The weeks fall into routine as I learn about what each of the girls and everyone else living here is like. In a matter of three weeks it feels as though I’ve been living here for ages. All the inhabitants of the house have taken to me and treat me like their mother by telling me where they’re going and helping with chores. I’ve never felt so content but the nagging reminder of the family I’ve left is a constant strain on me.
The girls are angels and each has different quirks that make them special. Jessie is shy and reserved at times but once she likes someone she’ll open up more. It didn’t take me as long as I thought for her to open up to me completely. She’s delicate but will protect her sisters without a second thought. Julie is the more mischievous of the twins but Julia is the sneakier. They love secrets and know all the secrets of those living in the house and when visitors come the twins always give me the scope on them before they set foot in the door. Jillian is a sweetheart that isn’t as shy as Jessie or as outgoing as the twins. She’s simply a loving little girl that’s eager to please everyone.
Most of our days are spent enjoying the summer before they start school again in the fall. I start each morning feeding everyone breakfast from eight to nine and then the older ones go out to work or do whatever they do for the day while I keep the girls entertained. They love being outside and I’ve taken them to the park and to the zoo several times. Mike goes everywhere with us when we leave the property, which is extensive, and though he’s like a quiet shadow I’ve managed to break him out of his shell some. Someone left him that much I know, and I’m assuming it’s Amari, whoever she is.
Several times the girls have asked to go to the beach which lies just passed the rock bluffs at the edge of the property. From one side of the house you can see the ocean and I’m lucky that I can see it from my room. I’ve managed to distract the girls every time they’ve begged to go to the beach but sooner or later I know I’m going to have to take them. Facing my fears and doing what I know I should.
~
“ECHO!” Julie screams and I can hear the pounding of several pairs of feet as the girls come running into the kitchen as I clean up from breakfast. Tanya and Peter wave goodbye as the head out the doors after helping me clean up. The girls skid to a stop in front of me each wearing their bathing suit.
I wipe my hands on a towel and pull my hair up in a messy bun on my head, “What is it my little doves?” They all smile at my nickname for them. They asked why I called them that once and I told them that doves are pretty white birds that symbolize peace and love. They are my little drops of love and thus my doves.
“We want to go to the beach today? Please, pretty please?” they crowd around me begging and hanging off me like monkeys.
“Alright, alright!” I laugh and manage to untangle myself. “Go and fetch Mike and tell Jack where we’re going. I have to get my bathing suit on and grab some towels and sunscreen. Make sure to invite anyone else who might want to come, too!” I shout after them as they dash off threw the house shouting for Mike and Jack.
I go to my bedroom to change and end up searching through several draws before I find my one and only bathing suit. It’s a little red bikini that Chad said would make guys’ eyes drop out of their sockets. When I saw it I rolled my eyes but Chad was the one who bought me my wardrobe so I let him buy it thinking that I’d never have to wear it. Now here I am about to put it out and go out in semipublic wearing it. Muttering curses under my breath I strip and put it on throwing a cover up on over it before leaving my room.
I pack a bag with toys, towels, and sunscreen. Then I pack a basket with a lunch for all of us going. Finally I head onto the back porch where the girls are gathered with Mike and Kyle and Maddie. The girls squeal when they see me and I have to set down the basket and bag so that I can catch Jillian in my arms and brace myself for the twins to grab my legs. “ECHO! Can we leave now?”
“Okay we can head out my little doves!” I motion to the stuff and Kyle and Mike each grab and item hefting them up as if they weigh nothing. Maddie giggles and scoops Jillian out of my arms to give her a piggy back ride while the twins race on ahead and Jessie grabs my hand so that we can swing it back and forth as we walk. “What would you like to sing?” Jessie has a great voice but she’s shy about who she sings around and will normally only sing if I’m singing with her. She says I have a siren’s voice as do most of them… if only they knew the truth.
“Do you know any Kesha?” Jessie asks as we follow the other down the path to the beach.
“Do I know any Kesha? What kind of question is that? Of course I do!” Jessie blushes and looks away but I squeeze her hand reassuringly and then start belting out some Kesha for her.
“I am in love,
With what we are,
Not what we should be.
And I am,
I am starstruck.
With every part,
Of this whole story.
So if it's just tonight,
The animal inside,
Let it live and die.
Like it's the end of time,
Like everything inside,
Let it live and die.
This is our last chance,
Give me your hands.
'Cause our world is spinning at the speed of light.
The night is fading, heart is racing.
Now just come and love me like we're gonna die.
Oh.
I'm not asleep, I'm up for the fight
Into the magic.
