Maggie Heart: Immortal Realms (Book 1) - Google Docs - SIGNED

Nah Nix Qed
0001. B1. Margerate Heart (Immortal Realms) 1
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

Chapter 1. Mind of the Mystery

Chapter 2. I am the Ancestor
Chapter 3. Two Different Things
Chapter 4. A Forger in the Circle
Chapter 5. Shared Wounds
Chapter 6.My Family is Complicated
Chapter 7. Soup & a Knife
Chapter 8. Enemy’s Friend of the Creatures
Chapter 9. A Cup of Tea for the Road
Chapter 10. Shapes of Evil in the Wind
Chapter 11. The Invoking Presence of Crossing the Line
Chapter 12. 10-Hours Until the Great Reveal
Chapter 13. The Outsiders are the Miracle Leaders
Chapter 14. Hearts are Broken, but Nothing Fixes
Chapter 15. Emmaline “The Empath” Genetelli
Chapter 16. Inner, Bitter, Beautiful Demons
Chapter 17. Advanced Placement for Forbidden Casters
Chapter 18. Awakening the White Witch in the White Forest
Chapter 19. Melted Rock for Drinking
Chapter 20. Knight & Shining Joewards
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

☆ Chapter 1. Mind of the Mystery ☆
My name is Margerate Heart, but call me Maggie. I'm an adult stuck in a teenager’s body and I
live in Tallahassee, Florida with my Mom Maria and my Dad George, two older brothers, Jonathan and
William, two sister-in-laws, Theresa Olive, Will's wife and Heather Daniels, John’s wife. I have two
nieces, Oakley and Sam who are Full Casters, and I’m the mother of an eight year-old, Ashley. I'm a Full
Caster, both Light and Dark like my Aunt's Connie and Del, and Chloe. Connie is my dad’s sister and Del
and Chloe are mom’s. I have long curly dark hair, I'm medium weight and height and a Semi-vegan like
Theresa and John, meaning we only eat white meat. I don't really have a favorite color, but to pinpoint it,
dark colors.
Mom's a Siren-Telepath with long auburn hair and hazel eyes, she's made of Italian, Irish, and
Puerto-Rican from her dad's side. Dad’s a Siren-Biokinesis, the ability to change the DNA and your
biology by only using the mind and energies inside of you. Dad has light blonde brown hair that looks like
a mixture of sandy brown and blonde and he’s made of Russian, Canadian, and Southern Dutch. I was a
loner when it came to high school but my days are over.
When I found out I was pregnant with my daughter, my dad said that one’s senses become sharper
and then switches over to a weaker one, which gives off the side effects of being sensitive to anything,
which means that the baby had already Claimed itself. The side effects are both of the Mother and child’s
magic colliding making the Mother weaker instead of stronger like some unborn Claimed babies. At the
time I didn’t quite understand it all, but Dad had to add something both exciting and terrifying. The baby
was a Joeward, I didn't know what that meant, even till this day. But my parents told me to keep this from
the Council, if the Caster Council finds out about me, about us, I might be killed. The only reason that
Heather and Theresa are still alive is because of Meredith and me. Both of my brothers aren’t Full
Casters, so it’s no big deal, it’s me that’s gonna have to lock herself away. There’s only five Mortals who
know about us, my husband Ian, Luis Martinez, and my sister and best friend Bian Chow including my
sister-in-laws Heather Daniels and Theresa Olive.
I’m meeting up with a few friends at Luis’ place for a get together but my daughter Ashley made
me late. Luis planned a lunch date with old high school friends and has begged me countless times to
come over, and the guy lives in Feasterville, that’s two hours from where my family and friends live. Luis
moved into his parents’ house after high school and everyone sort of gives excuses not to come because of
the long drive.
Turning on Luis’s street, I frantically parked my car in front of the house and cut the engine and
climbed the stairs to the wide oak door. I touched the door knob and it vibrated to my touch and I walked
in. The sun hall is the first thing you walk into, with two marble vases on each side of the door, the library
to your left and the dining hall to your right and in front of you are the stairs that travel up one flight
before breaking down to three more. The sun hall is painted yellow, the floor is grey marble tiles that I put
down for him when his parents left him the house; the furniture in the library is cotton-green with red
wool carpeting, and the furniture in the dining hall is maple with marble legs and a green setting of six.
I walked through the dining hall to get to the living room and beyond that is the kitchen. Luis’s
house is nothing but twists and turns, and the upstairs has just about as many rooms as my parents’ house.
I entered the living room that’s painted white with grey carpeting, the same green-cotton furniture as the
dining hall’s. A 23-inch flat screen hung on the wall over Luis’ collection of wooden owls.
Luis sat on the couch with Ryan, Ming, Ira Antiguan, Endora Hannigan and Maaya Willards, who
were known as the Ira-muts back in high school. Endora and I patched up our beef and barf long after
graduation and so have Maaya and I, but Ira’s stuck in the past. Irabella Antiguan is Luis’ ex and she
broke up with him to try to date Ian and when she found out that he’s my boyfriend she didn’t back down,
although they finally broke up three months before graduation. Endora Hannigan, a curly blonde hair and
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hazel eyes; Maaya Willards, a Japanese redhead with dark eyes, Ira Antiguan, a Scottish brunette with
blonde highlights and brown eyes.
I sat next to Luis Martinez, a Mortal and family friend since middle school. Luis is of
Native-Indian descent, a major goofball with dimples, dark brown eyes, and curly hair. The type that
women love and the only person I know who can hack into a computer database mainframe undetected.
He wore his faded purple plaid shirt with dark blue jeans and unlabeled sneakers, but I’m sensing those
are Adidas. Luis cuts the labels off and keeps them hung up in his room on a poster, and he does this to
his shoes because he lives on the suburb side of town and is probably the only rich dude on the block and
doesn’t plan on getting robbed any day of the week.
