Breathe

JOY LEIRIA

I wake up on a bed and I look around me and remember that my aunty rescued me from myself. The tea helped calm me down and gave me a peaceful sleep without dreaming about what I have done to my mother. Weird enough the guilt is gone, I don’t know if it’s a good thing or what but I feel different like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I get up and off the bed and head on out to find my aunty.

“Aunty Nale” I call out.

“Down here baby” she responds and I head down the passage and into he lounge where she sits on the couch watching something on TV.

“How are you doing?” she asks.

“Like a heavy weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I no longer feel bad about what I did to my mother” I admit and she pats beside her, I walk over to sit beside her.

“The herbs I gave you have a calming effect. The guilt is still there but it’s not as strong as before, we need to teach you to harness your magic and how to control it, we don’t have enough time” she explains and I frown confused.

“Time for?” I ask her.

“A long time ago, our ancestors ruled over the witches of this country, our great great great grandmother was the mother regent of the witches until they stole the title from us and cursed us making us weak and our magic not as strong. You are the only one that can help us regain our status and remove the current regent. Our ancestors need you Joy, I need you to help regain our magic as it once was” she pleads and i see the hurt this has clearly caused her.

“What do I need to do?” I ask her and she places her hand over mine.

“What I am about to ask of you is not easy but Joy we have to practise sacrificial magic, we have to give something to our ancestors in order for them to help guide us in the right path” she says and I nod.

“Of course, tell me what we need to do and I’ll do it. Teach me everything there is to know” I plead placing my other hand over hers and she smiles.

“We need to channel your sister”

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MAX WALMER

“I don’t know what to do anymore” I admit communicating with her father who has just showed me what’s happening with his daughter.

“you can no longer link yourself with her because it will only make you one with her. You just need to keep Faith safe and away from Joy. We need you and Sybil to find a way to syphon the tea out of Joy’s system. As long as she has that tea in her system then she remains evil and unable to hear or see reason. You need to get to Faith first before Joy and Nala do because once they channel a hybrid they become unstoppable and if they sacrifice her they become even more powerful” Her father explains and I nod.

“Please just bring my daughter to safety and teach her the right way” He pleads and I nod and then he vanishes. I let out a breath and then make my way out of the basement and call Faith.

“Max?” she answers.

“You need to come to my house now. I’ll send you the location” I say to her.

“Why? What’s going on?” she asks.

“Joy and Nala are coming for you. You don’t have enough time” i tell her.

“Joy would never hurt me” she says confidently but I don’t miss the hint of fear in her voice.

“Not if she’s not herself. Come to my house, you will be safer here” I say and then get on Whatsapp and send her my location.

“Fine I’m coming” she says

“Don’t end the call until you get here Faith, I’ll create a protection spell and try to cloak you so that they cannot find you” I say to her

“Surely she wouldn’t be that bad?” Faith asks worriedly.

“At this point we need to treat her like your aunt. We don’t know what we fighting against Faith, we don’t know what lies your aunty has told her or how she’s manipulated her. The only thing we can do is try to get you to safety instantly” I say stepping into the basement to perform this protection spell around faith.

“Max” she calls out.

“What?” I ask her.

“We have a problem” she says.

“What do you mean Faith?” I ask her.

“My office door is sealed, I can’t get out a…. aaaaaaahhhh”

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SYBIL ADAMS

“Where are you coming from?” Mom asks the minute Nellie and I walk through the door.

“Anelisa calm down” Nellie starts off but mom won’t hear any of it.

“NO! I am tired of you both undermining you. I am your mother Sybil and when I receive a call telling me that you collapsed in school I am expecting to find you home recovering and not on some witch hunt. You are only 15 years old Sybil, I decide what you do with your life!” Mom yells and I just look down and take it all in without saying anything because when she gets like this is wise to just shut up and let her be. “Where were you both?” she asks again.

“We had to go and see the regent of the covens” Nellie responds.

“Again with the witches and the covens. None of you are part of the covens, you have no business with the witches!” Mom says angrily.

“Sybil is the one that witches come to when there’s a threat and right now there is a threat. Anelisa you need to allow Sybil to be the person that she was born to become. Your daughter is a tribrid, she and her brother are the only living ones and their duty is to serve all factions and right now part of the faction that forms part of them is in need of her. A young witch who recently discovered who she is needs your daughter’s help!” Nellie reasons.

“No. Sybil is a child, she shouldn’t even have this much responsibility over her shoulders mom, it’s not fair!” Mom argues and Nellie lets out a sigh but mom doesn’t allow her to respond “These very same witches and ancestors manipulate these children into doing their bidding for them. My children are supposed to be in school but instead here they are fighting battles that aren’t even theirs!” Mom says and I hear some kind of hurt in her voice and honestly speaking she has a point but this is who we are.

“Your children are the balance nature has created, without them there would be war between all supernatural beings. I understand how frustrating this all is for you Anelisa but this is how things are meant to be, how they were created to be and I’m sorry but you have to accept things are they are” Nellie says and mom lets out a sigh. “Look, I know what this looks like and how it feels but you have to allow your children to be who they are. There is a young witch being sucked into dark magic under her evil aunt and if Sybil doesn’t intervene then that young child will be lost in the darkness forever” Nellie explains and mom looks at me and then at Nellie.

“Fine” she says and then she walks over to me and she cups my face “but I don’t want you getting hurt in all of this. You are my baby and I would hate to lose you”