Club Luna

Announcement content warning: medical / hospital stuff

The first thing I noticed was the pillow. It was soft, but it wasn't as soft as mine. The bed didn't feel right either, and I wasn't cuddling my big bun plushie.

Then I noticed the dull throbbing aches. My wrists hurt, so did my ankles, and my chest. And my left hand felt tight and a bit strange.

And finally, before I could react to any of the other things, I noticed the voices. They were quiet, half-whispers and hushed words. I forced myself to stay still and silent while I focused on who was talking and what they were saying.

"I want to know exactly what you did to our daughter," mum stated angrily, "And I want to know right now!"

Miss Hawthorne responded in a forced-calm voice, "I didn't do anything Mrs. Underwood. As I was trying to explain, Cassandra attempted to dispell a particularly strong spell. I believe that overloaded whatever curse or enchantment has been placed on her to make it seem like she has a natural talent for absorbing magic."

Mom asked quietly but just as angrily, "What makes you so sure it's not natural? She's done it all her life, ever since she was a baby. And we've never detected any trace of magic on her, not until you and your witch club started teaching her to cast spells."

"Because there aren't any supernaturals who can do what she does," May sighed. "And you can't detect magic on her because whatever was done to her, it was designed to thwart magical detection. You can't scry for her, divination won't work on her, magical analysis spells fail just like any other spell cast at her. You can't detect that magic because it was designed to be undetectable."

Mum stated, "You sound awfully sure of yourself. Is this just speculation, or do you know something else you're trying to keep from us?"

With another sigh the teacher responded, "I saw the burns before they were treated and bandaged. And I had to use some magic to ensure the doctors and nurses and the human EMT didn't notice what I saw. They're runes, sigils, magical formulae, call them what you will but they're not natural. And I'm certain they came from inside her."

After a brief pause Miss Hawthorne asked, "Tell me, has Cassandra ever been x-rayed?"

"What in the world does that have to do with anything?" mom demanded.

"Magical analysis won't work," May replied quietly. "That means we're limited to mundane solutions. Perhaps x-rays will turn something up. If my suspicions are correct, we may find evidence of tampering inside her body."

My parents were both quiet for a few moments, before mum finally said "I don't think she's ever been x-rayed. She's never had any broken bones, or any sprains."

May suggested, "I think we should arrange it. If nothing else it would at least rule out that possibility. I know someone who knows their way around the hospital and might be able to help us get this done off the record."

"So do we," mom responded.

After a brief pause Miss Hawthorne asked my parents, "Will you tell me where she came from? Where you got her, or how she came to be in your care? Do you know who or what she really is?"

Neither of my parents responded right away. Then mum spoke up at normal volume, "Cass honey, I know you're awake. How are you feeling, are you doing ok?"

Both her and mom moved to the side of my bed so they were there as I opened my eyes. Mom reached out and took my hand in hers, while mum put a hand on my head and gently brushed some loose strands of hair out of my face. May was standing further back, a few paces away from the foot of my bed.

Except it wasn't my bed, and this wasn't my room. I was in hospital. I glanced around and noticed there were white bandages on both my wrists, and I had an IV drip in my left hand.

"I hurt," I replied softly. "My wrists and ankles and my chest are all sore. What happened?"

Mum gave my teacher an angry look while mom responded quietly, "There was some sort of accident at school hon. You suffered some burns, and you passed out. Your friends called an ambulance."

"Kaylee's in the waiting room," she added. "If you're up for it, I could let her know you're awake? I know she'd love to see you."

That made me hesitate for a moment, and I actually had to think about whether or not I wanted to see anyone else. But before I could decide if I wanted to see my girlfriend or not there was someone else I really didn't want to see who was right there watching me.

I stared at Miss Hawthorne for a few seconds then looked at my parents and whispered, "Please make her leave. I don't want to see her anymore."

She obviously heard me and tried to protest, "I just want to help Cassandra. I'm concerned for your safety. You don't know what's going on here, neither do your parents."

"Then tell us!" I almost shouted at her. My heart was racing again as I pulled myself up to a sitting position. The burns on my chest and my wrists and ankles all throbbed but I forced myself to ignore the pain.

I almost felt angry again as I glared, "If you know what's going on, or you know what I am, tell us! No more secrets, no more lies! What am I?! What's happening to me?! Who or what is Socha and what's that got to do with me?!"

May sighed once more then finally nodded, "Very well."

In a quiet, hushed voice she began to explain, "Socha is a relatively young goddess. Her name is an anagram of chaos, and she fancies herself a modern-day incarnation of Eris or Discordia. She also sees herself as a trickster, similar to Loki. While she's talented at almost every form of magic, she's particularly adept at enchantments, and has a fondness for transformative magic. She's also skilled at illusions and deceptive magic, including spells to hide or conceal herself and her work."

"Socha thrives on magical mischief and mayhem," May continued, "And she'd like nothing more than to see magic become available to the world at large. She knows what it would do to human society if people were suddenly able to cast spells and use magic on each other."

My parents exchanged a worried look, then mum stated "That'd never work. She'd be stopped, banished from the mortal realm if she ever tried anything like that."

Miss Hawthorne sighed, "I know. She did try, and she was banished. The last straw came when she enchanted a powerful artefact. She imbued it with a piece of her own divine nature, then set it loose upon the world. Any mortal who held it was able to rewrite reality. They could change their life and circumstance, or bend others to their will. Socha's creation was further enchanted so it was impossible to locate by magical means, we were unable to find it and destroy it. Mortals would stumble across this small innocuous stone talisman, learn how to use it, then cause untold harm to themselves and others. For that, Socha was banished and her name purged from the Earth."