“Hay guys. I know I’m late, I had to help Ashley and my nieces with their slumber party,” I said.
“Again?” Ming said. “This is what, the third one this month?”
“Sixth, she’s going as a My Little Pony piñata,” I corrected my Chinese-American friend. Ming
Chin is of Chinese-Korean descent, a Full Caster like myself and Ryan. Ming was raised in a small village
called China Rose, China and moved to the US when she was nine. Ming has long curly dark hair, brown
eyes and she's like me and Bian we don't make mess. She’s a waiter at her family owned restaurant Kam
Sen and the only daughter of Lisa and Connor Chin.
“Well, I definitely need to call my Little Ginger more often,” Ryan said, twisting a strand of hair
around her finger. I glanced at her and gave a sideways smirk. Ryan Little is a Full Caster and the only
one in her household and the youngest of two brothers like myself but she has an older sister–lucky
bastard. She has long black hair and dark eyes and claims herself as Ashley’s godmother and she spoils
her like a pet poodle.
“Ashley’s been a piece of work since birth,” Endora said, taking the words from my mouth. “I
visited her while she was in the ICU once and I can’t tell you how many times shit has happened that I
couldn’t explain.”
If only she knew. No one knows about Ryan, Ming and I being Casters but Bian and Luis and my
husband Ian.
Ming laughed, “she gets it from her mom.”
“Bian said she and Ian will be here in 15 minutes,” Ryan said looking at her phone.
“She said that a half hour ago,” Ira called out annoyedly.
“I was thinking about bringing them here–” Ryan stopped mid-sentence looking at Maaya, Ira
and Endora. “–with us, but I forgot Ian hates it.”
“Yeah, his ears pop,” I added mumbling.
“Bian’s always taking Ian on a wild goose chase,” I said looking at Endora’s concerned face.
Cologne hit my nose and Ian Morteze and Bian Chow sat down across from us in the old rocking chair I
believe Luis’ grandparents died in. Ian’s of Italian-Dutch with shoulder length brunette hair and brown
eyes and 6 foot tall. He wore his yellow shirt with the blue-orange box strips and blue jeans and plain grey
sneakers, no label. Ian and I have been together since high school but have known each other since middle
school.
Bian Chow’s my best friend, she’s Japanese, Dutch and German with long dark hair and brown
eyes. Bian is pretty much my secret mortal mastermind, next to Ryan and Ming, but Bian's like an evil
twin to me and she's a straight-forward, no bull-kind of girl. She and I both tell things like they are and
see no point in sugar coating it. Most people think she's mean and don't try to get under her rough
exterior, but if they’re brave enough to try they'll find out just how loving and passionate she really is. But
she can be very possessive of the people she loves and can be sometimes paranoid that someone better
will come along and take them away. She can–well, we can be very unsure of ourselves and we both can
appear mean and bitter to people and I gotta be honest with you, we both ARE very bitter, but we have
reason to be. It's not like we're in deep pain and emotionally scarred, or anything as I've never sensed from
her; but my Bian Chow will always stick up for what she believes in and will fight for it until the bitter
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end despite the possible consequences. Together we are extremely talented in writing–especially in the
artistic category. Lots of people think our interests are bizarre and we're freaky and all, but if they actually
get to know us I doubt that'll really happen, they'll realize we are both freakin' awesome together.
“Selena says hi,” Ian said, pulling a string from his shirt and giving a simple smile at me. “And
probably will stop by.”
“That sounded like a spell,” Ira said, eyeing Ian suspiciously.
“Maggie says bye,” I said, ignoring Ira looking at Ian and smiled.
“Hay insta-jocks, now that everyone’s here,” Ira jumped in, and turned to Luis. “Are we still
having lunch or can I go?”
“You can leave,” Bian said, getting comfortable in her seat. Ira narrowed her eyes and Luis closed
his and bit his lip. Something about Bian is that she can be very harsh, whether she likes you or not. A
trait me and Ming happen to inherit from each other.
“Yes, we are still having lunch,” Luis said looking at us. “Does pizza sound okay? I know vegan
pizza for Ira and Maggie.”
“No, I could go for some extra sauce,” I said. “I deserve it, I’m not pregnant anymore.” Ryan,
Ming, Bian and Ian mumbled a “thank God” under their breaths. Luis pulled out his cellphone and began
to order.
“My parents are having dinner tonight and Ian, she wants you to skip work for it,” I said, giving
Ian a pat on the arm. He looked up from a Compilation magazine with a look of discomfort. He looked
over at me and pleaded with his eyes. “You’ve been ditching out at dinner at my parents’ house and you
know how they are, especially Mom,” I said reading his glassy eyes.
“You do know I manage a car dealing ship and I can’t always keep my promises,” Ian said.
“You’ve been working there since high school, you should be the manager by now; or owning the
damn thing,” I said.
Ian leaned towards me and whispered, “I was thinking maybe you could do something about that.
Maybe trick Isaac into giving me that promotion.”
“You want me to use magic on your work?” I whispered back. “You barely let me use magic on
those neanderthals.” I jerked my head towards the former Ira-muts.
“Because one of those neanderthals are dating one of your cousins,” Ian said. “Don’t remind me,”
I quickly added.
Ian continued. “Look, I just need a better check, what I’m getting is paying literally half the bills.”
“That’s why I want you to leave so House could pay for herself,” I smiled.
“Yeah, fuck it, I quit,” Ian said thinking for a moment.
Luis walked back into the room with his cellphone, ear and a pen in hand. He looked up at me
and mouthed “45” and went back to talking on the phone.
“Lunch will be here in 45 minutes,” I said, taking off my jeans. “If not, an hour.” Ira groaned and
left the room and came back with a bowl of chips and a soda. She set it on the table and Maaya and
Endora treated themselves.
