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The halls of the Vanburen estate, while quiet, had seen more activity within them over the past week than it had in a year. Fires burned strong in the rooms that needed it. The scent of pinewood turned ash lingered throughout the estate and yet it did not overpower the usual smell of the Vanburen home. The fire’s heat travelled only so far from their mantles, so some places of the manor still felt the cold winter outside.

Arabelle wrapped her cardigan further around her body as she made her way towards the kitchen. She was at the manor for the meeting, of course, but she had come early to help prepare a meal for the event. A warm beef and vegetable stew for the main course, baked bread and butter to eat with it, and a rich tea to sip until or after the meal was served. Arabelle made idle chat with the other workers as she prepared the china and silverware. The head chef always had a story to tell, and Arabelle listened closely.

Preparations were quickly managed. Arabelle found herself with a moment of time alone, so she took her tea to a quiet reading room. She sat in a chair close to the window and peered out into the wintery grounds. The chill from the window reached her face, but her toes stayed warm thanks to the nearby fire. She didn’t mind the cold. Araminta always had a perfectly white Christmas. She preferred fall and spring over winter and summer, but she would rather be bundled up than sweating in the summer.

Five minutes before the meeting started, Arabelle filled her cup with tea once more before taking the tray into the dining room. Once she’d counted enough cups for the Vanburen’s, she took her seat at the end of the table and rested both elbows on it’s mahogany surface. One by one they all gathered. Arabelle smiled a greeting to each of them, but she kept quiet. She was never very good at small talk.

Oscar began his meeting. Arabelle tried to listen closely, but she didn’t understand what the “affliction” they were all suffering from was exactly. She wasn’t even sure why she was at the meeting in the first place. They were just lucky that the meeting was called on a Saturday.

Even so, Arabelle tried her best to be a part of the meeting. She took every detail in, and politely nodded a greeting to the two young “experts” as they walked in. She’d just taken a sip of her tea when the girl asked to use the restroom. Arabelle was already standing when Ezra gestured her way. If anything, this was a chance to uninvolve herself from the Vanburens’ problem.

She smiled at Ezra before she walked over to Tuyen. The look in his eyes was suspicious, and rightfully so. After the break-in, Arabelle found herself more on edge around strangers in the manor. It could have been anyone. While Arabelle had a feeling it was the Harrisburgs to blame, she couldn’t blame every malicious act on that family. [color=804061] “Right this way, Ms. Doan.”[/color]

Arabelle was quick to move out of the dining room. She took Ms. Doan down the hall to the left, and then to the downstairs powder room. For Ezra’s sake, Arabelle stood against the wall opposite the bathroom while Ms. Doan was inside. For her own sake, Arabelle pulled a compact mirror from her pocket. She slowly opened it, and found her own eye staring back at her. She wasn’t sure if she would catch anything if she looked. She was sure that it was 100% creepy if she did, but there were many suspicious things that could happen in a bathroom when magic was involved. These experts could have something up their sleeve. Hell, they could even be here to steal more sealed objects. She couldn’t risk it.

So, Arabelle gently touched the screen with her pointer finger. It shimmered for a moment as the magic activated, but once it cleared Arabelle saw something within. It wasn’t Ms. Doan. Out of shock, Arabelle snapped the mirror shut within her hand. The image of a cow skull remained fresh in her mind as the door to the bathroom opened. As much as she wanted to glance behind Ms. Doan, she didn’t want to give herself away. Instead, she kept her eyes on Tuyen as she walked out. Once Ms. Doan turned back towards the dining room, Arabelle turned her head to look within and found nothing.

Something was up.

The two women slowly made their way back. Arabelle saw Ezra walk out of the room with phone in hand. She heard the front door shut before they stepped in the threshold. They made it just in time to hear Oscar mention his knowledge of the supernatural. Arabelle hung back at the doorway. Something about the bathroom didn’t feel right, and she wanted to keep the hallway in her peripherals.

The conversation between Mr. Liao and the Vanburens continued. Arabelle only paid attention to half of what was said. Instead, she found herself watching Oscar as he answered the phone. He looked confused for a moment. That was a rare thing for the young Vanburen. Arabelle couldn’t hear what he was saying, but the way he acted after the call finished set her more on edge. First the skull in the bathroom --she looked back into the hallway but saw nothing-- and now this mystery caller?

Arabelle heard the front door open again and turned her head towards the other side of the hallway. Just in time to see [i]another[/i] Justin Liao and Tuyen Doan walk towards the dining room. Instead of raising an alarm, Arabelle simply stepped further into the hallway to let the two “real?” experts walk inside. Her head turned back in the direction of the bathroom, but she still saw nothing. Had the skull just been a trick of the mind? Had she tuned into a different mirror by accident?

The two imposters weren’t even phased that they’d been caught. The second they yelled “Plan B!” Arabelle knew they’d been prepared for this to happen. The man thrust his arms out and suddenly a mini tsunami erupted through the dining room. Arabelle ducked to the right and pressed her back against the wall of the hallway. She heard the grunts and splutters of the Vanburens, and soon after she saw water slowly rushing out of the room until the carpet swallowed it up.

Ezra was quick to return to the chaos. Arabelle wasn’t sure what to do. This wasn’t something she could call the police to handle. At least the real magic experts were here. Surely they would be able to handle this. Arabelle peeked her head around the wall to see Alexander wrap chains around the girl with the portal.

Arabelle blinked. A portal? Of course!

[color=804061] “There’s more of them down the hall! She let them in with a portal in the bathroom.”[/color] Arabelle shouted towards the real Liao and Doan. [color=804061] “They must be using some sort of cloaking spell so that I couldn’t see them, but I know they’re here.”[/color]