It had been three days since Arthur and I decided to join together to find out the truth. To discover if the threat the town faced was real. Since then at least five more people had joined us. Others who believed or were curious enough to do something about it. We used my room at the hostel I'd been staying at as a base so to speak. We were using Arthur's house but it became more and more obvious that Mr McDowell didn't like me one bit. At first it was bearable and only I noticed the glares of pure hatred as he passed the door way of whatever room we were in. But then Arthur and the others began to notice as well. The tension in the place began to be just unbearable. So moving it to my room seemed like the safest option. At least we could get our work done in peace. Without Mr McDowell weighing in with his opinions. One's we did not ask for I might add but he felt the need to voice them regardless. For the three days we'd been investigating for. We'd gone to the library and checked out every single book, map or anything else about the curse etc. I dare say the librarian must have thought us insane or something. We interviewed people who claimed to be descendant of the townsfolk who were supposedly around when Cassandra was. Of course they sounded like insane lunatics. Some believed in the curse so much that some of them actually believed they were Cassandra herself.
Now on day three it was proving harder to discover the truth. We were sat in my small barely colorful room staring at all the notes we had made. My dining table was full of maps, newspaper reports, the lot. But no solid evidence that Cassandra even existed let alone was around to cast a curse on an entire town. We had hit a dead end and my god did it feel like a slap in the face. Almost as though it was next to impossible. But then Arthur suggested something that not only restored my faith in our mission it also made me very curious. He suggested that we visit the home where Cassandra Le Fleur supposedly lived with her husband the Preacher's son before he apparently turned on her. It was a genius plan wish I had thought of it myself. It took us less than half and hour to drive there. When we arrived I could hardly believe my eyes. It was huge. An old fashioned mansion. I looked at Arthur puzzled as we got out of the car and approached this colossal building. "How on earth did they afford to live here?" I asked feeling as though I should already know the answer. This place seemed familiar I just didn't know how. "Cassandra came to Huntington with savings and plus the Preacher's son came from money. The Preacher's son built this mansion himself with workman from the town. Though no one knows how they had so much money. As a Preacher isn't really supposed to have lots of money. It's been another mystery for this town but no one has ever thought to investigate it. Perhaps after we save the town we can look into that ourselves. Who knows maybe start our own detective agency." He said with a slight giggle towards the end. This joke made me giggle too but he was right that is odd. A Preacher with loads of money that can't be right.
But it was something that was going to have to wait. "Fan out everyone. Search this place from top to bottom. Every nook and cranny. We have exactly four days till the full moon and the event that will possibly bring about this town's destruction. Being a possible descendant of Cassandra I can't allow that to happen." I said as we entered the mansion almost as though we were trained operatives. The mansion was empty no one lived here Arthur informed me before disappearing to do his part in the search. But the furniture remained as though it was just waiting for someone to return. There was no sheets over any of them. Not like the big houses on television when they weren't in use. The sheets were meant to keep away the dust etc. To protect the furniture. As we continued our search I remembered a scene from a film where in an old house they were searching it had hidden rooms and tunnels. So I prompted the others to do as I was doing and look for levers, buttons anything that could unlock anything hidden. They followed my example and sure enough a secret room was found.
It shocked me just as much as it did the rest of them. Without hesitation we entered. I expected to find a cauldron, spell books maybe but instead I found weapons tons of weapons. In all different shapes and sizes some that looked like they shouldn't exist because the design of them seemed far beyond what a mere human could comprehend. Something was nagging at the back of my mind. A memory perhaps. "WILLOW!" a voice yelled and interrupted my chain of thought. I looked around the room to see who wasn't with us it was Arthur. "WILLOW!! COME QUICK UPSTAIRS" he yelled at the top of his voice. Without a second thought I was darting upstairs and following his voice. When I got upstairs and got closer to him he was standing in the door way to a room. I look puzzled as I approached him saying "God! Arthur you scared me I thought something was wrong. What is it what are you looking at.". I went to turn my head and look inside the room but he grabbed me startling me so I couldn't. My head made a hasty retreat to look at an overly excited Arthur. "Cassandra had twins! Look! Look!. Two cots in there. This was her home and no one has lived here since. So they are for no one else's children." He excitedly told me.