“I can’t wait 45 minutes,” Ira said, “I never could.”
“No one can, unless you’re Margerate,” Ryan said. “Or one of my brothers.”
“My patience isn’t the same anymore,” I said. “Hasn’t been for years.”
“My patience is still rocky,” Ming chimed in. “It’s better at work than it is afterwards.”
“That’s because you use magic and wait five or ten minutes before delivering,” Maaya said. We all
looked at her, including Luis who froze mid-step walking back in the room. “I’ve been doing some
research on Witches and Warlocks.”
“I read your book, a lot of words that I can’t seem to pronounce,” Ian said. “When’s the next
one?”
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“I’m having problems with starting the book,” Maaya said. “Honestly, I put out all that I know
about the fantasy world.”
“You’re the character in your book as a teenager who’s an undercover professor,” Ira said,
reminding her and myself about what Maaya tries to write about. Luis took his seat next to Ira and
awkwardly patted a beat on his thighs. He looked at me and gave a fake smile. I didn’t have to hear it
from him, I could already see his lie forming over the truth.
What are my brothers doing at my house? I read his eyes.
I shook my head and fanned Luis’ glance. He shrugged and turned to Maaya. Luis was always a
terrible liar and seeing the truth mixed with lies just gave it all away. One of the perks of being a Full
Caster is having the abilities of a good and bad Caster, and having the Sybil power is a good element
which comes in the Light Caster category.
“Try starting to book with how the last one ended, with Codi bringing her father back from the
dead,” Ira said. “And try not to put so much thought into it.”
“Starting the book will give me overwhelming-anxiety issues,” Maaya said. “The shit makes me
overwhelmed. I can’t choose between making her father fail to return or him not being himself when he
does.”
“That’s because loved ones are never the same when they return from the dead,” I said. “If you
read about bringing someone to life it’s a very negative thing.”
“And I did not know that,” Maaya said, with a tight smile.
“So, what’re we gonna do for 45 minutes?” Endora asked. “Maybe plan the Summer’s Lakes
vacation like we’ve been meaning to do for years?”
“Oh, that’s a good idea, Endy,” Maaya said, a smile on her face. She turned to Ryan. “Ryan, do
you think you could ask your brother if we could borrow his jeep?”
“I don’t have to ask, I co-signed that motherfucker, didn’t I?” Ryan said, smiling at her. “Booking
won’t be too easy this time of year, but I can probably manage some strings.”
“Cool and Maggie you’re coming with us, no “ifs, ands, or buts,” Ming said.
“What, why me?” I said, feeling my stomach drop.
“Because you haven’t been yourself lately. You’ve been overwhelmed since Ashley started
school,” Ian said.
“I’m overwhelmed with life,” I added.
“Ashley’s with her cousins and don’t you think we deserve some adult time?” Ian said, and pulled
me close to him. “I need more adult time.”
"You'd have to drag me kicking and screaming," I said, pulling away from him.
“That could be arranged,” he smiled.
“I’m not going to that hell on earth place,” I said. “That place gives me bad memories. And I
don’t need that being thrown in my face.”
"Please give me one excuse on what you really need for this trip?" Ming said.
"Well, a hairdryer," I said. "A toothbrush, toilet paper, hand and body towels, a bar of soap,
personal accessories I could go on."
"Please don't," Bian said. "You're ruining my mood."
“We could take your brother’s old minivan. Scott’s dark grey one not that hippie looking one,”
Endy said.
“That is the hippie one,” Ryan said. “They had it primed up after the Pope came to town.”
Kris and Scott are Ryan’s older brothers; the two main reasons why Ryan is always trying to ditch
them when they drag her down Hell highway. Kris is a blonde with hazel eyes and he’s Catalyst, someone
who can control the weather or for a simple saying a “Natural.” Scott is the Necromancer, a psychic,
communicating with spirits type not fortune telling. Scott has curly brown hair like my brother William
and small narrow almond eyes.
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"That shit looked like a child predator’s truck," I chuckled. "Coolers in the back and shit. Why
don’t y'all just use two cars?"
I would change my mind and not go, knowing the answer but hoping they'd have a better option
and with the way they were acting I would've asked if they were smoking crack. But Bian and Ian both
knew that trying to convince me into doing something, is gonna be like finding a needle in a haystack
literally. They gave me a blank stare as Ryan tapped her fingers one by one on the arm of the sofa. I hate it
when she does that finger tapping against me. It's like she does a Cast or something. Last time she did that
John refused to teach her how to read people without touching them or them knowing. She literally stared
at him for a whole fifteen seconds and as she was doing that, she was tapping her fingers and making bird
shit on his head. So, apparently the finger tapping thing is bad karma.
Everyone talked about making plans to go to the Summer’s Lakes for the holidays. Summer
Lakes is a place where people go to get away from home and get closer to nature. There’s cabin motels
and a vineyard and the lake called Summer’s Lake where the sunlight casts a rainbow under the water no
matter what the weather is. The last time I went there, was when my dad took us for a family day trip and
the day my cousin Cole killed a deer accidentally with his bow and arrow. Ming said that she could
probably ask her parents to volunteer on the food but Bian decided against it and now she and Ming are
arguing in their fluent languages over who’s doing what with what. Endy and the others watched the Full
Caster and Mortal go at it, Ryan and Ian were trying to calm the situation while Luis was on his phone
probably talking to his girlfriend, my cousin Catherine.
“Guys, guys!” Luis called out. They went silent. “I just got off the phone with the manager and
bad news, the pizza place caught fire. No pizza for us.”
“Then what are we going to eat for lunch? I’m starving,” Ira said. “There’s more than one King
Pizza in Feasterville.”
“How about Lennie’s Kitchen?” Maaya said. “It’s Lunchtime Wednesdays, which means they
serve all day.”
