Something Counterfeit's Dead || EN ||

VIII

The walk to the next trial is silent.

Nicky is walking between Lilia and Jennifer, a considerable distance away from Agatha. Agatha catches him multiple times starting to turn his head towards her, but all she sees is his side profile – furrowed brows and clenched jaw – before he turns back.

Agatha trails behind them, splitting her focus between staring at Nicky's back and looking for any sign of Rio or the Salem Seven in the shadows of the Road.

While listening to the sounds of rustling and crunching of the yellow leaves beneath their feet, Agatha finally allows herself to feel the happiness stemming from the fact that she was right – Teen is Nicky. It would've been much easier if it weren't for the sigil, but it's gone now. She has Nicky back. She will earn back his trust, sort things out with Rio, protect Nicky from her if she decides her precious rules are more important than their son again, get back her magic at the end of the Road, and maybe, just maybe, she will finally have peace. If Nicky doesn't remember the reason why he died. That might be the one thing she won't ever be able to bounce back from. But she's pretty sure he won't. He can't.

Her plan worked better than she had hoped for, and she knew losing her magic was worth it. At least she got something from Wanda. It's a shame she's dead – Agatha would gladly laugh in her face.

"Watch it!"

Nicky's harsh voice pierces Agatha's ears and brings her back to reality. She realized they had stopped, and she marched straight into Nicky's back.

She swallows the apology when she sees the stare Nicky sends her way and steps back from him. She notices Lilia and Jennifer are looking for branches on the ground, and Nicky starts pushing the logs lying at the edge of the Road into a circle.

"What now?!" Agatha asks, exasperated. If they keep stopping this often, the Salem Seven will definitely catch up with them. Or even worse, Rio will. They should keep moving and hide inside the trial until they lose their trail.

"William's head hurts, and walking isn't making it any better," Lilia says.

"Who's William?" Agatha asks, but no one is listening to her.

Lilia puts the few wood branches she collected on the ground. Jennifer puts hers next to it, and with Nicky's help, they start a fire. Jennifer and Lilia sit on one of the logs, Nicky sits on the one in the middle, and Agatha finds her own, sitting on the other side of the small fire, but she can't help moving it closer to Nicky's. He doesn't seem to notice. He's staring at his hands, his eyes flickering to Agatha every so often. Agatha surpasses the urge to tell him to stop and turns away. She checks her nails, but she can't help but watch him from the corner of her eyes.

Huge bags hang under his eyes, and clear tear stains travel down his cheeks. Agatha tries to convince herself it's a result of the smoke. He reaches into his hoodie pocket and grabs something. He keeps clenching and unclenching his fist around it. Agatha's gaze once again falls on the dried blood from the cut on his cheek, and she has to bite her tongue to keep herself from yelling at Jennifer to heal it. Nicky won't accept the help if it comes from her.

Instead, she stares at Jennifer without blinking until she shifts in her seat. Lilia notices, her eyes looking between them like she was watching a tennis match. After five minutes of awkward shifting and clearing her throat, Jennifer finally locks eyes with Agatha and raises her eyebrows, her eyes screaming, What is your problem?

Agatha looks pointedly at Nicky and subtly touches her cheek with her hand, mimicking cutting it with an imaginary knife. Jennifer's brows furrow in confusion, but Lilia seems to understand. She leans closer and whispers something into Jennifer's ear. Her expression of confusion disappears, and she gazes back at Agatha. They nod at each other, and Jennifer stands. Agatha watches as she walks away from the light of the fire and lets out a breath of relief.