“Hold still!” Magnolia cried out.

It was torture. Pain. Agony.

“I swear, Junie if you don’t fucking hold still!” Magnolia gripped Juniper tight, the few times her frustration has so blatantly erupted to the surface.

“But it tickles!” Juniper shrieked as she wriggled around in her formal collar and dress shirt. She’d wrangled around with the velvet ribbons and buttons and had found herself a tangled mess.

And with how tangled she was attempting to connect threads to loops where they did not belong, her wonderful sister was doing the good work of unraveling her, brushing at her sides and sending her into fits in the process.

And those fits pulled tightly on her flesh, causing a non-insignificant amount of pain.

“I can’t work in these conditions if you won’t work with me!” Magnolia used her slender fingers to untie knots and disentangle webs of hastily made mistakes. They were both having a good time at Juniper's expense.

At least she hoped.

It was nagging in her mind that the preoccupation with finding how to get access to the clerk's records or maintaining connections with her regular job contacts meant spending less time with her sister than she’d like.

That nagging sensation kept spreading into a wider regret, a feeling that maybe taking her sister to a prestigious coven wasn’t the right move.

And whenever Juniper scanned the room and saw stacks upon stacks of books with dog-eared margins and notes and sketches, she felt even more guilt for thinking it could be so easy to pull the plug on her sister's dream of going to a magical school.

“Ah!” A pointed poke at the side of her rib cage brought her back out of her spiral of thoughts. “Hey,” Juniper pointed at her sister in mock anger, “You did that on purpose!”

Magnolia rolled her eyes, “I’ve done no such thing. Why, I don’t have the strength to even harm a fly, let alone my dear sister.”

Juniper narrowed her eyes, “When did you get at being such a pain in my ass.”

“Why I’m shocked you could even say that to me,” Magnolia threw her arm back in a mock offense, “To your own sister. Your own flesh and blood.”

It was Juniper’s turn to roll her eyes before the both of them broke into laughter.

The back and forth died down as the last of the tangled mess was neatly picked apart and placed in its proper position. Magnolia helped her set the long blond hair into a groomed bun with a few streaks curling down on her face.

Juniper looked at herself in the mirror and liked what she saw. A woman in a ruffled collared white dress shirt topped with a black shawl that came down to her elbows, held together by a thick red cord from one end to another. Her pants were a similar shade of black, pairing nicely with a thin black leather belt and golden buckle.

“Do you think I look nice?” Juniper hesitantly asked.

Magnolia paused, “Are you joking? You look like a stone cold fox in that piece.” Her sister brought Juniper in for a warm and quiet moment.

“Thank you, Maggie. This meant a lot to me.”

“I’m glad.”

The two held one another in silence for what felt like forever. She’d missed this.

“June. Don’t hate me.” Magnolia whispered.

Juniper furrowed her eyebrows, “Huh? What do you mean? Why would I hate you?”

“I just, I’m going to ask you something and I know it might get you in a mood so I just don’t want you to ruin your night.” The girl vomited out her words in a nervous flurry.

She softened her gaze, “Just tell me.”

Magnolia took a deep breath, “Juniper. I want to know about the night I crossed into the astral.”

Her heart dropped. Not tonight. She couldn’t handle everything else on top of this tonight.

“You’re not ready to know.” Juniper attempted to kill the conversation as she’d always done when that rare question intruded into her life.

Magnolia stomped her foot, “Juniper, I deserve to know!” She’d raised her voice. She’d done it before but compounded with-

Juniper reacted, “You’re still just a kid, Maggie! You’re just not ready to carry that weight. I don’t…” the rest of the words died in her mouth.

I don’t want you to carry the weight I’ve had on my shoulders for so long.

Magnolia’s lip quivered, “I don’t what? You don’t want to be burdened by me? You don’t want me to know because I can’t handle it? I’m still a baby?” Hot tears ran down her face.

Juniper dug her nails into her skin, “Don’t say that!” She pulled her sister in tight and felt a torrent of ugly sobs smear on her shawl.

“Let go of me! I don’t want your pity!” Magnolia yelled through the cloth.

“It’s not pity you stupid girl,” Juniper tried her best to fight back her own tears, her own failures, “I don’t want you to drown in the aftermath of that night the way I did. I know you’re capable now but to give you that so close to your exams and, it’s just something I’ve wished I could forget and giving that to you would make me feel so much worse.” She fumbled around her words, unable to piece together a cohesive thought.

“I just want to know now, Junie! I feel like all I do is bring you down and I want to do something! I want to help, I want to be there for you!” Her fists feebly slapped Juniper's chest.

