A change will do some good (Tales of Riverdale fan-fiction)

[hobbyfan]

Preamble: Our next story brings us back to Sabrina, as the title refers to her. You'll see why.

As usual, all characters, save for those created for this story, are copyright Archie Comics.
====================================
Chapter 1:

It started as a typical summer day for Sabrina Spellman.

Returning home from working the morning shift at New Dimensions Fashions on August 16, Sabrina stopped at her aunts' house to check the mail and do some housework. One particular piece of mail had her attention, as it was from Riverdale High.

A few minutes later, she was sharing the details of the letter with her aunt Zelda at the Victory Garden restaurant.

"They're offering me a position as a guidance AND resource counselor.", she said. "I wonder what brought that on."

"Mr. Weatherbee was here yesterday with Ms. Grundy.", Zelda replied. "Said that there's been some gang-related activity of late, even during summer school, which is ending next week, and he figures someone with your skill set, powers included, could help put an end to even a remote threat of gang violence."

"Then, maybe I should take the offer? It'll mean the end of my tenure at New Dimensions if I do."

"You won't know until you meet with 'The Bee'."
========================================
Three days later, Sabrina met with Weatherbee and the new President of the RIverdale School Board, Collin Hunter.

"Officially, you'd be a first year guidance counselor.", Weatherbee said. "The resource part means you'd be working with the police if needed."

"You'd be working a full schedule, 8-4 weekdays, and you'd get weekends off unless there's something on a Saturday.", Hunter added. "Your salary would be, of course, bigger than what you're making now."

"This could be a boon.", Sabrina thought. "I know Harvey's putting money away toward something, and if it's what I think it is, I'd better help with the nest egg."

She studied the contract, and signed it. Her first day at Riverdale as part of its faculty would be September 4.
=========================
"We're sorry to see you go, Sabrina.", Debbie Sawyer said when Sabrina gave her two weeks notice the next day. "You've had a great run here."

"Six years. There's always the chance I'll be back if this doesn't pan out.", came the reply.

"Oh, come on now. They wouldn't want you if they weren't confident you could handle the caseload, especially with your powers."

"Didn't you say Mr. Hunter doesn't know about your powers?", Betty Cooper asked.

"That's it. The Bee made a point of avoiding any reference to my witchcraft and mental powers. He wants to base this on the detective work we did at Northeastern.", Sabrina replied. "Maybe he suspects Mr. Hunter has other, less charitable motives."

"Since you and your aunts went public, I'd think Hunter would know."
======================
Sabrina's last day at New Dimensions was August 31. With the store closed Labor Day weekend, Veronica Lodge returned to New Dimensions on September 3, having reconciled all her past issues. However, she sounded a warning about Collin Hunter.

"He has only been in town a few months.", she said. "Up until then, there'd been no gang violence in our town, especially since the Southside Serpents reformed and became the Southside Saints a few years ago. Something tells me he's got something to hide."

At the school board office, Hunter was meeting with his secretary, Ellen Richter.

"Bring the boys together.", he said. "We'll get the new school year off to a hot start."
=========================
Hmmmmm. Sounds like there is something evil brewing after all.....

 

[hobbyfan]

Chapter 2:

The home opener for the Riverdale football team wasn't until September 13, and the soccer teams were also on the road on the 6th, which made it very strange to find two groups of young men meeting on the football field shortly before the end of detention for the day.

Sabrina was assigned to proctor the detention room that day, and worked with Rosalyn Pruitt, a 4th year junior who'd been left back after failing three exams in June. Rosalyn was having trouble with her textbook, trying to do her homework for English class.

"The print is too small, Ms. Spellman.", she said. "Can you help me?"

Sabrina examined the book, which she herself had used during her junior season. The print was actually normal.

"Rosalyn, I think we'd better see the nurse first thing in the morning.", she said.

"But tomorrow's Saturday."

"I know. This, though, is an emergency."

