𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐃; rio v.

VI

"Well, I'm not saying that I wanna join the club or anything— but, I would drink the blood of a virgin if it would smooth out some of these wrinkles!" Theodora inhaled deeply, turning her focus to Sharon as her shoulders shivered. Her eyes almost bulged out of her head as they fell on Sharon's plumped and swollen face. "Oh my God!" Theodora and Alice cried out at the same time.

"Oh, you are so sweet!" Theo grimaced, her face twisting and turning as she softly lifted her hands to her own face, checking to make sure hers didn't look like Sharon's. "I don't really think I need it, either." The blonde snorted.

"You might wanna double-check." Theodora mumbled under her breath. "Okay... so, Mrs. Hart." Alice murmured, her hand reaching towards Sharon carefully. Sharon didn't fail to correct those who misnamed her. "Sharon!"

"Sharon, you're a little swollen."

Sharon reached up to touch her face, "is it bad?" She whispered. "I think she looks fantastic." Theodora snickered, earning a warning look from Lilia. "We've been poisoned." Theodora spit out the liquid wine she had in her mouth, staining the white rug beneath her feet. "What?!" Lilia called out.

Soon enough, the coven scattered around the room in search of mirrors— except Agatha, you laid comfortably across the couch. Theodora looked at her bloated face in the mirror, her eyebrows raising. "Not bad." She muttered, leaning in closer to look at her features.

"My face! My formerly perfect face!" Jen gasps. "Did you drink any wine, Jen? I don't see a difference." Theodora cackles, almost demonically. Jennifer turns to face her, a clear scowl in expression. "Why don't you just let her drink it all?!" Agatha exclaims as the coven pulls a wine glass from Sharon's mouth.

Theodora noticed that Agatha's face had yet to change, and she looked at the bar counter, which held a perfectly full wine glass. She walked over to the bar as the coven spoke. "I love you guys." She stopped in her tracks, her eyes resting on Lilia that stood in the middle of the room. "Lilia?" She whispered gently.

She knew her sister was one to shift in the timeline. When they were younger, Lilia would have sudden outbursts in the shared bedroom at night, leading Theodora to sleepless nights.

"Your face is back to normal!" Alice pointed out to Sharon, reeling the attention of others. The coven cheered, happy that they didn't look like bloated hippos anymore. "Not 'yay'," Jen said sternly. "Very much not 'yay'." She continued slowly, as if she was trying to figure something out.

"What do you mean?" Teen questioned. "The fact that the face swelling decreased so quickly means it could only be one type of poison, Alewife's Revenge." Theodora recognized the name, a hum falling from her lips.

"Face swelling is just the beginning. Next is dizziness, delirium, loss of motor function."

"My heart's racing." Alice pointed out anxiously. "That's another one. Also hallucinations, and eventually..." Theodora looked up at Jen. "Death." The raven-haired witch shivered.

"How do you spell 'Alewife'?" Teen interrupted. "I've gotta get out of here." Agatha growled before picking up a candlestick, bashing the large window with it. Alice wraps her arms around Agatha and wrenches the candlestick away before she can do any serious damage. "You can't run from the poison!" Jen yells.

"She didn't drink the poison." Theodora holds Agatha's full wine glass in her hand, swirling the liquid around. "You can't cheat, Agatha!" Teen scolds the older woman, sass in his tone. "Why?! Who says?" Agatha huffs.

"The Road." Theodora states. "Oh, that's ridiculous! We don't all have to suffer. Teen didn't drink!"

"He's not in the coven. And he's underage!"