Juniper caressed the back of her sister's head and cooed, “You don’t have to do anything other than remain my little ball of sunshine. I couldn’t do half the things I do without knowing I could come back home to you.”

Magnolia sniffed, “I just don’t feel like it’s enough. You do so much and I just…” She trailed off, the height of her emotions bringing her down into a thick malaise.

Juniper sighed.

“If this is important to you, Magnolia… if it’s so pressing for you to know, I’ll let you know after your examination. And only after.” It was bound to happen. If it were Juniper, it’d have never happened at all.

“Do you mean that?” Magnolia perked up.

“Yes, my love, yes. Just focus on keeping yourself happy and healthy in the meantime. I don’t want to worry about you when you’re out there doing your dive.”

Magnolia settled her head on Juniper's chest, the pair standing in their chaotic dorm room.

“You’ve got this.” Magnolia whispered.

Juniper smiled, “You’ve got this too. We’re Winthrops, Maggie. Take no prisoners, leave no witnesses.” She tenderly grabbed her sister's forehead and kissed it. “Now, I’ve got to go. And get these tear stains out of the shawl.”

“Oh fuck off.” Her sister meekly chuckled.

Juniper inhaled. Exhaled.

“I’ll be back by morning.” Juniper told her sister.

Magnolia let go and whispered her goodbyes and good luck.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She impatiently tapped her foot on the soft earth, seeing individuals in fancier clothes intermittently stream into the lit, decadent building.

Where the fuck was he?

Juniper took the moment alone and conjured a sliver of her golden thread. She saw it glimmer and shine as it traveled to the borders of the guest building before disappearing past an invisible threshold. The thread remained tight to her pull.

Whether she found the missing girl or something of her remained to be seen but it’d be the break she’d need. A thread to follow and continue following until her path was no longer necessary.

“Oh.” Del Marin uttered. His face was incredulous in another gaudy arrangement of suit, tie, and pinstripe pants. The colors for today's event were a textured red suit and golden inseams so it looked like glowing veins underneath the moonlight.

“Oh? Oh, what?” Juniper did not hide her annoyance. She’d been waiting for her accessory to arrive for the better part of half an hour under the humid Georgian night, doing her best to hold still and avoid sweating in her nice clothes.

“I just,” Del Marin looked Juniper up and down, “ I didn’t expect you to clean up so well. I was wondering which T-shirt and jeans combo you were going to wear for this formal but here you are with a crumb of class.”

The audacity.

“It is a little too masculine for my tastes but I’m sure your figure will transcend all that.” He continued.

Magnolia, give me the strength not to throttle this man where he stands.

“Here by the way,” Del Marin handed her a golden rabbit mask, one ear tip tucked over the ear while the other stood up and alert, “You’re meant to wear this.”

Juniper raised an eyebrow, “What kind of cult event am I walking into?” She grabbed the mask and felt the cool comfort of its ceramic make at the tips of her fingers.

Del Marin rolled his eyes, “You must understand that there are some guests who do not wish to have their faces shown. Why, even the Matron goes to great lengths to obscure her own face and we hold her in such high regard.” He paused and waved at a hunched over elderly man with a cane, face bare unless her eyes had suddenly stopped functioning. “There are also current feuds that we’d like to keep at the door and the shedding of one's identity in favor of our masked self presents a solution, if, symbolic and reinforced by the behaviors of our peers.”

“That man you just waved at walked in without wearing one of these.” Juniper pointed at her rabbit mask and his…peacock mask?

“Use your head, girl. You take pride in that. If we’re wearing these kinds of masks, what makes you think someone else won’t be more elaborate with the dress code?”

She chewed on the thought.

“You can’t be serious. They’re seriously spending energy walking around like that for a fucking party?”

“It’s a gala, and yes. Think of it as a showcase of their talents to the big spenders in the room. I mean, we’re both going to be

showing our feathers in there.” He raised his eyebrow suggestively before donning the peacock mask. He extended the crook of his arm and waited for Juniper to accept his invitation.

“Whatever.” Juniper donned her own mask and walked, arm in arm, with Del Marin. Despite his background as an academic and needling demeanor, his body was surprisingly sturdy to her touch.

“Do you like what you’re feeling?” Del Marin whispered in her ear.

“Get bent.” Juniper whispered in return.

“Don’t say that. You don’t know if I’d enjoy that and you’re inviting me for a good time.”

“If you take anything from our interactions as playful or flirtatious that says a lot about you and the company you keep.”

“Well for tonight, I’m keeping you as my company. What would that make me?”

Fucking lucky, is what it made him. Useful for the first time in his life was a close second but that kind of maliciousness would be served better for her devout enemies.