School nurse Corinne Dunne was in her 3rd year at Riverdale. Contacted by Sabrina, she met the sorceress at the school the next morning, and examined Rosalyn.

"She failed her eye test.", she said somberly. "I'm afraid she's going blind at such a young age."

Oliver Pruitt, Rosalyn's father, had warned his daughter that her vision was failing her, but, as he admitted, she wasn't listening.

"She thought she was fine, but she was sent home from her summer job after just two weeks, and spent the rest of the summer hiding out at the Y or the Boys & Girls Club when we were led to believe she was working.", he said. "She was so scared that she'd never be able to graduate."

"Hmmm, she was also cut from the cheerleading team due to her vision.", Corinne said. "She's unable to participate in any after school activities, and..."

"I hate to cut you off,", Sabrina cut in, "but we have to go. There's a bomb on the premises. Several of them, actually."

"Good Lord!", Pruitt exclaimed. "How?"

"I've a good idea how, but that's not an issue now."

Nurse Dunne and the Pruitts left for the parking lot. Looking this way & that, and making sure no one could see her change, Sabrina morphed into Mystyk, and teleported to the football field. She could sense there were several bombs planted on the field, including one on the 50 yard line. She mentally contacted Police Chief Robert Bolling, who sent a bomb squad to the school.

It's a chain reaction.", Officer Dale Morrissey said. "If we try to disarm one bomb in the wrong spot, they'll all go off."

"But if we go after the one in the middle, at the 50 yard line, it'll solve the whole problem.", Mystyk said. She then glided toward midfield. Using her telekinesis, she found the means to disarm the bombs without any of them going off. The bombs were then removed from the field. There were seven bombs in all.

"Riverdale's home opener is against Foxboro Tech.", Nurse Dunne said. "There were reports of boys on the field during detention yesterday when the soccer & football teams were all on the road."

"Hmmm. Seems like someone wanted to sabotage the home opener for some reason.", Mystyk thought. She excused herself and departed, returning as Sabrina five minutes later.
=======================================
"What do you mean the bombs never went off?", Collin Hunter inquired when contacted by phone. "There's no way anyone could've known about those bombs."

"No one except the mind-witch.", Derek Coopman said. "She was in the detention room attending to one of the students. Not sure if she actually saw us plant the bombs."

"She's a telepath and a witch?", Hunter asked.

"Yep. Surprised you didn't know about it."

"Weatherbee held that information back. I'll fix his wagon first, then deal with the witch."
=========================================
"If I were you, Mr. Hunter, I would not tamper with the faculty at Riverdale for any reason.", Enrico Colon, vice president of the school board, advised prior to a meeting on September 11. "Someone tried ousting the senior staff without following protocols four years ago, and ended up going to jail after it got out that it was part of a bigger scheme."

"And as for Spellman?"

"It's common knowledge she possesses powers. She & her aunts, the owners of the veggie restaurant in town, went public three years ago. "

"We wouldn't have hired her if I'd known about her powers. It isn't fair to the students or teachers."

"Quite the contrary, Mr. Hunter. I'm given to understand one of the girls in detention last Friday had to have her eyes examined. She has contracted glaucoma, and is only 18. We would not have known if Sabrina hadn't brought it to the nurse's attention."

"And where is this student now?"

"Rosalyn Pruitt was transferred to the Center for Learning Disabilities on Monday. Turns out her visual issues were the reason she failed three exams last summer."

"And Rosalyn didn't go to summer school?"

"No, sir. Tried to work a summer job, and was cut after two weeks because her eyes were failing her."

"Just what I didn't need. A real life Glinda the Good Witch.", Hunter groaned.

"So what's the problem? Someone tried to wire the football field with bombs, and that was stopped over the weekend."

"That is none of your concern."
==========================================
So what is Collin Hunter's agenda?

 

[hobbyfan]

Chapter 3:

The Center For Learning Disabilities was a new alternate learning facility just outside of Riverdale. Rosalyn was enrolled there on September 9, but over the objections of her parents.