“I haven’t been to Lennie’s since high school,” Endy said.
“Mind if I call Maria, I hate to leave her out on this,” Ming said, referring to Ian’s little sister.
She eyed Ian who shrugged. “I don’t care, invite Selena and Cole while you’re added.”
“Selena or Maria didn’t go to school with us,” Ira said, sucking the juice from a grape.
“No, but they did last a day there sophomore year,” Ian said. “Remember, they tried out for
cheerleading? Selena wore a hooker’s skirt instead of the cheerleading uniform. Called you guys out in a
rap.” He said, eyeing Ira, Endy and Maaya.
“Oh, that was your sister? I thought that was another one of Maggie’s relatives,” Ira said, her eyes
wide and smiling.
“She is my sister-in-law, so yeah, that makes her another one of Maggie’s relatives,” I said.
“It doesn’t matter, can I invite them or not?” Ming repeated herself.
“Sure, but don’t tell Cole. He’s a puppy when those two are together,” I said.
“Cool, Lennie’s it is then,” Luis said. “Let’s go.”
We picked Selena and Maria up from Cole’s job and rushed back before rush hour hit. When we
arrived, the breakfast sign on the door was turned over to lunch. We opened the door and had to wait for a
booth to open or at least a waiter could seat us. The restaurant looked ten times better than it did the last
time I came here many years ago. The cotton chairs were replaced with leather, the tables were marble
instead of black pine and the floors were black and white diamond tiles. The molded and chipped paint on
the ceiling was replaced with a creme skim coat texture. The place was packed and the smell of chicken
and cheese hit my nose, making my stomach sound like a dying whale. Selena said to look for a blonde in
a pink apron, my best guess, one of her usual girls. A woman in a white apron tied around her waist and
her long blonde hair in a messy bun and her name tag said Jullian.
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She smiled at us as she spoke, "hi, you must be Selena’s folks. Welcome to Lennie’s Kitchen.
Selena already told me y’alls usual. Would you like a table?"
"No, not at all. We came here to eat on the floor," Bian said, reading my mind. "Carpet for eleven,
please." The waiter's smile came off her face and she grabbed a few menus and escorted us to a booth for
eight. Ian grabbed two chairs and Selena grabbed one for herself. As we made ourselves comfortable, the
waitress spoke again, in a hissy attitude. "Please make yourselves comfortable and I'll be right with you,"
she gave off a sweet fake-hearted smile before walking off. This booth is our booth and we’ve upgraded
our lives into this bad boy. The long red leather seats and purple back cushions bought back a lot of good
and bad times. This booth is where the owner legally stamped our names onto it under the table. We’ve
been sitting here since middle school, if not elementary and we all have our seats.
I turned to Bian and gave her a happy smile, "you read my mind back there," I said.
"I know," she said. "Why would she ask a dumb ass question like that and we were all standing
right there?"
"Obviously she's new or she just has funny English," Maria said, opening the menu in front of her.
We opened our menus, I moved around in my seat and Ryan and Ian gave me raised eyebrows. If this is
supposed to be the best seat in the house, am I supposed to be giving the impression of giving the
furniture a lap dance?
"Are you okay?" Ming wanted to know. "Did you sit on a thumb tack?”
"No, my seat feels lumpy," I said, fixing it with magic. “That’s better,” I said after a while. A girl with
dark hair and dark eyes walked to our table and smiled.
"Bonjour," she said, "my name's Jullian, and I'll be your servant for the day."
"I would like the escargot soup, low fat sauce and a ginger ale," I gave her my order. She gave me
a fake smile as she took the rest of everyone's meals. "Okay," Julie said. "The meals will be out shortly."
She smiled before walking away. Maria and Ming muttered “tramp” under their breaths and I refused to
ask why.
When the food arrived, the lunch line area of the restaurant started to pile up. Ming and Bian left
for the bathroom and haven't come back yet; Ryan and Maria watched the customers throw their orders at
the cashier and Julie, and a few people got pushed and thrown out of the line. I took a few fries from Ian’s
plate and never touched mine. I finished my escargot soup which was a small soup before I started to eat
Ian’s fries. I don’t know why I’m always picking at other people’s food when I have my own. Cinnamon
perfume burned my nose and Ming sat down.
"You have your own fries to gobble down," Ming said, staring at Ian’s almost empty tray of fries.
"You want mine?" I asked him to slide my tray over towards him as Ming and Bian found their
seats next to Ryan.
"Damn the lunch line is fucking brutal," Bian said. "Ira and Maaya look so cute standing there,
though."
"They're getting impatient aren't they?" Ryan said, chewing her fries. Bian and Ian nodded. “I
think she’s stalking us, now.”
"I've never seen them get so impatient before," Ian said, pouring ketchup on his fries. I rolled my
eyes and took a fry from my new tray that was Bian's. She looked up at me and slid her tray down to me.
"If you wanted my fries all you had to do was ask," Bian said.
"Sorry," I muttered and wiped my hands with a napkin. "So, what's up with you guys? You all
look like y'all took a dive off the Empire State Building." I asked, referring to Ming and Bian before I
looked around and my favorite breakfast appeared in front of me on a glass plate. I know breakfast was
over but this was the perfect time to have my favorite breakfast platter.
"Let's just say that Wednesday's isn't our best day," Selena said and left the table, pushing her way
through the crowd of angry customers.
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"What is that?" Maria wanted to know looking down at my plate of pancakes.

"Mini marshmallows, and Hershey's pieces inside the pancakes topped with caramel fudge,
crumbled Heath bar and butter fingers, powdered sugar, chocolate whipped cream, and butterscotch syrup,
and toffee," I said chewing, and turned to Ian. "Want some?" I asked him.
"Sure," Ian and Ryan said in unison and took a piece from my plate the same time Maria shook
her head.
