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𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍 𝐁𝐎𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐒. 𝐀 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓. 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄. These repetitive thoughts struck Willow's subconscious, waking her from whatever dream or nightmare she had been submerged in. When her sapphire blue eyes first fluttered open, she was immediately overwhelmed by a bright light that blocked out her surroundings. Her ears perked up as she forced herself to rely on other senses in order to surmise her exact location. She could hear...birds...and muffled conversation...the rustle of paper bags...and...

"Will? Willie!" a voice called only inches from her. A dark shadow flashed back and forth across her face. "WILL-OW!"

As the figure shifted to block the brightness blinding Willow's vision, she finally regained her sight and the features around her slowly morphed into familiar shapes. Including the source of the voice, who turned from a gray blob into a young boy with a shock of red hair atop his head and a constellation of freckles on his cheeks. He continued to wave his hand in front of her face until she spoke.

"Ezekiel?" Willow asked, her voice coming out in a breathy rasp.

"Did you fall asleep?" Ezekiel asked, moving his hands to his hips. "I wasn't in the restroom that long."

"I-I must have..." Willow stammered, clearing her throat so that her voice came through clearer. "Where are we...? Home? Derry?"

Ezekiel rolled his eyes and crossed his arms across his chest before responding, "For the love of Christ, were you sleeping or were you comatose? We're at the farmer's market, remember? Mum sent us to pick up some stuff."

Willow glanced over Ezekiel's shoulder and spotted a line of vendors boasting a wide variety of different produce at their booths. Apples, broccoli, carrots, daikon, elderberries, figs, green beans...something for every letter of the alphabet. People mingled and meandered within the expansive area, perusing the products set out on the tables. There were even vendors selling inedible items, such as handmade rugs, clothes, jewelry, and artwork.

A strong scent of strawberries, chocolate, and new books pushed Willow to her feet from the bench she found herself sitting on and she followed the wonderful smell to a booth across the way. A look of confusion spanned Ezekiel's face as he watched his older sister wander around the market but he followed quietly behind.

When Willow's feet finally came to a stop, she was surprised to find no strawberries, chocolate, or new books, but rather an assortment of charms and trinkets laid out across a crimson table cloth. The shiny silver, gold, and gems glittered under the sunlight like a lost treasure chest being opened for the first time since it was buried beneath ground. Willow's fingers fluttered over the items until they stopped to hover over a particular piece.

"Whoa, that's brilliant!" Ezekiel cried as Willow picked the pendant up and held it in the palm of her hand. "It looks just like an Ukrainian Ironbelly!"

The silver dragon was only about the size of a galleon but it felt heavy in Willow's grip. Its metallic wings stretched out on either side and its tail curled up into its body in a perfect spiral. Two blood-red gems were fastened into the dragon's head, casting scarlet spots in Willow's eyes as it stared up at her. She found herself unable to look away from the charm, almost like the dragon had trapped her in a trance.

"Can we get it?" Ezekiel whined, his bright blue eyes begging Willow to say yes. "Please?"

"How much for the dragon?" Willow asked the elderly woman behind the table, the words slipping from her lips before she even realized that she had moved her mouth.

"For you, my dear, it's free," the woman replied with a wizened smile, pushing aside the long, silver braid that hung over her shoulder.

Willow thanked the woman and led Ezekiel away from the booth before he begged her to buy anything else, her eyes glued to the dragon the entire time.

"Can I hold it?" Ezekiel asked as they wandered through the market.

For a split second, a strong urge to say no overwhelmed Willow. Her grip on the dragon tightened until the sharp wings sliced through her skin, leaving behind tiny red pricks that slowly grew into pools of fresh blood. The pain snapped Willow out of her strange trance and she immediately dropped the dragon into Ezekiel's open hands.

Willow brushed her palms along the sides of her pants, but when she brought the hand that had been gripping the dragon back into her vision, the sight of the smeared red stains across her skin returned her to the invasive thoughts that had startled her awake earlier.

Seven bodies. A dark basement. Blood everywhere.

A.S.

Willow's vision began to blur as everything around her distorted into strange new shapes. Familiar faces and places she swore she'd never seen before swarmed her sight. Where was she? Was she really here? Or was this all an elaborate illusion?

Just then, a sharp siren pierced the air and shook Willow back into her surroundings. Chaos ensued as the market patrons all scrambled for safety, knocking over tables and running into each other in a mad dash for cover. The siren's echo clung to the air like a fog, coating the world in a non-stop ringing until the siren screamed again. Without thinking twice, Willow grabbed Ezekiel's hand and they ran.

