Twisted Bloodlines || Secret Circle Show

Two: Unwelcome Visitors

Luce avoided Faye like the plague most days. She liked to keep her distance from the trouble-seeking teen as much as possible. With Melissa glued to her side and mischief running through her veins, there wasn't much the junior wouldn't restrain from doing. Luce, on the other hand, liked mischief, but flying under the radar sounded much more appealing.

With her dark-stained lips fixed in a frown, Luce stood in an abandoned house just outside the city's limits. Faye's group liked to spend much of their free time in the rundown home. What they were up to? Well, Luce knew exactly what.

Diana Meade was a perky brunette who had found her family's book of shadows just before the start of summer. With the help of her boyfriend, Adam Conant, she had rounded up the descendants of families from her book: Nicholas Armstrong, Melissa Glaser, and Faye Chamberlain -- bloodlines from their very own Chance Harbor witching circle. Luce had been close to Nick when they were younger. Both had been blonde troublemakers and would wreak havoc on his older brother from time to time. Now, they were practically strangers that wouldn't share secrets -- like that of hidden magical powers.

Luce would know, she had yet to break the news to him herself.

The wooden floors creaked as she made her way further inside. Up the stairs and to the left was the doorway to a big, open room with knickknacks strewn about. She eyed the withering support beams -- like every time she would make the trip. Anyone could easily see there were places where walls had been knocked down to make a bigger commons area. There were flower boxes on tables lining two of the walls of an alcove-like corner. Though, instead of housing marigolds and roses, the boxes held different species of herbs and even stranger plants attempting to thrive under heating lamps swinging from the low-hanging rafters.

The group's witch-y hideout almost channeled the same vibe as Luce's attic bedroom, but she had been working on her's longer, and she was much more resourceful. Luce let her fingers skim the table before recoiling in disgust of the grime coating her fingers. The group really needs to take better care of their 'secret' hideout.

Luce slipped a water bottle out of her rucksack as she wondered around the alcove. The liquid within was a deep shade of emerald green. She moved back to the plants and poured the potion at the base of the various stems. As the potion seeped into the dirt and roots, the leaves of many scattered plants began to flourish wider and turn brighter shades of their original colors.

Before the satisfaction of her achievement had sunk in, a thud from outside had her moving toward a window overlooking the front of the house. Luce strained to get a view of the road beyond a thicket of trees. A figure spilled out of the foliage and made their way down a worn-out path of trampled waist-high weeds. Just as the figure reached the steps of the porch, three more muffled thuds echoed from the road. The figure turned to peer behind him yet didn't seem worried as more people poured out onto the path. They all converged on the porch and proceeded to disappear into the house.

Luce shuffled back from the window and the door to the room. She could faintly hear more shuffling parading through the house and toward the staircase. One of her hands plunged into her bag while the other placed the empty bottle onto the tabletop. She pulled a small crystal vial from a side pocket. Unlike her water bottle filled with growth potion, the deep amber liquid within the vial was quickly tipped back and swallowed once the cork had been pried off.

She shoved the vial back into her bag and continued to shuffle farther into the room only to freeze in her tracks as the door swung open. Adam Conant trudged into the room first. He ran his fingers through his dark hair and down his face. Faye soon followed him into the room, but Nick and Melissa took a few moments longer to stride into the room.