"No thanks, I'd like to keep my health," Maria says, smiling at me.
"You're gonna get diabetes, you know that?" Bian says. "What's up with you guys? You all look
like y'all took a dive off of the Eiffel Tower. Especially you, Ming."
"Bian, I will throw you across this place without even touching you," Ming said. We looked at her
with concerned looks. "Sorry, I didn’t sleep well last night,” she added. The smell of My Weather perfume
hit my nose and I turned around immediately knowing and seeing Ira walking down the path towards our
table. They stopped in front of me and all their perfumes and cologne made me dizzy. We moved our
plates down and made room for them, Ira awkwardly squeezed herself in between Ryan and Ming.
“What smells like a burning garden?” Maria asked me. My fork dropped on my plate and we all
turned around to where Selena had walked away, to why she walked away.
“Selena!” we called her name and a loud explosion came from the further side of the restaurant
and the right side of the place was in smoke, employees ran from the kitchen knocking over the lunch
hour in the process. Employees Julie and Daniela were pushed and Julie slid across the booth that seated a
family of three.
“Karma’s a bitch, isn’t she?!” Selena called out from the front door, I turned to her and went to
get up but Bian pushed me down in the process in a rush to get to her. Selena must’ve seen the death look
on Bian’s face because she quickly ran out of the building from the incident with Bian already on her
heels. Ryan and I threw three twenties on the table before we ran out the door going after them.
֏֏֏
We found Selena was being huddled by Bian with a stern look on her face, she was basically
screaming at her, she was between Luis’ car and Ryan’s jeep, and while Endora was trying to break them
up, I walked up to them and Selena was mumbling something that I didn’t catch, but somewhere in their
conversation, I knew one of them was talking about magic and when there’s some type of magic involved,
I have to jump in. I glanced at Bian and Selena. I pulled Endy away from them and grabbed Selena on the
arm.
“What happened? Selena what did you do?” I asked her. She turned to me and folded her arms.
“First off, I didn’t do anything. Second, I don’t know what the hell happened to myself.” Selena
sounded furious. “Julie told one of the chefs to add oil and wine in somebody’s food at booth number
three. So, I stopped time and poured gasoline in the wine and cooking oil.”
“All because I called her a tramp?” Ming said, stepping between us. “She was gonna slip Ian
something in his drink, and it was gonna be perks and morphine.”
“She was gonna poison Ian and Ming?” I said. “She was gonna poison one of my sister’s and my
husband?” Selena nodded and Ming turned to the restaurant and walked back in. No one stopped her and
Ryan and I put a hand up.
“Let her finish,” Ryan says, “but in the meantime let’s get in the car and not be here, when she
gets back.” Bian turned to Selena and got in the car. Ryan looked at me and a holler came from inside the
restaurant followed by glass breaking. I caught Ming grabbing a wooden stick off the wall and teleported
to our booth and started to whack Julia repeatedly on the head, and then Ming knocked a passing waitress
down who fell into another employee in the process.
“That’s our queue,” Ryan said.
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“Yeah, we’ll let Ming figure this one out,” Ian said. I nodded and we jumped in our cars and drove
off, leaving Ming. She can teleport herself when she’s ready, she’s an adult, she can take care of herself.
“Did we just leave our best friend?” Ian asked me, sitting in the passenger’s seat fidgeting with his
fingers.
“She can take care of herself,” Ryan said, pressing the gas. “She’s a FC, she can teleport here or
back to the hotspot. Maybe home if she wishes too.”
“Full Caster or not, we just ditched our best friend back there,” Bian said. I heard a rip in my ear.
“No you didn’t,” a voice came from the back seat. Maria and Bian hollered. I looked over my
shoulder and Ming smiled happily at me. “I just gave her a piece of my mind and was a little beaten
before I left.”
“Why? What happened?” Bian asked.
“Long story short, Julie thought it’d be cute to add something dirty to our food,” Ming said. “My
best guess is, Ira was behind it. They had a glow around them, they’re cousins. Which explains the full
conversation they had when I was in the bathroom. I overheard them and I telepathy Selena. You’re
welcome.”
Back at Luis’ place, I was hoping we’d call it a day but I guess Luke wasn’t done because he
pulled out a piece of paper with scribblings all over it. He wrote something and crossed something off
before looking up at us–mostly just me. Selena and the others walked through the door and Luis pulled
me away from the group.
“What the hell happened back there? I’ve never seen Ming loose her cool so quickly?” Luis said.
“One minute she’s cool and the next she’s beating someone into a pulp.”
“Ming said that she overheard the waitress plan something and told Selena and she did something
and then Ming up and disappeared before I knew what had happened,” I said. Luis eyed me. “It’s not my
fault if you think I had something to do with this. Remember, she was the one who beat Ira and her
brother in a pulp freshman year.”
Luke’s face fell, “come to think about it, Ming will beat anybody into a pulp. She grabbed an oar
from the wall and burned Julia before they could even touch her.”
“Exactly,” I said.
“But still if I would’ve known that your cousin was gonna start a family feud, I wouldn’t have let
Selena come along,” Luis said.
“Maria was with her, you drag one out you drag out the other. You should know that by now,” I
said, crossing my arms. “Those two are better together than Che-che’s.”
Luke eyed me. “Don’t speak that latin on me, Maggie. I made a list for today, I had to cross off
some things that even I knew wouldn’t happen today. And I need you to keep Selena under your eyes,
until I get through it, got it?”
“You still make to-do lists?” I was shocked.
“Yes, it’s a habit now, thanks to you,” he said embarrassed. I smiled, congratulate him on
something that I willingly gave to him without using magic. He walked away and called us together. I
wanted to tell him that I’m not keeping my cousin under nobody’s eye because she’s as hard-headed as a
spoiled Bratz doll.
