Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

July 11th, 1998

Saint Paul, MN

A hospital that I forgot the name of.

7:59 pm

A woman with wavy reddish hair pushes, sweat beading down her face. The baby’s head is emerging. She pushes, her husband waiting anxiously as he holds another baby, a girl born only seven minutes prior, in his arms. 

Finally at 8 pm, the baby emerges, another girl; she’s born underweight and underdeveloped, born a premie. She is taken to the NICU.

The baby girl spends some time in the hospital in the hopes of the staff and the parents that she will develop well. She’s unaware of what is going on around her. She can’t open her eyes just yet. There is no hair on her head yet. All she can comprehend are strange sensations, things in her nose and a case she resides in. Where was the girl she shared the womb with? Was she in this strange place too? And where was the gentle touch of her mother? She doesn't know.

Nor does she have any idea of what life has in store for her.

Some time later she manages to develop. The couple finally leave with their babies. The three nurses escort them out, waving goodbye before heading back in.

“Well, what are we onto next?” one asks.

“My apologies,” the second says. “But I need to get some supplies first.”

“So do I,” the third agrees. "I'm afraid I've run low on gauze and cotton."

The first realizes.

“Oh, yes, it's quite a pain. And thank you for reminding me; I have to get some as well. So when shall we three meet again?”

“When our shifts are all done,” the second says.

“That will be around sunset,”  gasps the third.

“And where shall we meet?” asks the first.

“Down in this lobby, of course,” the second answers.

“There to greet one another,” says the third.

All of a sudden, the pagers on their persons go off.

“I’m needed in Mrs. Graymaulkin’s room!” gasps the first.

“Mrs. Paddock’s dilating,” the second replies.

“Let’s go, let’s go!” urges the third.

But unbeknownst to each, these were not as they seemed….

Following the birth of Amelia Graymaulkin’s twins, Malcolm and Donald, the first nurse clocked out and trekked off in secret until she reached an inconspicuous corner of a near-abandoned wing in the east. The air was heavy with must and paint chips were beginning to tear off, lining the floor. Most of the lights had died out long ago, and the ones that hadn’t yet buzzed and flickered, adding to the eerie atmosphere. Looking for a spot on the floor, she swept away some of the paint chips to clear away a spot before removing her glove and spitting on her pointer finger, one that was glowing orange. It felt warm and discomforting, but they had to know.

Meticulously, the woman drew a sigil on the floor, allowing a portal to open. Stepping through it, she was whisked away to an odd building. Stumbling to keep her balance, she scanned through security and the doors opened. She had to do this quickly so that they could decide on their first course of action. The woman snatched up an intercom.

“Attention! This is Agent Cassandra! All agents report to meeting room IW. I repeat, all agents report to meeting room IW.”

She rushed off, knowing there was little time to spare, lest they got ahold of her first.

Meanwhile the second nurse, after the birth of Mrs. Paddock’s son Fletcher and clocking out, found an abandoned hall over in the west. Cobwebs were delicately sculpted along the lights and the corners with spiders continuing to craft their abodes. She didn’t mind their presence. On the contrary, she saw them as allies; both were outcasts, seen as despicable by society, and yet they had their places in the universes.

Nodding to the arachnids as she walked past, she stopped at a dark corner of the room. Holding out her right hand palm-up, the fingers of her left danced with both grace and tension above it as she whispered

“Porta magica antiquae fidei;

ubi sorores meae sunt, adducere me.

Porta magica antiquae fidei;

ubi sorores meae sunt, adducere me.

Porta magica antiquae fidei;

ubi sorores meae sunt, adducere me.”

As she recited this, an orb of light formed, before enveloping her in the warmth of Mother Terra’s celestial star, one that brought about the day. Soon she found herself in that familiar patch of the forest, close to her sisters. She didn’t have much time before the two other nurses at the hospital would wonder of her presence, the news had to be delivered quickly. Once she completed this, she would bless her sisters, return to the hospital, and don her persona as a nurse.

“Sister Ravyn!” a fellow sister gasped. “Wherefore is thou complexion lacking?”

“Call upon the others, Cordelia,” she ordered. “I bear news of power, yet time is of the essence.”

With that the two hurried off to gather the others at the temple.

Meanwhile, the third had no problem clocking out as soon as she left the other two. She swiftly took to the basement where the morgue was close by. She removed from her pocket a drawstring pouch that seemed to hiss when shaken. Pulling it back, she reached in and pulled out a pebble dark as midnight. Whispering to it, she disappeared in practically no time at all, appearing in front of a grand palace where she was immediately granted access.