So I grabbed his hand and we entered the room. Stopping by what looked like a little girls cot. I was so happy that I went to kiss him placing my spare hand on the cot as I did he did the same with the little boy's cot. That's when the memories came flooding back. We froze instantly inches apart from each other. That's when we realized that the legend had it wrong. Cassandra wasn't banished she was imprisoned in her house. In what looked like a basement inside a holding cell. Her magic was gone she was powerless. She had her twins before she was captured. That's when it all went wrong. The memories stop fluctuating and pause on one in particular, Cassandra's last day with her children. It was a beautiful sunny day. The sun shone through the window bathing her in its light as she sat between the two cots rocking them as she sang. The babies making content noises as they slept.
Then all of a sudden a woman who looked exactly like a younger version of my grandmother came rushing in. The babies didn't stir as Cassandra rose to her feet and turned to go to the young woman. "Fiona what is it? Take a moment to catch your breath. Tell me what is it child." Cassandra said in such a calming voice. Fiona did as she was told then said "We've found out who the witch hunter is sister". Cassandra pulled her further into the nursery and closed the door. "Tell me child who is it?. So we might defend ourselves." Replied Cassandra as her gaze drifted to her babes asleep in their beds. Fiona took her hand and placed it on her sister's face using it to guide her sister's gaze back to her. She took a deep breath before she told her "It's your husband, sister. He's rounding up all the witches. Mother is gone tied up and burnt alive. Our father and brother died defending her. I fled to come warn you. He believes all witches are female. He's coming for you, me and....." before she could finish Cassandra pulled away and looked over at the little babe sleeping in her bed "Willow" Cassandra whispered as she began to cry.
She wiped her eyes and straightened up she began preparing a bag. When she was done she handed it to her sister. Then she picked up Willow who was still sleeping. She slept soundly as her mother dressed her and wrapped her up warm in a blanket. Then she passed her to her sister. " You must go. Take her, keep her safe. She's our only hope. When she's eighteen bring her back. I'll stop him from following you and I'll slow down the aging process for you. She won't turn eighteen till its safe. But you have to be quick. Tell her of us but as a story. In such a way that she'd want to help but without knowing the truth. Go! Go! Use the tunnels they'll lead you out of town. There's money in the bag. Godspeed sister!. Be safe!. Keep each other safe!". She said tearfully once her sister was out of sight she walked over to her son's bed and fell to her knees beside him and cried. She put her hand in the cot and held his hand as she wept. "Oh my precious boy I'm sorry, I'm so sorry he can't ever know you process magic too I've got to suspend it so you never come into your powers until your sister returns home and you two learn the truth. You are my son Arthur!. My beautiful boy whatever you do don't turn out like him. Don't turn out like your father do you understand me". She said and she sniffled holding back the tears from consuming her.
She then stood up and went to the end of her son's bed and looked down at him. "Sol et luna teste. Suspendat ad magica. Ut lenita dea est et ita non erit. Es laetus" she said as a bright light surrounded her son. Then she went to the window and looked out across the town all the way to the town line. In her mind's eye she could see her sister and daughter cross the town line. Once they were free she began "Sol et luna diaboli muniat. Hic maledic civitate retinere. Et deam et testis erit.". A force field covered the town, Cassandra's husband who was already on his way to the mansion saw this and sped up his approach. Eventually he made it into the mansion "CASSANDRA!" He shouted as he ascended the stairs. Cassandra spun around and went to her sleeping son. She held his hand as she kept her eye on the door. Her husband then burst into the room. "CASSANDRA WHAT HAVE YOU DONE. UNDO WHATEVER MAGIC THAT WAS THIS INSTANT!" he bellowed. "I will not you cannot have her" she said calmly. He moved his gaze from her to the empty cot where his daughter once slept. "WHERE IS SHE?" He said as he searched the nursery "YOU CANNOT PROTECT HER NOR CAN YOU PROTECT YOUR SISTER. YOU CANT EVEN PROTECT YOURSELF. WHERE ARE THEY CASSANDRA!" He yelled as he grew angrier that his search turned up empty. He moved back to the door and looked at his wife who was scared but trying not to show it as she held her son's hand. "Their gone Matthias and you will never find them" she said voice slightly shaking as a tear escaped from her eye. She