Coven Of Catastrophe: Book 3 in the Lorna Maximoff Series

Scars

I rounded on Agatha, "Who's Sharon?" I asked incredulously, "She's the woman who you tricked to get here Agatha! She wasn't even a real witch, she was just a normal, innocent lady who you just had to drag into this mess!"
Agatha scoffed, "I don't see why you're getting so upset. And don't you blame that on me, you went along with it."
She was right, "Your right Agatha, I did, and that's why I feel like shit right now. Because we told the woman she was going to a party, and she ended up dead!"
Agatha glanced around at the others, who were also staring daggers at her.
"You mean you knew she wasn't a real witch!"
Alice asked, "You knew and you took her with us anyways?"
"Oh you're all being dramatic," Agatha said dismissively, "It was going to happen eventually, it's even part of the song, "If one be gone, we carry on."
I was so mad at her I didn't even care, "I can't believe you, god you're selfish, I never should've trusted you again!"
Agatha rolled her eyes, "And where do you think you're going to go from here Lorna, hmm?"
"Anywhere if it's away from you!" I shouted.
Agatha threw her hands up in the air, "Teenagers am I right?"
No one answered, "You know you always do this!" I ranted, "You make decisions and don't even bother to think about how they could harm other people, this is just like with sparky!"
"Who's sparky?" Teen asked.
"Oh enough with the damn dog already!" Agatha yelled, "I swear Lorna, if you say that name one more time-"
"Sparky!" I half screamed half taunted, "What are you gonna do now, you have no powers!"
Agatha lunged at me in a fit of rage, and it took all of the Coven to hold her back.
"She's dead because of us," I seethed, "We killed her." And I had to walk away before I started crying.
Teen followed after me, "Hey, it's not our fault, you shouldn't blame yourself."
I sat by down on a large nearby root, far enough from Agatha.
"It may not be your fault, but it is mine," I told him, "I knew what Agatha was trying to do, but you were right about that you said back there, you can't cheat on the road. I should've known Sharon wouldn't make it, I should've done something to save her."
Teen sighed, "There was nothing you could have done."
I knew he was trying to make me feel better, but it wasn't helping.
"I'm so mad at her," I said, "but I'm more mad at myself, for trusting her again, you know. It's just...in a way, Agatha is all I have left, she's my last tie to my mother, to my childhood."
Teen studied me, "You mean the hex right, I heard about that."
I glanced sidelong at Teen, "It was more than that to me...Westview, hex Westview was my home."
"Well maybe it still can be." Said teen.
I shook my head, "No, I have no home now."
"But why-"
"Just because!" I said with a raised voice.
Teen tensed and I sighed.
"Look, my mother is gone, she killed her self in front of me. To fix her mistake, she said...but really, I think maybe I just wasn't enough for her. I'm not enough. And I want to blame Agatha, but really I just blame me...so now I'm alone, and all I can ever seem to feel is this emptiness."
He nodded sympathetically.
"And Agatha...there was a time where I thought of her as family, but she hates me so...."
"She doesn't hate you." Teen said abruptly.
Whatever, I thought, like he'd know. 
"I mean common, don't you see the way she tries to protect you?"
I looked at him like he was insaine, "Did you not just see her try to attack me back there?"
"Well yeah, but...I can still tell that she cares. Like with the wine, she wouldn't let you drink it...or when you do magic and she gets this look in her eyes, like she's proud."
I stayed silent, was Agatha actually proud of me? I doubted it.
"Well even if that's true it doesn't matter, it's like all she knows how to do is betray people."
Just then I heard leaves shift behind us, I turned to see Agatha.
"Agatha," Teen always sounded friendly, "We were just talking about you."
I shot him a dirty look.
"Um I'll just let you two talk..." he said, and excused himself.
I scoffed, Agatha glanced down at me, "We've decided to bury Ms. Hart." She said coldly.
"We shouldn't call her that." I said softly, "Her name is-was, Sharon."
I glanced up at Agatha, "How come you never told me you had a son?" I asked abruptly.