"She is clearly not happy.", Oliver Pruitt said when he met with Weatherbee on September 16. "She was hoping to be moved to a special ed class here."

"The budget cuts forced us to cut our special ed program.", Weatherbee replied soberly. "Mr. Hunter recommended the Center as the only available alternative. The strange part that neither he nor I can ascertain is how her vision started to fail her at exam season in June."

"She's never told us what happened, but there are rumors that something was going on in the forest not far from here back in April. Some sort of pagan ritual, but those are just rumors right now."

Later, Weatherbee discussed those rumors with Sabrina.

"I had heard something, but at the time, I too thought those were just rumors, because if there was something of that nature, my aunts would've known about it.", she said. "After work, I'll look into it."

"But wouldn't the trail grow cold, even for you, after five months?", Weatherbee asked.

"No, not with my powers."

As she made the statement, Sabrina grasped a corner of the table, where Collin Hunter had planted some sort of listening device some weeks earlier. Some sparks emitted from her hand under the table to disable the device, which fell to the floor.
===========================================
Later that afternoon, Sabrina ventured into the forest. A simple incantation produced a series of images from that fateful afternoon in April. There was a ritual, where a 10 year old girl, Courtney Sizemore, was spread-eagled on a table, bound with shackles. A quartet of hooded figures began chanting, and as Courtney's soul was lifted from her, her flesh turned to formless protoplasm, only to be reconstituted minutes later, while her soul was cast into a mason jar. Rosalyn Pruitt had seen what happened, and fled in terror.

"Courtney returned to school the next day.", Sabrina thought to herself as she recalled what had followed, "But everyone says she had changed."

Acting on a hunch, Sabrina visited the Sizemores, only to find Elliott and Lynn, Courtney's parents, dead, nailed to the living room wall, and impaled. They had only recently been slain. Sabrina checked Courtney's room. The child had just turned 11 on September 8, and had vanished, presumably the same day her parents died.

Leaving the house, Sabrina received a call on her cell phone. It was Oliver Pruitt.

"It's Rosalyn.", he said. "She's been taken from the school."

"How long ago?", Sabrina asked.

"An hour."

Sabrina got back to her car and drove back toward the forest. There, she found the same four hooded druids, but now Rosalyn, with her mouth covered by a metal clamp, had been shackled to the table. Acting quickly, Sabrina morphed into Mystyk once more. She lifted herself into the air, and as she did, sent a mental summons for assistance, which brought Pureheart the Powerful to her side. Together, the two heroes routed the druids, and freed Rosalyn. However, there was one factor not accounted for.

"Ohhhh, you shouldn't have done that.", Courtney taunted. Her hair was now platinum blonde, just like Sabrina's. She was dressed in a druid's robe herself, now possessed by some sort of demon.

"First, we took her eyes,", she said of Rosalyn, "because she saw something she wasn't supposed to. Now, we will take her soul, and yours, too."
=====================================
Now, this is getting crazy.

 

[hobbyfan]

Chapter 4:

Courtney had hoped to make direct eye contact with Mystyk, but because of the white lenses covering the masked maiden's eyes, it didn't work. Abruptly, some fresh chanting began, this from an exorcist, Father Edwin Rothschild, from a local Catholic parish. Courtney collapsed to the ground, and the demon left her. Pureheart scooped up one of the mason jars, and placed the demon in it.

The druids suddenly melted into nothingness, without the demon controlling them. All at once, Rosalyn's vision returned.

"It's a miracle!", she gasped.

"Maybe, but be thankful you have your vision back.", Mystyk warned before she & Pureheart departed. Father Rothschild returned Rosalyn to her grateful parents. As for Courtney, her parents were stunned to learn their daughter had been possessed, which explained some of the strange behavior. The demon's departure had negated their deaths, as if a spell had been broken.
========================================
The next night, acting on a hunch, Sabrina visited the Center For Learning Disabilities after work. There, she spotted Derek Coopman snooping around, carrying a clipboard. Collin Hunter waited at the end of the hall for Coopman, while Sabrina used her magic to turn invisible.

