Equinox

Prologue

November 8, 2004

They all stood together at the bottom of the hill. The world was on the precipice of winter, cold and brittle like the last few leaves too stubborn to fall.

Lloches Forest encompassed the northmost portion of Clovewood, where the Xantara Household had resided since Connecticut's founding.

This particular morning felt colder than it should've.

Charlotte Xantara was the last to emerge from the cobblestone cottage house on the extensive property, rubbing her hands to get them warm and hugging her torso as if to compress herself into something smaller.

Smoke gradually rose from the small chimney, permeating the air with the scent of burning wood.

Deanna's favorite, she remembered, wincing.

Some wore black, but many wore white for the occasion, especially those from the East.

The twenty-year-old brunette clenched her teeth behind her lips as she approached the burial site, not ready to reopen the wound that still ached.

Her twin was gone. No longer would her dearest denim-eyed sister sneak through Charlotte's window to recount her latest adventures.

Despite Charlotte's shortcomings as a witch, her sister was one of the few that had seen her as whole.

Charlotte looked down into her sister's grave tears immediately springing to her eyes.

Even in death, Deanna was beautiful.

Worst of all was her only child, Willow, on her hands and knees staring longingly down into the hole as if she wished she could nestle into her mother's side.

The thought made Charlotte visibly shudder. "Willow..." she tried to coax, but it was no use.

Willow wouldn't budge. Tears streamed down her face but she was silent.

The chilly breeze was lightly playing with the long strands of her raven hair, so much like her mother's. It took everything Charlotte had to be strong for her little niece, far too young for a loss this immense.

Charlotte forced herself to imagine another scenario. If Willow cried for Deanna as she always did, surely her wise sister would wake up and laugh. Deanna would apologize for staying up so late and falling asleep before she could finish telling Willow her bedtime story.

And then everything would be fine.

The crowd parted in the middle as an older woman of shorter stature made her way to the front. She was dressed in shimmering greens, warm browns, and soothing blues. Gaia was in mourning but didn't hesitate to wear a brave face, for both her daughter and granddaughter.

Everyone linked forearms in a circle around the grave as Gaia began. She said a few words. Some in English, some that weren't, and as was the custom, every person, young and old, got down on their knees around the opening of the hole and cupped the freshly dug soil into their hands, tossing it into the grave.

The first to be buried was the acorn placed in Deanna's cupped palms.

The next was her chest, the rich dirt cocooning her crossed arms and torso like a blanket.

Last Deanna's legs and feet, until she appeared to be someone buried in sand at the beach, completely covered except for her face.

This was done until the fair-skinned woman was swallowed by the earth completely.

Willow ripped herself from Charlotte's arms and ran, sobbing and crying for a mother that couldn't hear her.

Charlotte gasped, then shivered when cold air was taken into her lungs. "Willow!" she cried, but the girl just kept running.