The Sun peered through the cloudy sky , making the cold effect of the upcoming winter felt. The sweet scent of cookies and pancakes permeated the air as it had become a tradition in the Woodson family every Saturday morning for the past few weeks.
The Woodson family had been living in their modest yet beautiful home for a decade as it was an inheritance from their maternal side of the family. It was a beautiful brown Tudor home with a fireplace outside where they sometimes sat by in order to warm up themselves.
They scrambled to the kitchen like they were little kids fighting to get to the last chocolate bar in a candy shop, each trying to outrun the other. Morgan placed both hands and legs on either side of the door post to prevent her cousins from overtaking her.
"You are not playing fair, Morgan out the way!" Janet said with her voice sounding more like a squeal while trying to push her out of the way. Her strength wasn't enough to push her older cousin out of the way. "I quit okay?, What's the point of racing to the kitchen every morning when you always cheat" Jaden, the twin brother of Janet said with hands to the air as a sign of his surrender as he walked back away from the girls who were still struggling at the door post.
"Kids what's going on down there? " Lopez, the mother of Janet and Jaden yelled from her bedroom that was on the top floor. "Mum, it's Morgan " Janet shouted in reply before sticking out her tongue at Morgan who just rolled her eyes.
"Now what has Morgan done this time? "Antonio, their father said while walking down the stairs, Lopez followed behind.
Seeing what they were doing he smiled "Morgan aren't you a little to old to be doing that?, I don't see why you kids enjoy racing to the kitchen when you are all going to eat. "
"Morning dad! "Janet and Jaden echoed and Morgan followed suit. Even though she wasn't his biological child she still called him dad. "Morning kids, now where did I keep my glasses" he murmured the last part to himself while scratching his head wearily. Unlike his wife Lopez, Antonio was tall and very well built with an head of short ebony black hair. His eyes bore an hazel brown colour that was obviously different from Lopez's pitch black . He had an habit of forgetting where he kept his glasses, good thing he was only short sighted.
Seeing that Lopez was about to pass they both left the door post hurriedly and followed behind her. They came out of the kitchen with already made breakfast. Lopez carried a big kettle of tea since they weren't a fan of coffee and a bowl of croissant. Janet and Morgan were left to bring along the pancakes and cookies. The Jacksons were known for their habit of eating sugary things, it's no wonder Lopez had a pastry shop.
Jaden went into the kitchen to bring dishes and cups for each person and a serving spoon. It cost him three walks to the kitchen, but he couldn't care less. Anything to make him start eating ,he couldn't wait to start feeding his hungry stomach.
After breakfast was served they all ate without talking, it was a tradition in their family. Zeus help them if their father caught any of them talking. He was as strict as he was gentle. The last time Jaden ignored their unwritten law on not talking while eating, he was made to stay in his room in complete isolation for a whole weekend. After breakfast, the girls had to wash the dishes but Jaden stayed in the kitchen with the girls, he enjoined keeping them company.
Just before he went back upstairs with Lopez, Antonio said "Kids get ready by 12pm we will all go to the mall" the kids replied with a loud "hurray!" except for Morgan, who seemed nonchalant to the announcement.
Morgan's pov:
Janet was looking in the timber framed wall mirror and applying a light make up to her face. They had no idea what was going on. They going to the mall with their father was a ploy by my aunt to enable us continue training on Saturday since Janet and Jaden didn't have school to keep them away from home. They had no idea their mom was a witch and Dad on the other hand wasn't any magical creature but he was an endowed.
That means he was favoured or gifted by a god, in his case he was gifted with immortality which was more like a curse if you ask me.
I sat on the bed and watched Janet who wore a black colour long sleeved shirt, a black leggings ,a multi coloured designer's short and a black sneakers to fit as she applied a strawberry lip gloss on her already pink lips, I still don't understand how a fifteen year old could take makeup so seriously like her life depended on it. She never went anywhere without it.
"Morgan, why don't you come with us? "she asked me as she gave me her best puppy eye look "Sorry maybe next time, I have an errand to run for your mum" I lied with a smile plastered on my face hoping she believed me.
"okay your luck I guess" she said as she returned my smile and turned back to the mirror.
She spent nearly five minutes in combing her hair before deciding to pull it up in a ponytail.