"Find anything?", Hunter asked.

"No, sir. Both Ms. Pruitt & Ms. Sizemore have been transferred out of the school by their respective families."

"Where to?"

"Likely a private school, sir."

"A Catholic one, no doubt."

"No, sir. I'm told it's a Christian school, out of state."

"Blast the luck. First those vigilantes get in the way, and now we've lost two hostesses."

"And the druids, sir."

"Spare me."
==============================================
Acting quickly, Sabrina returned home. Oliver Pruitt left a voice mail, telling her that Rosalyn was being sent to the Academy of Holy Names in upstate New York.

As Mystyk, Sabrina picked up Coopman's trail, which led to the old Draper mansion at the outskirts of town. It was reputed to be haunted, but really wasn't. Sabrina knew that from having attended a couple of Halloween parties there a few years earlier. Turning invisible, she followed Coopman inside. Hunter was already there.

"Those interlopers have thwarted us at every turn.", he fumed. "There has to be some connection between them and Riverdale High, and if we eliminate them from the picture, then the school is ours."

"Oh, is it now?", Mystyk thought to herself. "I wonder what this means to him?"
===============================================
So do we.

 

[hobbyfan]

Chapter 5:

Back at work at Riverdale High the next morning, Sabrina found the time to do an online search on the school's history, only to be interrupted when Mr. Weatherbee summoned her to his office around 12:30 pm.

"I could not help but notice you've taken interest in the history of the school property.", he said, grinning. "What brought this on?"

"Collin Hunter.", Sabrina replied. "Seems he is bent on taking over the property by any means necessary. I have evidence that links him to the bomb threat a couple of weeks back."

"The current school was built at the beginning of the 20th century.", Weatherbee began. "As you know yourself, it's been renovated a couple of times in recent years for upgrades in modern technology. What I discovered was that this property had been home to an old temple belonging to a coven of witches. I'm not sure if they're any relation to your family, but I thought you might be more interested in sharing this with your aunts than spending your downtime doing the hunting I've already done."

Weatherbee handed Sabrina a thick file folder.

"Will you need it back, sir?"

"No. This one's for you and your aunts."
==========================================
Sabrina took the folder home with her and began to study. When Aunt Zelda returned home unexpectedly from work around 7, she showed Zelda the folder.

"Hmmm, Weatherbee said he'd done some research on the site.", Zelda confirmed, scanning the pages. "What I do know, though, is that the coven that had the space before has no connection with ours."

"But it seems Collin Hunter has a connection with this old coven.", Sabrina concluded. "That's why he's so hot to take over the school."

Sabrina reminded Zelda of the bomb threat she'd stopped, and that she'd been tracking Hunter and his associate, Coopman.

"If I were to make a guess, I'd say Hunter's stalling for time, hoping to make a big move around Halloween.", Zelda suggested.

"You may be right."
===========================================
Halloween came, and, at a mixer at Riverdale High, Mystyk and the Black Hood made a surprise appearance. Sabrina was supposed to be on duty, but had a "family emergency" to cover her supposed absence. Weatherbee, dressed as Old King Cole, welcomed the students, and assumed that students were dressed as the masked heroes.

Around 10, as the party was breaking up, Hunter made his move, dressed as a sorcerer, he sealed the building, trapping everyone inside.

"At the stroke of midnight, this building belongs to me.", he declared. "For you fools, school will be out. FOREVER!"

Weatherbee shook his head.

"Why couldn't you have put in a bid for the property through proper channels?", he asked.

"Where's the fun in that, old man?", Hunter sneered. My great-grandmother was killed nearly 120 years ago for practicing witchcraft, and was hated by the mortals. You consort with today's witches, who've been accepted by these fools. That isn't supposed to happen."

