded to each other," Maya said.

"By Air, we are free to fly," Aurora added.

"By Fire, we are forever empowered," Ro chimed in.

"By Water, we flow as one," Kit said.

"By Spirit, we are sisters forever," Jade added.

"By all phases of matter, we are connected," Beth declared, making Jade smile because she'd found her own way to contribute power to their dedication despite not having an affinity for any of the traditional elements.

"We are the Sisterhood of Bridget, and we are unstoppable!" Deanna declared.

"As we will it, so mote it be!" Everyone shouted at once.

The circle opened, but remained unbroken, and Jade knew the dedication had taken. Their bond would never shatter. She smiled, feeling incredibly at peace as she looked at her coven sisters. Bridget nodded at them approvingly before she faded from sight.

"Alright, Sisters!" Deanna said. "Let's head to the Salem Common for our first Summer Solstice ritual as an official coven!"

~*~

In their own classroom, Bishop High School's chapter of the Erica Vitti Society sat in candlelight as they held the last ritual they would celebrate together. It was a solstice ritual as well, but one meant to harness the power of the coming darker part of the year. It might seem pointless given that it was currently always dark, but Chad knew Cierra was just about ready to reverse her spell.

As the ritual finished, Chad stored the energy they'd raised in a talisman he would give to the adult E.V.S. when the time was right. He closed the circle and turned the lights back on.

"Alright, and with that, we did it, everyone!" Chad declared. "We are the only chapter of the E.V.S. in the history of Bishop High School to make it through the entire school year without losing a single member!"

"And if that's not a legacy to celebrate, I don't know what is," Kelly added.

"Congratulations on surviving," Bev said in excitement. "I'm so proud of us!"

Camelot was silent, and Chad understood why. He hadn't expected him to be in school considering his father had died the previous night, but Camelot had come in anyway. "Cam... Are you alright?" He asked gently.

"No," Camelot admitted, "but I'm here because... Where else was I supposed to go?"

"I'm glad you came." Chad squeezed his hand.

"We're here for you, Cam," Ronnie and Donnie said in unison.

"Thanks, guys. I know you are," Camelot replied.

"I'm sorry about your dad, Cam," Addison said softly. "And so is Rikki. I've actually never seen her so angry... She really flipped out on the people responsible. They went behind her back to free Bartholomew. She had no idea they were going to do it like that."

"He died to protect me," Camelot said sadly. "Amos White told my mom as much."

"Amos was there?" Chad asked in mild surprise. He'd thought that Amos was loyal to the main E.V.S. It was a shame he had apparently decided to support Rikki and her cult of extreme followers.

"Yeah... And so was your dad."

Chad sighed, although that didn't entirely surprise him. "I didn't know. Sorry about that... My father's brilliant, but he makes bad life choices sometimes in the name of power."

"Don't they all?" Bev asked with a sad laugh.

"For what it's worth, Cam, we all care about you," Gabby said. "It doesn't matter which side of things we're on... None of us are okay with this, right guys?"

Most of them echoed her sentiments, but Reid was silent for once in his life. Chad considered this before saying, "What do you know, Reid?"

"I..." Reid hesitated. "Nothing. It sucks, Camelot. I'm sorry for your loss."

"Reid, it's not polite to lie to us," Chad said. He grabbed Reid's wrist and twisted it painfully before saying, "Speak your truth!"

"I didn't know what they were going to do when I agreed to call him!" He blurted out.

"You lured him there?" Camelot demanded.

"Wes Saunders told me to. My parents told me that defying a Saunders will get you killed! I didn't have a choice, but I didn't know they were going to kill him, Cam, I swear!"

"You asshole!" Camelot shouted. He ran toward Reid, but Chad put himself between them.

"You're entitled to your anger, Camelot, but if you're going to kill him, please wait until after the club meeting ends. Otherwise, our efforts to keep everyone alive throughout the entire school year will be for nothing, because it's not official until our last meeting actually ends."

"End the meeting, Chad. Now."

"As much as I'd like to, I can't do that while you're in this state. It would be irresponsible. I know you think that you want to do this, but you might regret it once you've had time to process the shock of Reid's betrayal... Not that it's that shocking. We are warlocks. Betrayal is kind of our thing."

"Chad!" Camelot snapped.

"Cam, stop," Addison said softly. She looked up at him with fear in her eyes. "Please stop." She cautiously wrapped him in her arms, hugging him tightly.

He sighed. "I'm sorry, Addie," he replied as he hugged her back. "I know conflict scares you."

"It's okay. I'm just worried about you," she said.

