Seaside, California October 30, 2012
Celesta
BETWEEN trying to keep my cousin from going off the deep end and still making time to see Zach, these past few days have been quite hectic. Though with the homecoming Football game tonight, it was for sure going to be a spectacle.
I just hoped Zach wouldn't knock someone out. He was at times unintentionally rough at practices. I always had to remind him that he could easily snap someone's arm off or worse, break a leg.
I was also still reeling from arguing with Orion Petrescu, the vampire that my family trusted for some reason. When I asked my father why the coven entrusted a bloodsucker to watch over us at school, he just said it was because of Lily's grandmother.
Even Francis was sketchy, and he is family. He is a distant relative, who was not only a vampire but a witch as well.
I'm surprised my father could even stand to be around him for being both species. Reading through the histories of the coven, being a hybrid was considered taboo.
It upsets the balance of nature supposedly or some shit.
I had been sitting on the bleachers for the last 30 minutes as Zach practiced out on the field with the rest of the team. Amberly and the other preppy bitches were on the edge of the field practicing as well.
Seeing the boys run, I did notice the hole Brandon left behind. He was one of their best players. I never liked the guy, but he was loved by a lot of people. Especially my cousin, despite the messy breakup.
This week had not been easy for Lily. Ever since we all gathered at the beach last Saturday and said our farewells to Brandon, she hasn't been the same.
To the world, everyone thought Brandon just left town. But Mr. Petrescu had come back to take Brandon. I could only imagine that he was no longer alive. It was his wish to die as a human, and he did.
However, I was thankful that Seana was nowhere to be seen, as well as her devil spawns.
If I saw Isabel again, I would put her down. I couldn't just sit on the sidelines anymore. Mr. Petrescu and Francis were completely useless. Not to mention the former was Seana's fucking uncle. He could keep her in line and he didn't.
Now Brandon was dead because of it.
"You going to stare into space all afternoon honey?" I heard Zach call out.
I snapped my attention to him. "Just thinking how to murder some bitches."
"Well, when you act on it count me in alright?" he teased.
"Sure thing," I chuckled.
Zach just gave me a goofy grin and ran back out to the field.
Glancing down at my phone, I saw a text from Lily telling me she was planning on coming to the game tonight. Hopefully, I could cheer her up.
But I doubt it.
Also, it seemed like Scott had fallen off the face of the planet. Even Zach hadn't heard from him in days, nor did he show up to school. I was at an impasse regarding how I felt about Scott at this point. That night I encouraged him to act on his feelings for Lily was not ill-intentioned.
But a part of me felt like I had a part in everything going to hell. But it was pieces of many things. Scott already had doubts about him controlling himself around her as well as Isabel getting the two of them fucked up.
It was apparent Scott would never intentionally hurt Lily. But it still happened.
If the two of them got past this, then I would want the two of them to be happy. But that lingering fear that he would accidentally harm her was gnawing at me constantly.
I heard the sound of the bench squeaking in protest as someone took a seat beside me. Glancing over, Lily still looked like a complete wreck.
She even dressed like she was depressed. Black sweater, black jeans. The only color on her was the blue opal necklace she had worn since we were children.
"Lily if you aren't up for tonight I understand if you just want to go home," I murmured.
"No, I want to be here to support Zach," she affirmed. "Besides, I am tired of sitting at home and crying."
I just enveloped her in a tight hug without another word.
"I told you I am here for you if you just let me be," I sighed as I let her go.
"I know but I think I needed to be alone, you know it is how I process grief," Lily reasoned.
"Yes, but you still should not be alone and let yourself just crumble, you have me and a whole lot of people who care about you," I replied.
Lily looked away and out to the field, her eyes glassy.
"So besides being depressed, has anything else happened?" I asked. "You haven't seen Seana or Isabel have you?"
"No, but I have discovered something that I can do now," Lily murmured and gave me a worried look.
"Like actually control your magic?" I replied sarcastically.
"Don't be a bitch," Lily chuckled. "It's pretty freaky. Now give me your hand."
I held my hand out to her, confused.
"Now just think of something, like a number or anything," Lily instructed as she grabbed onto my hand tightly.
"Can you read minds now?" I teased.
Lily rolled her eyes. "It is more complicated than that."
Before I said anything else Lily's eyes started to glow faintly as she stared into mine.
Then I felt something creep into the back of my mind, something foreign.
Unease started to crawl through me, but I remained as calm as I could be, knowing my cousin was inside of my head.
How the fuck was that even possible?