At the throne room, guards stood in her way.

“Move.” Her tone was commanding, but they would not waver.

“I said move.” Not even an inch.

“Excuse me—“

“He is not available at the mome—“

“No.” A deep voice reverberated around the throne room. “Let her through.”

Immediately they stepped aside and she practically glided up to the throne.

“My Lord.” She gave a deep curtsey as she reached his frame, one that towered over her own, and yet, she was not afraid.

“What do you bring me, Cecelia?”

“News of one that could shape all that we know….”

Chapter Text

(Mystic’s POV)

“Destined to change time and space….”

“Bring us back to our former glory….”

“Blend this reality….”

A strange symbol…..

A strange gathering…..

A strange palace…..

I gasped as I shot up out of bed in a cold sweat, my heart racing like mad. I clutched onto my stuffed unicorn, Sparkles. It happened again. The clamminess in my hands was becoming a familiar feeling, one that maybe was a possible sign I shouldn’t do this, but at the same time, he has doggies.

Picking up my phone, I checked the time; it was just shy of 5 am. I knew I didn’t have to be up for another hour or so, but still…..

Turning on the light, I grabbed my notebook and wrote down what I could remember, my hand trembling as the pencil hissed against the paper. It was always the same, and it felt so real.

“Destined to change time and space?” I couldn’t even change my bedsheets. 

“Bring us back to our former glory?” I couldn’t even bring my mental health back to its former glory.

“Blend this reality?” I could barely blend a smoothie.

A dark meeting room, the tables smelling of fresh polished wood and just a hint of coffee in each area.

“Her role in history could mean the difference between order and chaos.”

I honestly preferred chaos witches named Wanda Maximoff as opposed to order witches.

A cavern where many are gathered, incense and herbs dancing through the air.

“She will bring us into an era free from oppression!”

I’d like to bring myself into an era free from my own oppression, but I digress.

A dark luxurious palace, a salty, yet sweet, aroma plaguing the air.

“She will be the light in our darkness.” 

Yeah, I’d need a flashlight for that.

Afterwards, I skimmed through it and checked over it a few times. That seemed to be everything.

After swallowing down a Klonopin and turning off my bedside lamp, I flopped back down into bed and stared at the ceiling as the humming from my fan and the white noise from my sound machine played as a background track. This had been happening for months now, even at least a year; these strange dreams and visions. I tried everything to keep these under control; therapy didn’t seem to help, keeping away from screens an hour before was a bust, even taking an Ambien didn’t help; the only difference that made was that I’d be panicking in my sleep. I eventually decided to keep track of what I saw; I had a gut feeling that this wasn’t just a coincidence.

“Every night….the same dream,” I muttered under my breath as I hugged onto Sparkles.

“And every morning, the same…..nightmare.”

Eventually I decided that sleep was kinda pointless. Trying not to cry, I got up and sleepily finished packing some stuff I’d forgotten to the night prior. Afterwards I took a shower, took my meds, all that shit. Sparkles, of course, was getting packed up in my carry-on; leaving her behind wasn’t an option.

My dad was the one who drove me to the airport, to which I was totally not crying the entire way, what makes you say that?

“I’m about to down my entire Klonopin stash, I swear to God,” I thought to myself as I felt the cool late-July air of six-thirty am. 

“It’s just going to be for a month,” my dad assured me. “You’re gonna have a lot of fun there. You’ll be back in time for your first year of college.”

My stomach was clenching up, nonetheless.

“Can’t you come with me?” I whimpered.

“You’re gonna be fine,” he assured me, though I felt far from it as we pull up to the airport. “He’ll pick you up at L.A.X.”

“How do I even know that it’s him?”

“You’re the one who wanted to go on this trip…..Listen, I’ll get you checked in and then walk you to security, okay? After that, you’re gonna be on your own, and you’re gonna be okay.”

He drove around a bit more until we found a parking lot and unloaded my things. I could barely hear anything over my own anxiety gnawing at my mind. 

“Think of the doggos,” I tried to tell myself. “Think of the doggos.”

After my dad got me to security, and had to give me some of my mom’s extra Xanax for the ride, I sniffled through security and sat down near my gate.

