A long and arduous hour of cleaning and gathering broken shards of glass and debris later everyone was endeavoring to catch a couple hours of sleep before the day nurse came on and they had to head to Shayla’s house. Katie was sleeping in the room Cheri had occupied, all of her equipment and supplies meticulously cleaned and disinfected moved out of the smoked-out room. Hazel was curled up like a toddler in a shaggy blue quilt in a big fluffy oversized recliner in the corner of the dimly lit room. Normally sleeping on the job would lose a careless nurse her license, but this was an unusual circumstance, and Jacob wasn’t likely to lodge a complaint with the nursing board. Cheri was tossing and turning on the living room couch. Anxiety had fully griped her which made sleep difficult. Jasmine and Tracy lay on opposite sides of the bed. Usually, they slept touching, but the tangible tension created by the night’s drama kept a distance between them.

Jacob, who had been nervously sitting at his desk in the office, could hear the frightened whimpers and cried coming from Cheri on the couch. With the silent resolve of a big brother wanting to protect what was precious to him Jacob quietly slipped into the room, carefully lifted the sleeping woman, then sat on the couch cradling Cheri. Instinctively Cheri reached up and wrapped her slender arms around Jacob’s neck and buried her face into his warm protective chest. Ten minutes later both were sleeping soundly wrapped around each other like long lost lovers.

Six am came around faster than it should have. Hazel slipped out of her chair and quickly cleaned up from her sleep and readied the room for the next nurse.

“Jacob,” Hazel said softly as she entered the living room. “Jacob.”

Jacob opened his eyes with a stark realization of what he and Cheri looked like.

“It’s not what it looks like.”

“It looks like you were very innocently and platonically comforting the best friend of the women you deeply and unconditionally love. And then you fell asleep.” Hazel’s full red lips lifted in a small smile that would send any red-blooded American man into a tizzy. “Shannon will be here in a few minutes to relieve me.”

“Ok,” Jacob gingerly untangled himself from the still sleeping Cheri. “You go ahead and take the supplies and stuff to Shayla’s. The OB is coming at 9:00am to give Katie an ultrasound, I need to be here for that. As soon as that is done, I’ll bring the box with the shattered mirror and meet you there. Not sure what the others need to do beforehand, but I’ll send them to Shayla’s as soon as possible.”

“Sounds good. I’m not sure what or how Grams is going to do to fix this. I just know she will.” Hazel bushed the long messy bangs from her eyes and let out a heavy sigh.

Mister let out a loud sorrowful meow from his luxury kennel. Much to his dismay he had been trapped in all night long and it had been almost an hour past his usual morning feeding time. Since moving into Jacob’s house he had become accustomed to food on a schedule and affection whenever he deemed it necessary.

Jacob covered the sleeping women with a soft light blanket and kissed her forehead, much like an older brother, then turned towards Mister.

“I’m coming Mister,” Jacob said a little to loud and Cheri mumbled and turned in her sleep.

Hazel placed her bag and jacket on the table next to the door then opened the door after the first knock. Shannon, the day nurse, was already waiting. Hazel gave report and slipped out of the door as Jacob pulled out a can of Friskies Chicken Vittles and feed the demanding feline.

Tracy and Jasmine saunter down the hall towards the kitchen. Both women with mussed bed head and wrapped in black silk robes. Sleep still evident in their shiny red swollen eyes.

“Coffee?” Tracy let out in a slow southern drawl.

“High octane on the table and for the wussy girl,” Jacob grinned at Jasmine “unleaded is dripping now. Shannon, help yourself.”

“Thank you. I’m gonna check in on Katie then I’ll come back for some coffee, thanks.” Shannon turned to leave, then turned back. “Will you be staying here for the OB checkup?”

“Yep, but I’ll be leaving right after.”

Shannon smiled, then turned to head to see Katie.

In the cozy kitchen, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee mingled with the scent of warm pastries. The women chatted animatedly, their laughter filling the room with a comforting warmth. Cheri, always an early riser, had already joined the other women at the table and poured her own cup of coffee when Jacob brought the decaf to the table for Jasmine. Jacob poured Jasmine a cup then turned to get the box of pastries from the top of the shiny chrome fridge.

