Something Counterfeit's Dead

II

6 months later

Agatha thought losing all her magic to Wanda was the worst thing that could ever happen to her.

That was until she met Teen. She doesn't understand why he's invoking such a strong reaction out of her, but every time she looks at him, her heart feels like it's breaking in half.

Maybe it's the reminiscent of Wanda's spell. Maybe Agnes is still inside of her, somewhere deep deep down, still grieving for her lost boy. The feelings Agatha has when she's near Teen aren't her own. No, they are Agnes', and Agatha would like for her to take them and herself out of Agatha's mind.

At first, Agatha just thought she's still a little out of it because of the spell. But the more time she spent with Teen, the more memories popped up at inappropriate times. When they were talking about the Witches' Road, an image of a crib, tiny fists, and a toothless smile flashed through her mind so violently that she had to sit down.

Agatha did not look directly at Teen since the memories seemed to appear when she looked at him.

It will be over soon. Agatha will have peace as soon as she finds a coven and opens the Witches Road. Teen will not accompany them to the Road. She will make sure he won't.

----

"Who's Nicholas Scratch?"

Agatha tenses and can't help the sharp intake of breath when she hears Teen's question.

"How do you know that name?" Agatha asks.

A sheepish smile appears on Teen's face, and his eyes flicker in her direction. "Well, when I was getting out of the tape, I noticed an open door, so I went inside. I didn't touch anything; I just looked around."

"Uh-huh."

Agatha is silent, hoping Teen will lose interest soon. It's not because she is trying to unsee the memory of Nicholas running to hug her Agnes after returning from school. It's definitely because she wants Teen to shut up. But only one red light later, he's asking again.

"Who is it?"

"No one."

"Why do you have a whole room dedicated to them, then?"

"Why were you snooping around my house?" Agatha shoots back, frowning.

Teen shrugs. "You said it's mine now."

"I'm unsaying it."

"That's not a word," Teen points out with a grin.

Agatha rolls her eyes. "Shut up."

"I'm just saying."

Agatha looks at Teen properly for a moment, ignoring the feeling of Nicholas' hands around her waist. "I liked you better with the tape on."

"I didn't."

"Silence," Agatha sighs, exasperation in her voice. "Ever heard of it?"

"No need to be rude."

Agatha's gaze falls on the glove compartment. "I have a feeling your pen is lonely."

She opens it and looks inside. There are surprisingly many things-tissues, some crumbled paper, a charger, a couple of pens (seriously, how many pens does this boy need?), black nail polish, and an old newspaper article about Westview.

She reaches for the nail polish and tosses it out of the window.

The car sways in different directions. "What are you doing?!" Teen yells, his voice cracking.