Now before you call me a crybaby, consider this; I’d never traveled alone before. The last time I went anywhere out-of-state, I was with my high school concert choir and with two bitches who helped erode away my self-esteem. Needless to say, my self-esteem would be below the x-axis on a chart.

Checking Discord, I whimpered when I saw that my friend Dawn wasn’t online. Then again, it’d be like five am for her. In the meantime, I ended up grabbing a couple of snacks for the plane and washing down a few bottles of water to keep my mouth even a little hydrated. I was getting ready to head back from the convenience store nearby that I heard the screech of the PA.

“Attention.” A woman’s muffled voice punched my eardrums. “Due to a storm warning in Utah, Flight 1013 to Los Angeles has been delayed by two hours. I repeat; due to a storm warning in Utah, Flight 1013 to Los Angeles has been delayed by two hours.”

I came to a halt. That was my flight. 

“Fucking…..really?!” I grumbled as I pulled out my phone to text him.

“Hey, flight’s delayed about two hours. Idk exactly when I’ll be there. Sorry.”

Sent.

I went back to my spot only to find a piece of paper on it. It was gold with an odd symbol in red, one I mostly just glanced over.

“What the hell?” I murmured under my breath, unsure of what to do with it. On one hand, it could be drugged. But on the other hand…..umm….how do I put this?

Haha. Curiosity go brrrrr.

I sat down a seat away from it, occasionally glancing at it as I took out my laptop to try to do some writing. All of a sudden, something else caught my attention. A blonde woman, who looked to be maybe in her thirties or forties, was looking at me with a hardened expression. Next to her was a man with dark hair and next to him a woman with long, dark, wavy hair. 

“Umm……okay, weird….” I murmured under my breath before attempting to get back to my writing. However they’d successfully caught my attention. Occasionally I’d look up and see them speaking to one another. 

“If you’re trying to be secretive,” I thought. “You’re not doing a good fucking job of it.”

A few moments later, I got an idea. My glance met with the blonde woman whose head just slightly gestured over to the seat next to me, the other two nodding in agreement. Looking back, the card was still there. I slowly reached out and looked back up as if to ask “Is this what you want?” The woman nodded. I grabbed it and took a look, first at the symbol. 

And actually only the symbol.

Because when I took a closer look, the first part of my dreams flashed through my mind, the one with a strange symbol.

The one on the card was the exact same symbol! 

In a panic, I dropped the card and power-walked away so as to avoid looking suspicious. I checked my phone; 8:15 am. All I could do was hole myself in a bathroom stall for another half-hour or so before I had to rush onto the plane.

My heart kept smashing against my chest, trying to break free of my body. What the hell was that?! I couldn’t even begin to describe how I felt, at least not in a single word. Excitement, confusion, panic, fury, nauseous. I didn’t know. All of the above? Maybe? As usual I felt myself becoming stuck in my head, which was probably why when I heard the boarding call for my flight, I astral-projected out of my body for a hot second.

Washing my hands, I power-walked back to my spot. The card was still on the floor. 

“I mean….” I tried to rationalize. “If this does have some connection to my dreams, then maybe it might be good to take this….”

Hands trembling, I picked up the card and placed it in my carry-on.

“Bitch, that’s gonna be your downfall,” I gulped as I packed the rest of my shit. “But what do you have to lose at this point? You’ve already had at least 18 anxiety attacks today, and it’s not even noon.”

“Last call for Flight 1013 to Los Angeles. I repeat; last call for Flight 1013 to Los Angeles.”

Dear God. Someone get this airport a better PA system.

Grabbing my carry-on, triple-checking everything, I rushed over to the gate. There was no turning back. And so I got on the plane. 

And to quote How To Beat (Formerly Cinema Summary) that was my biggest mistake.

Chapter Text

My heart was pounding against my chest as my plane landed in Los Angeles; the air pressure change was clogging my ears, and I had to go. And not just to the bathroom.

“I told you that I wanted to go to Hawaii to renew our vows, Gerald!” a middle-aged woman on my right snapped.

“And I told you, Bev, those tickets are too damn expensive!” a middle-aged man on my left retorted.

As I tried to drown out their constant arguing, I could smell the lingering air of tobacco on Gerald and the heavy scent of alcohol from Bev’s breath. They’d been arguing the entire plane ride about everything from renewing their wedding vows to retirement funds.

“Honestly, just get a divorce already,” I groaned internally.