“Now, what happened today didn’t end well and it’s not gonna stop me from crushing the plan I
had since graduation,” Luis said. He held up the paper. “Right now, we’re putting our feelings out on the
table.”
“Next,” Ira and Maria said in unison.
“Watch a movie?” Luke said, raising an eyebrow.
“Cool, which one?” Maaya said. “If it has anything to do with Chick Flicks leave me out of it.”
“Ew, what the hell. I was thinking more along the line of Beowolf, Dragon Stone or Fast and the
Furious or Lord of the Rings or something,” Luke quickly added.
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“You know what, anything but Dork of the Rings,” Ira said with a smile. Luke nodded in approval
and Ian looked like he wanted to throw a boot at Luis’ face. Luke set up the TV and put on Fast and the
Furious. Ming looked upset and I felt bad for her honestly and if she was gonna watch FATF, I think she
would beat Luke into a pulp just to beat him into a pulp. Although, it’s happened before, in high school
she beat our Science teacher into one without even touching him. The school thought the classroom was
haunted for a year.
Watching the movie, I actually got in it without having the nerve to throw electricity at it. Endora
and Maaya screamed at the screen like old ladies do when they watch the soap operas while Ming, Ian and
Luke cheered at the TV. Ira and Ryan and I enjoyed watching them act like crazy people while Selena and
Maria distance themselves in a different room. I could hear them laughing and screaming and possibly
joking around from the kitchen.
“Watching these morons holler is like watching my dad and brother watch boxing,” Ira said to
herself.
“For me it’s like watching my brothers and cousins bet on who’s gonna crack at the end,” I said,
turning my full attention to Ira. “Honestly, I’d rather look at you instead of this freak show.”
“Was I talking to you, Mrs. Freakshow?” Ira said with venom words.
“Well, you obviously weren't talking to yourself. And if so, join these morons,” I smiled at her. Ira
cocked her head and drew her lips in a tight line. Ryan elbowed me in the arm. I glanced at Ryan.
Don’t dwell on the past like the enemy.
She was right, I’m not Irabelle.
“You know what, never mind. I’m sorry, that came out wrong. Can we move this conversation
somewhere peaceful?” I said to Ira. She looked from her hollering old ladies to me. She took a moment
and gave me an approved look as we walked to the dining room across from the living room. It wasn’t
peaceful, but it was then being in there with those idiots.
I turned to Ira, “look I know we’ve had our differences in life, but don’t you think maybe it’s time
to draw the line between us? I mean Maaya and Endy and I, we’ve patched up our rough edges, why not
you and me?”
“Because, your aura is stingy,” Ira said. “Maggie, I did my research on you over the years and the
shit that you do is dark and twisted. Read my mind, Salem Witch.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You heard me, read it. Maaya’s book said that all witches carry demons in their purses that let
them read minds. So, read me.”
Was she serious? Trying to read Ira was a bitch in high school, what makes her think I can read
her now? Even for me it was hard.
“Ira, you’ve got the wrong impression. I can’t read minds and where did Maaya get that
information? That shit’s dead wrong,” I said, snickering.
“Of course, you would know if it was wrong,” Ira added.
“Ira, where is all of this coming from? All I want us to do is throw the past out the window.
There’s nothing illegal about that,” I said.
“No, and there’s nothing illegal about holding on to it, as well. Maggie, you’ve been my
competition since day one and we all know that I hate competition. But yet, you continue to compete with
me,” Ira spoke. “You make me look stupid in front of everyone.”
“I make you look stupid?” I said, “Ira you’ve torchured the hell out of me since we were kids.
You tried stealing Ian from me so many times it made you look pathetic.”
“Pathetic? Maggie, the only reason I wanted Ian was because he didn’t deserve a girl like you
back then, and he still doesn’t. For God’s sake Maggie, you’re a witch. You family are devil worshippers
and you’ll all burn in hell,” Ira hissed at me.
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“Witches aren’t real,” I said, trying to back my own species up. “You don’t see me walking
around with a broom sticking up my ass, and witches hat, that’d upset my folks.”
“Your folks? Yeah, your folks are all witches,” Ira spat. “I did some digging on your family and
you are a witch. A Caster, I believe y’all would rather prefer and your great ancestor is Maggie Elizabeth
Genetelli. The first caster was born a Full Caster. And what would your granny, Heather Cane, do? Say
about you marrying a mortal.”
“Where are you getting all of this bullshit?” I said, trying to keep my blood from boiling.
“My dad’s the mayor, remember?” She laughed.
My blood boiled, Ira smiled at her achievement. Enchanted wind brushed through our hair and the
room around us grew dark and the house slowly grew dark. A hum and a high pitch scream covered the
house and my eyes suddenly sharpened. The sky slowly painted black and lightning and thunder rumbled
and the wind started to pick up. Throwing leaves and trash cans down the street. Ryan and Ming rushed to
the opening of the dining hall and stopped themselves, eyeing me and Ira.
“Maggie, don’t let her push your nerves!” Ming called over the howling of the wind and thunder.
Ignoring her words, Ira was thrown across the room by force and landed on the floor hallway in the
kitchen. Crashing into the mini bar, glass crashing and broken wine bottles surrounding her. Everyone but
Ming and Ryan pushed past us and rushed to the noise. They stopped in the entrance of the kitchen and
froze over Ira’s body.
Maria and Bian and Luke turned to me.
“Don’t worry, I didn’t kill her,” I said. “Yet.”
“Ira? Hey, Ira!” Endy called, trying to shake her awake. Ian and Selena and Ming and Ryan
surrounded me.
“What the hell happened? Didn’t I say not to let her get to you?” Ming said.
“Sorry, she just got to me. You know I have a temper. She knows about me, about us. What we
are,” I said, turning my attention to Ira’s unconscious body still lying on the floor in the kitchen. Ming and
Ryan looked at each other and Selena and Ian looked nervous. The storm clouds and the wind disappeared
as soon as they came and the sun shined through the windows and cracker curtains in the house.
