The Circle

Chapter Two

"Starshine." I looked at Granny. "You are to stay away from Amelia Blake. If you pass her in the street you don't even look at her." She sighed before looking at Grams and Grammy who came to stand on either side of her. "Amelia Blake no longer exists in our eyes anymore."

That's when I finally understood why Jane Blake looked at my family like she couldn't stand us. Why she never mentioned her daughter around certain people in this town. People like us who were witches. There's only one reason why a fellow witch, even one who doesn't have magic anymore no longer exists in a witch's eyes. It wasn't like we acted as if they died, more like they were never born in the first place. Amelia Blake had been shunned and as the leading family, we were the ones who had done it.

_______

After finding out about the Blake's I went to my room. Sitting in my window seat and looking out over the sea I thought about everything. I had never come across a shunned witch before. All witches make mistakes but the circle wasn't just for practicing magic. It was a family. To be cast out, shunned, where everyone you knew acted like you were never born. I shook my head. It wasn't just those you grew up with that did it. When a witch is shunned a mark settles on them. Not one you could see but every witch, even different types of witches they come across after could feel it. Could feel that they had been shunned. You didn't exist to any witch after. I couldn't imagine it. What had Amelia done to deserve being shunned?

Closing my eyes, I blocked the question out. Shunning witches was not something that happened regularly, it never has been. For it to happen the witch must have done something unforgivable, something that would go against everything they knew was right. Something that could never be forgotten.

With this information, my life had just gotten even more complicated.

I was brought out of my thoughts by a knock sounding on the door. Turning to look I saw Grammy standing there with a plate full of chocolate chip cookies. She walked in, grabbing and pulling my desk chair along with her as she passed it. She came to a stop in front of me and sat down.

"I brought you something to eat." I offered her a small smile not feeling all that hungry. She must have seen it on my face because she sighed and placed the plate next to me.

"Talk to me Little Raven. I can't help you if you don't."

Pulling my legs up while being careful not to knock the plate I rested the side of my head against them. Looking at her I knew she was worried about me. "I don't understand. I've been trying to but I don't. I do not understand what she could have done that was so bad that it would have called for a shunning." I said closing my eyes. I opened them again as a hand started to stroke my hair. "I finally get why Jane doesn't like Grams. She's a born Ravenwood, born to the first leading family. Did she or?" I left the question hanging in the air. I couldn't picture the woman who helped raise me shunning anybody.

She shook her head. "No she didn't. She was going to but your Grandpa Xavier beat her to it." I nodded. Grandpa was Grams son and Grammy's husband. He died when I was nine in a car crash which I survived.

"What else is bothering you?"

I smiled lifting my head. Grammy always knew me so well. All my them did. "This is just another thing I have to keep from them. They are all going to feel that Amelia has been shunned and none of them are going to understand why they feel the need to stay away from her." I shook my head, "And that's the worst part. They won't understand it. They will go along with what they are feeling but they won't know why. They're not like me. I grew up hearing stories about shunning's. I know what to expect." I looked at her as a tear made its way down my cheek. "Another thing to pretend I know nothing about. Another lie."

She immediately pulled me into her arms. "It's going to be ok."

"What if it's not?" I whispered burying my face into her shoulder. "You guys were right I should have told them months ago."

"If you remember Little Raven we were the ones who also stopped you from telling them when they first found out about being witches. Maybe if we hadn't stopped you, you wouldn't be feeling like this right now. You being in this position is our fault Solstice." She responded, I could hear the regret in her voice. Looking up at her I saw it on her face as well.

"You were protecting this family. All of you were. Now I just need to figure out a way to tell them without telling them why I couldn't tell them in the beginning." I sighed burying my face back into her shoulder. "They're going to hate me."

She sighed pulling away and placed her hands on either side of my face. "I know it's hard, but everything is going to turn out fine. When it comes to telling them everything we've decided that you should tell them after the circle has been bound. That way you can tell them the reason why you couldn't tell them at the beginning." She spoke.

"What if they react badly?" I asked. It sounded like a good plan but I've been lying to them for six months. Even though it was to protect my family it wouldn't stop them from hating me.

"You are the leader Rivera. You are not always going to be liked. Protecting the circle, our family and even Chance Harbor itself comes first. Not being liked comes with the job sometimes." Before she could say anything else my phone started to vibrate. Pulling away I got up and grabbed it from my desk. Seeing that it was from James I opened it as another one but from Chris came up as well.

'Emergency! Come to house. Diana bringing Blake's!' I gripped the phone tighter after reading it. Diana had no right to bring the Blake's to the House. She had no right to make us tell them. Opening the text from Chris I became even more angry.

'Urgent! Needed at House now!'

"What? What's happened?" Grammy's voice broke through the anger I was feeling.

"Diana has decided that she is the leader now." Grammy looked at me confused as I pulled on a jacket and some shoes. "She has personally decided without informing any of us that the Blake's should be told. Diana is currently bringing them to the house right now." I added causing her expression to change to anger. "I'm going to kill her. First I find out Faye and Melissa have been starting noticeable fires that could hurt people and now I have Diana making decisions for all of us. We do not even know if they know already or if they can be trusted." I ranted as I grabbed several books and objects and shoved them into an empty long strapped shoulder bag.

"You need to deal with this. You need to make them know who the leader is." Grammy said standing up.

I nodded. "Your right about telling them Grammy. I'm going to tell them after the circle has been bound and I don't care how they react. I'm sick and tired of cleaning up their messes, messes they shouldn't even be making. I've had enough of it before we went on holiday and I am not spending my entire life doing it."

My phone vibrated again causing me to look down. It was a message from Kylie Henderson, one of Chris and Doug's younger sisters.

'Please get here soon, everybody is arguing.'

"I've got to go Grammy." She nodded hugging me quickly.

"Your Grandmothers and I are going to visit Jane and run some errands. We don't know when we will be back."

"Cya Grammy." Closing my eyes, I pictured a place in the woods I go to regularly. To be honest I couldn't be bothered to walk, especially when it looked like things were growing out of hand there already. After I had a clear picture in my head I felt like my body was floating. When I opened them, I was in the woods, exactly where I wanted to be.