Outside, Coopman and a handful of soldiers were blocking the police, only to be thwarted by Captain Hero & Pureheart, who'd been called to the scene.

"Hunter is crazy to think his scheme will even work!", Pureheart shouted as he & Captain Hero ascended to the roof. "He forgot about the roof entrance."

Inside, some demons had entered through a portal created by Hunter, who began chanting incantations, until he was knocked out from behind by the Hood, who pistol-whipped him into unconsciousness. With Hunter out, the demons left as quickly as they came, as the other heroes arrived.

"Good Heavens!", Weatherbee exclaimed. "He did go daft."

"Indeed, sir.", Pureheart said. "He acted on the false assumption that the property could be bought, when it's been city property in perpetuity for years."

"Why, that's true."
===========================================
Later, at Pop's Place, Archie was stunned to learn that the girls had swapped costumed identities, and that it was Sabrina, as Black Hood, who knocked out Hunter.

"Now you know why Mystyk didn't recite any spells.", Betty explained. "We pulled the ol' switcheroo to fool Hunter, who was expecting Mystyk in the first place."

"But Hunter did make a mistake.", Jughead Jones said as he joined the group. "As we found, he didn't seal the entire building, in his haste to overrun the school."

"And now, he'll have a long time to contemplate those mistakes.", Sabrina said. "I conferred with my Aunt Della, the head witch, and she said that Hunter has been stripped of what little power he'd had."

"Coopman confessed his role in all of this.", Betty added. "Hunter hired him on the district payroll."

Understandably, Collin Hunter was removed as President of the Riverdale School Board. Since there wouldn't be an election until the spring, Fred Andrews, Archie's father, who'd been elected to the city council a year earlier, would be the interim president.
===========================================
On November 1, things were back to normal at Riverdale, or so it seemed. As she was leaving work for the day, Sabrina met with English teacher Geoff Kendall, a 30-something divorcee who'd been flirting with her almost from day one, despite the fact that Sabrina is already spoken for.

"Something I can help you with, Geoff?", she asked.

"I know you've got a boyfriend, so this isn't about a date, but rather something more informal."

"Oh? How so?"

"I'd thought the Bee had already talked to you about this, but maybe not. Anyway, I have to be out of town next week to attend to some family business, and I need someone to cover my classes while I'm away. This is kind of sudden, and I know you don't have the experience, but would you be willing to fill in at least for one day?"
===========================================
It's enough that Sabrina's now a guidance (& resource) counselor, but a substitute English teacher? Hmmm.

 

[hobbyfan]

Chapter 6:

Later that evening, Sabrina was volunteering at the Victory Garden, since one of the waitresses was ill, and Mr. Weatherbee came in around 7 with Ms. Grundy.

"You're not planning on taking on the extra responsibility of being a teacher, are you?", Grundy asked.

"No, ma'am.", Sabrina replied. "I'm not licensed to be a teacher. I understand someone is coming in, though."

"Yes, Ms. Capshaw, who's filled in for me on many occasions. Kendall will be out at least next week, or so he says."

"You mean you don't believe him, Gerri?", Weatherbee asked.

"There's something wrong with Geoff, Waldo. He's hit on every eligible and ineligible female on campus, Sabrina included, but never talks about his ex-wife, as if he's erased her from his life altogether. He needs to see the school psychiatrist."

"I've spoken to Geoff about his inappropriate advances three times, Gerri, and he approached Sabrina in the parking lot this afternoon, asking her to cover for him, not knowing Ms. Capshaw was due in town tomorrow."
=============================================
But Monday morning came, and Eileen Capshaw never showed up for classes. Weatherbee was forced to announce that anyone scheduled for Kendall's English classes that day would be reassigned to Study Hall.

After work, Sabrina stopped at the Victory Garden, having ordered dinner. Aunt Zelda gave her a message.

