I saw Nathan first after sending Kat up to a room where I knew other children were, after not being able to find my mother, Nathan was next on my list. I hadn't spoken to him in far too long. And I was keeping my frustration under control.
"Nathan." My voice was sharp and loud.
His head snapped up to look at me. "Yes?"
The girl that he was talking to was a witch a few years younger than the two of us, in front of them on the kitchen table was math homework, of course. I gestured for him to follow me. And he told the girl he'd be back.
"What happened? Did you talk to the witches?" He crossed his arms as he followed me out of the kitchen and into the living room, which was surprisingly empty.
"I found the daughter of the witch I was sent to talk to, her name is Kat, she's upstairs." I rubbed my fingers over my temples. "The hunters had come and taken her mother, and they had nearly found Kat."
Nathan coughed. "Wait, wait." He sat on the edge of the couch. "Hunters took her mother?"
I nodded. "I got there and Kat tackled me thinking that I was a hunter sent back to get her."
Nathan frowned than smirked. "She tackled you because she thought you were a hunter?"
I nodded and then smiled. "Yes. She's a fighter."
"I can tell." He shifted. "What else did you learn?"
I breathed, the frustration coming back to me. "Do you know anything of the first coven?"
"The first coven?"
I nodded.
"I...I know that there was one, that was composed of like...the first witches, the ones that spawned the whole religion. But They existed Thousands of years ago, and surely are just a legend."
I bit my lip. "Kat told me that her mother didn't want kat to really be a part of our world, she said that her mother didn't want to be a part of this world because of some first coven."
Nathan ran his palms over his knees. "And you think she wasn't just bullshtting you? She's just a kid."
I turned to face the fireplace. "Gyn was being really weird the other day, she kept talking about how fate was leading me somewhere."
"That sounds like Gyn being crazy."
I sighed. "I know, I know I sound like I'm spinning in circles looking for something that isn't there. But Nate, There is something that people are keeping from us."
I heard Nathan stand. I felt him moved towards me. "I know you are stressed, and I don't mean to brush off what you say, but, Rose." He placed his hand on my shoulder. "I will talk to our parents with you, but I suggest you take a break from this, if even for an afternoon."
I turned to him, knocking the hand off my shoulder. "I'm going to the library. Tell my mother when you see her to come and find me."
With that, I turned and left the room. I grabbed my backpack and I hurried down the stairs. I remembered the book that I had taken from my last journey to the library. I hurried down the stairs entering my mother's lab, finding it empty. I sat and ripped open my pack, finding the book quickly. There was a short description, saying how those with the surnames and faces in the following pages may very well so no longer be associated with the group of hunters. Many hunters didn't pass on the heritage back in the day. They say it as more of a choice back then. Their sons and daughters could choose for themselves, usually, if they didn't choose hunters they were scattered or cast out as witches.
Times hadn't gotten better.
There were so many names listed, so many faces that had been drawn with pencils ages ago. A- C were all just names, and drawings signed by Gyn, and when I got to the H's, a piece of paper fell from the leather bound book. I lifted the worn parchment. It was a journal entry.
The hunters have been quiet for too long know, since the passing of our dear sister, they took her life as a warning to us, however, it was harder on the boy than it will be on us. The boy won't forget what his father as done. He has his mother's spirit in him.
Gyn Harding.
It was written like a warning, being sent to someone, but there was no one addressed. No one that it was directed to. The boy? Our dear sister? What was Gyn hiding from me?
I flipped the page and found another note scribbled on a newer piece of paper.
Rosemary is going to change everything.
I know it, she is falling into a path that will lead her to victory. She may lose herself more than we expected dear fates.
Flipping through the pages I found many torn out, running my fingers over the rough edges I frowned, Someone was keeping something from me.
I looked up from the book, noticing the plants on the shelf begin shaking. Forming, I pushed the book back into my bag, I stepped forward, hearing yelling somewhere in the house, I opened my mouth to say something but I was stopped by a glass flying off the desk towards me. The pictures on the walls shook, the floor creaked, like a million bricks slamming into it. The desk rumbled like a freight train just passed, and all of a sudden the house shook and seemed to rise then fall and my feet slid out from under me, my head knocking against the floor. The whole entire house lurched. I had only felt this happen once before when the wards had been put up when I was a child. It could only mean one thing to feel this once more.
I launched myself to my feet, using a little air manipulation to do so, I darted to the stairs, taking them as quickly as possible has the house was shaking all around me.
I reached the top of the stairs as Joseph stumbled down in the hallway, cursing he regained his footing and caught my gaze, eyes wide. Nathan was at my side in a moment, Pictures fell from the wall and crashed against the ground, glasses in the kitchen shattered and the sounds echoed through the house.
I heard women shouting, and it reached deep in me, I knew the voice, I knew I needed to do something. And then I froze, deep in my gut, I could feel the presence.
Hunters.
Fuck.
