Episode 4: forbidden magic

episode 4: forbidden magic is the fourth episode of Known Unknowns.

1 ~ Prologue (What's Going On?)
The chapter begins with a flashback to November 2013. Nadia and Allen have officially started dating. Nadia wants to tell Summer that they have gotten together. When they arrive, they find that Summer's locker is completely empty, as Anja walks by and scowls at Nadia.

2 ~ Kind Of Our Whole Thing
In the present day, September 19, 2016. Nadia is in the backseat of Anja's car, preparing to go back to school after staying home for four days to avoid anybody. While Nadia and Anja are waiting for Kaz, Anja gives word of encouragement to Nadia. Kaz arrives, and the three head off for school.

3 ~ A Spectacular Bisexual Supernova
Right before entering the school, Nadia begins to hesitate. Kaz comforts Nadia and gives her a pep-talk, gearing her up for her day. Nadia enters the school and after speaking with Summer, and agreeing to walk home together for the first time in a while, Nadia meets with Annette at their lockers. Annette gives Nadia an anti-forbidden bone magic pamphlet, believing that she is performing bone magic, before the two head off to class.

4 ~ Apology Candy
In class, Mr. Sherbourne is showing off compilation videos to "de-stress" the class. After school, Nadia and Summer chat with each other for the first time in a long while. They talk about how much has changed since then, and Summer's life during public school.

5 ~ You Sound Pretty Haunted To Me
The next day, during the Middleman meeting, Nadia begins to give up on the ghost case. However, Kaz realizes multiple cemeteries that have been abandoned or closed, and the two begin to investigate these cemeteries online. Their search leads them to Richview Memorial Cemetery, located near a highway interchange, which Nadia and Kaz agree to investigate.

6 ~ Top Secret
While at school the next day, Anja asks Nadia about her and Kaz's mission, and agree to meet up to finish their French assignment.

7 ~ Anti-Trespassing
After school, Anja and Kaz arrive at Richview Memorial Cemetery at Highway 427. Nadia and Kaz find a disturbed grade from 1862, realizing that this must be where the spell caster was getting their bones. Nadia begins to have a panic attack as Kaz tries to calm her down.

8 ~ A Calm And Friendly Tone Of Voice
They head to Kaz's house to let Nadia calm back down again. Anja chats to Nadia about her panic attacks, and reveals to her what she and Kaz have been doing. Afterwards, Kaz drives Nadia home.

9 ~ My Own Opinion
The next day, Nadia and Kaz are recruiting for the Middleman, which isn't going well. Anja invites Nadia to watch field hockey practice and she decides to head over and join Anja. While on her way to the field, Sherbourne talks to Nadia, letting her know that he is here to help her if she needs it, which Nadia politely declines. Nadia makes her way to the field where she hangs out with Anja. The two watch hockey practice, as Anja's friends, Amy and Aubrey come and greet Nadia and the four have a nice chat together.

10 ~ More Nice
The next night, Nadia and arrives at Anja's house to work on the French assignment. Kaz leaves to go the burger zone with Miles, and Anja and Nadia begin to work on the assignment. After ordering dinner and completing the assignment, Nadia finds a torrent of an episode of Passiondale, a popular high school drama. Nadia convinces Anja to let them watch it together, and the two begin. The two comment on Passionadle while watching, and after a while, share a kiss.

11 ~ Already?
The next morning, after sleeping together, Kaz walks into the room and find Anja and Nadia together. They run back out the room, surprised that Anja and Nadia are already dating after having hated each other just the other week.

12 ~ This Represents An Improvement
On Monday, Nadia and Anja hand in their French assignment, and D  Rouillé accepts the homework, reinstating their speaking privileges. Allen is outside, and asks whether Nadia hates him, which Nadia answers indifferently.

13 ~ Extra Credit
The next day, Nadia and Kaz are working late on the newspaper again, with Anja staying with them. While they're working, Kaz realizes that the mysterious bone burner is back. They decide to catch the hooded figure in the act, and report them to the police, and follow the figure into the North Wing to investigate. They follow the figure into the auditorium and are shocked to find that it is Mr. Sherbourne, who has been using the spell to speak to his dead family member, Alain.

Mr. Sherboune notices Nadia and Kaz hiding, and tells them to come out, but does not see Anja. He asks the two what they're doing, to which Nadia and Kaz wonder the same. He attempts to bribe Nadia and Kaz with good grades if they stay silent, but threatens to get them in trouble if they don't. Nadia tells Mr. Sherbourne that they know he is summoning ghosts, to which reveals that the spell actually puts the spell-caster in a liminal state to communicate with the dead, and that they are reflections of the caster's own fixations and memories. He is just about to leave when Nadia intervenes, preventing Mr. Sherbourne from being able to see Anja. She hands Mr. Sherbourne the "Say 'No!' To Forbidden Bone Magic" that Annette gave Nadia earlier. Nadia tells Sherbourne that life can get better if one seeks out help, to which Sherbourne retaliates and tells Nadia that she doesn't understand the complexities of adulthood. Anja then jumps out and throws a raccoon at Mr. Sherbourne, and the three teens escape and Sherbourne flails around and knocks over his equipment.

Smoke begins to fill the hallway, and the three have difficulty trying to orientate themselves as the smoke spreads everywhere. After running around, attempting to evade Mr. Sherbourne, they break open a window and attempt to get some fresh air and find a way out. Eventually, the three end up on the awning of the front steps of the school. Kaz leaps down, and Mr. Sherbourne exits and grabs them. Nadia and Anja leap down and attempt to stop him.

Suddenly, a police car arrives, which Mr. Sherbourne flags down. He attempts to tell the police officers that the three were trying to jump off the building, but gets pepper-sprayed by the arresting officer. While Anja and Kaz are giving statements, Summer arrives and chats with Nadia.

14 ~ Epilogue (Deep Breaths)
A week later, Nadia and Kaz are walking to the newspaper office. Their story had been censored, and the two are not allowed to publish the story, and the Toronto Sun beats them to it. As they arrive at the office, they find a crows of students all interested in seeing the censored issue. The students express interest, and Nadia and Kaz recruit them into the Middleman.

Nadia realizes that she must now manage the new team as Editor-in-Chief, and prepares a new to-do list for the year with Kaz.

Trivia

 * During a conversation with Olivia Kwon Nadia can discuss her favourite sushi place, this choice will be saved and can be brought up again when Nadia and Anja decide what to eat for dinner.
 * One of the possible sushi place choices, "the basement one," is a reference to an actual mall with food court. The mall is called Shops at Aura and includes a food court with only one restaurant. During the time Known Unknowns was written, the restaurant in the food court was called Kaiju and served curry.