The arguing crescendoed into a shouting match and I tensed up. I knew that it wouldn’t be too long before the plane landed, but I felt like I was about to commit a murder if they didn’t shut the hell up soon.

About ten minutes later, the plane docked into the terminal at L.A.X. and I practically sped on out to grab my bags and then head to the restroom. Compared to the nearly 4-hour shouting match I had to endure, the airport restroom was heaven. Taking out my phone, I brought up the texting app and texted my parents and my sister.

“Hey. Just landed in L.A.X. I kinda miss you already. <3”

Thinking about them, my stomach turned and I could feel my throat close up a bit while my eyes welled up. Despite our dysfunctional relationships, they were still my family. 

“I wish I could fly them down to L.A.X. as well.”

Hoping for some comfort, I logged into the Discord app and checked out the Marvel RP server. It was thanks to Dawn that I was introduced to my favorite Marvel character, Wanda Maximoff, who I’d pretty much deemed my big sister at this point, along with an OC I created who’s a lot like her.

“Hey, guess who had a strange dream again. Also I’m in L.A. and already feeling homesick.”

Thankfully she was online and I managed to get some comfort before I finished my business and washed up. L.A., to my knowledge, was a big city. But hopefully, if nothing went to shit, I’d be fine. 

I headed over to the baggage claim and scanned the moving rack, hyper vigilant of my shit. I was so focused, in fact, that I didn’t even notice—

“Mystic?”

Yelping, I felt my foot catch onto my ankle and I fell to the floor. 

“Oh my God! I am so sorry!” Joey Graceffa exclaimed as he helped me up. 

“No, it’s cool,” I shook my head, trying to hide my excitement. I was hoping to find some voice acting or writing jobs that I could do from home, and he offered to let me stay for a month. A YouTuber, a famous YouTuber. Was letting me stay with him. But after that I’d need to go back for my first year of college. “ADHD and anxiety….not a good combination. Also lack of proper sleep.”

“Why?” He asked as he helped me gather my things.

“Umm….I think I should wait to tell you,” I gulped. “It’s gonna sound crazy.”

About a half-hour’s drive later, we were back at his place. Wolfy and Storm immediately approached me and I……I basically lost it.

“Oh my God! You’re so cute!” I squealed, my heart swelling as I dropped to the ground and pet them while a little ball of fluff also tip-tapped up to me; Lark. I could barely hear what Joey was saying due to the sheer joy and tears emerging from me, but that was fine with me. I just wanted to be lost in puppy heaven. 

Of course it couldn’t last. Soon they decided to go about and do their own thing. The only thing I still had was my carry-on where I’d placed the strange card.

“Okay, girl,” Joey brought me back to my attention as he dragged me to the couch. “On the couch. Spill. What’s the tea?”

I smiled a little as I sat down, but I could feel the fabric of my clothes rubbing between my fingers.

“Okay, so….” I began. “Like I said, it’s gonna sound crazy….but for a while now….I’ve been having these odd dreams…..”

Suddenly his face morphed into one of a mixture of intrigue, relief, and suspicion.

“You too?” His voice dropped into a quiet whisper, despite us being the only ones in the room.

“Um….I guess?”

I caught him up to speed. By the end, a slight shade of fear was painted on his face.

“And these have been appearing….every single night,” he clarifies.

I nodded.

“As of recent, like….at least a year ago. Why? You’ve been having them as well?”

And to my surprise, he nodded as well.

“I keep having dreams.” His voice showed little to no emotion, save for exhaustion. “About a house….that was built without hands….”

“Every single night,” I finished.

“Yeah….since at least a year ago.”

“That’s….weird…”

We sat in silence for a long time, trying to make sense of all of this within our own heads. It was odd, though, that they were happening at the exact same time….

Wait….

“Joey?” My voice was quiet. “Do you think maybe….your dreams and my dreams….are connected somehow?”

“….What makes you say that?”

I shrugged.

“I dunno; the timing’s just…..it’s too perfect….”

The air began to feel heavy and the sky seemed to cloud up with storm clouds.

“…..I mean….there’s no house that’s built without hands, though,” Joey said. “Or some weird symbol.”

My stomach jumped as he said this, my lips pursing.

“Umm….about that….”

“What?” He asked in a low, worried voice.

“There is, actually.”

I reached into my carry-on and pulled out the piece of paper those people had placed on my seat. 

“This was left on my seat after I went to the bathroom at the airport. Look.”

I indicated to it.