"A Ms. Capshaw called around 2 pm.", she said, handing Sabrina a phone number. "Said she was unavoidably detained, but she is unsure if she can report for work tomorrow."

Capshaw also included the address of a hotel where she was staying for the week. Sabrina knew where that was, and arrived there around 7. Reaching Eileen's room on the 5th floor, she found the door was ajar, and quietly entered, morphing into Mystyk as she went. She soon heard some noises from the bedroom, and found Eileen in a most unusual condition.

"You're too late to help me.", she said. "Another two minutes, and I'll be human no more. It's the price I'm paying for returning to Riverdale."

From her neck down, Eileen had been transformed. Her arms & legs were skinnier, and her skin, while smoother, took on more of a plastic sheen. Mystyk concentrated, and did a psi-scan, finding that some sort of transformative serum had been injected into Eileen in the last 48 hours, and was now taking effect. Mystyk telekinetically removed the serum, and reversed the effects, restoring Eileen to her human form.

"Who did this to you?", she asked.

"Some faceless freak who said that he'd already had someone in mind to do his job for him, and that I wasn't supposed to be here. He somehow knew I was coming, and met me at the airport on Saturday night."
=======================================
Returning home, Sabrina contemplated Eileen's words. She then did a Google search on Geoff, suspecting something was amiss.

"There's a reason why he never mentions his ex-wife.", she thought.

The young witch's reverie was interrupted by a telephone call from Grundy.

"Just got a call from Ms. Capshaw. Said some masked woman came to her aid after she started changing into some sort of mannequin-like being, like the thing that accosted her at the airport the other night. She's not the only one, though."

"No?"

"Our newest phys ed teacher, Genni Bryant, disappeared this afternoon after returning home, and she lives in the same building as Geoff Kendall."

"Shouldn't this be a matter for the police, Ms. Grundy?"

"Yes, and they have been contacted, but I suspect there's a means to an end, and you're the end to those means."
=====================================
In chapter 7, we'll learn Geoff's dire secret.

 

[hobbyfan]

Chapter 7:

Interlude: Four and a half months ago.

Geoff Kendall and his wife, Jennifer, had gone on vacation to St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands after the school year ended. In addition to the usual tourist sight-seeing, the Kendalls visited a village fair on the next to last day of the trip.

Geoff happened across a curios dealer, Angelique DuBois, who had a table full of worry men in various varieties---wood, rubber, straw, & plastic. Despite Jennifer's concerns, Geoff bought one of each, paid for the purchase with a credit card, and he & Jennifer left the fair. Once the couple were out of earshot, Angelique's son, Malcolm, emerged from the shop, and whispered something into his mother's ear.

"Forgive them, Lord.", Angelique said. "They know not what they've bought into."

Following instructions that Angelique gave him, Geoff kept the worry men in their boxes, leaving one each in the kitchen, bedroom, den, and garage. However, on September 1, Geoff's curiosity got the better of him, and decided to examine the wooden worry man a little closer. He noticed that there were some sharp points that hadn't been sanded down. Wearing gloves, he pulled out a piece of sandpaper, and removed the worry man from its case. He smoothed over the rough edges, but, just the same, a stray splinter cut through the sandpaper, and penetrated the palm of Geoff's right hand. He dressed the wound, and that, he thought, was the end of it, as he replaced the worry man in its case.

Meanwhile, Angelique had made her way to San Francisco to meet with one of her American vendors, Olga Ocula, Sabrina's cousin, who'd moved her shop to San Francisco three years ago.

"The cursed one is here in America.", she said, referring to the wooden worry man that Geoff now had. "I made a grave mistake, and sold it to a tourist a couple of months ago."

"And there's something that I should know about?", Olga asked.

"Yes. I instructed the customer not to remove the worry men from their cases, especially the cursed wooden one. However, the spirits tell me that he has been infected."
=======================================
Two days later, on the eve of the school year, Jennifer was preparing for bed when she heard some strange noises coming from the living room.