"More bombs? I thought things were getting better," Ezekiel whimpered as he struggled to keep up with Willow's quick pace, his hand cemented into her grip.

"We've just got to get home, to safety," Willow answered between heavy breaths, her eyes darting every which way as they searched out a clear path. "It'll be okay. We'll be okay."

Willow managed to navigate herself and Ezekiel through the chaos, her sights set on the market exit and the road just beyond that ran past their house. She picked up her speed and just barely avoided hitting a woman who had rushed in front of them before toppling over a man who had tripped and fallen onto the ground. During the tumble, Ezekiel's hand was ripped from hers and she landed on her side with a sharp blow that shocked the air out of her lungs.

Willow sputtered as she pushed herself onto her knees, trying to will the oxygen back into her body. With a sharp breath she was back on her feet.

"Ezekiel!" Willow cried out, her head snapping left and right in search of her brother. She could barely hear her own voice over the siren and the screaming. "EZEKIEL!"

"I'm here!" a small voice cried in response and Willow's eyes immediately turned to it. She found Ezekiel laying on the ground next to the man they had tripped over, who appeared to be unconscious. Willow rushed to help Ezekiel up and the two worked together to drag the man out of the street and into a small building nearby where they propped him up against an inner wall.

Willow pulled her wand out from her back pocket and held it out before them, eliciting a look of surprise from Ezekiel.

"But mum said we're not supposed to use magic in front of the muggles!" Ezekiel whispered after glancing around.

"We don't have much time," Willow answered, peering out the doorway of the small building and into the manic market. "And trust me, they won't notice. They're focused on other things at the moment."

"But you haven't even finished your apparition lessons! You don't have your license, we could get in big trouble! Or be splinched!"

"Better than being blown up!" Willow retorted, immediately shutting Ezekiel up.

Willow squeezed her eyes shut and attempted to focus on their house. She forced her mind to hold onto the image of the cream walls and the bright yellow door. She pictured each and every flower growing in her mother's garden and the lone tree that sprouted in front of the house, offering a cool spot for Willow to read under during the hot summers. As she tuned her attention to home, her hand latched onto Ezekiel's arm and they were transported.

Willow landed on unsteady feet in their yard, nearly tumbling over onto the ground before she managed to balance herself. A sharp cough scratched her throat as her lungs attempted to keep up with her body.

"Zeke, Zeke!" Willow called out once the air had once more returned to her lungs. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," Ezekiel sputtered from beside her, bending over at the waist as he waited for the dizziness to pass.

Once they had both caught their breath, Willow and Ezekiel rushed towards the front door but Willow felt something tug at her feet and Ezekiel quickly outran her. A heaviness hung in the air that pushed down upon Willow's shoulders and made the world feel like it was slowing down.

"Ezekiel, wait!" Willow attempted to call out, but she wasn't even certain that the words had left her mouth.

Willow watched as Ezekiel shoved through the door, disappearing into the darkness inside. Moments later, there was nothing. Nothing but ash and fire where her house once stood, where her family had been waiting inside. Nothing but death.

The explosion sent Willow's body flying through the air as ash and debris rained down upon her. She landed with a hard thud on the road, her limbs sticking to the pavement in the precise spot where they fell. The world spun around her as she stared up at the gray sky, the clouds taunting her by molding themselves into the faces of the loved ones she had just lost.

Willow felt her eyelids grow heavy, her body begging her to succumb to whatever came next. She didn't want to fight it but something kept her from giving in just yet.

A sharp welt grew on Willow's after she felt something small and hard hit it and her hands searched the street for the source of the blow. Eventually they landed on what she perceived to be the culprit. Using the last of her energy, Willow picked up the item and pushed it into her vision.

It was the dragon.

Willow turned the dragon over in her hands, feeling the smooth metal against her fingertips. The gleaming red eyes watched her with a mysterious malice. When she flipped the pendant over, she noticed something that she hadn't seen before: a tiny engraving carved into the silver. Willow had to bring the writing closer to her eyes to see it clearly, but the little letters eventually formed two words. Or, more precisely, a name.

Colonel Mustard.

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A/N: Hey guys! Hope you're all doing well and enjoying your summer! We've got about two more of these chapters before the gang will be all together again and I've got some big things planned that I'm super excited about!

Colonel Mustard's chapter will be next!