Forever Charmed

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

Kirsch and J.P. orb Laura into the coven house.

"They asked us to look into... something–– and when we came back with our findings, they were nowhere to be found. We tried sensing for them, calling them on the phone–– nothing. No explanation for where they could've gone, either," J.P. frets.

Laura frowns and starts looking around the kitchen and living room for clues. "What kind of demons have they been hunting after I left?"

"They've gone after a siren and a banshee," Kirsch replies.

"Maybe the siren took them?" Laura suggests.

J.P. shakes his head. "We would still be able to sense them."

Laura frowns, making her way up the stairs before she pauses. "When did they get this painting?"

It's a large framed picture of a country home, surrounded by grass and a forest in the background. There's a fence around the property and a gate leading to the main road. The house itself has a nice shady porch and a tiny sign outside of it.

Kirsch shrugs. "When we were here yesterday, they still had it wrapped up. D-bear said she bought it at the Magik Shop when she was buying potion ingredients."

"Hmm." Laura squints at the painting, starting to voice her thoughts out loud to brainstorm. "Danny buys this painting. LaF says to hang it up here, coz they've always said it felt weird for this spot in the house to be bare. Perry would think it looks so great that she would take a picture–– either for Instagram, or to send to me..."

Laura backs up the turn on the stairs to where Perry would've gotten a better view of the painting. She finds a phone on the stairs.

"Perry's phone," J.P. notes.

"She was always too trusting to put a passcode on it," Laura says with a giggle as she picks it up and unlocks it. The most recent picture is of the painting.

She brings it downstairs to the whitelighters.

"So, they hang up the painting and take a picture. What next?" Kirsch asks, worry evident in his voice.

"I don't think there is a 'next,'" Laura replies. "Why else would Perry have dropped this phone and not picked it up?" She sighs, about to relock the phone when something catches her eye. She focuses on the picture on the phone, zooming in on the small sign, which seems to be glowing.

"What is it?" J.P. asks.

Laura hands them the phone and walks closer to the painting.

"You see how the sign next to the house is glowing?" she asks them. They both nod and she gestures for them to walk over. "It's not doing that on the actual painting."

"Maybe they turned the flash on?" Kirsch offers.

Laura shakes her head. "Perry doesn't believe in using flash for pictures unless absolutely necessary. Says it ruins the authentic feel." She sighs and squints at the painting. "I can't quite make out what the sign says. It looks like it says 'captum,' but..."

She pulls out her phone and aims it so it can focus on the painting.

"Lemme just take a picture on my phone and see if we can clear it up..." She presses the button and there's a huge flash of light. It engulfs the room in a blinding moment, before quickly fading.

"Oh, bother," J.P. sighs when she realizes Laura's vanished–– and, in her place remains her phone on the ground.

~*~