After she was done we paddled down the stairs arm in arm and it turned out dad and Jaden were waiting patiently for her. Dad and Jaden both wore sweatshirts and a pair of black jeans like they had planned it.
Jaden and Janet were as cute as they were lovely. They both had red hair like their mom, hazel brown eyes like their dad.
They both still had baby fat making them look chubby. I watched as they exited the house and hopped into the black Volkswagen and as they drove off.
The room was very dark and walls were made of terracuter bricks. The only source of light in the room was the fire that circled me, candles of different colours and length were lit around me. I was sitting on the floor with my feet crossed towards me like a monk who was meditating. Beads of sweats were dripping from my face like drops of water and I was breathing profusely.
"Make the flames connected to your will" my aunt commanded. It was so hard for me to do, I tried to do as she said but I just couldn't.
"The fire is alive and it senses your fear, it won't be bent to your will if it thinks you are not strong enough "she continued.
This was it, I had to be strong enough to make the fire bend to my will. I shut my eyes and tried to tell the flames I was in charge but instead a wind came out of nowhere and blew all the candles off and I heard aunty Lopez sigh in the dark.
She was probably getting tired because we've been at this for days and I still had not shown any improvement .
I walked behind her as she climbed up the stairs from the basement. We were silent and I knew if I didn't improve she was going to quit.
I became familiar with the magical world as far back at the tender age of four. I still remembered that night like it was yesterday. I had accidentally made myself disappear into thin air, at first I was freaked out but aunt Lopez showed me how to control it with time.
She also told me a brief summary of how witches came about and about my lineage.
Long ago some humans in Athens found favour under the sight of Hecate, the goddess of magic and necromancy and so she rewarded them and their generations with magic but to some whom she was displeased with she cursed them and they became vampires and werewolves.
As time passed the witches and warlock stopped worshipping Hecate and they destroyed her temples because they couldn't tolerate her cruelty any longer.
She was always demanding human sacrifices and a fourth part of everything she had. When she saw her people were no longer scared of her and that they stopped worshipping her, some had even gone to the extent of sorting other gods, she started visiting havoc on them.
When her cruelty could no longer be tolerated by the other gods, Zeus had to intervene and he sent them a prophecy about the child that was to be born during the fall of autumn and that child would bring the cruelty of Hecate to an end, but I still don't understand how they got to the conclusion I was that child. I'm quite sure there were others who were also born during in the season of autumn.
I believed her story but not the part concerning vampires and werewolves.
I opened the front door to find Janet hugging a giant teddy with a shopping bag in her hand. Jaden was beside her, he was chewing on a cotton candy and he held a smaller shopping bag on his other hand. Dad on the other hand was still beside the car making a phone call "not tomorrow perhaps we could to it on tuesday " I overheard him say before he walked farther away from earshot.
Jaden raised an eyebrow "you gonna let us in or what? ". "oh sorry, I didn't even realize I was blocking the way" I moved to the corner to let them pass.
Janet raced to the kitchen to meet her mom who was already making supper"Mom, dad took us to the beach before taking us to the mall. Look what he bought me"she yelled before handling over the bag to her mom.
* * * * * * * * *
Antonio's Pov:
She lied with her back to me on the bed pretending she had already fallen asleep but I knew better. It was her new technique of avoiding that discussion we left pending for months, ever since the twins turned fifteen. I knew it was high time we told them who or what we really were, although there was a little chance of them not blooming and becoming witches but if they should bloom it was only a matter of time.
Children whose parents were witches and dormant humans tend to bloom as they approach sixteen but at times they do not bloom at all. I couldn't bear the guilt of hiding what we were from our beloved children, even if they do not bloom as time pass they will still find it mysterious that neither Lopez nor I age.
I tapped her on her arm "Lopez!, Lopez!" I called in a low tone. She turned to face me "what? " Though it was dark I knew one of her reddish brown brow was raised as she asked me that question.
"I think it's high time we told Jaden and... "
"Not yet sweetie, go to bed"she interrupted before she resumed her formal sleeping position. "We could tell them tomorrow "
"No, Sweetie just go to bed"she said nearly shouting and then she said something under her breath I didn't understand but surely I knew it was something in Greek.
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