Janice's mind was reeling, her son, her precious little boy stolen on the day of his sister's birthday! How could someone be so evil as to steal one child and ruin another's birthday! Kat was always destined to remember her 18th birthday for the rest of her life, but it wasn't supposed to be filled with the shadow of her brother's disappearance!
"It may not have been kidnapping." her inner monologue whispered. "Younger children and girls get kidnapped, seldom young men..." the voice whispered venomously... on cue, a simultaneous multitude of horrid visions assailed her, flashing before her eyes. Struck while walking to his girlfriends house, lying in a ditch, alone and scared, driver entirely unaware. Her son exploring, climbing a tree and falling, injuring himself, bleeding out and dying alone. Bullies roughhousing, it goes too far, they didn't mean to do any real damage but they leave him unaware his wounds are mortal injuries and he needs help.
So much unknown, everything is wrong, "Divine Mistress Hecate, she of three forms and three faces feel me and aid me as you can! I call to the mother of magic, I call to you in desperation and despair. Where is my son?!?!" Her prayer escaped with no immediate effect, heavy sobs started from a light whimper but quickly overtook her. She poured out her emotions and in the empty room she seemed to feel a phantom embrace. The warmth intensified and glyphs etched long ago, when the house was first purchased and hopes of starting a family were just a dream, glowed brightly.
Unaware of time's passing, Janice only realized breathing was becoming a challenge as her ugly crying filled her sinuses with boogers. She retreated to the bathroom, eyes bleary, everything seemed off. She grabbed tissue paper and blew her nose, finding the process unfamiliar and difficult... but the task was accomplished, and as soon as she inhaled, she was assailed by a myriad of smells.
In surprise she looked in the mirror, at the moment she was an anthropomorphic dog creature, but turning more dog and less human as the seconds passed... She was shocked, initially she thought a curse was laid upon her but she soon realized her prayers were being answered! Hecate's companion creature was a dog and this was the goddess showing Janice she was not alone, perhaps even trying to guide her!
Awkwardly Janice hurried up the stairs to her son's room, stumbling several times as she was between bipedal and quadrapedal. manipulating the door to her sons room as best as she could with disappearing thumbs she sniffed around... teen boy smelled fragrant... but his scent was overpowering and unmistakable in this space, specifically the bed. His discarded clothes were also fresh but smelled different somehow... her daughters scent hung faintly from it but also something else all together. If only she had the power to turn back time.
The strange smell didn't take her any further, and she was now fully canine... she plodded out of Daniel's room and into Kat's. No smell of Daniel but the very faint sent of that something else. there were so many more smells in Kat's room. Perfume, lotion, Shampoo, detergent, and the recently burned incense from becoming a full witch woman... Janice smiled filled with joy and pride for her daughter. For thoroughness she also checked the upstairs bathroom and her bedroom finding nothing of note... Finally, she went back downstairs nearly falling down the stairs several times, finding she can smell last night's dinner as if it was just taken from the oven...
Her canine instincts couldn't help but be distracted by the kitchen. It took several minutes but she dissected all the ingredients from dinner. garlic, onion, sage, pepper, vegetables, the turkey... Oh! That turkey was the unfamiliar smell! She stopped herself, she was drooling and distracted from finding her son! She checked the living room... the turkey sent was strong here too... Several spaces on the floor as though the raw turkey was dropped, or bounced on the floor... but even stranger was the couch! The couch did not smell like the house!
It was as if their old couch disappeared and this couch's only use was from moments ago when she was crying! But couch had been in the living room for years, just as long as... She went over to the matching chair, it smelled like the family... the dust on the entertainment center smelled like the family, along with the wood polish they use. The blanket, the plant, the pictures.... everything is normal except for that couch! A low growl and bark slipped out of her in frustration... Something took her son from her and foul play is involved! She unleashed a torrent of barks at the couch in ineffectual rage.
Her mind was reeling as she paced and contemplated, what could she do? A locator spell is very limited in range but maybe the new couch IS her son? This imposter couch lends heavily into the suspicion of magic, or some very big conspiracy to replace an existing 10 year old couch. She found that her body had been restored, she had been guided by Hecate. She released a grateful prayer to her deity.
Rapidly she prepared her alter and cast a locator spell, to her surprise she felt a tug. It was faint, daylight was when the powers of Hecate were at their weakest, but she was a woman possessed and her spiritual force powered the spell and she accepted the cost. She was pulled back toward the kitchen, then out the door and to the garbage bin. She tossed the bin finding little more than normal garbage and last night's turkey carcass.
The spell seemed to falter, she clutched the phone and thought of her son and every detail about him, his likes and dislikes, his sense of humor, how he and his sister bickered like siblings do. The spell seemed to refocus leading her back inside, upstairs, and to Janice's surprise, past Danny's room and into Kat's space. The small mote of light only she could see, representing the guide of the locator spell, sat in the center of the room and slowly expanded, weakening. This was Danny's last detectable location?
Janice looked at the space again, no longer overwhelmed by the variety of smells, she saw that Kat had moved her dresser, hamper, and posters leaving a big empty space in the décor and flow of the room. Having been a teenage witch herself, she knew what this was, the private sanctum spell.
A small extra dimensional space that allowed time to move faster within... She had mentioned it to Kat as a recommended first conjuring during the ceremony the night before Kat's birthday when everything was explained. Having a place to have a good cry for as long as she needed, where she can study magic or take a nap without time passing, and honestly a place to get ready each morning without running late is a must have for every young witch.
Janice's confusion was growing stronger by the minute, a detect magic incantation showed the faint dusting of the incense Kat had used, the private sanctum entrance appeared exactly where she anticipated but nothing else illuminated. No signs of struggle, but this was Danny's last detectable location.
She ran down to look at the couch, It shimmered like a Christmas tree, but that wasn't Danny's last location... Janice's heart froze in terror.
Unless Kat seriously botched the spell, given that Danny had been missing for more than a minute, if he was trapped in the sanctum, he'd be dead and dust by now... living things don't survive in the sanctum... It's good for a nap, it's good for a study, its good for a think, it's not good for a night in the outside world...