"Geoff? Is that you? Are you hurt?", she called. No answer. She'd had the plastic worry man out briefly, and had replaced it in its case without incident, unaware of what had happened with Geoff. She returned to her bed, and examined the plastic figurine again. There was now a small hole in one of its arms that she hadn't seen before. She rose from the bed, and started again for the door. Once she opened it, she encountered a giant, wooden worry man, who pushed her back to the bed, then produced a needle, with the syringe containing some sort of mysterious serum.

"You.....and......I......are.......over.", he said, haltingly, as he injected the serum into Jennifer's bloodstream. Jennifer collapsed onto the bed, falling fast asleep from shock.
==========================================
The next day was the first day of school, and the first day that Geoff had laid eyes on Sabrina. He lied about Jennifer to physical education teacher Genni Bryant, claiming that Jennifer had filed for divorce, when no such thing had happened. Every chance he got, he eyed up the leggy, platinum haired, new guidance counselor, ignoring the fact that she was already spoken for, and answered directly to Principal Weatherbee. Oh, he found out, alright, that Sabrina was taken, and kept his distance for a time.

Jennifer was unemployed, having lost her waitress job at Frank's Coffee Shop in May, and for some reason, Geoff didn't want her looking for another job, despite the fact that she'd left a resume at Pop's Place two weeks ago. When she finally came to around 10, she noticed she wasn't in her bed anymore. She couldn't speak, either, and found she was in a closet.

Her steps were short and slow as she left the closet, and made her way to the bathroom. One glance in the mirror, and all she could see was a blank face encased in plastic.

"No! What has happened to me?", she thought to herself. Regaining her bearings, she returned to the bedroom, and found the plastic worry man had been returned to its case, but not by her hand.

"Oh, my God!", she thought. She glanced at the bedroom mirror. She was now a life-sized plastic worry girl. The sudden shock caused her to collapse again on the bed. Three hours later, she came to, and began to contemplate her situation.

"Geoff did this to me.", she thought. "He turned to wood, and turned me to plastic. But why?"

When Geoff came home from work two hours later, he saw that Jennifer was "out of her cage", and forcibly put her back in the dark closet, locking her inside.

"Until I can find a cure for my peculiar condition, as well as yours, you cannot be seen in public.", he said.

However, it was another lie. Geoff was smitten with Genni, who lived two floors above them, as much as he was with Sabrina, and would not be satisfied until one or both of them agreed to a date.
==========================================
The present:

Eileen Capshaw returned to Riverdale two days later than planned, on November 6, since the school district was closed on Election Day. She met with Weatherbee and with Sabrina, unaware of the counselor's masked alter-ego as Mystyk.

"I was intercepted at the airport by some faceless man. He looked like a wooden worry man come to life.", she said. "Next thing I know, I felt a twinge in my arm, and he was gone. I didn't think much of it at the time, but on Monday, I couldn't move. I was turning into plastic, powerless to stop it, and then Mystyk showed up, and extracted whatever it was that wooden freak put in me."

"Genni hasn't reported for work today.", Weatherbee said. "Something tells me her problem is directly connected to yours." Without saying a word, Sabrina agreed with Weatherbee's assessment.

"Now I've got work to do after school.", she thought to herself.
======================================
Our cat & mouse game continues in chapter 8.

 

[hobbyfan]

Chapter 8:

After Sabrina left Riverdale High around 4:15, she drove to the apartment building where Genni, Geoff, & Jennifer lived. She found Genni's apartment on the 4th floor. Using a skeleton key to enter, she nearly tripped over Genni, who'd been turned into a rubber worry girl. Like Jennifer, Genni could no longer talk, and now couldn't move. Sabrina lifted her via telekinesis and placed her on the sofa, opening a mind link.

"What exactly happened?", she asked.