"I have no idea," I heard Lily sigh. Though her mouth didn't move.
My eyes widened in shock. "So not only can you read my thoughts you can project them," I chuckled nervously and pulled my hand away from her.
The moment I did, that feeling of her being in my mind instantly broke.
"So when did you realize you can uh, invade people's privacy?" I queried.
"The night of the homecoming dance," Lily revealed. "I didn't even know what I was doing. I grabbed Scott's hand and suddenly I could hear all of his thoughts. Then he told me to get out of his head."
"You two are so Goddamn problematic," I mumbled under my breath as Lily continued the long monologue of her discovery.
"So I was just browsing through some of my mother's books on our coven's history, and a similar ability does run through our family," Lily babbled. "It's rare though, the last person who reportedly had it was a woman named Adelaide. And that was like hundreds of years ago."
My eyes widened when she mentioned that name.
"Not much is known about her, except that she died young. But at least I know I'm not imagining things you know?" Lily exclaimed. "Also I did hear you, and while we are problematic—"
I was still just staring wide-eyed.
Realizing now Scott had revealed information about Adelaide that didn't seem to match up with our coven's history. She hadn't died young because at some point she had been with Scott decades ago.
"Celesta are you even listening to me? I swear—"
"I-I am listening to you!" I stammered. "It is good you are not losing your mind like usual."
"Thanks," Lily deadpanned. "Are you sure you are not losing your mind right now? It is my job to stare off into space and forget what is being said in front of me."
"No, my dear cousin, I am just thinking of things that might—" I stopped. I hated to lie, but there was no way I was telling Lily about Scott's past love life. They could dish that out amongst themselves.
"Well?" Lily remarked, impatient.
"Things that could cheer you up!" I beamed, plastering a forced smile.
Lily didn't look convinced.
"Cel is something bothering you? Is it because I can get inside your mind?" Lily cried. "I know it's unsettling but I promise I won't use it again."
"That is not it at all," I reasoned. "It is pretty fucking cool and one day it might come in handy. Especially with the shit that has been going on with Seana and her minions."
"The last thing I would ever want to do is know what goes on in that woman's mind," Lily seethed.
She had a valid point.
Now I knew just the thing to get her mind off of things.
"As I was saying," I began, "Maybe planning a party or something might—"
"Oh my God!" Lily shrilled and jumped up off the bleachers. "I can throw a party for Halloween tomorrow! I need to go find Amberly!"
I grinned as Lily looked out to the field in search of the cheerleading bitch squad. The two of them would surely plan something outrageous.
"I'll meet up with you later okay?" Lily assured and before I could even tell her anything else she was running down the bleachers and toward the field.
At least for a short while, she would be distracted from the unending despair she felt since Brandon's death.
But I had a feeling it would take a certain someone to pull her out of the darkness she has been thrown into, and back to being truly happy again.
THE game had started without much fanfare. Our team was still doing well.
Lily and Elle were sitting with me as everyone was cheering on our team. Whatever happiness Lily had felt earlier had already worn off. She was staring ahead most of the game, her eyes glassy yet again.
But the plan was that a party would take place at her house tomorrow night. Lily also stated, rather angrily, that Scott was not invited.
I doubt he would show up anyway. If he was even in town still.
"So are your parents going to be okay with you throwing a party?" Elle questioned.
Lily snapped her head to Elle. "Probably not, but they wouldn't care!"
"What she means is they will be out of town for a few days," I chuckled at Elle. "So, they won't care as long as they don't know."
"They are probably going to find out—" Elle began before being cut off by Lily.
"They won't find out!" Lily interjected. "We are going to have the most exciting party this school has seen in forever."
"It sounds like absolutely nothing can go wrong then..." Elle trailed off.
"Don't be such a pessimist Elle," I interjected. "We all could use a little bit of fun right now."
Everyone around us erupted into cheers as our team scored another touchdown. Zach and Eddie had been working in tandem to win this game. Especially since it was on our home turf.
That damn school down south, Ridgemont High, thought they would beat us this year. It was the fourth quarter and we were winning by a landslide.
Amberly and her cheerleading squad were doing flips and all kinds of shit as everyone knew the game was won.
Minutes later it was official and I was rushing down the bleachers in search of Zach. The cheering of the football team overtook everything, including the cursing of the other team having lost for the fifth year in a row.
I found Zach surrounded by his teammates, they had Eddie lifted by two of their teammates, cheering on. Though when Zach saw me all he did was smile so big I couldn't help but grin back. I ran to him and he started to spin me around as everyone kept hollering.