Agatha looked completely taken off guard.
"Jen said that-"
"Don't listen to what that woman says." Agatha growled.
"But it's true, isn't it. You're a mother?
"I was." Agatha said, so silently I was almost sure I'd imagined it.
"And when you were hallucinating, was it about...." I decided not to say it.
"I'm still mad," I added, "But if you ever want to talk...about whatever, I'm a good listener."
Agatha scoffed, "Oh really, then how come you can never seem to do as your told?"
I smiled slightly, and shrugged, and quickly returned to scowling when I remembered why I was so upset.
"We shouldn't have brought her." I said.
Agatha looked down, "It's done, we can't go back, so let's bury her and then continue on with the road."
I nodded halfheartedly, and followed Agatha back to the others.
"Can I ask one more question?" I asked her, as we walked back.
Agatha side eyed me, "As long as it's not about what Jennifer said."
Well there went the question about Mephisto...
"It's about Rio." I told her carefully.
"I was just wondering, well, why you didn't want to ask her to come."
Agatha glared, "We'll isn't it obvious, she wants me dead."
"Does she though?" I asked, "Cause that's not the only vibe I was getting."
Agatha bristled, "Well, I'm not sure what sort of vibe you were getting but I can assure you I made the right choice by not inviting her here."
"If you say so..."
I could tell id struck a nerve, but Agatha didn't show it.
The others were gathered around a Ms. Hart shaped outline of dirt. I guessed they'd already put in her the ground.
"All right, I've got her." Agatha said, "Let's start this?"
"Wait? This is a funeral right?" The others looked at Agatha, "That's what you told her?" Jen asked.
Agatha brushed her off with a hand wave, "Oh it was the only way she would come...besides this is like a funeral, we've buried her have we not."
"Agatha you said bury her!"
"And we did," said the older witch, "Now we can summons a new member for our coven."
I made an indignant noise, "That's what this is about."
I glanced at the ground, I knew we needed a real green witch, but I felt bad.
"Just let me say a few words for her first."
Agatha rolled her eyes, "We don't have time!"
"I don't care I'll be quick!"
Hurriedly I said, "Sharon, we didn't know you very well, but you seemed like a nice person, we were glad to have you on the road with us, and we're sorry. So, rest in peace I guess."
At least she was with her husband now.
"Alright great," Agatha shoved me aside and stood in the middle. She took Teens little spell book and flipped through it till she found the right page, "Ah here we are."
Agatha began chanting in Latin, we each put something down on Ms Harts grave and wished for the new wish.
"May she be smart, and not annoying," Agatha said, "And also not super political."
"May she be pleasant looking." Jen said, which caused Agatha to roll her eyes.
Once we were done Agatha completed the spell and the candles went out.
"Now what? I asked.
"Now we wait." Said Lilia, "True witchcraft takes time, the spell must marinate."
Just then something blasted up from the ground behind us. We screamed and turned as a body snapped and cracked its way out from the earth.
"Agatha what did you do?!" Jen exclaimed.
"What do you mean, what did I do this was very much a group effort!"
"Oh my god, did we turn Ms Hart into a zombie?" Asked Teen.
We all watched in abject horror as the persons limbs arranged themselves, then Agatha and I gasped.
It was Rio!
"Heard you guys were having a party."
Agatha immediately raged, "How did you..."
"I was in the neighborhood." Said Rio. "Suprise, my lady."
Agatha's eyes darkened and she screamed. For the second time that night she lunged towards someone with fists raised, once again it took all of us to hold her back.
"Agatha we need her!" I yelled, and she fought out of our grasp. Agatha had to excuse herself in her fury but I ran after her, Teen followed after me.
"Agatha you can't just walk away!" I called
"Agatha wait!" Teen yelled.
Agatha flipped her hair and kept walking.
"Agatha come on, talk to us."
When we finally caught up to her Teen spoke.
"So, the dangerous but charismatic lady is back."
Agatha groaned.
"Okay now you have to tell us about her." I argued.
"No I don't." Agatha said stubbornly.