Nathan and I must've felt the disturbance at the same time, looking towards Joseph he had moved to the back of the hall and was hurrying small children out the back door. I stepped to go and help him, but I froze. I heard screaming, but I heard one above the others. My mother was screaming for help. My feet moved on their own, my mother was hurt, I could feel it. In my gut and along my skin. The world was a blur of colors, my heart hammering was all I could hear as I pushed out of the kitchen and into the main room, a hunter greeted me, throwing me back into the wall. He was wearing the same mask and outfit that I had been warned against for my whole life, and only he wasn't armed with knives at his sides, he was holding them.
I jumped away from him, narrowly dodging his swinging arm, the metal of the knife clanked off the wall and the hunter grunted, stepping forward while swinging again. His swing was stopping short though, my instincts kicked into overdrive. My skin tingled as I pulled my power from within, lighting my skin up with white, crackling electricity, my skin tingles and my body came alive. I caught the hunters arm, Spreading the electricity to his, it engulfed his body.
The hunter crumpled to the ground screaming, arms and legs flailing, I slammed my booted heel into his jaw, shutting him up.
I had never left the safe house so fast. I pushed passed hunters that were also running for the door, they were trying to leave, with my mother. I slammed my knee into the back of what seemed like a lady hunter and got her out of the doorway, catching sight of the blackness of my mother's hair in the hand of another hunter. She screamed when she saw me, so loud that it rang in my ears, she was telling me to get out, to leave, I nearly fell down the stairs, bracing myself to run, wanting to run for her, I summoned my energy. The fire raged from my hand, spreading over my arm and I threw my hand out, stopping short when something slammed into my back. Knocking the wind out of my lungs, my hands flew to catch my body but it was a second too late, I crashed into the muddy ground.
The impacted rattling my brain, but panic still floored me. Searing pain seared through my haze, weight pressed against my spine, I felt my ribs cracking and my shouldered hissed as it slid out of its socket. White filled my vision, using all of my strength I lifted my head, just barely.
I couldn't see my mother anymore, I heard her yelling, I heard doors slamming and electricity hissing through the air. My head was too heavy to hold. My body wasn't my own.
I cried out for my mother, begging to find out they had not taken her.
My world went black.
I was drifting in darkness for a while.
Fine silk sat tightly on my hips, spiraling down to the floor and flowing softly around my ankles. My hair was up in a tight bun, and my lips were warm with a tingly lip gloss. The smell of warm summer breeze tickled my senses and the sunset over the lapping waves of the coastline were calling my name. I set my hands against the warm marble railing and inhaled the air once more.
The heavy glass door of the porch swung open behind me and warm hands touched my hips ever so slightly. Warm lips grazed my neck, and I smiled while letting my head fall back onto a hard shoulder.
"I didn't know what you meant," a strong voice lulled next to my ear. "I didn't know what it was like to miss the sun, not until I really saw it." damp sweet lips touched my temple, and he inhaled slightly. "You were always my sun."
When I stepped towards the edge of the porch again, my feet suddenly sunk into the hot sand, cooling down with the low tides of late evening. Water tickled between my toes before retreating back to its source. In the distance, deep in the calm sea, there was something, calling to me.
No.
Not calling.
Screaming.
I jerked awake so hard that my head smacked against a cold window, a big coat slid off my shoulders and the seat belt of a car I didn't recognize dug into my shoulder. My head throbbed with deep, sharp pain. Trying to focus my blurry vision, I recognized the back of Joseph's head, in the seat in front of me. I found Patricia sitting beside me, eyes wide and scared, she was saying things to me, but I couldn't hear her. I couldn't hear anything but an echo, bouncing between my ears. My mother, I knew it was her voice. The last I had of her was a desperate scream.
Hot tears burned at the back of my throat and I cleared my throat.
"Rose? Did you hear me?" There was an edge to Patricia's voice when I finally heard her.
I couldn't get my tongue to work.
I found Nathan's concerned gaze, peering over the seat in front of Patricia. "Rose?"
Finally finding my voice, I whispered. "Where is my mother?" The cold silence angered me. "Where are we going?" I glanced behind me to find Kat sound asleep on the back seats.
Patricia was the first to speak, her wide eyes watching me closely as she answered. "We're driving to Nathan's house up in the woods. The coven will be coming in small groups."
Just like we practiced. A bitter voice in my head said. We don't leave witches behind.
Joseph spoke softly. "Your mother seemed to be the target of the attack. We think they aimed to grab the leaders and found her before they faced any force."
I clenched my teeth. "We have to go get her," I insisted. "We have to go find where they took her." I moved to lean forward but shocking pain shot through my skin, hissing across my back and deep in my nerves, I grimaced.
Joseph eyed me through the rear view mirror. "Rosemary, We will find her, trust me."
"We can't leave her." Tears burned in my throat once more.
His brows drew together. "We will not abandon her. But my child, you are injured, and many are tired and drained." The car rolled to a stop, and we turned left and began on a spiraling dirt road. "We must heal before we can save her."
A hot tear leaked down my cheek, I couldn't leave her behind. Patricia reached out, placing her hand on mine, giving it a slight squeeze. Knowing there had been nothing any of us could have done.
Nathan looked back at me one last time. "You're mother is smart, Rose. And incredibly strong. She will give us time to find her."