𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐃; rio v.

ll

Theodora fiddled with her necklace as she contemplated even leaving her home. Her boots clicked on the ground with each step she took towards Agatha's abode in Westview, the town previously under the manipulation of Wanda Maximoff.

Theodora grinned at the thought of the Scarlet Witch. What fun they had when they were younger— before Wanda went robo-Vision crazy. She could feel Rio's eyes slowly following her, watching her every move. There wasn't a moment where the brunette wasn't watching her. She lingered everywhere she went.

Theodora approached Agatha's home and furrowed her eyebrows. She walked through the door frame and pointed to the door on the floor. "You do realize you don't have a door, right?" Five heads turned towards her and Theodora's eyes widened. "Theodora." Lilia whispered.

"Can we keep the family reunion for another time? We have a road to walk." Agatha remarked, sass in her tone as always. Theodora rolled her eyes and stormed past Lilia and down to the basement where she assumed they would open the road. She stayed in the far back, her eyes focused on the ground as she waited patiently for the others.

"Hey." A woman mumbled. She had red streaks in her hair and a collection of necklaces falling from her neck. Her whole aesthetic matched Theodora's perfectly. "Hey. Alice Wu, right? Lorna Wu's daughter?" Theodora was undeniably a Lorna Wu fan. She would spend hours studying her spell books with Lorna's music in the background.

"That's me." Alice shrugged and gave a sad smile. "Your mother— she died on The Witches Road right?" Theodora approached the topic with caution, afraid she would scare the girl away. Alice was possibly the only way she would get through the road without Agatha blowing Theodora's head off with her remarks. "She died on the road— on tour. A hotel fire." Alice explained quietly, as if she was hiding it from everyone else.

"Wait. If you're not looking for your mom, what are you even going on the road for?" Theodora leaned against the wall, her eyes finally catching Lilia's across the room. She cleared her throat and turned away.

"She told me the road would save me. I still think it's a myth, though." Theodora hummed and stayed silent as the conversation died down. They stood in silence for a moment before the raven-haired witch spoke up. "It's not a myth. Your mother would be proud of you for being here." Alice flashed her a genuine smile before the echo of a bell broke the silence in the basement.

Theodora looked around the room and her eyes fell on a short enderly lady in her gardening attire. The woman waved at her excitedly and Theodora couldn't help but wave skeptically. Theodora stood beside Alice as she prepared her vocal cords for the sacred chant, since she hadn't sang it in a while.

They all harmonized to perfection, their voices bouncing off the walls. They all went quiet after the last verse, Theodora's attention shifting to the commotion upstairs. "Maybe if this one didn't sound like the frog at the edge of her swamp!" Agatha pointed to Theodora, eliciting a scoff from the woman.

"You know you happen to act like a bitch a lot. Maybe all the time!" Theodora rolled her eyes and crossed her arms across her chest.

"It's not my fault only a true coven can open the door." Agatha countered. The other coven members argued back and forth, pointing out the faults in their demeanors. "Go to hell." Alice scoffed as she walked beside Lilia and Jen. "Make me!"

"Wait a minute. This is all a part of her scheme! She wants us to turn against each other and blast her with our magic." Lilia pointed out, a gasp coming from each witch. Theodora was still confused as to why there was a gardener standing in the corner of the room trying to find solace in the distressing situation. She had never heard of the woman— if she was a witch that is.

"You had no intention of bringing us on the Road." It was at that moment that the ceiling above them began to shake that Theodora realized she should've stayed home. "Ugh, I don't have time for this! Just blast me, you bitches!"

"What is that?" The blonde woman pointed to the floor beneath them and reeled in the attention of everyone. A light blue light reflected into Theodora's eyes, a tiny gasp slipping past her lips.

The coven walked around it and to the side Agatha was on, helping the woman open the trapdoor. Agatha dragged the palm of her hand on the ground, collecting a handful of dirt in the process. She looked shocked— as if she hadn't seen the scenery before. "No deja vu, Agatha? This should be easy peasy lemon squeezy for you." Theodora taunted.

Teen stormed down to the basement in a hurry, as if something had been chasing him. Shit Theodora mumbled in her head. "Agatha! Is this it? Is this the Road? Because we should really, really go, like, right now." The boy ran as quick as he could down the stairwell leading to what the coven believed was the Witches Road.

Disembodied screams echoed from the living room, causing Jen to follow right behind Teen. Theodora marched right after her with more urgency, almost basically shoving Jen into the wall to get past.

When Theodora finally reached the bottom, she almost swore she was dreaming.

An enchanted, shadowy forest, cloaked in deep purples, midnight blues, and charcoal grays. Ancient, twisted trees with gnarled branches line the road, their bark textured and ominous, as if bearing secrets of ancient spells and curses. The ground beneath is misty, and eerie lights or faint, ghostly glows seem to hover in the air, hinting at supernatural presences.

The moon hangs ominously in the sky, casting silver-blue light that glints off the fog, adding to the unsettling beauty of the scene. Along the path, subtle symbols or runes may appear etched into rocks or trees, giving the road a sense of being a conduit for magical power. The whole setting feels as though it's part of a hidden, magical dimension where shadows shift mysteriously and every sound or flicker of light suggests something unseen lurking nearby.

The coven looked around as if they were taking in the moment, curious as to what the Road would lead them to and if they're greatest wish was really to be granted. Agatha leaned forward to take off her shoes, the other witches following along. "I never doubted us for a second." She said.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me." Theodora murmured. Alice walked beside her as the leaves beneath them crinkled and broke into pieces. This was gonna be a long road, but at least Theodora wasn't alone.

✎ kaia's notes

I didn't have much time to look over it so please correct me if there are any errors!

The new episodes were crazy, I actually can't believe it's over.

Leave comments and feedback, please and thank you!