“That symbol? That’s the exact one from my dreams. This can’t be a coincidence.”

“But then what does it mean?”

“I don’t know,” I exclaimed.

“Could there be something on the back?”

I paused. Of course. I’d forgotten to check the back. Flipping the card over, I saw that it wasn’t a card, but in fact an envelope. The tremors returned to my fingers once more as I opened it and pulled out its contents. Inside were a few pieces of ancient-looking paper.

“What the hell?” Joey gasped quietly. 

The piece of paper I took out had a list of names and addresses for a few people.

“These….why do they sound familiar?” I asked myself.

“Okay, this is too weird,” Joey huffed as he got up to get some water. “Hopefully this weekend’s dinner party will take some of the tension away.”

This both intrigued me and gave me a sense of dread.

“Dinner party?” I asked as I turned to look at him from the couch.

“Oh! Yeah, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you; I’m having a dinner party at this place I inherited from a distant cousin. And I really think you should come with; it’d be a good place to make some connections for your career.”

I was torn. He had a point, for one, but on the other hand….I hate small talk.

“It’d be just for a couple of hours,” he told me as I heard the musical notes of the pouring water ascending. “I’ve sent out my invitations already. Maybe you should invite those people on that list.”

“Oh yeah, cuz that’s totally normal,” I said sarcastically, making him chuckle.

“Okay, but in all seriousness, we need to get you an outfit, girlie; we’re going vintage for this, the 1920s.”

This intrigued me.

“Ooh, the era of the Charleston, Prohibition, and The Great Gatsby, which is apparently an overrated book,” I smiled. “Any particular reason for that? Also can I have some water too?”

He shook his head and shrugged. 

“Just kinda felt right to me, and yeah. Oh! And everyone’s gonna get a title. Sort of an….archetype, if you will.”

“Awesome! I should brainstorm a few ideas—“

He let out a slight, strained “hm” as he placed my glass on the counter.

“Yeah, about that…I kinda already picked something.”

I blinked.

“Really?”

He nodded.

“Okay, not exactly ‘picked,’ persay. A note came with your name on it and an archetype; the Ingenue.”

This…..this honestly caught me off-guard. Ingenue? At my weight?

“….The Ingenue? Like…Christine Daae-ingenue?”

Joey nodded once more as he finished pouring the water before bringing over the glass.

“I mean, it was kind of the era of cinema.”

“Yeah, thanks,” I said as I took the cold glass. “But you said a note told you that. Who was it from?”

He just shrugged. I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, but it seemed suspicious.

“Anyway I ran style choices by my friend Safiya,” he continued as he took another sip of water. “She says they tended to wear Grecian-style dresses, which I think is Ancient Greek-Era. And I was thinking, like, we get you a cute headpiece to match.”

“Oh, cool,” I nodded. “You gonna have one as well?”

I took a sip of water as he nodded.

“I was thinking of something called The Savant.”

….You know how in films and TV when someone says something shocking to someone while they’re drinking water, they do a spit take?

Well….you can guess what happened next.

Water squirted out like a Super Soaker and onto the floor. Silence once again weaved its way into the conversation before I spoke.

“The Savant?” I asked in disbelief. “You couldn’t have given me that? Joey, I’m the autistic bitch here. We practically coined the term.”

“I honestly didn’t know what it meant,” he shrugged. “I just thought it sounded cool.”

“Google is free, my dude.” He chuckled at this.

We stayed silent for a little while. I decided to continue checking the envelope, and pulled out a small piece of the ancient-looking paper. On it was a note:

“829 Park St, Piru, CA 93040,” I read aloud.

Now it was Joey’s turn to do a spit-take. The atmosphere in the room became cold.

“….What did you say?” he asked after a few moments, his voice trembling.

My face contorted in confusion.

“It…..it was inside of the envelope,” I explained, beginning to feel nervous. “It just said 829 Park St, Piru, CA 93040.”

Joey stood there for a moment, and I thought that he’d left his body briefly.

“…Hang on a second,” he said.

He rushed up the stairs and ice ran through my blood. What was going on? Why did he act like that? Thankfully, or maybe not, he returned a little later with a piece of paper.

“What’s that?” I asked.

No answer. Instead he just placed it onto the table and read it quietly.

“…Mystic, what’s the address on the piece of paper?”

“Um….829 Park St, Piru, CA 93040.”

He did a double take.

“That….that’s the address of the house the party’s gonna be at….”