“What are we gonna do when she comes?” Ian said. “We’re not putting a potato sack over her
head and leaving her in an abandoned parking lot again, are we?”
“No, but that would be fun, wouldn’t it?” I said laughing. “Look, okay, guys, I’ll just erase her
memory or better yet, lay her back in her chair and finish watching the movie and when she awakes, she’ll
think it was a dream.”
“Damn, you’re thinking more and more like me, Little Cuz,” Selena said smiling.
“You’ll still have to erase her,” Ryan said.
“I know that,” I said, turning back to her. “Only one problem.”
“What?” Ryan said.
“Her dad’s the mayor, and he holds my families records,” I said.
“So what, that doesn’t stop you,” Selena said. “Maggie, erase what she knows and sit her back in
her chair.”
“What about Endy and Maaya?” Ian asked, jerking his head in their direction.
“Fuck,” I said. “Okay, she fainted.”
“That’ll do, but you’re still erasing her,” Ming said.
“Of course. Our people are way too dumb to be put in the spotlight,” I said walking away. I
stooped to Ira’s level and placed a hand on her head. I put my ear to her head and whispered a chanting
spell. “You want to wake up from your groggy state, and not remember your last dream state.” I sat up and
looked at Maaya and Endy.
“She’s still alive, just unconscious. Help me sit and get her to the couch,” I said. Maaya, Endy and
Luke helped me get her to the couch. We laid her down and Maria ran to the kitchen and came back with
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an ice pack. Maaya continued to shake her and call her, a groan made my heart drop and we surrounded
her.
She opened her eyes groggy. “What happened?”
“I think you fainted,” I said. “We were having a conversation and you walked off and next thing,
you were out cold. How do you feel?”
“Why do you even care?” Ira said, moving away from me.
“Just trying to be the bigger person, you’re welcome,” I said and walked away from her.
Ian caught my arm. “You could’ve killed her.”
“That was one thought,” I said. “Ian, keep in mind that she tried to take you from me more than
once in high school.”
“Yeah and she failed every time,” he said. “Maggie, keep in mind that I proposed to you and
married you no more than once. She’s still Tallahassee High’s voted Most Sluttest in the Future.”
“Who made up that tag?” I asked him.
He leaned to my ear, “Endy and Maaya, but you didn’t hear it from me.” I blinked, shocked at the
moment.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

☆ Chapter 2. I am the Ancestor ☆
Theresa's boss retired and left the bakery to Theresa. The best part about Theresa being the new
boss-manager of the place is that the family and friends of all the employees can eat and take home as
many cupcakes as they want and not pay a cent. After we left Luke’s place, we drove to Cole’s job which
is the hottest bakery in downtown Tallahassee. Theresa walked out from the back with cake mix and flour
on her apron and her long dark hair now dyed a dirty blonde color. I gave her raised eyebrows and she
smiled at me. It looks like she was having another flour fight than just baking cupcakes. Theresa sat on her
stool behind the cashier, thinking maybe whether or not it was someone from the Mortal or Caster realm,
either way it was bad.
Theresa Olive is a Mortal, and she knows a lot about the Caster world because she's married to a
Caster, with a Caster child and studies our world. She first started studying our world around the time that
her and William were in high school and she’s been mistaken for a Caster herself. Theresa has long dark
hair, big bright dark eyes and is a mother herself to my niece Samantha, a thirteen year old and expecting
another one on the way.
After staying until closing time at the bakery, Ian and I went home and Selena came back with us,
but it wasn’t much fun because she was caught up in a soap opera on TV. Ian went up for the night. I
looked at my cousin and called her name a few times before hitting her with a couch pillow. She looked at
me like she wanted to kill me. I heard a rip in my left ear, and I turned to see a girl dressed in a rainbow
silk ribbon dress with white open toed stiletto heels. Her long hair around her neck and shoulders with a
colorful ribbon bow headband on her head. Holly Lee is the Caster Council's daughter and she's spoiled
and perky as hell and yes, she's a Full Caster and pops in every once in a blue moon. Holly's like an older
sister to me and a younger sister for my brothers but she's much more fun to be with. She's the same age
as I am but she's really with Cole, and I mean with height. Holly's Korean and can be a bitch, she
communicates almost just in her native language and in Clesteadstorian.
"What's new Full Caster and Low Caster?" she called out with a smile on her face. Selena and I
smiled at her and turned to one another.
“What are you wearing?” I said, staring at the bright colors and glitter.
“This is my party outfit,” Holly said. “I’m only gonna be here for a while, I’m trying to make this
guy loose my scent.”
“Why? What happened?” Selena asked her. Holly took a seat next to her, crossed her legs and
smiled.
“A graduation party for my cousin went overboard when some Incubus guy locked on my good
looks and daddy wanted me to take notes about the guy.”
“Wait, Little Gemma graduated from Carwood?” Selena said, popping up from her spot.
“Finally, we agreed to have her party here when she graduated,” I said. Holly looked at me and
smiled.
“You’d let me finish the party here?” Holly squealed. “Are you sure? I know how much Ian hates
when we throw parties.”
“Only if the party is too crowded, that’s when he doesn’t agree. But it’s my house, what he
doesn’t know won’t kill him,” I said. Holly laughed and pulled me into a hug that suffocated me with
perfume and too much hair spray. “Not too many people, okay?” I said. “The smaller the better.”
“It’s only a few friends and family, you know Gemma’s not a party animal like me,” Holly said.
“And besides, I can only break certain casts that she does.”
A humming sound came from House and a light breeze kicked in followed by the house
decorations transforming into party streamers and a balloon arch canopy. Food appeared on the living
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room and kitchen counter. Drinks lined the island in the kitchen and the lights dimmed to a dark pink and
started to flash into different colors.