"My memory is....getting.......hazy, blurry.", Genni replied mentally. "Last thing I remember, Geoff asked me out on a date. I turned him down, and his parting shot was to put a needle in my arm. Left me one of those worry men he bought on vacation. I was fine when I went to bed last night, but this morning, I was like this. Collapsed to the floor when I tried to leave."

"Concentrate, Genni. I can get you out of this.", Sabrina said, gripping her new friend's hand. She channeled her psionic energy, and, as she did with Eileen, found the entry point Kendall created with the needle, and flushed the serum out of Genni's system, restoring her to her human form.

"Ohh, thank you, Sabrina.", Genni said. "Did I miss anything?"

"Just a day of school. It's going for 4:30."

"Oh, my God. This is all because I turned Geoff down. I've a feeling he did something similar to his own wife."
============================
After assuring Genni everything would be fine, Sabrina quickly departed. She went downstairs to Geoff's apartment. A quick psi-scan showed Geoff hadn't returned home, but she found Jennifer locked in the closet. She teleported inside, and freed Jennifer, repeating what she'd done to free Genni moments earlier.

"Geoff has gone crazy.", Jennifer said. "Once he finds out I've been cured, he'll try to hurt me, then change me back."

"No, he won't, Mrs. Kendall.", Sabrina replied. "I can arrange for a safe house for you and Ms. Bryant to stay overnight while the police deal with your husband."

"How? It's almost as if that wooden worry man is controlling him."

"Maybe."
=========================
Genni & Jennifer were dropped off at the Riverdale YWCA around 5, and Sabrina went on the hunt for Geoff. As soon as she returned to the Spellman mansion, Sabrina put her car in the garage, and changed to Mystyk, figuring it might be to her advantage to track her prey through the air.

Geoff, meanwhile, had returned home to find Jennifer was gone, and a note left on the door.

"Goldwater Park. Tonight at 11. Don't be late."

"Oh, I recognize the handwriting, Sabrina.", Geoff thought. "If you want to play hard to get, I'll play along."

By 11, Geoff, as the Worry Man, had reached Goldwater Park. He shambled into the playground area, not realizing he'd walked right into Sabrina's trap. A red circle appeared where Geoff was standing, with a golden crucifix in the center. Father Albert Santos recited an exorcism incantation in Latin and English. As he did, the spirit inside the wooden worry man left Geoff, forcing the teacher to revert to his human form. Sabrina, as Mystyk, sat on top of the monkey bars.

"It's over, Mr. Kendall.", she said, her mask muffling her voice. "You have much to answer for."

"Do I?", Geoff asked, defiant. "My wife's not good enough for me anymore. I've tried getting to first base with Genni and Sabrina, and they both turned me down. Eileen was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I turned them into worry girls because that way, I could control them. I couldn't get Sabrina, though. She's always been one step ahead, but because of what she is, I had something special planned for her."

Geoff pulled out the straw worry man, and held it in front of Mystyk, whose blank lenses protected her from eye contact. She simply lifted the straw man out of Geoff's hand with mental telepathy as Chief Bolling appeared to place the handcuffs on Geoff.

"What?"

"Your wife called, and said you were holding her prisoner. You lied about her getting a divorce, and now we know why."

By the time Geoff was loaded into the police car, Mystyk was gone.
===========================
A week later, Geoff was officially relieved of his duties at Riverdale. That day, Genni & Sabrina had lunch together in the teachers' lounge.

"I know you're also a witch, so what was Geoff thinking with the straw worry man?", Genni asked.

"His idea was to turn me into a straw worry girl, then kill me, all because I turned him down. He figured, what worked against witches 500 years ago would still work today. Figured if he eliminated me, and kept you, Eileen and Jennifer trapped, no one could stop him."

"So what tripped him up?"

"Ego, and his obsession with me. He thought Jennifer wasn't good enough for him anymore, and going after a younger woman like either one of us was his solution. He just went about it the wrong way."

"Looks like The Bee made a good call hiring you."
==========================
The end.