picked up Arthur "Now if you'll excuse me it's time for our son's feed." She said trying to remain calm. "You are not going anywhere with him. Now hand over the boy." Matthias said in a deep stern voice. "I will not. He needs his feed. Let me passed Matthias" she said shakily another tear escaping from her eye. Matthias grew angry he gripped her neck as he slowly guided her to the wall while holding her neck. "Brandon take the boy." He ordered as a man came in from the hallway. His head bowed avoiding eye contact with her. "Brandon pl..please don't do this. Arth...Arthur needs his mother. Don't take him" she said breathlessly as Matthias's hand still held her neck. "Don't listen to the witch Brandon take the boy. Free him from his witch mother's embrace. Your not stealing a baby your freeing him". Matthias said in a cunning persuasive voice. With that Brandon ripped Arthur from his mother. In that moment Arthur woke up screaming and reaching for his mother. Just three months old petrified. "NOOOOOO! ARTH....ARTHUR!! GIVE HIM BACK!. YOUR A MONSTER MATTHIAS!. GIVE ME BACK MY SON. HE NEEDS ME GIVE HIM BACK THIS INSTANT. SO HELP ME GOD I WILL TEAR YOU LIMB FROM LIMB!" Cassandra screamed at the top of her lungs. Brandon fled with the baby along with the rest of Matthias's thugs. In one swift movement Cassandra kicked Matthias right where it would hurt the most. Then she punch him hard in the face. After that she went running out of the room after Arthur. "ARTHUR! MUMMY'S COMING I'M COMING!. BRANDON WHERE ARE YOU, YOU SWINE I WILL FIND YOU AND KILL YOU FOR THIS. GIVE HIM BACK! ARTHUR!". She yelled as she ran all over the mansion looking for him. Then she ran outside and down the drive. She could see Brandon and the thugs with her son making their way down the only road back into town. She almost caught up with them but just as she looked into her son's eyes and said "ARTHUR! it's mummy I'm coming I won't be long just got to deal with this lot" Matthias came running behind her and whacked her crossed the head with a rather large hammer. One of his many weapons. Within seconds she fell to the floor like a ton of bricks. Matthias picked her up like a rag doll as if she was nothing before turning to the others who had stopped. Arthur cried even more when he caught a glimpse of his mother unconscious over his father's shoulder who showed no kindness whatsoever. "Take my son to the church. Have my sister feed him and nurture him while I deal with his mother" Matthias said in a rather sinister voice. They nodded and did as they were told. He carried Cassandra back to the mansion and took her to the basement. He chained her up in the holding cell he had built for her kind, witches. When she came to he questioned her "What did you do to the town?. Answer me Cassandra" he said in an evil voice. She looked up at him dazed holding her head. She smiled alittle "Not....telling" she said in such a way that was meant to tease him and make him grow angry it worked. "WHERE IS YOUR SISTER AND YOUR DEVIL'S SPAWN" he snapped at her while glaring at her. "Our daughter you mean? She has a name you know it's WILLOW!" She said back with a smile. "SHE IS NOT MY DAUGHTER. I HAVE A SON NOT A GODLESS HUSK WHO FOLLOWS HER MOTHER'S UNHOLY WAYS!" He shouted as he slammed his hand on the bars. "Don't you dare talk about our daughter like that. She IS yours whether you like it or not. I won't tell you where they are or where they are going. Even if you torture me you won't get the answers you seek. If you kill me you'll never find out where she is and my death will ensure her path won't be a light one like mine. She will be evil well and truly something to fear then. My death will ensure she unleashes chaos on this world and you won't be able to stop it" She said with a smile on her face. "Your lying" Matthias snapped. Cassandra slowly stood up still chained via her hands and feet. She walked as close as she could to Matthias "Try me. I dare you try me" she looked at him boldly in the eye no tears this time. She had the eyes of a ruthless killer. So Matthias got angry and began torturing her as he has been doing so for however long till it was safe for her daughter to turn eighteen and return home. Her screams were the last thing they heard before the memories faded and time resumed.
They were still in their about to kiss pose when time resumed and the memories ended. Both went flying backwards frantically wiping their lips looking disgusted the second time resumed. "YUCK! I ALMOST KISSED YOU MY OWN BROTHER!" yelled Willow. She straightened up and removed her hands from her mouth before they slowly walked towards each other shock radiating from their faces. They stopped once they were in front of each other again. They studied each other.
"My own brother" Willow whispered as she ran her hand gently over his face examining him. Then she smiled and hugged him tight.