bad moon rising

Sabrina leaves a note on her door-- Went to the woods, be back before dark --S-- for anyone to see, and she packs a black candle, matches, a knife, and a few other assorted items into her school bag. Her familiar waits at the front door of the Home, patient and ready.

"I'm fine," she tells someone as she heads out, though she's not, not at all, and it reads on her face.

The train takes her far enough, and they leave a double track of footprints in the snow, human and cat, until she's just deep enough in the woods that it's trees everywhere.

She finds a tree stump quickly enough, and Salem leaps up to watch her warm a bit of old candle wax so the fresh black candle will sit upright. Sabrina doesn't waste tie with ceremony; her movements are brisk and efficient.

Light the candle. Cut your finger. Let the flame eat your blood. Ring the bell times thirteen.

Wait.

Wait.

Wait.

The candle burns down, and Sabrina begins to talk.

"I don't know if you're here or not. I don't know if you can hear me from here, but I need to you listen." The voice coming out of her thrums low and raw. "I did what you asked. I signed your book, and we both know it's a matter of time before everything in my mortal life falls apart. I did what you wanted and now I'm here, because either you're fucking with me or you're not as powerful as you could be. See, I was willing to rule you out until that dream. Except it wasn't just a dream, they told me I wasn't the first to talk about dreams that feel real, delusions about a place besides this, and I just know."

She wipes at her cheeks, leaving a streak of blood.

"So if this is you, then I compel you. I, Sabrina Spellman, compel you, the Dark Lord whose Book holds my name, to take me or leave me. I could be happy here. I can be happy here. I did what you want, I wrote my name and if you're going to take this back, just do it and I'll go back and keep my end of things." Her voice grows louder and louder. "Listen to me, I fought it but you have my name, and if you're going to leave me here you had better let me go." She presses her hand to her mouth, and sucks in a wet breath, and then she's just standing there, breathing until it's all she can hear in the trees.