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“Yes, yes, I think I found it,” Imelda pulled down a large dusty book. She opened it up to the first page and scanned the index with one of her long nails. “Ah ha there it is, okay we can head home now. I just need to grab a few things,” she turned to the all the aisles and swished her hand. Different bottles and jars came flying towards her. She held up a basket that she magicked for nowhere, all the things flew into the basket. She grabbed it and walked through the cupboard. Poking her head back in, “are you coming or what?” She asked with a raised wiry eyebrow.

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Stepping through, she found herself standing inside a large main room. It had a tall ceiling and in the middle had a large circular ring, it had candles lit around it and many small crystal hung from it making the light dance all around the room. The floor was wooden and it had a large furry purple rug that covered most of the wood. The walls held interesting paintings, many stuffed heads of animals she didn’t recognize. There was a fireplace on one wall and it had two rickety book shelves on either side of it. Two magenta couches were arranged around the fire. Many different peddle stools and small tables were around the room the held more book, bottles, trinkets, and candles.

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“This house has three stories, an attic, and a cellar,” the elder witch informed. “The whole coven lives here. Hopefully soon, maybe you can as well,” she started to walk off and exit the room. Elvira quickly followed making sure she didn’t lose Imelda in the large house. The entered a hallway that was lined with similar things as the other room. At one end was a door and at the other a spiral staircase leading up. Climbing the circular staircase they came to the first landing. There was many doors down a similar hallway. Imelda walked to a door that was on the far end. She knocked and the witch with the orange eyes opened it.

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She turned to Elvira and gave her a smile. It wasn’t a very warm smile and made her wary to enter the room when she was beckoned in. “Alight now I’m leaving you in the care of Isadora Opal,” she said with a wave of her hand as she walked away. Elvira turned to Isadora and walked into the room.

It seemed to be a library, “what is it that you do here?” Her eyebrows drew into the middle of her face in confusion. The witch seemed to have disappeared. The room wasn’t very big, there wasn’t many places for her to go.

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Turning in circles she searched for the witch but there was no sign of her. She slowed down and scanned the room carefully. In one of the dark corners she faintly make out a pair of dimly glowing oranges eyes. Before Elvira could do anything Isadora swooped at inhuman speed towards her. She bumped her butt on the edge of one of tables knocking some of the stuff from the tall towers of papers onto the ground trying to get away from the witch. Isadora face was centimeters away from her own, their noses almost touching. The witch reached a hand out and lightly dragged it down the side of Elvira’s face,” it is not what I do in here but what you will be doing… assuming the spell works that is.”

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Elvira gritted her teeth, “it will work. It has to.”

Isadora leaned back to let out a laugh that could have been more qualified as a screech, “sweetie that’s not how magic works.”

“Then how does it?” she asked trying her best not show fear.

“Why do you think we’re here? What did you think that with a wave of one of ours hands you would be a qualified powerful witch with the ability to produce anything at the tip of your fingers? No, it takes practice and strong will because here in the underworld only the strongest survive. Once someone or more appropriately something gets a whiff of your fears or weaknesses they won’t think twice before slitting your throat, that or devouring you whole. Of course they could shred you, or maybe even tear you limb from limb. Cut you up, remove your inside perhaps. Honestly the list is endless,” she shoved some papers onto the ground and sat on another table. She crossed her legs and stared at Elvira.

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She squinted her eyes at the witch, “I know what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to scare me into leaving but I understand the risk I’m taking by coming here and the fact that if this spell doesn’t work I’ll die. If that is by over lasting my two weeks or if some strange creature that lurks in this world gets ahold of me. Honestly any death here would be far better than the life I was living up there.”

“Well that is good to hear since if you like it or not you can’t leave. You stepped realms and the only way back through is next All Hallow's Eve and that would be either by witch or by ghost,” Isadora said far too cruelly but sometimes it was hard to pretend as if she had a soul.

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Isadora cracked each knuckle on her hands painfully slow before putting one of those hands on her chin and popping her neck, “it’s time we cover some ground rules. When you are still in your human form you will not be able to wander the streets alone. You can only explore the bottom floor and the floor that you are on now. No cellar, no attic, and no third story. You can enter the shop only through gateway. The only time you are allowed outside is if you are accompanied by one of us. If you come into contact with anything other than one of the coven members keep in mind that there is a 99% chance that they are not telling the truth. They will lie to you, try to get you to leave. Do Not Ever Leave, there is a very good chance you won’t ever come back.”