I looked back, Rio was wandering around with her knife acting like a crazy person.
Then we walked upon another building, a cabin in the woods. Lights were on inside.
"Here we go again." I said.
"Pass." Said Alice and she walked back the other way.
Rio gasped playfully, "A mutiny already?" She raised a brow at Agatha.
Agatha sighed, "Alice...Alice, what's the plan Alice?"
Alice shrugged, "Go back, go around. Go anywhere but in that house." She then gasped.
Right in front of us was the very same house, even though we had turned to walk in the opposite direction.
"I agree," said Agatha, "But the road clearly does not. So, I guess we go."
With little sympathy Agatha continued in to the house.
On the doorway was a waxing moon: the symbol for the fire faze.
Alice sighed heavily, Agatha opened the door and pushed the rest of us in side.
Like last time we were transformed.
Our outfits were something straight out of a seventies rock band. I was wearing a gold flowing top and boot cut black and gold rhinestoned pants.
"Check me out!" Agatha exclaimed, taking a look in the nearby mirror.
"We're an album cover waiting to happen." Said Teen.
"The road isn't subtle." Alice remarked.
"What happens next?" Asked Rio.
I glanced at her, "A test...Why don't we split up and try to find another clue like last time?"
The others agreed and dispersed, Rio snuck up behind Agatha and whispered soemthing in her ear.
I could tell soemthing was going on between those two, so instead of looking around like everyone else I followed Rio who followed Agatha into another room.
I stood by the outside of the door where they couldn't see me and listened in.
"Who are these people?" I heard Rio ask, Agatha scoffed, "Oh, there my new best friends."
"And the kids?" Rio asked, "You know what the girl is don't you."
I stiffened, what did they know about me.
"I'm feeling impatient," said Rio, "felling like I wanna cause some damage.
Agatha chuckled, "Oh you're too early."
Then something about the way Agatha spoke changed, she sounded almost...seductive?
"Maybe the road is like Switzerland." Agatha said, "What if we just, call a truce. Just...I don't now." She trailed off suggestively, "Have just one more big adventure. You and me."
"Like old times." Rio whispered.
I had no doubt the two of them were close.
"Work and play." Agatha husked back.
I suddenly felt like I was intruding on something very private.
"I just need those witches to get me to the end." I heard Agatha say then, "So, you tell me.  What happens next?"
Just then the speaker from the sound booth turned on, the others could now hear their conversation.
"I get the pleasure of watching you do what you do best..." said Rio, "Kill all the witches around you. One by one. You get your power, and then I get the bodies."
Get the bodies, what the hell was she talking about?
As a play to gain our trust Agatha gasped and pretended to act disgusted, I joined the others as they yelled out their protests.
Agatha raised her hands in a "what can I do," kind of way.
Just then a horrible sound rang out.
We ran over to teen, he had played a record which was spinning backwards, the noise hurt, grading at our ears.
"Someone turn it off!" Alice yelled, we were all covering are ears.
Agatha picked up the record player and smashed it to bits on the ground.
"What was that?" I asked.
Lilia was the first to speak, "We've been cursed."
Oh great. That's just what we needed.
"Nothing happening," Teen observed, "Maybe this curse isn't so bad."
As if on cue Lilia began to scream, smoke began coming off of her like she was burning. She fell to the ground in agony.
"Alice help her!" I yelled, even Agatha looked disturbed.
Alice grabbed Rio's dager and cast a protection circle around her. Only then did the smoke stop and Lilia was able to catch her breath.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"How do we break a curse?" Teen asked.
"We need to face it." Said Lilia, "That's the only way."
Just then Jen screamed, and the smoke began to rose off of her too.
By the time it had ended her shoulders were burnt.
Lilia took off her coat and we saw she had the same markings.
And that was when something began making its way through the room.
"It's you isn't it!" Agatha said to Alice, "You brought the curse in here."
"I didn't think to was real!" She exclaimed, and showed us her identical burn marks.
So ya, apparently Alice's generational family curse was on us now.