Lilian watched wide-eyed at the women before her drawing circles on the oak table with white chalk and lighting candles. 
She had wanted to speak earlier but Abigail had told her they would answer her questions if she could just be patient for a little while longer. 
But if there was something Lilian was not, it was patient. Her mind kept flashing back to Kaya and the bloody images of her and Azian, a boy she had known as Abigail’s nephew of some sort. She had always been fascinated by his beauty and she, like many others was in awe of it. 
However, she also knew him as Mr.  Asshole and the name which had been spoken in her house earlier this morning without a proper explanation. 
She watched curiously as she lit up candles placing them on each point of a star and she shook her head. 
"No, no, hell no!” Lilian grunted standing up as she folded her arms, looking around at the group of women like they had lost their minds, "I do not involve myself in Black Magic, I do not do this juju stuff, calling on spirits and what not!  I am a decent Christian black woman and this here is not what we do,” she exclaimed.
Abigail stood up straight, "we are not calling any spirits, and no, none of us here practice any kind of black magic, we are not of that darkness.  But he has a dark spell on him and that needs to be broken,” she said glancing at Liam who was as frozen as a statue. 
Lilian looked at Liam for the first time, realizing he had been way too quiet for a father who had just lost their child to heaven knows what. He stood there with a faraway worried off look but seemed to be lost, his bottom lip quivering. 
"What's wrong with him?" she asked quietly moving toward him.  In truth, she hated his guts for leaving her beloved Gabrielle after promising so much, but not enough to see him dead or watch anything extremely bad happen to him. 
Ena moved in, closing the curtains as Abigail spilled some of Khloe’s blood around the circle. 
"He's under Stephania. Or rather Stephanie’s spell" Ena explained 
Lilian’s eyes shot up at Ena at the sound of Liam’s witch of a wife’s name.  Not knowing she wasn't far from the truth. The woman she swore if left in a room alone with, would be hanging by the edges of her mismatched wig, "Stephanie?! " she asked in shock. 
"Yes,  Stephania’s an old witch, now she's the one who does black magic,  like the dark love spell she's got Liam under," Ena explained as Abigail began to mutter words. 
She glanced at Abigail momentarily before trailing to Ena, "love spell?" she echoed as she tried to put piece by piece together.  Her eyes finding the lost ones of Liam,
 “It makes so much sense now,” she suddenly grunted, really looking at the lost soul before her, “Liam was such a good husband, I always thought Gabrielle was lucky" she said softly as she watched him, her eyebrows drawing together as she studied his void expression, "a good father too, though I wouldn't tell him that now, " she trailed off shaking her head, "I was shocked when Gabrielle called me and said Liam wanted a divorce three days after they got their vows renewed, I, like Gabrielle, just couldn't understand it! " she paused trying to put things in order, 
"I knew Liam way before he began dating Gabrielle, you know,” she began her eyes trailing up to the witches, her tone softer than before,  he was my nerdy college friend who had this huge crush on my cousin.  He used to beg me to set me up with her but I knew he didn't stand a chance with her, him and his nerdy thick-rimmed glasses, always with that collared white shirt he loved so much.   But he only begged more, so after a month of slaving away for me, I finally did, not really expecting much but the boy proved himself worthy"
She breathed out clasping her hands together, as they shook rapidly, “Their love was like a fairytale, 15 good years and still going strong until it just wasn’t. In a month he had begun the divorce and two months later he said he was getting remarried to quote ‘the love of his life’ and I-I was furious.” She gasped, looking at Abigail once more, eyes vulnerable with confusion, “I mean. Wasn't Gabrielle the Love of his life?  15 years…" she trailed off shaking her head.
Alessia’s eyes teared up at the story but blinked it away before anyone but Ally could see, Ena shaking her head in despair, Edwin had a sad expression on. 
She sighed, gaze falling back to the spell-bound man, "I should have known something was off." she trailed off glancing sadly at Liam, "but you can help him right? " she asked, glancing back up at the witches.
Abigail nodded offering her a smile, " we needed Stephanie’s blood,  but Khloe’s can work just as well seeing that they are the same blood,  now all we need is a little of Liam’s." she moved to him grabbing his palm gently in hers,  making a cut with her small kitchen knife. Blood oozed out and she quickly led him to the table, his face expressionless like a zombie.  She placed his bloody palm in the center of the circle and began muttering some words. 
The candles began to flicker as the white chalk lines dimmed to a deep blood red, as she began to mutter the spell, the words to Lillian sounded old and ancient, shivering as the temperature began to drop and Liam Suddenly let out a nerve-wracking shout, trembling slightly. 
Alessia watched in wonder. This was the first time she had ever seen a dark spell being broken.  She marveled after each sigh, each quivery eye then widened when Liam’s blood that dripped from his wound turned black then after a time, turned red just as the wind subsided, and the temperature came back to normal. 
Abigail muttered something underneath her breath as they all watched the skin on Liam’s palm stitch itself back together.  Liam watched his eyes wide as his skin healed taking a step back from Abigail in utter shock, glancing from her to his healed hand.
For the first time, he was able to recognize his surroundings,  shocked at what seemed like a voodoo get-together with candles and chalk drawings,  his eyes skipping over the two women he had met about a day ago. 
"L-Liam?" Lillian asked timidly before turning to Abigail, "Did it work?"
He wondered what she was talking about his eyes shimmering in wonder. 
'It should have, it’s just a dark spell, not soul magic" she joked with a small grin before turning her concerned eyes to Liam, "are you alright?  How do you feel?” she asked easing him in. 
He glanced at her then back to Lillian, the only face other than Ally he recognized at the moment, "I feel…. Like me. Am I supposed to be different?  What’s happening? Where am I?" he asked. 
Lilian moved toward him in a jiffy, her hand clutching his arm, looking up at him very concerned, "Liam, don't you remember anything?  Anything at all?” She asked pulling him down to her level. 
He looked around the room, eyebrows hunched trying to put all the fuzziness in order, and his eyes spoke confusion. 
Abigail moved to him,  "it’s okay,  your memories will be back in a second,  just breathe out,  close your eyes and try to remember, " she eased softly. 
He looked deep into her calm blue eyes, breathing out, trying to calm his panicking self.  He turned back to Lilian who gave him a reassuring stare. 
He nodded, closing his eyes, trying to block out the annoying buzz in his ear, trying to concentrate, search for answers.  To find himself in his memories. 
It came back in a rush, Gabrielle, the divorce, Kaya's face, Stephania, Khloe, Lilian, and even Ally before he suddenly opened his eyes fast, gasping for air, like he hadn't been breathing. 
"Kaya!" he shouted out, his memories resurfacing, his hands began to shiver clasping hold of Lilian, "Kaya's in trouble Lily, I saw her, blood was everywhere, and she was taken away-"
"Shhhhhhh, I know Liam calm down, Calm down…Please…take it slow," she eased as his panicked gaze got locked into hers. 
"W-what? " he asked. 
She nodded slowly, "take it slow, Liam, do you remember everything?  About Gabrielle. And Stephania?” she asked. 
He looked at her confused before it suddenly dissolved and got replaced by a look of sadness, not sadness alone but broken despair, "I-I don't-"
"Shh… it’s okay, none of what you're seeing is completely true," she eased, glancing momentarily at the group before her, rubbing both his arms. 
"I-" he stuttered out shaking his head, tears filling his eyes. 
"It’s okay Liam, it wasn't really you at that moment," Abigail replied,  she sighed looking at the both of them before turning to the rest of the gang, "we will explain everything… over a cup of coffee,  Alessia please" she motioned and Alessia nodded.