Athena knew one person she could talk to about what she had just learned. This was Scarlett, the owner of the Occult Store.
If Athena were honest, there was a lot she didn't know about Scarlett, including her real name. 'Scarlett' might have been her real first name, or it might have been her professional name. Scarlett did seem to be indecisive on a surname for her professional name, though. She had gone through a few, and none had stuck. Athena had brought it up the last time she visited the Occult Store (which, in the prior reality, was a week ago).
"I just want one with a good ring to it. Right now, I'm thinking of Tyche, after the Greek goddess of fortune." Scarlett had said.
Despite this, Athena considered Scarlett a friend and mentor, and a good source of advice as far as occult lore and mystical items were concerned. Zoe once said there was only one person in Lake Point who knew more about mystic items than Athena, and that was Scarlett. It was Scarlett, in fact, who Athena had obtained the anti-magic pendant from.
So if Athena could talk to anyone about what she had learned about the changes in reality, it was Scarlett.
There was only one problem. Athena was in a wheelchair now due to the most recent change in reality. She had artificial hands and an artificial leg, and her remaining natural leg barely functioned. So she would need her mother to drive her to the Occult Store.
"The Occult Store?" Gillian DeVries asked her daughter. "Athena, it's been months. If your friends there had anything that could have actually helped, they would have used them by now."
Athena knew that the reality they were in now was less than twenty-four hours old. Almost everyone remembered the explosion that maimed, mutilated and disfigured the entire student population of Lake Point High School as happening months ago, but thanks to the pendant, Athena now knew it was the product of a reality alteration that had only taken place this morning as school was just starting.
"This is important." Athena said. "I've found out something very important. And I need to tell Scarlett about it in person."
After a while, Gillian agreed to drive her daughter to the Occult Store. Once there, Gillian agreed to push Athena's wheelchair inside, but from there, Athena could move her wheelchair on her own. There were errands Gillian needed to run anyway, so she could attend to them while Athena was talking to Scarlett, and return to the Occult Store to pick up Athena later.
When Athena entered the store, Scarlett looked from behind the counter. "Athena, it's good to see you. Except, well..."
"I know. I've looked better." Athena said. "Tell me, when was the last time I was here."
"About a week ago." Scarlett said. "Of course, that was a few reality changes ago. In the reality we're now in, everyone thinks you and your friends haven't visited me in months. Since before the accident."
"That's right. Your store is shielded from reality changes." Athena said. "You told me that back when you gave me the pendant. As long as you're in here when reality changes, you remember how everything used to be."
"Correct. And it's still shielded today." Scarlett replied. There were no other customers in the store, so Athena and Scarlett had the whole store to themselves and could talk about things like reality being magically altered without any customers who weren't in the know overhearing.
In the main area of the store, the Occult Store sold various knick-knacks and novelties that had no real magical power, as well as various books on magical or occult lore and legends. As one might imagine, it did much of its best business in autumn when the 'spooky season' was in full swing and Halloween was fast approaching. The rest of the year, it was largely frequented by those who pursued the hobby year round.
It was only in the back area of the store that books on magical items that presented them as actually existing (and not just folklore or legends) could be found, as well as the occasional real magical items whenever Scarlett or one of her cohorts was able to obtain any. And on days when those less serious about real magic visited the store, the back area was where Scarlett spoke about such topics with those who actually had serious interest in magical or mystical subjects or items.
"So you know that whole explosion that everyone thinks happened months ago..." Athena began.
"Didn't happen several months ago until the most recent change in reality." Scarlett finished. "Some force caused these changes in reality. Some force wanted things to turn out the way they did, and that force caused reality to move backward in time to create a catastrophe that would explain things for everyone out there who doesn't believe in magic. This 'Reality Branches' machine, at the very least, had all the trappings of advanced technology, so people are more willing to accept that than just plain, undisguised magical spells or curses."
"I figured that much out myself, after I put on my pendant and it gave me my memories back." Athena replied. "But we need to find out who or what did this. And we need to save everyone. Sabrina can't keep on living the way she is now. And there's Zoe, Zelda, Trevor, Stephanie..."
Scarlett looked Athena in the eye with a look of sadness and regret. "Athena," she said softly. "I know what you want to ask. You want to ask if there's any magic that will restore you and your friends to their former states of health and mobility. And you're not the first. Just an hour ago, Trevor Blake was here, in tears over himself and Stephanie and his friends, demanding that I do something to heal everyone's injuries and save the town."
"I hated having to tell him that I couldn't do that. I hated seeing him so angry as he left. But I didn't feel as if I had a choice."
Scarlett breathed a sad sigh, and continued. "The Lake Point disaster was in all the news and headlines in much of the country. Everyone knows what happened to you, your friends, and everyone else. If you and your friends and whoever else you wanted to save were suddenly walking around whole and able-bodied as if nothing happened, people would ask questions. Reporters, scientists, the government, religious authorities."
Athena smirked. "And the religious authorities like the Fergusons or the Blakelys would think it was the work of the Devil, unless we healed everyone while dressed up in white gowns with wings, halos, and harps."
Scarlett smiled. "At least you haven't lost your sense of humor."
Athena nodded. She and her Goth friends often used dark humor as a means of helping to cope with the insanity of the world around them. She saw no reason to stop now.
"The problem is, just going out and healing everyone magically will likely bring the wrong kind of attention on us." Scarlett resumed. "This world has existed as science and technology based for the last few centuries. If people find out that magic - real magic and not just stagecraft - actually exists and actually is affecting world events, then they will be scared. And you know as well as I do what some people will do when confronted with things they fear and do not understand."
"The thing is, it's not just me and my friends." Athena said. "It's not even all the students at the high school. It's their parents as well. Many of them are out of work now, with McMillan Tech Industries out of business, and they're in pain too - emotional pain seeing their kids in such horrible conditions. And it's the town - without MTI and the money it brought in, this town is falling apart and even more people are losing their jobs."
"I know." Scarlett said sadly. "I wish there was more I could do to ..."
There was a pause. Athena and Scarlett exchanged meaningful glances. In that moment, neither of them had to use mind-reading or telepathy spells to know what the other was thinking.
"I wish..." Athena repeated. "That's it! Scarlett, do you think all this was caused by a magical wishing artifact? A wishing stone? A coin? A genie? Something like that?"
"If a wishing artifact IS involved, it'd definitely explain a lot." Scarlett replied. "Come, let's take this to the back room."
With that, Scarlett placed a 'Closed' sign on the front door of the Occult Store, and locked it. Then, she led Athena to the back room of the store. There, they would be free to use the resources available to find the answers they were looking for.
