“And you’re think it was magic?” Chang asked the Phoebe
“No! I know it was magic” Phoebe replied “I checked for it”
“So, there’s another witch in Solwood other than you?” Luke raised an eyebrow; he had thought witches were rarer than that from the way they spoke about it.
“a warlock most likely” Chang deduced “or a voodooist”
“Warlock?” Obie and Luke exchanged looks “voodooist?”
“Someone whose magic comes from a source other than the earth” Daphne explained “voodooists are practioners who use dark magic to cast hexes and curses”
“Why are we only finding out about these now?” Obie turned to Chang “they weren’t mentioned in your explanation about the world of magic”
“It was the cliff notes version” Chang shrugged “if you want, I’ll give you a couple of books”
“I’d like that” Obie conceded with a shrug
“that’s great” Phoebe’s voice dripped with sarcasm “now that we’ve all shared our feelings can we focus on the task at hand?”
“Like why would a warlock-slash-voodooist target James” Luke added “is it like a grudge thing or are they just evil in general?”
“Well James has always been a bit of a prick” Obie pointed out “I wouldn’t be surprised if someone who wanted to kill him finally got the motivation to actually try and do it”
“So, you think he’d be targeted in the hospital?” Chang prodded the boys
“Or was the goal to just hurt them hard enough to vent?” Daphne questioned Luke and Obie’s hypothesis “if it was personal in the first place” everybody looked at each other, confused what way to go.
“okay” Phoebe clapped her hands once, startling everyone “here’s what we’re gonna do; Chang, you go as the school representative and keep an eye on James in case the mage comes back to attack them”
“Mage!” Luke softly whispered, realising that’s what to call the unknown assailant instead of warlock-slash-voodooist.
“Me and Daphne will keep an eye here; try to figure out who this mage is and see if they attack anyone else”
“And us?” Obie jerked his thumb towards him and Luke “don’t try to wall us out again”
“Guys…” Phoebe bit her lip
“We can help!” Luke protested
“You can’t even control your powers yet” Chang pointed out the fact that Luke had been unable to make the black gas appear again after the incident at Ryuu’s house; and they hadn’t gotten around to properly training him in it.
“We don’t need powers to ask around” Obie retorted
“he’s right Y’know” Everyone turned to Daphne “we can cover more ground with more people” Phoebe turned back to see Luke and Obie giving her puppy dog eyes.
“fine” the blonde girl resigned herself “But call us immediately if you find something”
“Done!” Luke pumped his fist while Obie simply grinned like a cheshire cat as he held out his hand. “Supernatural squad on three”
“… let’s go” everybody exited the room in record speed as Obie’s grin slowly faded
“I hate those guys”
XXXXXXX
“So, you think someone poisoned Kaminski?” Jerry Roday gave Obie a weird look “why?”
“I think it was supposed to be a prank that went bad” Obie corrected his friend “as for why? It might be cause he's a real asshole”
“I dunno man” Jerry leaned back in his chair “Kaminski is a grade A prick but not a lot of people hate him enough to try and prank him”
Obie picked up on that “but who are the few who do hate him?”
Jerry's face scrunched up “why are you obsessing over this?”
“I’m not” Obie lied defensively “just… y’know”
“whatever” Jerry shook his head “the only one who has a real grudge against Kaminski is Matt Owens”
“Matt…” Obie knew the boy, hell he knew over eighty percent of the student body; small town; smaller world. A big geek, and was best friends with Riley Knowles, whose crush on him was common knowledge to everyone but him.
“Thanks” Obie waited a few more minutes for the bell to ring and then another excruciating two for the teacher to dismiss them.
Luckily it was the last period and he was immediately able to regroup with the others in Chang’s office.
“All right” Phoebe gave a glance over to everyone gathered “what do we got?”