And I don't, want the concrete.
I am alive.
Comes with the tragic.
So if it's just tonight,
The animal inside,
Let it live and die.
This is our last chance, Give me your hands.
'Cause our world is spinning at the speed of light.
The night is fading, heart is racing.
Now just come and love me like we're gonna die.
Oh.
Oh.
Da da da da da da.
Oh.
This is our last chance, Give me your hands.
'Cause our world is spinning at the speed of light.
The night is fading, heart is racing.
Now just come and love me like we're gonna die. Oh.
Oh. Oh. Oh.”
We laugh and sing our voices mingling in a pretty contrast since mine is throaty and melodic and hers is young and light. The others sing along when they know the words and dance as we make our way to the beach. When our feet hit the sand the girls scream and shout in delight and take off for the water without even glancing back. I release Jessie’s hand and let her run off with her sisters as they splash into the water.
“Where do you want the stuff?” asks Mike as he walks up beside me.
I look around surveying the picturesque beach laid out before me, “Over there so we’ll be close enough to the water but the tide won’t hit us when it comes in.” I point to where I want the stuff and we all head over there and the guys put it down before shedding their shirts and heading out to the water where the girls are. Maddie and I exchange a look before laying out the towels and setting up an umbrella. We sit and talk for about an hour before the girls come running and screaming for me.
“What is it my little doves?” I ask as they collapse on top of me in a mass of wet bodies.
“You haven’t come in and swam with us yet!” whines Jillian her face inches from mine as she sits on my chest.
Julie and Julia are crowding on either side of me hanging off my arms as I’m lying on the towel, “Yeah we want to swim with you!” They beg and cajole for a couple more minutes and I enjoy their innocent begging until I feel someone lifting me up dumping the girls off me and hefting me onto their shoulder.
I let out a shriek in response, “Mike you put me down the instant!” Mike only laughs in response as he carries me out into the water and then throws me out into the waves.
The moment I hit the water it’s like being welcomed home. Under the surface of the waves it’s peaceful and quiet. The water swirls around me teasing my hair from its ponytail and letting it loose. I can feel the pull of the sea calling me to come even farther out and join with it fully releasing my inner form but I push those thoughts away. Instead I simply enjoy the feeling of being as closer to home as I’ll ever be able to get again. The sea has been my haven since I was little. Nothing bad could touch me here and it would hide me from my family even if it didn’t want to. The sea was mine to control and like a willful spirit it had a temper that only I could control.
After what seems like seconds underwater I surface breaking the water with a graceful, Ariel-like hair flip. The moment I open my eyes I see panic looks on the faces of everyone as they stare at me. I’m not as far out as I thought but it still takes me a couple minutes to swim back to shore and the moment I do I’m surrounded by talking, crying, and hugging. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”
“You were underwater for six minutes!” Mike says shaking my shoulder and staring me intently in the eyes. “We were afraid that you couldn’t swim and had drowned! What they hell happened to you, Echo? You scared us to death! Jack and everyone else would have my head if I accidently killed you!”
I laugh shakily in response and kiss the girls gathering them close as I respond, “I’ve always been an excellent swimmer and I grew up on the beach. My lung capacity is superb but I didn’t even realize how long I had been under or I would have surfaced sooner! I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to scare you all!”
With some more reassuring words and promises not to go out that far or stay under that long again everyone calms down. Mike still watches me like a hawk as I play in the shallows with the girls but the atmosphere isn’t as tense as it was. We spend the entire day at the beach and enjoy the packed lunch I brought. Around five we head back to the house where we find Jack on the porch waiting for us. He immediately hugs me and looks me over as if assuring himself that I’m okay.
“Mike called and said that you almost died! What the hell Echo?” He sounds angry and sighing I herd the girls inside and tell them to go clean up while I talk to their brother.
Once everyone’s out of the kitchen I turn back to Jack, “It really isn’t a big deal Jack, just a simply misunderstanding about my lung capacity. There’s no need to get worked up I’m fine and the girls are okay too.”
“You need to be careful too Echo,” Jack says as he helps me get things ready for dinner. “You’re as much a part of this family as they are and if something happened to you everyone would be devastated.”
My eyes tear up at his words, “Thanks Jack, that – that means a lot to me.”
“Oh there are two things I need to tell you,” he stops what he’s doing and looks at me seriously. “The first is that my brother is going to be home this Sunday but only for a couple hours and if you’re staying here this Sunday he’d like to meet you. And the second is you have a package on the front hall table.”
