"How...how could...what was that thing?!" Gabby stammered, still in shock over what was just witnessed. She was certain that nightmares where a giant fucking arm reached out to tear her house down were going to haunt her for quite some time after this.
Then she remembered something. Glinda - where was Glinda? Would she still be around? Would Gabby even still be able to effectively cast her spells, would she even need to practice? What if the only reason Gabby had the talent was because Bellum Letale was in existence and she was meant to be here - now it was gone, so was her talent gone as well?
"No," she gasped, feeling her stomach twist and turn, dismounting off the balance beam. What was she supposed to do now? All she was good for was looking pretty and shopping for shoes? That couldn't be true, but she couldn't progress with her magic without Glinda.
A shield wasn't necessary now so Gabby didn't bother to create one. Instead, she ducked back into the limo and rummaged around in her bag until she found the hexenspiegel charm, which was meant to provide personal protection against negative energy and ill will. Quickly, she gripped it in her hand, closing her eyes and whispering the words she knew that would give the charm a charge. Then she opened her hands and the charm glowed for a moment, a brief flash of light. That meant she still had her magic, so she breathed a sigh of relief (for now) and put the necklace on, pulling her mass of curly hair over one shoulder so it wouldn't get caught in the chain.
She reached for Bran's hand, clasping it in between both of hers. He was all she had, really - the person she felt the closest to in the building. Something told her that she should find Joanie and check on her, but Joanie hadn't known she was talking to Gabby at the masquerade - and she told her to stay away because of the Wicked Witch. It wasn't like it mattered much now, however, but there was still a chance they weren't completely rid of their fables yet.
"Okay...okay...alright..." She took a few deep breaths. "A plan of action would be good." Gabby figured that a hotel would suffice for now, or she could just pack what she had in her car and drive home for a bit, until she found a new place to live. But what about Bran? Bran and his solitary musician self and his crappy cooking skills and living off of take-out! She would take him with her if he wanted, she decided. At least he'd get fed well down there with that southern home cooking.