40. P O W E R : Finality

Blacksdale.

"So it wasn't a dream, then."

"I'm afraid not."

Salvia floated alongside Zechariah as they walked down the empty halls of Blacksdale High, free to roam due to the fact that it was Saturday—and the lockdown was still in place.

A lockdown that Zechariah himself could not fully recall enforcing.

"These... alternates... hijacked our very consciousnesses," Zechariah said in a growling mutter, his tail lashing back and forth, "and commandeered our bodies to break themselves free from this plane of reality." He let out a dark chuckle, adding, "That's something I never imagined I'd say."

"This is something we never imagined would happen," Salvia pointed out. "And since I wasn't able to experience it and feel how it affected the magic, correcting any destabilizations will be... difficult."

"Have you detected any thus far?"

"Not yet, but I'll keep looking."

"Zechariah! Salvia!"

The vice principal and magic teacher turned as Fabian came sprinting down the hallway, skidding to a stop with Carrie at his side. "Ah; Fabian. Have you completed the check-ins?" Zechariah inquired.

"We have," Fabian confirmed. "The repercussions vary greatly by person. Addison and Veronika, for example, are relatively unaffected, barring any mental trauma. However, Camilla is reacting as though she has lost a real, existing child. She is... inconsolable at the moment."

"Their memories are fully retained?" Salvia asked, surprised.

"Not fully," Fabian corrected her, "but enough to cause significant emotional damage."

"Venganza an' Simon are back to normal, by the way," Carrie informed Zechariah. "They ran off faster'n a roadrunner at a coyote convention." She sniffed and tipped her hat. "Shouldn't be botherin' us fer a while, I reckon. Charlie an' the Misfits offered to stick around n' hunt 'em, so I cut 'em loose."

"Thank heavens for small favours," Zechariah remarked dryly. "Now what of the newcomers—Cameron and Mallory?"

"Cameron refuses to come out of her house," Fabian stated with an amused smile. "Whatever confidence might've overtaken her is nowhere to be seen."

"An' there's no sign a' Mal," Carrie put in. "An' I do believe we oughta be thankin' our lucky stars she skedaddled."

Zechariah flicked an ear, mildly disappointed. "I suppose."

The other three staff members shared a glance before looking at Zechariah again. "So... where do we go from here?" Salvia asked quietly.

Zechariah sighed heavily, turning to look out a window to his right. "We recover," he responded, his voice equally quiet. "And we pray that, whoever those doppelgangers were, they manage to keep this from ever happening again."

"And if they don't?"

Zechariah gave Salvia a dark look. "If they don't...

"...then it will be up to us."