Once Zach set me back down on my feet and rejoined his team, I found myself looking back at the bleachers. People were starting to file out, as were Elle and Lily.
When I caught up to them, they were talking in great detail about the party planning.
"Ready for tonight?" Lily chirped.
"For sleeping? Of course," I smirked.
"No, we are all going to be getting the house ready for tomorrow!"
"I said I would spend the night, not decorate. I'm still reeling from homecoming," I sighed.
"You barely did anything!" Lily shrilled.
"Alright enough," Elle interjected. Turning to me, she added, "Aren't you going to go celebrate with Zach? I'm sure they are going to have some party somewhere."
"While I love my boyfriend, I am not a fan of the parties the Football team throws," I sighed. "Our depressed cousin's party tomorrow will surely be more entertaining."
"Thanks, Cel," Lily said glumly.
"What? I am just being honest," I murmured and began walking out toward the parking lot.
Once Lily and Elle drove off to go map everything for the party tomorrow, I left to run to my house to grab some things.
And there was one more thing I needed to do.
Ask my parents the real reason why I had magic early. Because I knew one thing, a witch getting their magic before eighteen was total bullshit.
When I walked into the door of my house my parents were nowhere to be seen. Which was odd since they always stayed up late in the living room watching some ridiculous show. But one peek into the garage told me they weren't even home.
My Father's SUV was gone.
I ran up the stairs to grab a change of clothes and drop my backpack off. I had already been bombarded with texts from Zach about the Football team's party and how much he wanted me to come.
I sadly declined the offer.
I had some family secrets to unravel tonight. I knew my Father had some old books that belonged to our coven, I just didn't know if they had the information I needed.
After getting an overnight bag ready, I walked down the hall toward my Father's office.
I knew he kept them up on one of the numerous shelves within the office. The door opened with a loud creak. It was a good thing they weren't here. Generally, this was no man's land.
My Father surely kept important coven papers in here; God knows what else.
After flipping the lamp on, I grabbed ahold of the books I suspected might hold some history about the coven. A general overview of family trees dating back centuries would be my best bet.
Lily did mention it had been centuries since her newfound power popped up in our family.
As I flipped through the pages, I noticed this book was kept up pretty recently. It even had my generation in it. After flipping through some pages, I saw it held records of other families that were a part of the coven.
One odd thing I noticed was that a lot of members died in 1994.
Another question to ask my lovely Father. Hopefully, he would just tell me the truth and not sugarcoat it because "I wasn't a part of the coven yet."
I tossed the book to the side once I finished going through it. The years only went back to the 1800s. Staring back at the books on the shelf, one caught my eye.
It was very old. Blue leather, the pages yellowed from age. As I carefully turned over the cover, all of the words were written by hand in ink. The old handwriting was difficult to read, but I did see the years.
I hit the jackpot. The dates were from the 1500s, and the names listed were all Hathaways'. I wondered which one I was descended from. Though that would take a while to go through all these damn books.
Using my finger, I traced down the page, looking for anyone named Adelaide.
And I found her. Her name was elegantly scrawled onto the page. She also had a sister, a twin of all things. But according to this book, both of them had died young, just a year apart from each other.
Adelaide also apparently had children, also twins. And died not long after having them, or became a hybrid. The photo Scott had shown me was living proof that Adelaide Hathaway did not die in 1590.
None of this made any sense. Why would our family books lie? Then again whoever wrote this did not want to admit our family had vampires in it.
A sickening feeling started to creep up my spine when I looked above Adelaide's name. Her Mother had died the day they were born as well. And their Father's name was written right above their Mother's.
Francis Hathaway.
The book fell from my hands as I gaped ahead.
Everything that has happened the last several weeks started to replay. Things Francis and Mr. Petrescu have said. That they were placed at the school to protect us.
Why would Lily's Grandmother have vampires protect us? Protect us from what?
That photo Scott had of him and Adelaide was in the 1990s. And Scott mentioned Adelaide and Claire died because of our coven.
It had to have happened in 1994. Something horrible had befallen our coven because reading all of those death dates for various coven members, they all died in 1994. Not at the same time, but over several months.
That was when our coven was at war with an unnamed coven. My parents never talked about it.
Lily and I happened to have been conceived around that time and were born on the same day.
"Oh my God," I breathed. I felt the air get sucked from my lungs. Panic started to rise in me, just like that night.
Except for this time, I felt like my entire life had been a lie. I felt my body shake as angry tears started to slide down my cheeks.