“It’s gonna be a long day we should all eat something first.” Jacob took a seat next to Cheri and forced himself to take a bite of a cherry crescent. “Hazel is already on her way to Shayla’s with the book. I’m gonna stick around for the OB doc, then I’ll head over there. We all should get there as soon as possible.”

“I just need to shower and then I’ll head that way.” Cheri gave Jacob a wry little smile. “What do you wear to an exorcism anyways?”

“Definitely not Louboutin. I’m thinking comfy jeans and tennis shoes.”

The entirety of the group chuckled stiffly.

Tracy and Jasmine finished up their pastries then headed off to the master bedroom to shower and get ready for the day.

Ten minutes later Jacob found himself sitting alone at the dining room table. Bile filled his stomach threating to spill the contents of this morning’s breakfast all over the oak table. As the slow seconds rolled past as tears involuntarily stained his cheeks. Bile started to creep up his esophagus, then into his mouth. Jacob dashed to the kitchen sink just in the nick of time. Half-digested crescent and two cups of black coffee speed from his mouth and splattered into the sink. Tears burned his eyes, stomach acid burned his mouth, and his shoulders ached from the retching of his stomach.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

A few minutes later Jacob cleaned the sink with bleach, rinsed his mouth out with some minty mouth wash, and splashed some water on his face. He was ready to restart his day.

Cheri bounced into the kitchen with a renewed pep in her strut. Her dark locks bounced around her face framing her light golden eyes.

“I have a stupendous feeling that this nightmare is coming to a close. Today is going to be miraculous!”

Jacob quickly masked his face to hide his sick then turned to face the cheery bouncy Cheri.

“The bathroom is free, and honestly you smell.” Cheri let out a little girlish giggle, then got serious. “And look a little green. I hired a cleaning agency to give Katie’s house a through deep cleaning. They are scheduled to be there in half an hour so I’m going to let them in then head to Shayla’s.”

“Nobody’s been there in weeks, why the deep clean?”

“Dust build up and such, and it wasn’t all that clean before the incident.” Cheri sighed softly then admitted “I go there sometimes just to think and talk to her. Being closed up all the time there’s developed a funky smell, and I can’t find where it’s coming from. I don’t want Katie to come home to a stanky house.”

“She’s never going back there!” Jacob snapped back, a little harsher than he meant to. “I’m sorry, that didn’t come out like I intended. I just don’t think that it would be in her best interest to go back there, ever.”

“Well, in the end it will be up to Katie. Even if she decides to sell it it’ll need to be cleaned.” Cheri paused briefly before continuing. “And I need to feel useful. I’ll see you at Shayla’s.” With that Cheri grabbed her purse off the coffee table and bounced out the door.”

“Gram’s…” Hazel called out as she entered Shayla’s battered old house. “Grams where are you?”

“Downstairs sweetie, grab a cup of coffee and come down.”

Hazel followed the inviting aroma of freshly brewed coffee, poured herself a cup, and made her way downstairs. Shayla’s basement was the complete opposite of the rest of her house. She had everything organized and neatly placed on shelves. There wasn’t even a speck of dust on the bookshelves. The walls were lined with meticulously arranged tools and labeled boxes, each containing the remnants of Shayla’s various wiccan rites and rituals.

“Hey Grams, it looks like you’ve been busy down here,” Hazel said, admiring the tidiness.

“Yes, it’s my little sanctuary,” Shayla replied with a warm smile. “Whenever life gets a bit too chaotic upstairs, I come down here and find some peace in organizing and tinkering.”

Hazel took a seat at the small table in the corner, sorting through a box of old photographs. “I can see why. It’s so calm and serene.”

Shayla joined her, placing a hand on Hazel’s shoulder. “I’m glad you think so, dear. Now, tell me, did you bring the book? I need some time to create our ritual to free Katie.”

For the next thirty minutes, Shayla studied the old journal while Hazel looked through the box of old photos, occasionally sharing a memory or asking about the people in the faded images. The room was filled with a comfortable silence, punctuated only by the rustle of turning pages and the soft clinking of coffee cups. Shayla's brow furrowed in concentration as she deciphered the ancient script, her fingers tracing the intricate symbols and annotations that lined the margins.