Luke decided to go first “according to Jules, only her, Amber Bailey, and Ryan Hopper, Kaminski’s teammates were there when he started to cough violently, and as far as I can tell, none of them have a particular grudge against him”
“And whoever casted the spell would have to be actively chanting” Phoebe explained “couldn’t be any of them”
“no one else in the football team has had any incident” Daphne added her findings “or anyone in the school for that matter”
Just then the door to the office opened and Ms. Croft, the principal’s secretary walked in.
“…” they all stared at the middle aged woman as she stared back. “What are you kids doing here?”
“We-we’re looking for Mr. Chang” Obie stepped forward “why are you here Ms. Croft?”
“I’m the one asking questions Mr. Cruz” the dark haired lady replied haughtily as she fully stepped into the office. “What business do you have with Paul?”
“Paul?” Obie wondered but still answered “he had agreed to be the faculty advisor for our new after school club, the Popclub!”
“Well, he’s gone to the hospital as the school representative for Mr. Kaminski” Ms. Croft walked up the Chang’s desk and put down some papers “so you guys’ better head home”
“How is ka- James, by the way?” Daphne gave the secretary doe eyes “it was just… scary what had happened in the cafeteria”
“hmm” Ms. Croft’s face softened as Luke gave Daphne a thumbs up from behind the teacher that the familiar ignored “Mr. Kaminski had another attack from what I understand, but he should be fine; worrying won’t do anything, so you kids better try to keep yourself busy; not dwell on the cafeteria incident too much”
The woman made sure they all filed out of the office, so the group headed to the school quad.
“Another attack” Phoebe emphasised “it’s personal”
“it’s Matt Owens” Obie finally spoke out his findings “he’s the one with a big grudge against Kaminski”
“And where do we find him?” Daphne raised an eyebrow
“Math club” Phoebe declared, much to everyone’s surprise “…he once asked me to join” the witch added as explanation.
Luckily, she knew exactly where the math club was so they four headed there directly. “he’s there” Luke peered through the window “what now?”
“Now I check him for traces of magic” Phoebe declared
“You can do that with a simple spell?” Obie raised an eyebrow
“Only if they’ve been actively using their magic” Phoebe answered his unasked question of why she had made him wait to check if he had magic.
Luke stepped back as Phoebe walked over to the window and formed hand gestures and chanted “let that which is hidden be shown” her eyes glowed golden for a moment before turning back to normal.
“…well?” Daphne asked as Phoebe stepped away from the window, lest someone see her and mark her as a weirdo.
“No magic use” Phoebe declared in a hollow voice “he’s not our guy”
XXXXXXX
“How can he not be our guy?” Luke asked for the umpteenth time “he has to be” the four were near the front gate of the school
“The more pressing matter…” Daphne sighed as she pulled up her hair into a pony tail “is that if he isn’t our guy, who is?”
“And when they’ll strike again” Phoebe rested her face in her palms “we have no leg to stand on”
“So, what do we do now?” Obie sighed
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“We start back from square one” Phoebe sat up straight, trying to psyche herself back on track “We now know it isn’t a personal vendetta so we start looking at other avenues”
“So, we’ll see who benefits from Kaminski being taken out of the picture” Luke hypothesised
“yes” Phoebe agreed “From tomorrow, half the kids have already left and the other half are in their clubs and won’t answer any questions”
“A’ight!” Obie jumped to his feet “I’m gonna go as I need to complete my history assignment”
“I’m gonna go and do some research on the spell and cursing that may have been used here” Phoebe declared her plans
“I’m gonna go and train” Daphne added her two cents as Luke looked between the three of them
“Any of you looking for some company?” before any of the three could answer a sharp horn called their attention to the driveway as a middle aged woman waved towards them from the old, beat up, station wagon.
“Dude, isn’t that your mom?” Obie asked Luke who could only stare ahead as Andrea Wyatt motioned for him to come to her.
“Rain check on the training” Daphne shrugged to Luke, she and Phoebe didn’t know anything about Luke’s mom or his relationship with her; something he was currently infinitely grateful for.
