𝓓𝓸 𝓸𝓻 𝓓𝓲𝓮 ❣︎ 𝓔𝓶𝓫𝓮𝓻 𝓐𝓭𝓭𝓪𝓶𝓼

𝓢𝓔𝓡𝓘𝓔𝓢 𝓞𝓝𝓔 ❣︎ 19

Ember sat on the floor of her dorm, eyes closed, in the middle of a circle of candles, holding up her raven necklace and a crystal of obsidian, also attached to a string.

GOODY was painted onto a big sign before her, and lots of items around it, inside the candles.

In case you're wondering, I don't hold seances very often. I can barely tolerate the living. Why would I want to commune with the dead?

She moved her mouth, whispering a sort of chant.

But my mother told me Goody is the only one that can train me to control my psychic ability. And the sooner I master that, the closer I am to cracking this case once and for all.

She chanted louder... she needed Goody to answer her... to tell her how to use her visions to her advantage...

Suddenly, the door opened and the draft blew the majority of the candles out, making Ember open her eyes. She turned to the door, somehow hoping for Goody to walk in-

But no. It was just Enid, dressed in all pink with her rainbow eyeshadow, walking into the room.

Ember gave an annoyed sigh.

"Sorry!" Enid held her hands out in front of her, shutting the door. "I didn't mean to interrupt your- uh... do I even wanna know?" She turned the lights on and Ember got up, stepping out of the candle circle.

"I was reaching into the black maw of death to contact a relative," she went and stood beside Enid, each on their respective side of the room, looking down at Ember's seance set up.

"Feels very on-brand for you," Enid shrugged, then she added. "You have a relative named Goody?"

"Yes. She was one of the original outcasts," Ember sighed. "I've been attempting to summon her but apparently she's ignored even my best of attempts."

"Oh, have you thought about using one of my scented candles?" Enid turned to her. "The aroma of steak tartare is to die for!"

"I intend to die for my case, if at all," Ember said. "But least of all for a candle."

Both suddenly turned as a note was slid under their room door.

"Hmm... maybe Goody answered you after all," Enid shrugged.

"I doubt she would communicate in something as trivial as magazine cut outs," Ember said, as she picked up the note and saw it made of lots of different cut out letters, stuck on to a bit of white card:

I𝒇 𝑦𝐨𝕦 ᗯ𝙖𝗇𝔱 ᗩ𝐧𝒔𝑤𝚎𝗋𝙨
ᗰᵉ𝗲𝚝 𝐢𝑛sⁱ𝘥𝙚
ᴄᖇ𝐚𝑐Տ𝙩𝗈𝚗𝒆'𝕤 𝒄𝐫𝑦𝕡ᴛ.
𝗺𝘪𝐝𝕟𝚒ᘜʜ𝒕.

Ember didn't hesitate to get ready.

It was twenty minutes to midnight.

❣︎❣︎❣︎

"Eeeh!"

Going on a walk with Enid through the woods was like listening to a broken record. She screeched every few seconds, her claws even sometimes coming out.

"You insisted on coming along," Ember finally said, metres from the door of the crypt. "I was fine on my own."

She climbed up the steps to the crypt, flashing her torch on the Jᴏsᴇᴘʜ Cʀᴀᴄᴋsᴛᴏɴᴇ carved into the archway.

She then looked to the door as Enid joined her on the top step. It was open. "Seems like our wannabe Deep Throat is already here," she said grimly.