twenty
descanto.

THE NEXT COUPLE of days go by in a whirlwind. Josie's mom has no idea about what's been going on with her, but everybody else has just been acting like the last couple of months didn't happen. Everybody just smiles falsely and talks about the upcoming Jubilee. They're pretending like everything is perfect, but it's not. Far from it, actually.

Selene texts Josie every day, patiently waiting for Josie's answer. But Josie still hasn't made up her mind.

There's too much going on with her mortal friends for her to even think about going through with her Dark Baptism right now.

Polly finally came home to the Cooper household, Betty is running herself ragged to write a killer speech for the Jubilee, her mother also decided to wait until now to tell her that she has a half-brother and that FP's the father, Jughead is terrified his dad is gonna have to spend twenty plus years in jail, he also has to switch to Southside High now that his dad's in jail, Veronica's dad is supposed to be getting out of jail soon, she's also the captain of the Vixens now that Cheryl decided she needs some time to figure things out.

Josie planned on having a relaxing free period, but Betty was worried about Jughead's first day at Southside High. So Josie ends up tagging along with Betty, Veronica, and Archie to go check on him.

Jughead seemed just fine when they found him, but Betty wasn't convinced. So she dragged him outside so they could talk. Veronica, Josie, and Archie now stand a few feet away from them, watching them talk.

"They're each other's soulmates," Veronica observes, admiring how perfect their relationship is. She smiles sadly, silently wishing her and Josie's relationship wasn't so complicated. "Good for them, don't you guys think?"

"Yeah, they deserve to be happy," Josie nods, grinning from ear to ear at Betty and Jughead as they hug. Josie's phone then buzzes, and before she can check it, Veronica raises an eyebrow.

"Is that the mysterious redhead from Pop's?" she asks curiously, not even being discreet about the fact that she thinks Selene isn't just Josie's friend.

"Her hair isn't red, it's strawberry blonde," Josie corrects the raven haired girl instinctively, knowing that if Selene was here, she'd be mad that Veronica got her hair color wrong. She then glances down at her phone and sees that the text is from Cheryl. "And no, it's Cheryl."

She then unlocks her phone and as she scans over the text, her happy face quickly morphs into a concerned one. Archie notices this, and looks at her questioningly. "What's it say?"

"Thanks for trying. I'm going to be with Jason now," Josie reads aloud, realization crossing her face as soon as she says it. She knows exactly where Cheryl would go to be with Jason. "We have to go to Sweetwater River. Now."

And that's exactly what they do. Josie knows the way to Sweetwater like the back of her hand, so she leads the way, moving as fast as she can without tripping on the snow covered ground. The group yells Cheryl's name simultaneously, hoping for a response. Josie takes the group to the exact spot where Jason was found, and they quickly scan the area.

"She's not here," Archie sighs, panting from running all the way from the Southside of town. Josie, however, doesn't give up so easily, and when she looks onto the frozen part of the river, her blood runs cold.

"Yes, she is," the Scratch girl points to the redhead, who's pounding on the ice, trying to get it to break. She shares a terrified glance with Veronica before the group hurry to the edge of the land. "Cheryl!"

The redhead ignores Josie's screams, so Jughead starts towards her. "Cheryl, stop! What are you doing?"

But before he can get far, Archie grabs his arm to hold him back. "Wait, wait, wait, Jug! The ice. Too much weight, and we'll all go under."

"Cheryl, please," Veronica pleas, desperation in her voice. Cheryl slowly stands up and turns to face them, tears streaming down her face. "Just come to the shore and we'll figure this out together, okay?"

Cheryl looks like she's considering it for a moment, but then Josie hears the ice crack under the redhead's feet. Before she can even think about what she's doing, she's plowing through the snow as fast as she can towards Cheryl, hearing her friends right behind her. She silently prays to the Dark Lord that the ice won't break when she sees Cheryl go under.

But once they reach her, none of them can see the girl's fiery hair. Josie kneels down next to the hole in the ice, knowing there's no way she'll be able to save Cheryl without her powers. She heaves a sigh before she rips her bracelet off, knowing there will be consequences for what she's about to do.

"The current has her," Jughead states, ignorant as to what Josie's about to do. "Spread out! Spread out!"

They do so, but Josie stands there, closes her eyes, and takes a deep breath, letting her powers lead her. She feels her feet move, not having any idea where she's going, but when she stops, she knows that Cheryl is just below her. She moves the ice out of the way, and is relived once she sees the redhead below her. "Found her!"

Before she knows it, her friends are next to her, and Archie is on the ground, punching the ice as hard as she can. But she knows it won't work, so she shoves him out of the way. "Stop! Stop, it's not gonna work."

He stares at her, beginning to argue, but she does a simple hand motion, her eyes right on his. "Silencio!"

Archie then opens his mouth to say something, and is surprised to find that he physically can't. He won't be able to speak for a couple of hours, but it'll go away in a couple of hours. Her friends watch in surprise as Josie does twists her hands in one intricate motion, focusing on the ice right next to Cheryl's head. "Descanto!"

The ice breaks in at just the right spot, and when it does, Jughead reaches in and grabs Cheryl, not having enough time to question Josie about how she just did that. He pulls her out of the water before pressing his head to her chest. "She's not breathing. She's not-"

He cuts off as Josie drops down next to him and leans over Cheryl. She moves her hand at an arc, using her powers to carefully remove the water from Cheryl's lungs. After a moment, the redhead chokes, coughing up the water.

Josie sighs in relief, smiling at Cheryl before Archie silently grabs her, carrying her bridal style towards solid ground.

They walk in an awkward silence before Jughead breaks it. "Josie, what the actual hell?"

"I'll explain everything once we know Cheryl's okay. I promise."

UNEDITED