“Really I have a package?” I’m astonished and confused as to who could have sent it. Chad and I still talk almost every day but he never mentioned that he’d be sending me something. Abandoning dinner I rush to the front hall and see a fair sized box sitting on it. Smiling I rip the tape off and open the box only to have my mouth drop open in surprise. He didn’t. Oh, but he did! Inside the box sat a pair of black leather shorts, a simple white crop top, suspenders, and six inch black spiked heels. On top of it all sits a note that simply says, ‘Come sing for me, O sweet Siren.’
“What’s in the box?” calls Jack from the kitchen. Closing the box I pops my head back into the kitchen.
“Please inform your brother that I’m sorry I won’t get to meet him but I’m going to be gone on my day off,” I watch Jack wrinkle his brow in confusion. “No, this isn’t about meeting him but a friend needs me so I’ve got to go help him out. I’m really sorry Jack.”
His face softens at my apology, “It’s okay Echo I know how much you care for people and if your friend needs you, then so be it.”
“Thanks, Jack. Dinner will be ready in about half an hour why don’t you go clean up and I’ll call everyone when it’s ready?” Jack nods and heads out of the door leaving me alone in the kitchen to mull over why the hell Chad is sending me this message for an entire thirty minutes. Dinner passes like always filled with laughter and stories about everyone’s day. As always though there’s a sense that I’m missing some important key to some of the stories and hints that people drop. There’s something strange going on here and I’m not sure I want to find out… I have too many of my own problems.
Once dinner is done I take the girls upstairs and put them to bed after making sure they each take a bath, and then telling them three stories and singing them a lullaby. I take a long shower before collapsing into bed myself and falling instantly asleep.
In my dream I find myself swimming through the sea as I gaze up at the sky and see that while its calm under here on the surface a giant storm is raging. Voices call out to me on all sides and I know they’re coming for me. “Echo, come back! Please Echo come back to us!” I swim swiftly through the water and feel the current pulling me along helping me escape. The sea is my ally along with my worst enemy because though I can escape them I can never free myself from the bond I share with the sea. Suddenly blackness surrounds me only to be punctuated by a loud clap of thunder that jolts me awake.
Sitting up panting I hear footsteps before Jillian flings open the door and dashes into my arms. Hugging her close I murmur words of reassurance as the storm rages ever present around us. Thunder booms in the sky and lightening lights up the dark, billowing clouds. The rain is pouring down in relentless sheets and if it weren’t for the fact that I know the cause I would probably be wondering what the hell was going on. Storms like this don’t scare me. For me they’re an attribute to how much power I possess because I can control the weather and if I so choose could end this storm.
“Shh hush my little dove,” I rock Jillian back and forth pressing kisses into her hair as she cries softly. More footsteps make me look up to see Julie and Julia standing in my doorway looking at me with wide eyes. I reach out an arm to them and in seconds they’re cocooned in my blankets lying on my left side curled up like kittens. Only one girl left and the next flash of lightening shows her dashing into the room before she leaps onto the bed and snuggles up to my right side. The thunder raged on, the wind whipped against the house, and the rain poured from the sky in buckets. It was the storm of storms and I have five little girls cowering in my bed because of it.
“Hush now my little doves,” I gather them closer pulling them into a circle around me. “Lay your heads down and let me tell you why the storm rages so fierce tonight.”
“Wha- what do you mean?” asks Jillian peeking her head out from where it was hidden in my shoulder.
“It’s the Sea Witch looking for her long lost granddaughter,” I look at their confused faces and realize that they’re never heard a story like this before but then again why should they. It is not a normal human fairytale it is much more than that. It’s the kind of story only witches would share with their children.
Jessie sits up and stare at me skeptically, “A sea witch is looking for her granddaughter? What’s a sea witch and why would she be looking for her granddaughter?”
“Patience!” I laugh at her almost eager questions. “It is not a sea witch but the Sea Witch, the ruler of the sea. She is the supreme being of all that lives or resides in any body of water though the ocean is her main domain. Years ago the Sea Witch’s daughter gave birth to a pair of beautiful baby girls, twins. The eldest was set to be heir to the coven and thus would become the next Sea Witch. The Sea Witch loved her grandchildren but even though her daughter had more the eldest daughter was always her favorite. From the moment she was able the granddaughter was forced to begin her training to be the next Sea Witch. Every day the girl would train long and hard not only working on her magic but also taking regular school classes and trying to strengthen her relationship with those in their coven as well as other covens. It is well known that any witch with an affinity for water owes her homage to the Sea Witch. The young girl was a natural and everything came to her easily but she was constantly busy with no time for her beloved siblings.