That was a lot to take in, but it didn't really answer my questions. I kept my eyes on her as I asked warily, "What does she have to do with me though?"

May sighed yet again, "The enchantments on those plush toys look like Socha's work. Permanent transformative magic, woven into a cheap toy and distributed via coin vending machines in public places is exactly the sort of thing she'd do."

"If she was banished for violating the status-quo there's no way she could come back," mom stated. "It can't be her."

"Normally I'd agree with you," my teacher replied. "But these are extraordinary circumstances."

Mum sounded like she was holding back some anger as she stated, "Go on."

Miss Hawthorne shrugged slightly, "Socha was a master of deception and illusion, along with enchantments and transformative magic. She thrives on chaos and the unexpected. She... I'd hesitate to call her truly evil, but she's certainly not good. She could help or harm indiscriminately, and she doesn't much care either way as long as she has fun."

She hesitated then finally said in a worried voice, "I'm worried she may have found a way to circumvent her exile, and that her plan involves Cassandra. The enchantments that cause your daughter to absorb magic and keep her hidden from scrying and analysis also seem very much like Socha's work."

That got both my parents worried, and mom moved a little closer then slipped an arm around my shoulders in a protective hug.

"How would she even get access to our daughter?" mum demanded. "If she was banished then she has no influence here."

After another brief pause May responded, "Socha had an accomplice. She took a demon as her consort, and that demon may be working with Socha to bring her back. I just learned that some demons were sighted here in town two weeks ago. Perhaps one of them was Socha's consort, here to check on Cassandra. That also fits with the timing of the enchanted plush toys, my understanding is they first appeared about two weeks ago as well."

Mom held me a little tighter as that news sank in, while mum sighed.

"It's possible Socha's consort has conscripted additional demons to help bring her back," May concluded. "They may even be in contact with her somehow, either directly or through an intermediary."

All that took a few seconds for me to get my head around, before I came up with another question. And another reason not to trust my teacher. I frowned as I gave Miss Hawthorne a suspicious look and asked, "If Socha's name was supposed to be purged from the world, how do you still know it?"

May took a deep breath, then let it out in a long slow sigh. And finally she looked me in the eyes and replied softly, "I remember her name and everything else about her because she is my daughter."

I felt a lurch in my stomach and my blood went cold as I stared at her with wide eyes. After a second I gulped, "That means you're a goddess too?"

She nodded once as she replied quietly, "I ask that the three of you keep it to yourselves, but yes. I was once known as a goddess of magic and witchcraft, and in my heyday I was venerated and worshipped by wise women, village healers, and witches throughout the kingdom of Wessex and up into Mercia."

Mom held me a little tighter again. She sounded angry as she almost growled at my teacher, "And now you teach your rites to unknowing children, as a way to perpetuate your worship?! You put our daughter in danger! And her friends! And how many others over the years?"

"I do my best to protect them," May replied in a flat level voice. "It's to my benefit that they remain safe and happy, I want to see them thrive. And I give them what they want. They come to me seeking knowledge and magic, or the excitement of belonging to something secret and special. It's a fair and equitable arrangement."

"They're children," mum stated, and she sounded just as unhappy as mom. "And even if you consider them mature by the old standards, what you're doing is still wrong. Tricking them into worshipping you without even knowing who and what you are is immoral."

Miss Hawthorne started to respond but mom cut her off, "Get out. Begone from our sight May Hawthorne, you are not welcome here."

My heart was pounding and my eyes were still wide as all this was going on around me. I couldn't help feeling proud though, that my parents basically just told an actual goddess to go take a hike. Except I still had more questions, and even if I already kind of knew the answers I still needed to hear it. I needed to know for sure.

May took a step towards the door but I shook my head and called, "Wait. Before you go I need to know one more thing."

She stopped and asked, "Yes Cassandra?"

With my heart still racing I gulped and asked, "What Melanie said about my scent... She said I smelled half like a demon and half like you. Does that mean what I think it means?"

Mom's arm was still around my shoulders, and I felt her muscles all sort of tense up as soon as I asked my question. Mum looked shocked too, she gave both me and mom a worried look.

Miss Hawthorne hesitated briefly before responding in a calm blunt tone, "I honestly can't say for sure. Socha was banished long before your supposed birth date, but even I don't know the limits of what she's capable of."

"Ordinarily it should be impossible for a goddess and a demon to procreate," she continued. "The energies are incompatible, the divine and demonic don't mix and a half-god half-demon shouldn't exist. It's speculation, but Socha and her consort may have found a way around that. Perhaps you were born ages ago and held in magical stasis for some reason. It's also possible Socha left some part of herself with her consort and you were born more recently. Or perhaps there's some other explanation, my daughter is crafty and unpredictable."

After another brief pause she stated, "At any rate, if Socha required a conduit or sacrifice to facilitate her return I can think of none better than her own flesh and blood."

Without another word May Hawthorne turned and continued on out the door, while mom continued to hold me. And my mum moved around to the other side of the bed and took me into her arms as well.

I sat there stunned and silent as I stared at the door while my parents held me safe in their arms. The pain of my burns was all but forgotten for the moment, as my head reeled with everything we'd all just found out. About me, about Miss Hawthorne, and maybe even about my biological parents.

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