The Witching Hour {Nick Scratch}

4. BLOOD CURSE

CHAPTER FOUR

BLOOD CURSE.

ECHO SAT ON THE PORCH stairs back at home. 

She had arrived back from school much earlier than Sabrina; since the blonde decided to walk back slowly with Harvey. The redhead casually read one of her spell books whilst her cousin - Ambrose - was sat on the bannister invested in his laptop.

"Hey, why do glum, Sabrina?" Ambrose's voice caught Echo's attention.

The redhead looked up from her book and spotted her twin standing at the bottom of the porch stairs, looking down sadly and playing with the shoulder strap of her bright scarlet satchel.

She sighed, "I was telling Harvey that we are leaving Baxter High to--"

"Go to a posh boarding school in Connecticut?" Both Echo and Ambrose chorused, smirking widely at one another.

"Yes. But then I didn't want to lie to him, so..." Sabrina sighed, "So I told him we were witches."

"Oh my," Ambrose commented as Echo closed her spell book and looked at her sister with a shocked expression.

"But it was too wrenching...so I took it back."

"Wrenching in what way?" Ambrose questioned, closing his laptop screen.

"In every way," Sabrina answered, "This whole situation, it's... it's impossible. I love Harvey. I don't want to say bye to him. Or our friends," She glanced from Ambrose over to Echo, "How are you so fine about it, Echo?"

Echo sighed, "I'm not, Sabrina," She explained, "But I don't have such a strong connection to the mortal world. I love our friends, I really do, but, unlike you, I don't have romantic love interfering with it. I guess that makes it easier."

Sabrina sighed but nodded understandingly, "I just wish I could bring him with me."

"On the Path of Night?" Ambrose asked jokingly, Sabrina nodded sadly, "Oh, cousin. If only I could make things easier for you," He added softly.

"That's okay," The blonde said, leaning against the bannister, still frowning deeply, "I'll get through it. I'll get through it," She repeated, almost as if she was trying to reassure herself rather than Ambrose and Echo, who, shared a saddened look with one another, "But one thing you can do is help us with a spell later?" Sabrina suggested.

Ambrose chuckled but nodded, "Echo informed me of that already. On your principle, right?"

Sabrina nodded, "So I can set up a club at school before the baptism. To protect Susie. And all the girls. If I can't stay with them, at least I can do this one thing."

"And what time will we be spell-casting?" Ambrose asked, looking at the twin sisters with an amused expression.

"Midnight-ish?" Echo suggested, looking between the two.

"The witching hour? Ooo, spooky," Ambrose commented causing Echo to chuckled and whack his leg as she stood up, dusting off any dirt on her jeans. The redhead grabbed her spell book before she and Sabrina strolled into the house, walking into the kitchen where their Aunt Hilda was cooking happily.

"Hello, darlings," The woman greeted with a wide smile on her face, "How was your day?"

"Uneventful," Echo answered as she plopped herself into her usual seat at the kitchen table whilst Sabrina placed her bag down and sat gently onto her seat, "For me anyways," The redhead quickly added, sending a joking wink at her sister.

"Oh?" Aunt Hilda asked, looking between the pair.

Sabrina nodded and let out a sigh, "I got cursed by the weird sister," She explained and before the older woman could respond, Sabrina carried on, "The weird sisters are so horrible. Everyone who goes to the Academy is snobby and horrible and racist."

"Why on earth would they curse you for no reason?"

Sabrina shrugged, "Don't worry I washed it off."

"Well, we're going to check that for sure," Aunt Hilda stated before she walked over to the fridge.

"They're jealous of you," Aunt Zelda said appearing in the doorway, "Jealous of the both of you. You're the twin daughters of a High Priest. Who are they?" She scoffed, "Nobodies. But that's precisely why you need a familiar. To protect you from these sorts of attacks."

"Tried summoning one," Sabrina explained before Aunt Hilda walked over to the blonde and passed her an egg.

"Break an egg, please, Miss. Better safe than sorry," Hilda said.

Echo leaned forwards in her chair, "Bet you it's a blood curse," She commented earning a glare from Sabrina.

The blonde swiftly cracked the chicken egg and let it's contents pour into an empty porcelain bowl. Echo heard the gasp Sabrina made when instead of a yellow yolk it was a deep blood red colour.

"Told you," Echo commented.

"That is a blood curse," Hilda commented, "Oh, it's lingering. So, untreated, that is slowly going to eat away at your health, your will and sanity. So, a regimen of salt water baths, reversing candles for a couple of weeks, and that will do a trick, I think. Right, off you go."

Sabrina sighed but moved from her seat. She grabbed her school bag and began walking out of the kitchen when she suddenly stopped and called back to Hilda and Zelda.

Echo watched with a confused expression before the blonde spoke up, "The weird sisters said something...about Mom and Dad."

"What did they say about your mother and father?" Zelda questioned, looking slightly angered.

"Their accident. They were almost implying that it wasn't an accident."

Echo looked away from her twin at her aunties who shared an annoyed look with one another.

"Well, that's just poppycock," Aunty Zelda stated angrily, "Your father and mother were flying to Italy. Edward was giving a lecture at the Vatican when their plane went down. Tragically. Now, go upstairs and into a bath like your Aunt Hilda says," Zelda then turned to look at Echo, "And you, go and find a familiar."

Echo rolled her eyes but stood up from her seat, she trudgingly made her way out of the kitchen and up the stairs, Sabrina following her steps.

"Do you think it was an accident?" The blonde suddenly asked as they reached Echo's bedroom and stood outside of it.

Echo turned back to her younger twin, sighing sadly, "I think the weird sisters were trying to get in your head," Echo explained calmly, "Go for your bath. We've got a spell to prepare for."

Sabrina nodded, not exactly liking the answer she receiving from the redhead but knew not to push it and did what Echo said, walking in the opposite direction towards her own room.

Echo watched as Sabrina's figure disappeared down the hallway and sighed once again before pushing her door open and letting out a surprised yelp when she spotted a gorgeous ginger fox sitting upright in the middle of her double bed, "Looks like I've sorted my familiar problem."