Protector | Ambrose Spellman and Nicholas Scratch [1]

01 | sleep like the dead

one
sleep like the dead.

SELENE BLACKWOOD IS one of the few young witches able to associate with mortals. Of course, older witches are allowed to do as they please as long as they obey the Dark Lord, but Selene is only sixteen years old.

Many witches of this age live at the Academy of Unseen Arts full time. Selene, however, lives with the Spellman family since she's supposed to protect Sabrina Spellman at all costs.

In fact, that's been her sole purpose since she was a few months old. But she doesn't mind devoting part of her life to protecting someone else. Sabrina is her best friend, and she'd die for her and the rest of the Spellman family.

The Blackwood girl is relived, because Sabrina will be sixteen in a matter of days. Sabrina will then have her dark baptism and attend the Academy of Unseen Arts.

It'll be much easier for Selene to protect the Spellman girl, but in all honesty, Selene will miss their mortal friends. Selene found it refreshing to be able to have fun with people completely oblivious to what she is. And she's kind of sad to lose her mortal friends, but she knows that at the end of the day, it's for the best.

And so a couple of days before Sabrina's birthday, Selene finds herself sitting on the kitchen counter, helping Hilda cut up grapes when Sabrina prances into the kitchen, holding a box.

"Good morning, Aunties. Selene. Ambrose," Sabrina greets, setting the box down on the kitchen table as Selene picks up her cup of tea and takes her seat next to Ambrose.

"Morning, darling," Hilda smiles warmly as she continues to cut the grapes. "How did you sleep?"

"Tempestuously, by the sounds of it," Zelda remarks, barely glancing up from her newspaper.

"Now that you mention it, Aunt Zee, I did wake up once or twice," Sabrina nods. "It's an... exciting time. In more ways than one."

"It's normal to not get much sleep before your dark baptism," Selene points out with a grin. "I was so excited before mine that I barely slept. Take a drop of foxglove and you'll be out like a light."

"Um, no. No. No," Hilda shakes her head before rummaging through the cabinet and pulling out a vile of rabbit's feet. "Selene, foxglove might work for you, but it's a bit too strong for somebody who's part mortal. It could kill her if she drank too much. Rabbit's feet should do the trick, Sabrina. Put them under your pillow tonight, you'll sleep like the dead."

"Speaking of the dead, a bat flew into my room last night," Sabrina sighs, pointing to the box she had bought into the kitchen with her. "Smashed through one of my windows."

"Oh, want me to bring it back?" Ambrose speaks up, gaining Selene's interest.

"Ooo, I'll help," the Blackwood girl volunteers enthusiastically.

Aunt Zelda, however, doesn't like this idea very much. "No, Ambrose, Selene, we'll have none of your necromancy."

Ambrose and Selene roll their eyes, before Sabrina sighs. "Is it okay if I bury it in the garden?"

"Yes," Hilda quips. "As you wish. You can bury it in the pet cemetery by the sundial. There's room there."

She then sets down a mason jar full of a blue, murky liquid that Selene recognizes immediately. The girl grimaces at the potion as Sabrina raises a curious eyebrow at it. "Oh, what's this?"

"Before it can be baptized, the temple of your body needs to be purified," Zelda answers simply. "Cleansed of it's toxins."

"This is actually milk and eggs and rosemary and agrimony, and a cupful of vanilla and a pinch of John the Conquerer root and... tannis," Hilda trails off awkwardly. "Uh, and other herbs from the garden. Drink up, darling."

Ambrose then fakes clearing his throat, trying to get Sabrina's attention. "Don't do it, cousin."

"Ambrose," Zelda warns him, before handing Sabrina a book. "Sabrina, you need to pick a familiar before your dark baptism. The Council sent the registry. I've, uh, indicated a few suitable options." She then begins to flip through the book, showing her niece pictures of various looking animals. "Now, there's a very handsome hedgehog, a noble-looking owl. Vinegar Tom would happily welcome another dog."

"You should go with the hedgehog," Selene suggests, happy that she chose a hedgehog named Violet as her familiar. "I'm sure that Violet would love some company."

"Well, you guys know I love Tom and Vi, but instead of picking a familiar out of a book, which is so, I don't know, dehumanizing-," Sabrina replies.

"Familiars are goblins who have taken on the shape of animals to better serve their witch masters," Zelda cuts Sabrina off firmly. "There's nothing human about them."

"But I've been practicing a summoning spell I found in the Demonomicon, and what if I put it out there that I'm looking for a familiar, and see if anyone wants to volunteer?" Sabrina proposes with a hopeful smile.

"I think that's a charming idea," Hilda beams as Selene nods along.

"Have you chose a baptismal name yet?" The strawberry blonde questions.

"I have, as a matter of fact," Sabrina nods. "Edwina Diana. Edwina, which is almost Edward, to honor my father, and Diana, to honor my mother. And not just to honor them... to be closer to them. To have them with me as I walk the Path of Night."

Selene smiles at how happy Sabrina looks, before she hears somebody sniffling. When she looks up, Hilda has proud tears shining in her eyes. "I wasn't gonna cry. And... I just wish your mom and dad were here to see this, to see you."

"Me too, Auntie."

"They would be so proud of you," Hilda wraps her arms around her niece gently. "They would be so proud of the young woman you've become."

"Correction," Zelda snaps. "They'd be so proud of the young witch she's becoming."

UNEDITED

AUTHOR'S NOTE
oof i relate to the pictures below too much, and i plan on selene being like this through various chapters woops ⬇️