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“What the shop for?” Elvira decided to ask instead of what would happen to her if she did leave.

“In the underworld there is sort of a civilization that has a few similarities as the societies that are up in the living realm. We have something of a currency. It’s more of a trading system, this for that depending on what each other need. Witches are not common here, neither is powerful magic. Therefore what we sale is always in high demand. Sadly though we are one of the few that need balanced meals, we cannot go out and tear up some savage beast and be satisfied. So we trade, the creature bring us what we need and in return we give them different potions, antidotes, curses, and poisons,” she explained.

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“I think that is about it,” she stood up. “I was only asked to give you the basics of everything,” she walked closer to Elvira. Leaning in she whispered, “remember only the strongest survive. I suggest that you find a better way to disguise that fear of yours. I can smell it from a mile away,” her breath tickled Elvira’s ear and brought shiver to run down her spine.

Backing away she opened the door, “off you go then.”

“Where to?” she questioned as she tried to shake the weird feeling off her.

“Down the hall, she should have her door open,” Isadora ushered her out of the room.

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Walking uncertainly down the hallway she searched for the open door. Seeing it at the end of the hall slightly cracked open she inched closer to it and peaked inside. Instead of it being another messy library it seemed to be a potion making laboratory. “Come in dearie,” a calm voice called to her from inside. The voice was soothing and didn’t take her long to step inside unlike when she met Isadora. As soon as her whole body was inside the door slammed closed behind her. Spinning around she saw the red haired witch standing against the door. “That my love might have been a very big mistake. Did Isadora teach you anything,” she tutted.

“I’m confused,” Elvira stuttered out, a horrible sinking feeling started in her stomach.

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“Yes Isadora should have informed you that you shouldn’t trust anything especially if you can’t see its body,” the witch informed her.

“No she failed to inform me of that,” Elvira said while looking around the room.

The witch looked at her fingernails, “figures. I have a feeling she would have found it funny.”

“What’s your name? Mines-” she was cut off.

“I know your name, Elvira. Mine is Zephyrine Lionella,” she held out her hand to shake.

Elvira stuck her hand out to greet her when Zephyrine snatched her hand and wrenched her in, “you must learn quickly about trust or you won’t make it here long.”

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Zephyrine let go of her and made her way to the front of the room. Pulling on a white lab coat she grabbed a piece of chalk and started to write on the large chalkboard that covered one of the walls. Elvira rubbed her hand from where the witch squished it as she watched Zephyrine wrote ‘Mrs. Lionella’ in swoopy lettering.

She turned around and dusted her hands off, “I am going to be your teacher of the potion making. One thing witches are gifted in is creating successful potions. Do you know why?”

“Uh because you are witches…” she said uncertainly.

Mrs. Lionella pursed her lips, “no. It’s because potions is just adding ingredients in the right order but to make it work you need magic. Depending on the potion it could take and easy wave of the hand to make it come to life or a complex spell.”

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Lightly sitting down in one of the chairs she pulled long red hair up in a ponytail, “tell me, how did you figure out how to capture one of us?”

“There was a book that I found up in the town houses attic. It was stuffed into a truck, it had been locked but it was so old that it wasn’t hard to pull it off. There was a whole bunch of interesting things in the trunk including this dress. It spoke of the underworld, but very vaguely. It described some of the creatures that lurked in it. Such as ghosts, witches, ghouls, and goblins. The booked had some symbols that if were drawn right you could capture a witch but it would work on All Hallows Eve. The world of the living has no magical energies and that’s why when All Hallows Eve happens and the realms blur there’s enough energy to give the symbols power to capture a witch,” Elvira spoke of everything she knew.”

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“Interesting, well you are not wrong but you are definitely missing pieces. All in time though… all in time…” she trailed off thinking.

“What will all be in time?” Elvira looked at her teacher confused.

“Learning, we must still think about the potion that will make you a witch. It may or may not work, of course I am the best potioneer around. Hopefully Imelda will have enough in strength to produce a strong enough spell,” she said while leaning back in her chair.

“There will be no ‘hopefully’, I will have enough strength,” Imelda spoke as she stood in the doorway with the dusty old book in her arms. “I have the book, in order for us to have enough time you must start now. There will be no time to make mistakes… so don’t,” she walked forward and set the large tomb of a book on the desk in front of Zephyrine.