The Other Doppelgänger

The Funeral

    It was the day after the phone call. We were in the car heading to Nana's house. After his breakdown yesterday, dad had been fine, a little more anti-social than usual, but fine. The funeral was tomorrow. Due to the fact that Nana had wanted her magic renewed, the funeral had to be within a week of her death. To have one's magic renewed means to have it taken from a witch's body and dispersed among the individual's living relatives. Nana always told me that despite the reason I was created, I was me, and I was special despite the fact that every one of my physical aspects not including my birthmark makes me not special. She said that the reason I was created is barbaric, but it was because my ancestors were desperate at the time. She said that they knew what would happen, and that they needed hope, that they needed something that might help change the future.

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It was today, as much as I wish it wasn't it was today. Today was Nana's funeral, and if that wasn't enough tonight was her renewal ceremony. As her closest living female relative, it is my duty to perform the Renewal. Tonight at midnight, when all magic is the strongest, when a vampires' strength is at its peak, when a human has control of their wolf's urges is when I must perform the Renewal. By doing so, I will be calling upon the magic that lingers in my grandmother's body, and dispersing it upon her magical relatives. However due to the fact that I am the only of her magical relatives, all of her magic will fall upon me until one of the males in our family has a daughter that will undoubtedly posses magic.

I am brought out of my musings by a knock on my bedroom door, I have always had a room at my Nana's house. Hurrying to fix my makeup, I unlock the door with a simple thought. My dad walks in, a small smile on his face, and informs me that I need to hurry because people are coming. "Bells, you're going to be okay, I promise." "I don't want you to promise me that." "Okay." He sighs, leaving my room. "You are fine. You are fine." I repeat to myself, but the raging monsoon outside states otherwise. Nana always taught me to have my emotions under control, because I cannot allow my adversaries to simply know my emotions by looking into the sky. I brought up her lessons, and simply cutting everything off. I decide to pull a Rose Hathaway and pull on my "guardian mask". The rain suddenly stops, I call the sun forth, and walk out of my room.

For the next few hours I go through the pleasantries. "Thank you" "I'm doing good" Came out of my mouth more times than I can possibly count, and my cheeks hurt from the fake smile I put on. Finally, I stop hearing "I'm sorry for your loss" and realize that I'm the only one in the funeral home. Quickly I go to my bag, pull out my family grimoire collect the candles, and recite the ancient Latin incantation.

"Majoribus Ida cygni messis dicam tibi in adiutorium meum usum magicum posterum

Uestra conciliati auxilioque vocare te mihi ministraret maiorum messem Idae amet

Patribus Isabella Swan Ultimus eu invocant te

Me in illa mundi innovatione magicis cygni solent messis

Et ego in te maiores cal"

All of the sudden, the lights go out, the flames on the candles flare up, and I hear the joyous voice of my grandmother. "Thank you, you will be strong enough. I know you will, for I have seen it, and it will be done!" Were Ida Swan's last words to me.

I can feel my Nana's magic running through my veins, it is warm, it is familiar, it is home.

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For some outrageous reason, we are having one of those three day funerals, and today, being the second day it is the service part, or at least that's what I think it is. Charlie had wanted to speak, but I said that I would do it instead. So I spoke. I spoke of the times when I would fall, and she would pick me up. I spoke of the weekends I would spend at her house, and we would bake cookies, and cakes. I spoke of her kindness, of her bravery, and of her fierceness.

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It was the day that my beloved Nana would be buried. I haven't shed a tear in two days. I refuse to show weakness in front of anyone. I will not cry out of respect for my grandmother. Legally, she was killed in an "animal attack" but I know that she was killed by a vampire and I will kill whomever it was. I will make them wish for death. Dressed in a black dress with black flats, I walked out into the cemetery, ignoring the souls that still lingered, bound to this planes seeking my aid in releasing them.

It was then that I felt it. Walking up to my Nana's coffin to place a simple red rose, I felt the death in the air. I could tell that everyone of magical heritage felt it too. Everyone but Charlie, whom I know was too consumed in his grief to care. I had been wearing charms to keep up the appearance that everyone was familiar with, but sadly it only worked on humans. So when I felt the feeling of death become far more pungent than it was before, I turned around for I knew exactly what creature could give off such a feeling of death and decay.

When I turn around, all I can do is stare, because I know the individual I see. It is a vampire. And I know what he wants.