Chapter Text
Leti was numb. Everything that had happened – Ruby’s death, Tic’s death, the white witches death – she didn’t know how to react, not truly. This was all so fucked up. She kept telling herself it was all for a good cause, that what they did was right, that Christina got what she deserved and had it all coming. But the voice in the back of her mind made her doubt their actions.
’Was it worth it?’, ’Was it truly worth it to lose both Tic and Ruby?’, ’You should have given the white witch a chance to find an alternative solution and the deaths could’ve been avoided’. Right?
She shook her head ’No’. She never trusted the white bitch and never would’ve no matter what she did to prove otherwise. She was the reason she lost Tic and Ruby. It was all Christina’s fault!
„Fuck this and fuck her,“ Leti muttered angrily under her breath and got out of the car.
Immediately after they were done with Christina, she drove to the mansion.
Her goal was to find Ruby, if there was anything left of her and put her to rest properly. The white bitch deserved to die alone but Ruby didn’t, especially not in the mansion of horror. At least she assumed that was where she would find her.
The house loomed in front of her - large and oppressing and she felt like she didn't belong here. She dreaded going in, thinking of any excuse to postpone it but she couldn't leave Ruby in there - not in that place.
She pushed the large door of the mansion open and with determination stepped in. She didn’t expect anyone since Ruby had mentioned Christina lived alone but she was still cautious.
Standing in the middle of the front hall, she was overwhelmed and didn’t even know where to start. The house was huge.
Upstairs? Backyard? Basement? She checked the closest rooms, but aside the lavish interior which made her scoff and eye roll, there was no Ruby.
She thought about calling out but it wasn't her brightest idea. If Ruby was dead...did she expect her ghostly form to respond ’Here I am’?
Leti breezed through the many rooms upstairs next, finding nothing of interest until she opened the doors to a large bedroom and noticed something lying on the huge bed – Ruby’s blue dress.
Well, she was glad it was the right house at least but the thought of her sister engaging in any sort of activities with Christina or William, made her want to throw up. And to top it all off, when Ruby had told her William was Christina and she was fine with it, Leti was horrified – Ruby had needed a reality check but sadly Leti’s words hadn’t affected her. She never understood why Ruby stayed or what did the white witch have to keep her by her side.
She walked around the bedroom, rummaging through things but finding nothing strange or incriminating aside from Ruby’s jewellery and beauty products. She didn’t find anything belonging to Christina, even the dresser was half-empty with only her sisters' things.
Did the witch have a coffin somewhere dark that she slept in?
It suddenly hit her as she rushed down the stairs and straight to the basement. She pushed the door open, slamming it against the wall in a loud echo.
„Of course the basement,“ Leti muttered to herself and started descending the stairs into the unknown.
Reaching the bottom she wasn't exactly surprised at what she saw – papers scattered, vials lying all around. No coffin though.
Her searching gaze caught a curtain and silhouette of something behind it. She inhaled and exhaled, calming her nerves and pulled the curtain aside.
„Ruby!“ she dashed to her sister and shook her gently to wake her up. Nothing happened. She tried again but Ruby remained motionless. Leti felt for her pulse and was relieved that her sister had one which proved that she was alive and looking her over, not hurt.
„What did she do to you?“
Leti pulled a chair and set it beside her sister. She was helpless and didn't know what to do. Was Ruby enchanted? Under some sleeping spell? Did she drink some poison that put her in this state? Did the witch hit her over the head with a shovel?
She tried to recall anything Christina told them about magic and while she didn't remember anything about this, she recalled Ruby mentioning that Christina had her notes and a notebook listing all the spells she knew.
She rummaged through all the papers on the table, trying to read and understand but so far nothing mentioned Ruby's condition.
„Christina was Ruby,“ she said out loud, „so this is the shapeshifting crap she did. Shapeshifting...“
She moved to drawers and cupboards. Surely Christina kept her spellbook close.
She threw things around, pulled stuff out of the drawers becoming frustrated. She threw a book against a wall with a painting on it, making it fall and revealing a notebook in a carved out hole in the wall.
She picked it up, flipped it open and her anger was replaced with excitement – this was Christina's spellbook.
Sitting down next to Ruby, she searched for anything that could explain her condition and the means to reverse it. It took her a while and after reading through, what seemed like hundreds of spells, she finally found the one she needed.
„Ok, ok, I guess all I have to do is try? What could go wrong?“ she laughed nervously.
She made sure she understood the words she had to say, took Ruby's hand in her own, braced herself and said the spell. Nothing happened. Did she read it wrong?
Re-reading the instructions she came upon a small note on the lower corner – an offering of blood has to be made before saying the words.
„Of course,“ Leti eye-rolled and grabbed the small knife from the table next to them.
She repeated what she did before, only this time she cut her palm and let some drops of her blood drop on Ruby hand.
She was feeling it the second first word left her mouth - the surge of power and magic, the feeling of strength and fulfilment – one could get addicted to it.
Still, nothing happened and Leti began to think that it didn't work, that she had failed once again and Ruby was lost to her like Tic was. She let the tears, that had threatened to fall for a while, flow.
„Leti? What happened? Why are you here? Where's Christina?“