𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟐
╰─▸ THROUGH MANY MILES

♡.﹀﹀﹀﹀.♡

Everyone in the coven was walking on the Road, where Adeline was trailing behind the witches, being the outlier.

"It's exactly how I pictured," Teen responded. "Mm, it suits you," Agatha replied, as the duo continued walking.

Lilia turned to Alice. "You didn't think it was real, did you?"

"And you did?" Alice stumbled out. "I'm still shocked that it is real," Adeline put in.

"You know what this is! This is a kidnapping," Mrs Hart yelled out, "And I think it's high time we alert the local police," this gets an eye roll from Agatha.

"Are we gonna ignore the fact that something chased us down here?" Jennifer replied. "Chase Agatha," Alice glared.

"Well, whatever chased Agatha down here, it's our problem, now." Lilia put in, her voice slightly pissed off.

"Is that because covens share blessings and burdens alike?" the Teen replied. "Someone needs to call this kid's parents," the bound witch chimed in.

"Oh. I'm pretty sure that they're asleep, unless." The teen looked up at the sky. "Is this like perpetual night? Like, as a vibe?"

"Okay." Sharon walked through the crowd. "I am a member of the Westview Historical Society. All I would've expected to see down here is the remains of our failed public transit system."

Jennifer rolled her eyes. "Ugh. Helpful interjection, random woman with no obvious magical qualities.

"Hey. she has a name!" Agatha said. "It's Mrs Hart."

"Sharon," Mrs Davis replied, softly. "Anywho, she has no business on the Road," Jennifer responded.

"That's what I've been saying!" Sharon replied, "Anyone can be a witch in training," the Teen added.

She sighed, angrily. "Which puts the rest of us in even more danger, and we don't even know what we're up against."

"Tame your fears," Lilia said. Agatha turned her head in anticipation. "That's what we're up against. Our worst nightmares."

"But in what form?" Jennifer asked. "Trials," Alice put in, "At least... that's what the song says."

"What are they like?" Adeline asked as the coven all looked at Agatha. The witch thinks for a moment. "Mm. The Road will test us and our knowledge of the craft, One trial for each skill."

"Then, how on earth do we pass them without any power?" Jennifer questioned Agatha.

"Analog magic." the Teen responded. "You know? Labour intensive acts of magic," no one was given. "Oh! You know, witchcraft, but emphasis on the craft."

"Again, who are you?" Jennifer asked. "I'm-" the Teen could respond as his voice is blurted out by magic. All of the coven members are surprised by this

"Well, well. I'll be." Adeline replied. "Someone has put a sigil on that boy," Lilia added.

"Oh come on, don't look at me. I didn't put that clumsy glamour on him." Agatha added. "Sigils are beneath me."

"A sigil is a spell?" he asked. "It's a reduction spell that hides something. In this case, it's hiding you, from witchfolk." Adeline said to her friend.

"Well. Well. Looks like Agatha brought a sparkly mystery with her," Jennifer responded, her tone teasing.

"Hm. She was probably trying to keep them all to herself." Lilia replied. "Why would someone want to hide me?" the Teen asked.

Agatha stepped in front of him. "Come on. Look. I have no idea what's under that sigil. He could be something special, but then yet again he could be a pest that a cranky witch stashed under a rock."

"We can crack him open later, but the real value is what lies at the end of the Road for all of you," she announced. "So, if want to unbind and you want to reverse your fortune, and you wanna find out what happened to mummy, and you." Agatha paused, looking at Adeline. "You want to find out what your true power is?"

She then faced no one, realising that Mrs. Hart had been missing. "Wait where is Mrs. Hart?" the teen asked.

"Ugh. I mean you take your eyes off of her for two seconds and she's gone! Great!"  Agatha scoffed.

Eventually, Mrs Hart walked off the road, sitting on some rocks, catching her breath, as she placed her blue Talbots handbag down on the mossy ground before the Road started to sink the bag into the ground.

Mrs Davis tried to grab the handbag from the moss, which was forming into quicksand. As Mrs Hart screamed, the coven ran over to her, with Alice and Teen helping her.

"Mm. I thought this would be pretty obvious., rule number one! Do not step off The Road." Agatha said. "So if we just follow the instructions of the Ballad, will be safe as kittens, okay?"

Jen then turned around to see a bright light, which opened to the Witches' Road's beach house. "that was not there before," Adeline replied as they walked towards the beach house.

"Now, this is a house," Jennifer said. "Mm. Right off your vision board."

"Maybe. This is the end." Mrs Davis hoped. "Oh, come on that'll be such a bummer." Teen added.

The coven then walked up to the front door, whether the teen was admiring the door. "The phases of the moon." the deviation witch answered. "It's full. The water phase." the teen said.

Lilia nodded in response. The coven then entered the house, with Adeline looking back at the empty beach. "Oh my. Here goes nothing," before Adeline closed the door behind her.

The house is beautiful, bright and very stunning. "Huh. This isn't the stuff of nightmares," the bound witch added.

"The Road changes for the coven," Agatha announced as the coven members inspected their new outfits, "Huh, it changed us, too," Lilia said as they all realised that their jewels and amulets had remained on their person, with Adeline feeling her necklace.

The coven members started to explore the entrance of the house, with Agatha backing towards the door, with the doorknob missing.

"Don't think about it," Adeline whispered to Agatha, getting close to the witch. "And why not?"

"Because you and I both know, that if anyone dies here, she'll come for them. She'll come for you, witch-killer." Adeline whispered. "You can't leave this fucking fake trial. We  both know it's fake, I know you've never walked the Road, because it doesn't exist!"

"Are you threatening me, Addie?" Agatha teased, playing with the witch's hair. "Oh, of course not, Agatha." she teased back. "I'm just giving you a friendly warning," Adeline responded before she left Agatha alone.

Soon afterwards, they found a riddle and solved it, as Mrs Hart pointed out wine bottles behind them. "Sooo-? Does anyone have a corkscrew?'

The Teen noticed a built-in bar behind them. "I'll get it." Jennifer followed him, "Hey. So a little bit of advice?"

"Mm? Yeah?" Teen answered. "Just watch your back with Agatha, okay."

The Teen shrugged it off, still searching through the drawer. "I know how people feel about her."

"You should listen to her, Teen," a voice came out from behind Jennifer. "She's right. Agatha's a snake and she'll betray you the moment she has power."

"Did you know she traded her child for the Book of the Damned?" Jen asked Teen.  "Surely, that cannot be true."

"Nah, nah. You're probably right," Jen teased, getting a giggle out of Adeline.

"But, they say. That no one knows what happened to him." Adeline continued. "They say that he might be dead. Others say that he might be a demon, or here's a wild one! Some believe that it could be an agent of Mephisto."

"But hey. that's what you get for having Agatha Harkness as your Mum right? I highly doubt she would even recognise our son if you showed up at her doorstep one day." Jennifer said before she found the corkscrew and walked off.

Agatha soon started pouring the wine from the bottle, her lips teasing. "If you're waiting for a charcuterie board, I don't think it's coming."

That leads to Sharon drinking her wine glass almost in one sip, I'm leading her to get glances from the other witches in the room. "What? I've had a long day. Don't judge me."

After Sharon had finished her wine glass, a white timer on the fireplace mount started beeping, signalling the start of the TRIAL.

♡.﹀﹀﹀﹀.♡