"Are we all okay now?" Renee asked.

Camelot sighed. "I'll stop trying to kill him... For now," he replied.

Chad slapped Reid across the face. "You deserve worse," he informed him.

"I know," Reid admitted.

"Now, apologize, and be sincere."

"I'm sorry, Camelot... Really," Reid said softly. "I didn't think they'd kill him... I thought they were just going to try to send a message."

"Warlock messages are rarely subtle," Camelot replied, visibly trying to hold back his anger as Addison continued to cling to him. "You should have known, Reid." He shook his head. "I should have known. Cierra and Alex saved me, and I should have realized that meant my father was the only other person they could use to free Bartholomew... I should have warned him..." He had tears in his eyes.

"This isn't your fault, Cam," Kelly said gently. She joined Addison in hugging him.

"You couldn't have known they'd try again so soon," Bev added.

"We love you, Cam," Daisy told him before kissing his cheek.

"My dad wasn't a bad guy, especially for a warlock," Camelot replied. "I always knew he loved me, and he died to prove that I was right."

"Make it count," Chad said. "Fight back. Stand on the right side of things."

"I've always been neutral," Camelot replied softly.

"There's a time to be neutral and a time to fight, Cam. This is the time to fight."

"He's right, but I hate to say it," Donnie said.

"And I hate to hear it," Ronnie added.

"I don't want to join either side," Camelot said. "Not the E.V.S, and not the extremists who want to bring back the Eight Spokes Society... I don't want to choose between Cierra and Rikki. I've known Cierra forever, and she saved my life... And I really like Rikki. I see the real her, beyond what she shows the rest of the world."

"So join the rebel warlocks," Ronnie suggested.

"We could always use another person on our team," Donnie added.

"I don't know where I want to stand in this fight," Camelot replied. "I just know that I won't let my father's death be for nothing."

"Good luck, Cam," Chad replied. "With whatever you choose."

After several moments of tense silence, Rico finally spoke. "So, should I include this incident in our meeting minutes or not?" He asked.

"Our minutes have always been relentlessly factual," Chad replied. "Go ahead and include the truth. The fact that Cam didn't actually kill Reid just proves that this chapter of the club was very successful. Just leave out the debate about Camelot not picking sides. That's personal. No one needs to know."

"Fair enough," Rico replied. He started writing.

"So, are we still going to have a celebratory final meal together, or are things too awkward now?" Gabby asked.

"No other chapter has lived long enough to have that last meal of the year," Chad replied. "We're doing this." He clapped his hands and the classroom door opened. A full staff of caterers entered with a meal that was far too fancy to be held in a classroom, but they did their best to make things look appropriately presentable.

"Provided we all survive the meal, our record will be official," Kelly said. "Everyone behave!"

They ate together and attempted to make pleasant small talk. Gabby happened to be excellent at rambling about absolutely nothing of importance, and that helped keep the peace. After an hour of eating, drinking, and chatting together, they finished their meal. The caterers quickly cleaned up before leaving the teenagers alone.

"Alright," Chad said. "It has been a pleasure serving as your President. Now, Kelly and I will pass the reigns to the next Chapter! Introducing Rico Reyes, next year's President, Vice-President Daisy Lee, returning Treasurer Renee Williams, and the new Secretary, the girl who knows everyone's secrets and is the only person who can keep track of them all, Gabby McRyan!" He paused. "Addison Rose, you're the youngest, so we didn't assign you a role, but as a returning member, you'll get to be part of the decision making."

"We know you're all going to continue our legacy of greatness," Kelly added. "We're very proud of you."

"And now, saying goodbye to high school and to this chapter, please congratulate our graduating seniors! The wonderful Camelot Bryce, the lovely Bev Charleston, the indescribable and remarkable Chad Ko..." He paused to bow dramatically  before continuing with, "The incredible Miss Kelly Lodge, the one and only Reid Lyons, and the annoying but occasionally useful twins, Donnie and Ronnie Pierce!"

"Wow! That was almost nice, Chad," Donnie said with a laugh.

"Almost," Ronnie emphasized.

"Alright, the meeting's over! The record is official! Now get out of this room before someone tries to kill any of you," Chad said firmly.

Everyone filed out of the classroom until only Chad and Kelly remained. He looked around at the empty classroom and smiled. "We did it, Kel," he said.

"We did," she agreed. "So, what do we do now?"

"You and I will stay by each other's side, join our college's chapter of the E.V.S, make history all over again while we're there, grow up, join the adult E.V.S, and eventually rule the world," he replied cheerfully. "But first... I'm going to help Cierra bring back the sun."