The two passed the threshold of the building, walked up the steps to the elegantly carved doors and it opened to their presence.

The interior of the building was audacious. It was the first word that came to mind and the further she walked down the hall and gazed at the people and the decorations, she’d found that even that description was insufficient.

It was altogether too much and caused all of her senses to go on edge.

“So this is where all that tuition goes.” Juniper muttered.

“And donations too. Don’t forget that there are quite a number of upstart families looking to legitimize this institution as an alternative to whatever those people in the AWW would have in store for us.” Del Marin added.

It was hard to believe that all this glamor was meant to legitimize the institution in the eyes of its investors. Floating crystalline sconces that glittered golden flakes and boisterous reenactments of war bound to pigments and gilded frames felt like an absolute waste. The amount of stars used to create and maintain the energy powering it all felt so incredibly unfair.

To her. To her employer most assuredly. It was all fucked.

The two of them continued to walk down the expansive hallway, Juniper stealing glances of well kept individuals making idle chatter with their peers. The moment she felt someone begin to turn their gaze her way, she ducked from their eyes, turning her face down to avoid contact.

“What are you doing?” Del Marin whispered in an annoyed tone.

“I don’t want to look these people in the eye.” Juniper stressed her concern and hoped the man understood.

Too much to hope for.

“They’re your people and we’re at a formal event. They’re not going to bite your head off and even if they wanted to, they won’t be able to do it by staring at your damn eyes.”

“We’re in a building with a bunch of suped up spellcasters intermingled with whoever the fuck else is important enough to get an invite to this thing and if I fuck around by looking at the wrong person, it could mean the end of my life.”

“You sound paranoid.”

Juniper snorted, “No. Someone with paranoia has nothing to fear. My fear here is warranted. I haven’t gotten to where I am with the skills I have by making myself a target worth considering and I’m not going to change that behavior now.”

She could feel his aura of annoyance grow but was gracious enough to drop it. Whether to avoid making a scene in front of his peers or out of consideration for her feelings, it got her what she wanted.

The closer they walked towards the main hall, the louder the chatter amongst peers became and the louder the soft strings of a harp weaved serenity and warmth into her body and soul. The musician was incorporeal and the music ethereal, notes disappearing as quickly as they came into her mind that forced her to consider the present as it was happening.

“Look alive.” Del Marin whispered to Juniper before dragging her to a pair of older looking folk in matching matte red bull masks.

“Jorge! Cassandra! It is a pleasure to see you two.” He greeted the strangers with open arms and a noticeable uptick on the inflections in his accent he’d suppressed around here.

“Oh Manuel, it is such a pleasure to see you here. How are things with you and your mother?” Jorge asked.

Who in their right mind would name their kid Manuel Del Marin?

“Things between my mother and I are okay thus far. She’s currently trying to vy for my coming home with gifts and sweet talk instead of threats so I believe things are quite good.”

The older woman turned her attention to Juniper, “And where did you find this rabbit? She doesn’t look like the kind of woman you go for.”

Juniper twitched.

“I am not trying to sleep with her, despite her best efforts,” He laughed and his people joined in, “No, this is Juniper. She’s a colleague of mine. Juniper, this is Jorge and Cassandra Castro. They were my gracious hosts once upon a time.”

Juniper bit her tongue to force her to consider her next set of words.

“Is she a mute? Or does it take her a little longer to run things up to speed. No shame in that if that’s the case. Why I have-”

Juniper interjected, “I’d say it’s a pleasure but you’re more insufferable than he is.”

Whoops.

Cassandra laughed, “Well look at that. A woman with a backbone. Color me shocked that our young Marin would surround himself with someone like this.”

What in the world had she gotten herself into.

“I’m going to leave you three to chat while I make my way over there.”

Del Marin squeezed the crook of his arm into his side, “But we were supposed to look the part together?”

Juniper muscled her arm out of his, “We will but I’d like to talk to people by myself.”

“What happened to your fear of spellcasters?” Del Marin asked.

“I’ll get over it.” Juniper replied before disengaging from that mess. Without a second glance, Juniper made her way to the edges of the crowding hall. She caught bits and pieces of idle chit chat, of strangers asking about the well being of their children or if so and so heard about the tear between our reality and the astral in the Mojave was getting measurably larger.

Some folk wore masks while others walked around in a facsimile of flesh, their presentation uncanny enough to tip off astute observers on second glance. Those details that tipped her off did little to alleviate her feelings of fear.

It felt like a feature to their costume that they’d included instead of a mishap.

“Hey.” A short and squat woman called up to Juniper. The woman was wearing a dewdrop for a mask that shimmered in rainbow hues under the white light of the hall. It made the rest of her pristine white dress shine in similar tones. “Del Marin told me to talk to you?”

