As we eat our food, I pull out the notebook I'd tossed in my bag, not the journal from death, and my writing bag.

At the top of the notebook page, I write:

Shit to think about

"Did you really just label that, well that?" Devlin asks, pausing in his eating of his omelette.

Instead of answering him, I roll my eyes and take a quick bite of French toast before picking my pen back up.

Learning magic

where will I live?

How will I survive? i.e Money

Mom? Grandmother?

Who to tell about death and Death?

I set the pen back down and cut another piece of the French toast, making sure it is coated in syrup before eating it. From the corner of my eye I can see Devlin glancing at the list I'm making. I don't mind I'm not trying to hide it from him, and he can probably guess just in what we've talked about today what will be on it. 

"Going to add talking to your friend to that?" Devlin asks, taking a sip of his coffee.

"I don't need to think about that, I'll ask her and she'll probably say yes." I say before biting into more food.

"I still don't believe you that she'll say yes." Devlin sighs, shaking his head.

It takes a few more minutes before we are both finished with our food, and agree to go to the Summoning Scroll. The Summoning Scroll is the magic supplies shop that Rosemarie and Lillith help run. It currently belongs to their grandmother and great aunt, and after both girl graduate and do whatever advanced schooling they like ownership will be handed to the girls. As long as there has been a Briars Hollow, there has been a Summoning Scroll, run and passed down by the same family.

It doesn't take us long to get there. This time I park my car before Devlin parks his.

The lights are on inside, I can that much through the windows. The front door, carved hardwood painted light blue, has a sign reading that the store is open dangling from a hook in the center. It is quite early in the day and the only customers that they tend to get are older people, or people picking up orders. There doesn't appear to be any cars, but a lot of Briars Hollow inhabitants walk around town, even if they own a car.

I glance over at Devlin as he joins me on the sidewalk.

"Why is it pink?" Devlin asks, his head tilting ever so slightly.

I shrug, and start to head to the door. The door knob turns with ease as I move to enter the shop. I hold the door open for Devlin.

Devlin smacks into an invisible barrier in the doorway and stumbles back. 

My eyes widen and I have to suppress a snort of laughter at the look on his face as he rights himself. I lose the battle with myself though and I laugh at him as he is looking at the doorframe as if it has offended him in some slanderous way.

"Hey Morgue!" A very hyper Rosemarie skips towards me, "What you doing?"

"I came here to talk to you, along with...my new ... friend." I say, but I can feel my eye twitching as I say the word 'friend' in reference to Devlin.

Rosemarie gets a big smile on her face, which honestly shouldn't have been possible, and turns to look at Devlin. He physically recoils, and to be fair if someone I wasn't really close with looked at me with that smile, I'd also recoil. It is a fucking creepy smile. And Rosemarie knows it unnerves people, she uses it sparingly...Most of the time.

"And who is your friend you brought to meet me and Lili?" Rosemarie asks, bouncing on her toes. Her eyes never leave Devlin, like a predator tracking its prey.

From the back room, we hear Lillith yell, "Don't call me Lili!"

Devlin shakes his head, adjusts his clothing, straightening and smoothing it out. He adapts a charming smile, which causes me to roll my eyes.

"Devlin Morteum, pleasure to meet you." Devlin says, holding his hand out.

Morteum! His name is Morteum, and my name is Morgue or Morrigan, no wonder Death has an interest in us.

Rosemarie does not reach out the door to shake his hand, just tilts her head a little, which makes the smile some how creepier. And rocks a little bit more on her toes.

"Do you have ill intent towards myself or my sister, Mr. Morteum?" Rosemarie asks, adding a slow blink.

Devlin glances to me, I can't tell what he's trying to convey, but all I can do is smile. They stand in a silent stand off for about thirty seconds before I roll my eyes.

Moving towards Rosemarie I rest my head on her shoulder, this causes he to stop bouncing and straighten her head.

"I know why he's here, could you let him in? It will go much smoother sitting down, and all inside." I whisper to her, keeping my head gently resting on her shoulder.

Rosemarie sighs, waving her hand, allowing Devlin to step inside the building. But she steps towards him and stands in front of me, blocking him from me.

"Hurt my Morgy, or my Lili, and you'll beg for death." Rosemarie states, before turning and heading to no doubt collect her sister.

Seeing the confused look on his face I laugh.

"I take it you never actually interacted with her at all, in the previous timeline?" I say, reaching forward and grabbing his arm.

Devlin just shakes his head, no. But he allows me to drag him farther into the building and over to a small sitting area.

The sitting area is made up of a well used old couch, and a large chair big enough for two to use. A coffee table rests in front of the couch. Many of my happiest memories took place in this sitting area growing up. Then over the next few months in the other timeline it would become a home base for me and my friends. What will it become this time around?

I'm pulled from my thoughts by the arrival of Rosemarie and Lillith. Lillith plops herself down into the large chair, one leg on the arm rest. While Rosemarie sets a wooden tray on the coffee table. The tray contains four different porcelain mugs, a tea pot, a sugar and cream cups, and small jar of honey.

I can smell the hints of lavender, and mint coming from the small pot.

I watch as Rosemarie pours tea into a cup, and does half a scoop of sugar and a quick splash of cream. She does a little twirl with the spoon and hands the cup and saucer to Lillith. She then grabs another cup and adds two heaps of sugar and no cream, before sitting on the arm of the chair with her cup and saucer in hand.

Shrugging I lean forward, and drizzle honey into one of the two remaining cups, then pour tea into it. Leaning back I watch as Devlin simply pours tea into his cup and takes a sip, before adding a small half spoon of sugar. 

All settled and sipping on tea, it is probably a blend made by either their grandmother or great aunt. Something about drinking their tea is like getting a loving hug.

The silence is only broken by the sound of china, and tea being drank. I don't like it. But how to break this silence and where to start? What all should we tell them. honestly I want to tell them everything, but I'm not sure if I should or if Devlin will be very against that. We agreed on me asking about the ritual, but nothing else. But then at the same time...It should be my choice to tell them about my death.

The image of my body in the snow flashes into my mind, of pushing Rosemarie towards Lillith, of Max's howl as the knife struck.

"So...I died last night." I blurt out.

Gasps from both my friends fill my ears, and China hits the floor.