Obie didn’t say anything as he looked between Luke and his mom, getting the gist of the situation. “Y’know I could use the help”
“No!” Luke swallowed “I… I gotta go with my mom” the two girls shared a look sensing the weird air between the boys but chose not to say anything as Luke got into his mom’s car and they drove off.
XXXXXXX
“So how was school hon?” Andrea tried to make conversation with Luke as they drove home
“Fine!”
“How are your classes going?”
“good”
“Any girls you like?”
“No!”
“y’know you could put in a bit more effort in actually talking” Andrea finally snapped at Luke, making him flinch. The woman had a short fuse when she was sober.
“sorry” he mumbled knowing that if he didn’t play along, she’d only get more irritated with him. “H-how was work?”
“Oof, it was awful” Andrea launched into a tirade “that stupid manager kept moaning about tiny irrelevant shit, and the customers; God! The customers were so rude today, and…”
“I guess working a fast food joint sober isn’t that easy” Luke thought to himself darkly as his mother prattled on. Once they got home, Luke immediately declared he had homework and locked himself in his room until the third time his mom called him out for dinner.
“I made spaghetti” his mom’s smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. The two sat down to eat, and while Luke did eat the flavourless spaghetti without any complaints, his mother spent more time just moving the food around her plate, tapping the feet, and looking towards the fridge out of the corner of her eye, thinking Luke couldn’t see her do it.
“So, you didn’t tell me of anything happened in school today” His mom tried one more shot at making Luke speak.
“Um… James Kaminski threw up during lunch time!” Luke panicked and said the things going on in his mind.
“Kaminski...?” Andrea tried to recall the name
“His family shifted here a few years back” Luke supplied “he’s the football team’s quarterback, kind of a prick really”
“He gives you trouble?” Andrea turned serious enough for Luke to feel a chill down his spine
“No! No!” Luke hurriedly denied “only Matt Owens”
“Oh Matt!” Andrea relaxed “I remember him, sweet kid, but was always a bit of a sissy”
“Yeah…” Luke just faked a smile hoping the conversation would end quickly
“I remember when you and he fought during kindergarten” but Andrea was already on a roll now “and then that girl Riley Knowles bit you on your arm” she laughed, but Luke froze for a moment.
“Riley Knowles!”
“I just remembered; I have to meet with Obie for a project!” Luke practically screamed “Thanks for the dinner mom, but I gotta jet” Luke just got off his seat, gave his mom a kiss on the cheek and then rushed out of the house, all within the span of a few seconds
“…what just happened?”
XXXXXXX
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Obie opened his window to see Luke, Phoebe, and Daphne all three standing in his back yard.
“Throw down your hair Rapunzel” Phoebe's voice was low but carried over to Obie well enough to earn her a dirty look.
“We're coming up” Luke declared in a hushed voice as Phoebe cast a spell to levitate her up while Daphne and Luke jumped up and directly landed in front of Obie's window.
“Why can't you use the front door like normal people?” Obie stepped aside to let the three enter his room.
“Too time consuming” Luke was bouncing on the balls of his feet “I'm in the zone!”
“So will you now tell us why you gathered us here?” Daphne folded her arms and gave the redhead a pointed look.
“Riley Knowles!” Luke declared to varied reactions. Phoebe and Daphne just look confused while Obie's eyes widened like saucers.
“Riley!” Obie's voice was almost a scream.
“Matt's best friend?” Phoebe didn't look convinced “I mean that seems a bit extreme to go for somebody else”
“Not when you've been in love with that person since kindergarten” Obie sat down on his computer “back then Luke and Matt got into an argument and Riley bit him, like leave marks for weeks bit him”
“But more than that, she's the only one with a personal stake against Kaminski who has the stones to do something like this” Luke walked over to Obie's desk “She's always had a hit of a dark streak; are you hacking into the school database again?”
