Madame Spellman - Kissed by Fire

Chapter 7

"Yes Zelds, what did you want to talk about?" Her sister was smiling, though you could still clearly see the shock about the earlier revelation lingering in her bones. Zelda wondered how she would take what she was about to tell her.
"For the love of Lucifer, Hilda! Do you have to be that nosy all the time", she answered, rolling her eyes in annoyance. Her signature move.
"Oh, come on Zelda! Why did you want to talk to me?"
She didn't exactly know why she had decided on telling her sister but now there was no going back.
"Do you remember Sabrina's teacher? Miss Wardwell. She's now principal, I believe."
The blonde looked confused. Why was her sister talking about a teacher now? "Yes, of course I remember her! From some parent-teacher conferences, which you by the way never attended, and we performed an exorcism for the love of Lucifer!"
"Oh, shut it sister! I don't have time for your shenanigans." She started to grow slightly uncomfortable. "Well, Miss Wardwell isn't really who we thought she was. She's not a witch." She paused for a moment. "Or not only a witch. Sabrina's teacher is actually Lilith."
"Lilith", Hilda almost shouted, then taking an audible breath.
"Shush Hilda, I don't want Sabrina to hear any of this", Zelda snapped.
The other witch still couldn't quite believe it. "But, but Zelda, this means-"
"This doesn't mean anything sister, don't be ridiculous."
"But how do you know all of this, Zelds?"
"I, uhm..." She wasn't prepared for this sort of question. "She told me", she then finally answered, looking to the ground.
Hilda slightly tilted her head, a questioned look on her face. "She just... told you?"
"Yes Hilda", her sister said, furious all the sudden. "She just told me."
"Okay but, why would she just tell you", Hilda asked bravely.
"I don't exactly know. Maybe because I asked her", Zelda hissed.
"When did you even have the chance to-"
"That doesn't matter now, does it", she interrupted.
The blonde nodded absent minded. "And what should we do now", she asked after some time.
"Avoid her. That's the best we can do. We don't know why she's here or what she wants from our family."
She turned on the heel and walked back into the kitchen. Her niece and nephew were still sitting on the kitchen counter.
"Aunt Zee", the girl asked. "Who will be Director of the academy now?"
Zelda tapped the excess ash of her cigarette into the ashtray and then looked at the teenager. "What a question! I will, of course. Directrix."
"So, are you also going to be-"
"High Priestess? Certainly."
She knew people were going to start asking questions, questions where there were no answers.

---

"Shirley, would you mind talking to me like a grown up for once", she hissed.
"I don't know what else you want me to tell you. He is gone. It's like he vanished or something."
Zelda raised an eyebrow. "Vanished? A warlock doesn't just vanish, Sister Jackson."
"Then you tell me where Faustus, I mean Father Blackwood, is. You have been spending an awful lot of time with him lately, haven't you?" You could hear the jealousy in every word the witch spat.
"I beg your pardon. I think you forget yourself, my dear. Faustus and my all business relations are none of your concern anyway."
"You are right. Forgive her nosiness, Sister." One of the other witches interceded. "But, if you'll allow me asking, if Faustus is gone, and that since days, who's going to be in charge of the stage play?"
"Obviously, that should be you, Zelda", a blonde said. "As Father Blackwood said himself, no one has better diction than you."
"Well, that is true", the ginger accepted. Maybe Lilith was right after all. Maybe this would play out exactly like she wanted. "So, to make one thing clear. Dorcas is not going to play the lead and we will change the script. Just a bit." She looked into the other witches' eyes for approval. "Lilith, for instants. I don't recall her wandering helplessly in the wilderness. She provided for herself like a survivalist. Like it is written down in our sacred satanic texts."

---

"Maledictus vir Dei et falsa obedientiae iugo prebeo ad te tenebras Domino."
"This is outrageous! You're saying it completely wrong", Zelda hissed. "And that, Dorcas, is exactly why you are only understudying the role of Lilith. Do you even know what it means?" She eyed the younger witch from top to bottom, raising one eyebrow. "Now do you?"
"I-I don't think-", the girl stuttered.
"Of course not! It means, I curse the False God and submit my fealty to you, Dark Lord", she said and then paused. "And that's lunch, everyone", she finally spoke. "And Sabrina? May I have a word?"