“Wait what? Why? Who are you?” Juniper kept herself from looking back, pressing forward to exit from the growing density of the crowd.

The stranger followed along, “Well, wait. Hold up. I’m Ophelia and he said that you’d be able to provide insight on my dissertation. He mentioned that you had experience with delving into the astral. A lot of it.”

“Look, whatever he told you about my skills was an exaggeration. I’m sure you have a ton of people in this institution to ask your questions to. Try those guides for answers. They jump in and out of the astral all of the time.”

She’d taken the opportunity to excuse herself and the man had saddled her with a student? This was wasting her time.

The crowds chattering died down and the lights in the hall dimmed. What was once an ethereal melody became this tangible presence, an announcement of the main event and all the regal bombast that came with it.

Juniper turned to locate the source amidst the rest of the crowd.

There was no spotlight to announce her presence. An entourage of acolytes silently created space between the rabble and a spot on the ground.

Space folded.

From her point of view, Juniper saw air and light bend into a sandwich and snap back into place to reveal the Matron. She was radiance incarnate, the shades of red on the dress draped over her dancing with its hues and the light that made her look like a living, walking flame bulb. Her hair was held together with a crown and that crown had an accompanying piece in the front for the thick obscuring veil at her front.

The Matron was overwhelming. It all was.

Each step she made caused her dress to flicker, leaving glowing motes and crackling embers in her wake.

“I’d like to welcome everyone to our private gala, both returning guests and those invited by your peers.” She announced and the crowd applauded.

Juniper just felt her blood cool and skin crawl with each syllable spoken. It’d unsettled her then when speaking to the Matron and she remained thoroughly perturbed by the haunting tremor to her voice, as if the stages of her past selves were attempting to claw out of her throat.

In the silence, the Matron turned.

She pierced that crowd and looked.

Looked at Juniper.

Fuck.

Juniper panicked, grabbing the students hand, and manhandled her way out of the crowd's edge into the barren hallway outside.

Deep breaths. It was a coincidence. She wasn’t looking at you. Her head was pointed in the general direction and you simply felt uncomfortable under it.

“Are you okay?” Ophelia grabbed at Juniper’s open hand, “You look like you’re about to pass out.”

Juniper fanned air into her face with an open palm, “I just got overwhelmed in there. Not exactly comfortable being around the ah, the host of the event.”

Ophelia nodded, “Yeah, I don’t blame you. She feels strange. Like there’s literally more to her, this overbearing gravity.”

Was she sympathizing with her out of genuine concern or was this a way to crack her open for her dissertation stuff?

“You mentioned back there that the guides would be willing to help but they’re hard to reach and their department’s also elusive.”

Yeah. Yeah they were.

“I just don’t think he’d suggest you if he didn’t think you were up to the task.” Ophelia remarked.

“Look I don’t know what sort of tall tales he sang about me and my experience but I’m just a self taught delver. If you want your academic stuff, go to someone that can offer that to you because I can’t.”

Ophelia shook her head, “But I have more questions than just delving and he assured me you’d be cooperative if I explained my project.”

She was losing time with all of this nonsense and the impatience was making her attitude testy.

“Just,” Juniper tried to rub the ache at the bridge of her nose and found only cool ceramic, “Get on with it.”

“Okay. My dissertation is on beings in the astral and the layers that demarcate our realm from the other and was hoping you’d give me some insights on it all.”

“Is this not something you can find in one of your books or something? This feels like common expertise.”

“Well, uh, I wanted some firsthand experience to add onto my perspective.”

This was ridiculous.

A flash of an idea shot through her mind.

She pressed her hand to her ear and looked down to the ground.

“Oh. Oh no.” Juniper inflected a tremble to her voice.

“What? What’s wrong?” Ophelia asked in concern.

Juniper straightened herself, “I have to go. Something urgent has arrived and I have to tend to that matter. Wait for me at the edge of the crowd if you must.”

Juniper didn’t wait for her response, merely jumping into action to run as far away from the situation as urgency could be feigned.

The moment she turned back and saw the girl pivot back towards the crowd, Juniper ducked into an alcove and waited.

Flicking her wrist, the thread appeared. This time it wasn’t blocked by boundaries. This time she was within the threshold.

And with the silence to reflect on the details of the night, she realized why her senses were on edge and the thread kept disappearing into the void from outside the threshold.

“Its a fucking domain.” Juniper grumbled.

So many alarms were ringing in her head but there wasn’t time to be afraid. She’d remain alert and do her job.

And hopefully avoid the source of whatever person or thing had rooted itself so firmly into the building.