“So the granddaughter worked hard to impress her grand-mere but she also craved freedom from the life that had been set out for her. She wanted to live more before having to take over the position as Sea Witch. But her Grand-mere would hear none of it and refused to let her stop her constant schedule of responsibilities. The girl began to grow weary of her life and spent more and more time escaping into the sea if only for a few hours so that she could be left alone. The Sea Witch paid little heed to her granddaughter’s small rebellion and brushed it off as simple childish antics.
“Years passed and too soon the Sea Witch deemed her granddaughter ready to take over as Sea Witch. A ceremony on the new moon was announced for the girl to be formally announced as heir and then there would be another ceremony on the full moon for her to take over as Sea Witch. The first ceremony was a lavish affair more grand and pompous than any ever seen before. During the ceremony the Sea Witch bestowed upon her granddaughter a pendant that held a stone that was said to hold the essence of the sea in it. The stone looks as the sea does constantly changing as the mood of the wearer affects it. The necklace is a symbol of power worn by the Sea Witch until she passes it along to her heir and thus passes along the power.
“The celebratory party after the ceremony was attended by hundreds of witches and their families and during the festivities the granddaughter slipped away down to the beach. Standing with her feet barely being lapped by the waves she gazed out at the sea and longed to be free. Suddenly she heard someone from the party call her name and before they could spot her she threw herself into the waves. This was her only way to escape the life her grand-mere had forced upon her. The sea carried her far away before anyone could truly notice she was missing. When they did finally understand that she had run away the Sea Witch was furious and called down the rage of the heavens to rain down terror upon everyone to show her anger. The storm was fiercer even than this one but hidden within the depths of the sea the granddaughter felt none of it as she gazed up at the chaos. The Sea Witch sent many of her best people to hunt her granddaughter down but to no avail.
“Her granddaughter had escaped and now lives hidden away where no one will be able to find her. Every time the Sea Witch remembers the betrayal of her granddaughter she calls up a terrible storm to remind her granddaughter of her treachery and of the life she’s left behind. It is a message that one day, no matter how far she runs or how well she hides; the granddaughter will be forced to return.”
The girls are all asleep by the time I finish my story. Smiling sadly I gently untangle myself and go over to look out the window. The storm is still raging as fierce as ever as I unlock my balcony door and step out shutting the door behind me. Tilting my head back I let the rain drench my clothes and soak my hair as I embrace the storm. My clothes stick to me and my pendant is ice cold against my chest as I let the rain kiss my skin. Inside my pendant’s stone a mini storm rages as the waves seem to crash in its depths. I throw my arms wide and gather the power of the storm into me. I drain the power Grand-mere has sent to cause the storm and release it in a gentler way. Soon the storm has ceased and all that remains is a gentle blanket of fog that covers the ground. My clothes dry instantly as I shake each limb and soon I’m completely dry again.
I go back inside and settle back in the bed with the girls. Grand-mere can send as many storms after me as she likes but I’ll never break so easily for her. Knowing her she’s simply taunting me until she brings out the big guns to force me to return. My magic can hide me from her but those she’ll send after me will eventually find me though once they leave they won’t remember where I am. The only problem is that what they say to me will break me down.
Frist she will send a friend, someone I trust. Then she will send an enemy, someone who hates me. And lastly she will send the one person who I fear to see most. She knows I’ll break for her. It’s only a matter of time. With those last, bleak thoughts I fall into a dreamless sleep.
A/N
Happy after Thanksgiving! Sorry I was planning on posting this on Thanksgiving but got caught up with family things and didn't find time to post it! It's nice and long for you though so I hope you enjoyed it :) This chapter had some background but not a lot of details cause those will come later. No dedication for this chapter since I didn't get any comments on the last chapter. Seriously guys if you're the only one to leave me a comment I'm gonna give you a dedication! Come on please, please, please leave me a comment! I've been reduced to begging! I feel dirty and lowly but I really want comments. -_- and now I'm whining. *sigh* okay I'm done whining and begging. Hope you liked the chapter and are excited for the next one! We may or may not be meeting a certain older brother werewolf in the next one.... I can neither confirm nor deny but it comes of pretty good authority :p
Okay I've wasted enough of your time with my author note. Sorry but I tend to ramble at 1:34 in the morning... So please comment and vote!
Love you all :D
P.S.
So the song on the side is the one Jessie and Echo sing. I have a deep love for Ke$ha even though she's kinda crazy... probably why I love her music so much. Hmmmm introspection. Anyway the shoes are the ones Chad sends Echo and I wish I owned a pair though I'd probably kill someone else and myself wearing them!