“Again?” Daphne raised an eyebrow
“Looking for her current address...” Obie's eyes didn't leave the screen “... got it” he peered closer “and she was absent today”
“So she could cast the spell without being bothered or discovered” Phoebe theorised
“She didn't need to be close by to cast the spell?” Luke' face scrunched up in confusion “like you with your...” he to wiggled his fingers in ways Phoebe had never seen before
“It's a curse; they work differently” the blonde girl explained “and your imitation of spellcasting is lousy”
“Let's try and focus shall we?” Daphne rubbed her forehead in exhaustion “we have her address so let's swing by tomorrow morning...” Phoebe's cell phone started to ring
“It's Chang” she picked it up and as the other three looked on, lost the colour on her face.
“James Kaminski is not going to survive the night if the curse doesn't end soon”
“Right, new plan” Daphne didn't panic for a moment “we go over to Knowles' house right now, but Obie stays here and looks through other records in case she isn't the one”
She glanced over at said boy “I know it's a long shot-”
“And I'll take it” Obie nodded in determination “scrouge up other records form Kaminski's files anything about any other incident with any other student, even the smallest ones.”
“Thanks” Daphne gave him an appreciative nod as she, Phoebe and Luke headed out the window.
“Be careful” was all Obie could say, panicking and worried, but determined to continue his dig.
XXXXXXX
“We're here” Luke called out as the Knowles house came into view. “So what's the play?”
“We knock and ask questions” Phoebe's eyes didn't move from the house.
“Seriously?!” Luke lost a momentary stepped and trailed behind the girls.
“Yup” their pace quickened.
Ding-dong!
“Hello” a dark haired middle aged woman opened the door “can I help you?”
“We're friends of Riley Mrs. Knowles” Luke called from the back “Can we come in?”
“Um... sure” Mrs. Knowles stepped aside to let the three into the foyer, stairs ahead of them and opened up to the house to their left.
“What's going on honey” a middle aged man's voice, whom the three assumed to be Mr. Knowles called out from within the house.
“Just friends of Riley” just as Mrs. Knowles was turned to answer her husband, Phoebe cast her magic detection spell and gave Daphne an immediate look.
“Now; how can I-” it happened immediately as Dahne stepped behind the woman and knocked her out with a bunny punch.
“What the hell?” Luke couldn't keep up with the rapid escalation
“She was cursed as well” Phoebe explained “Probably with an obedience spell”
“Fuck” Luke whispered more to himself
“What's going on here now?” A tall and broad middle aged man, Mr. Knowles most probably, appeared in the entrance vestibule at once.
“He's under her curse too” Phoebe panted out, the effect of multiple spellcasting throughout the day was starting to exhaust her.
“You kids need to leave” Mr. Knowles' fists started to glow with an eerie red light.
“I'll handle him” Daphne declared, “Go and look for Knowles”
With a nod, Luke and Phoebe ran up the stairs, while Daphne walked a step forward right into Mr. Knowles' attempts to stop the duo.
“Very well” the man threw out his glowing red fist that Daphne twisted to avoid and then slammed an open palm into his elbow and pushed it upwards in an awkward angle.
Magically enhanced fists usually suffered from mundane weakness in the rest of the body; a fact Daphne didn't get to point out and Mr. Knowles slammed his forehead into hers, making her stagger a foot back.
“Okay, no more playing nice” Daphne rolled her shoulders, ready to lay down into the man, whose fists stopped glowing as his entire skin seemed to turn a blood-ish maroon
“Okay, let's go back to playing nice” Daphne quipped as Mr. Knowles started to swing his arms.
With her superspeed, it was easy for Daphne to dodge, but his taller stature and longer arms prevented her from getting close to attack back.
“Shit!” The house was too cramped for her to properly swing her sword, plus she didn't want to stab an innocent man being controlled by someone else.
The blocked another couple of punches from him and then ducked under a third and rolled under, kicking the shins of Mr. Knowles and bringing him down.
