SCRATCH Vol.2

Months slipped by in Salem. Christmas came and went, quiet and without celebration, as did the new year.

Outside the manor, the forest was blanketed in dense snow, caught in the throes of a bitingly cold, white winter. And as she had found herself many nights before, Nicky sat on the chaise lounge in the study. The glow of a warm fire emanated from the petite wood heater in the corner of the room, burning sturdily. Beside her was a bundle of books she had collected from all over the manor. The more she searched the house, the more books, notes, and strange objects she found, making her search for a counter curse feel increasingly daunting.

On one knee, she balanced a notebook, already half full with scribbles and thoughts she had jotted down over the past few months. On the other, a thick tome on ancient witchcraft, its pages warped and yellow from age. Biting down on her biro, she squinted down at the page, trying yet again to read the handwritten text, which had faded considerably. The writing had become so faint in certain sections that it was impossible to discern if there was any text at all.

Rubbing her eyes wearily, Nicky snapped the dusty old book shut, placing it on the floor with the other discarded books. As she did so, she caught a glimpse of Ebony nearby, sleeping peacefully beneath the crackling fire. Suppressing a yawn, Nicky leaned to her left and selected another book from the pile.

Before opening this next text, a smaller hardback on common curses, Nicky took a moment to flip through her notebook, revising what she had uncovered so far. While she hadn't found anything particularly helpful towards her mother's curse, there were curious tidbits she felt compelled to record. The first few pages recounted things she learned from inspecting her mother's desk: how her mother stalked Wanda Maximoff in the news and then in person for some time before concluding that the Sokovian was the fabled Scarlet Witch. How she researched her background and then traced her to Westview. A bitter taste manifested on Nicky's tongue as she perused the pages.

Other notes Nicky had taken down included snippets of chaos magic lore, stories about the covens in Salem, and spells or potions she thought could come in handy. For the past few months, her life had been reduced to study and practice, all under the watchful gaze of her familiar, who insisted she better learn the basics of magic.

Placing the notebook aside, Nicky shuffled in her seat, stretching her neck out as she opened the new book on her lap. As the book opened, something small and white fell out from between the pages, fluttering lightly to the floor. With her eyebrows raised, Nicky leaned over the lounge to see a business card lying atop the rug at her feet.

"What is this?" Nicky wondered aloud, her voice startling Ebony, who jerked awake, animatedly. After taking a big stretch, the cat shuffled towards the lounge and peered down at the card.

"Oh... That..." The cat mumbled, blinking groggily. "It's a bookstore. Owned by a coven in New York." Nicky picked up the card and inspected it. The gold, serif text read 'Richmond County Wiccan Society Bookshop' curved above a small pentagram.

"Agatha was part of this coven?" Nicky snickered a little, mildly amused at the idea. She hadn't pictured her mother hanging out with other witches before.

"Oh, absolutely not," Ebony blustered. "No. It's well-known in most witch circles. It's been around for decades. She had visited a couple of times, your mother. Not that she was exactly welcome to."

"How surprising," Nicky murmured with a wry expression. Her eyes flitted between the book on her lap, her notebook, and the stack of books she had yet to study, eliciting an exasperated sigh. "We're getting nowhere on our own," Nicky whined softly, sinking back into the lounge. She pensively hooked her necklace under one finger and began fidgeting with the charm.