Hazel couldn't help but feel a sense of awe as she watched her grandmother work. There was a timeless wisdom in Shayla's eyes, a deep connection to the past that seemed to transcend the ordinary. She wondered what secrets the journal held and how they would help Katie.

"Grams," Hazel eventually broke the silence, "how did you learn all of this? The rituals, the symbols... it’s like something out of a storybook."

Shayla glanced up from the journal, her eyes softening. "It's been passed down through generations, dear. My mother taught me, and her mother taught her. It's a part of who we are, a part of our heritage. And now, it's time for you to get serious about your path, too."

Hazel nodded, feeling a mix of excitement and responsibility. "I want to learn, Grams. I want to help Katie."

"Good, I’ve been waiting for you to come to me," Shayla said with a smile. "We have much work to do, and I couldn't do it without you."

They continued their work, the bond between them growing stronger with each passing moment, as they prepared for the ritual that would hopefully bring Katie the peace she so desperately needed and put an end to Blackwells terror.

Gram’s looked up from her notes. “The Coven was extremely strong in order to pull off this spell and create what is essentially a pocket realm to hold Blackwell. We don’t have near that much power between us.”

Hazel looked up at her Grams with a worried expression. “Even as powerful as they were they made several mistakes. The biggest being is that every prison needs a warden. In this case it should have been an object or amulet embedded into the mirror. But since one wasn’t provided, the power chose one of its own. I had wondered why Abby got pulled in, but apparently she was chosen to be the warden.”

A heavy silence hung in the air as Hazel processed this revelation. “So, if Abby is the warden, does that mean we have to free her first before we can help Katie?”

Shayla nodded slowly, her expression grave. “Yes, dear. If we can free Abby, her bond with the realm will break, and it will weaken Blackwell’s hold, making it easier to free Katie. But it also means we need to be incredibly cautious. The realm will try to protect its warden and itself.”

Hazel’s determination hardened. “Then we’ll do it. We’ll find a way to free Abby and Katie. We’re stronger together.”

Shayla squeezed Hazel’s hand, pride shining in her eyes. “We will, Hazel. Together, we will break the chains that bind them and end Blackwell’s terror once and for all.”

With renewed resolve, they delved back into their preparations, the weight of their mission heavy but their spirits unbroken. The echoes of the past whispered around them, guiding their hands and hearts as they readied themselves for the battle to come.

Grams broke the comfortable silence. “It’s going to take five of us to break the prison, set Abby free, and to destroy Blackwell in one ritual. And someone will have to stay back at the house to be with Katie. She can’t wake up with a stranger in a strange place.”

“Tracy will probably want to stay with Katie.” Hazel suggested.

“We’ll need the people with the most magical powers here. When they get here, I’ll figure out who that will be.”

Hazel nodded in agreement, her mind already racing with thoughts of the others. She knew that their success would depend heavily on the strength and unity of the group. Time was of the essence, and every decision mattered.

“As soon as we have everyone gathered, we’ll start the ritual preparations,” Shayla continued, her voice steady and reassuring. “We need to be ready for anything. Blackwell won’t go down without a fight.”

The gravity of their task was not lost on Hazel. She glanced at her Grams, drawing strength from her calm demeanor. They had come this far, and there was no turning back now. Together, they would summon every ounce of courage and magic they possessed to free Abby and Katie and put an end to the darkness brought on by the evil in Blackwell.

With a determined look, Hazel stood up. “I’ll start contacting the others to see when they will be here. We don’t have a moment to lose.”

Shayla smiled, a mixture of pride and determination in her eyes. “That’s my girl. Let’s get to work.”

As Hazel left the room, the sense of urgency propelled her forward. The fate of Katie and her baby rested in their hands, and failure was not an option. The echoes of their ancestors seemed to whisper encouragement, guiding her steps as she prepared to face the greatest challenge of her life.

The battle against Blackwell was imminent, but with their combined strength and unwavering resolve, they would emerge victorious. And in doing so, they would honor the legacy of those who had come before them, ensuring that their sacrifices were not in vain.