“Gotcha!” Daphne thought to herself, only for two large hands to suddenly grab her throat.
“Hmpnk!” Words died in her throat as the man tried to crush it. Daphne grabbed his arms and tried to pull them away, but it was getting hard, her oxygen was cut off, and his body was pushing down on hers, paralysing her with his weight. “I need help!”
XXXXXXX
“I'll handle him” Daphne declared, “Go and look for Knowles”
With a nod, Luke and Phoebe ran up the stairs to the second floor.
“Check the rooms” Phoebe commanded as soon as they reached the top step; the two instantly split up, opening the various doors in the hallway
“Nothing”
“Nope”
“Nada”
“Zilch” Phoebe called out as the two realised they had checked all the rooms.
“The attic” Luke looked up
“Shit” Phoebe realised as she stared up and saw the attic trapdoor.
Gritting her teeth Phoebe blasted in the trapdoor, grabbed Luke close to her, took a deep breath and levitated both of them upwards into the room
It was cold, dark, and dank. A weird odour filled the room, multiple Tupperware boxes line a shelf with items Luke wasn't sure he wanted to know, and beside the shelf stood Riley Knowles, staring at them from behind a large steel pot that was emanating an acidic green glow from within.
“Knowles-” Phoebe rasped out but Riley just lifted a weird wooden doll and pushed it out towards Phoebe.
The effect was instantaneous as Phoebe was sent flying back and pinned against the back wall.
“Hey” Luke called out and felt an invisible force grip his neck, lifting him just to the tip of his toes, such that he could only stare at the ceiling.
“You guys... can't. Stop. Me” Riley spoke through gritted teeth, clearly the curse and holding Luke and Phoebe hostage was taking its toll on her as well. “I will stop Kaminski”
“Stop him so that Owens can continue to not notice you?” Phoebe asked even as she was pinned to the wall. “Do you really want to go around killing for a guy who sees you only as a sister?”
“I'm gay you stupid witch” Riley growled “everyone going on and on and on about how I’m pining for Matt. He’s the brother I never had, and I’m tired of seeing him get downtrodden on by neanderthals much beneath him!”
“Wait!” She laughed and shook her head “you don't need to know this; you're gonna die!”
Meanwhile Luke was starting to panic as his lungs screamed for oxygen.
Panic which finally triggered his power; Luke could feel it this time, his ears buzzing as the girls seemed to be talking, but he couldn’t see anything except for the wooden ceiling.
“Focus” he heard Chang's voice as he called upon the black gas and felt it’s coalesced around his hand.
“wait” Luke realised he was holding onto what felt like a baseball made of the shadows, gritting his teeth Luke threw the ball with all his might in the general direction he knew Riley was in.
Phoebe stared as the ball of shadows flew like a cannonball and slammed into the steel pot, which drove into Riley’s abdomen as the acidic green potion in the pot flew out and fell all over her.
“GASP!” Luke fell on his knees as Phoebe slid back down to her feet, while down in the ground floor, Daphne overpowered the mentally freed and physically weakened Mr. Knowles and knocked him out before he could say anything.
“wha…” Luke scrambled back to his feet looking for Riley.
“it’s over” Phoebe stared at the smoking, burnt down face that had been Riley’s. the curse was the potion and when it flew all over Riley, it consumed her. “We won”
XXXXXXX
“you kids did well” Chang praised the quartet “worked well in tandem, and saved an innocent life” the kids beamed with pride, nodding at each other in acknowledgement of their mutual awesomeness.
“Go on and enjoy the rest of the day” He dismissed them “you’ve all earned at least a day off”
“yesss!’ Phoebe pumped her fist, but they were all in smiles. But as they left, discussing the shock that apparently was miss Knowles’ sexuality for them. Chang couldn’t take his eye off Luke.
The boy had died, come back to life, and killed someone, all in the span of a fortnight. “He will need to address his trauma eventually” Chang told himself “But today, let him try and be a kid again”