As if perfect fucking timing, I heard my Mother and Father downstairs; the front door slamming rather hard behind them.
I jumped up and flew out the door, my mind reeling so much that I felt like I could explode.
"You know things will only get worse," I heard my Father say rather harshly to my Mother as I reached the head of the stairs. "We need every enforcer we can get."
"I still don't see why you needed to convince Samuel and Laura to get involved in this, there is still time before things will have to be done," my Mother remarked.
Both of them snapped their attention to me as I marched down the stairs fuming.
"What on earth is wrong?" my Mother asked quickly, her eyes widening.
"I don't know, you tell me," I snarled though I had my eyes locked on my Father. "I would like the truth on why I have magic before I'm even supposed to have it."
"Honey—" my Mother began but I silenced her with a look.
"No Mom," I interjected. "I want to hear it from him."
"You are not a part of the coven yet," my Father reproached. "When you are, you will be told what exactly your role is as a future enforcer of the coven."
"I don't care that I am not a member of our coven," I spat. "I deserve to know the truth, especially if it involves me."
"Jeff," my Mother cried, glancing at my Father. "We need to tell her now."
I felt my blood start to boil with anger as my Father glared at my Mother in silence.
"She is not ready Miranda," my Father seethed.
"The hell I'm not," I retorted.
"Nor is she mature enough," he added, glaring at me.
I glared right back defiantly.
"Tell me what happened to Adelaide and Claire," I demanded.
"They fulfilled a purpose to their coven in one of our darkest hours. Their sacrifice empowered our coven and in doing so ensured the safety of us all," my Father said emotionlessly. "And one day, you will do the same."
"What the fuck does that mean?" I gawked.
"You wonder why you have magic? It is because just like Lillian, you were chosen to have this power and use it to help strengthen our coven one day Celesta," my Father explained. "Which is why I have taught you everything I know since you were a child. Lillian will have to do the same soon enough. Both of you are the future of this coven, it is about time you took it seriously."
"Growing up I always wanted to follow in your footsteps," I breathed. "But I never had a choice, did I?"
"Our family has been enforcers for generations," my Father replied. "But you, my Daughter, do not realize how important you are for the survival of our coven."
"Yeah, no pressure there," I deadpanned.
"You demanded the truth. Enjoy this time you have now Celesta. It may be a few years from now but one day," my Father sighed sadly before continuing. "You will understand everything I have done is to protect you."
"We wanted you to have a normal childhood honey," my Mother coaxed.
"You know that was Samuel and Laura's reasoning for keeping Lily in the dark about everything," I chuckled harshly. "I think all of you would know by now that keeping the truth to yourselves is a mistake."
"Please try and understand where we are coming from," my Mother reasoned. "As you can see you weren't ready to know."
"Well it is better I knew now than when I'm about to sacrifice my life for the coven," I spat.
"Celesta, what Adelaide and Claire did will not happen to you—" my Father began but whatever else he said fell on deaf ears.
My vision around me blurred before it was overtaken by images unfamiliar to me. A house shrouded in darkness, voices hollering around me as the scene suddenly shifted inside of the house where blood covered the walls. I saw Isabel, her black pitless eyes locked on me, a sinister smile on her demented face.
And then I was back in my house, though I was in my Mother's arms as she was yelling at my Father to get help.
"She's coming around," I heard him say. "Celesta?"
"Yes—" I paused. "You know what Dad? You were right, I don't think I can handle this."
"I tried telling you," he remarked.
"True," I admitted. After my Mother helped me back onto my feet, I added. "But right now I just need to leave."
And get the hell away from my parents.
I raced up the stairs to grab my bag. I already heard my Mother following me up the stairs.
"There are more things we need to discuss honey!" she pleaded as I ran back down past her. "You just collapsed!"
"No, right now I just want to go live my normal carefree life," I mocked.
And figure out why I had a random vision again.
"Let her go, Miranda," my Father insisted. "We all need to have some space after tonight."
Giving my Father one more hard glare, I darted out of the house and to my car.
As the engine roared to life and I took off down the road, I let my mind race once more.
I knew one thing, whatever future was in store for me, I would accept. But I would not ever let my cousin be forced into the coven. Lily wasn't raised like I was. She wasn't completely inept with magic, but I was barely handling what I discovered tonight.
I didn't want that life for her. Her parents never planned for her to be in the coven, so why rejoin now? So many questions with no answers.
The only thought now was how bad tomorrow's party would end.
It is tradition for something to go wrong after all.