Selena helped Holly with securing the younger Casters dressed in like adults and a few with the
identities of premature Casters, like Vampire-Demons and Ghouls. The House would vanish those who
were making it difficult to cooperate. After getting everything settled I went to my room and freshened up,
washing out all the gunk and hair products that Bian put in my hair earlier today. I applied light mascara
and lipgloss to my narrow lips before stepping back from my dresser and closed my eyes. Warm wind
came over me and my body went heavy as the wind tickled the air and a strong aroma filled my lungs. I
opened my eyes and admired the grey and black satin dress with long sleeves and a red bow tied over the
right breast. Black stiletto heels outlined my small feet. My hair pulled back and curled into a half up half
down style with strands falling to the sides, and small diamond sized stud earrings clung to my earlobes.
“Where are you going dressed like that?” Ian said, eyeing me from head to toe.
“Holly’s cousin is having a party and it ended badly with some guy, so I’m letting Holly finish the
party here,” I said. Ian’s eyes almost fell from his head. “It’s only gonna be people she knows. House just
got done with securing the house of no minors.”
“You know what, I don’t care, just tell House put me in deep-sleep-mode,” Ian said. “It heard you,
no need to worry.” I walked out the room, closing it behind me.
Ian doesn’t like Holly very well because he hates people who don’t man up to their doings. We
did try to let them get to know each other when we met but Holly blew it when she told him the true
feelings of his parents. Ian told me and she agreed that what she did was wrong but she was just being
honest. He told me that his parents were having issues with their marriage and his Mom Sofia called on a
divorce with their dad when Maria was born and that they were trying to work through their issues for the
sake of Ian and his sister.
Ian’s not very fond of being told the truth unless he hears it from the person themselves. Holly is
one of the very few people who know the secrets between our families, like the fact that Theresa is trying
to hide her baby bump from her parents and Samantha who found out eventually. Yeah, she’s a few
months pregnant but doesn’t want to tell William because she’s afraid that he’ll freak out like he did when
she told him about Samantha. She made Aunt Connie and Del put an unnoticed protection barrier around
her so no one could sense the baby. It’s working and holding well because this baby is a FC and her and
Will are gonna have a hard time trying to keep this baby’s powers under control, like they did with Sam’s
powers; she’s a Sybil, reading faces is what she’s good at but when Sam was little, William wanted to kill
himself for allowing mother nature giving him a Sybil for a child.
I climbed the stairs and my heart almost shattered, not the emotional way but the furious way. My
house was crowded with people that I didn’t know and I know all of Holly’s friends and family, well,
because she’s family herself. People dancing and standing on my living room furniture with food and
broken glasses and plastic cups everywhere. Not a familiar face caught my eye in the crowd; I rushed over
to the kitchen and called out for Selena and Holly, none of them were found, my kitchen had food and
drinks in the wrong places of my countertops and a couple made out on the kitchen table.
I ran into the dining hall and Selena danced in a group of guys with Holly’s cousin Gemma, a
green-headed Dark Caster who's a five-foot eleven teenager with purple eyes wearing a yellow ankle dress
with glitter and rhinestones. I sighed and walked over to them, I forced one of my fake-persuasive smiles
and hugged the purple eyed girl.
“Gemma, it’s so good to see you,” I broke the hug way too quickly. “Congratulations; you finally
finished.”
“Thanks, Maggie,” she smiled. “Where’s Ashley? I’ve been looking for her forever.”
“She’s with her Aunt at a slumber party,” I said. “So, how does it feel to finally finish school?”
“It’s a weight off my shoulders, I tell you that much,” Gemma said, taking a swig of her dark
drink.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“I know the feeling. Have you seen Holly anywhere, I can’t find her and the music is making it
hard to pick up her Caster string,” I said. The Caster string is what helps when you can’t find someone in a
crowded room and can’t pick up on the right one. The music was interfering everytime I tried using the
Zahning spell, this power lets you Zone out for as long as you want if you're a pro at it. Everyone’s wires
were mixing and changing with one another giving me a hard time to find Holly’s glowing pink one.
"Perhaps you should stop looking with your eyes," Gemma said, and looked at me. I glanced at
her and relaxed myself and let my own string surround me.
When I looked around there was energy to the room, subtle but palatable. Everyone here used a
bit of themselves to unconstitutionally Cast a small aura of protection. They all surrounded themselves
with a shell of power, slight and fragile as a soap bubble. I swear what good is power if everyone has it? I
looked around again and spotted Holly dancing on the pool table, how did I manage to overlook that? I
thanked Gemma, and rushed over and grabbed hold of Holly.
"Holly, I need you to get some of these people out of here," I said. "At least half of them."
"Me?" Holly repeated. "You said you wanted to throw a party, and that's what I'm doing."
"I meant a party for only people that you know, not the whole Caster world," I said. “If Ian finds
out that you threw a party with unknown Casters he’s gonna have a cow.”
"I'd rather be a Mortal instrument for the rest of my life then to be stuck in a glass of wine for a
few weeks," Holly said. She raised her hand and a glass of wine appeared in her hands.
"I was hoping you'd snap your fingers and teleport everyone out of here, but I forgot Flan lining
isn't your thing," I said. She took a long sip and threw the glass, shattering. I turned to Holly and she
clapped her hands to the loud music playing on full blast. I let my jawline drop and I looked over and tried
to find Selena but she and Gemma were nowhere in sight. I turned to Holly and she smiled and laughed to
a bunch of other girls that were dancing and singing along with the music.
I felt my heart drop when X-Me cologne filled the room. I turned to see Cole blocking the
doorway with his mouth dropped.
“You threw a party and didn’t invite me–what the hell is Holly doing here? You know Ian doesn’t
like when she’s here,” Cole said, pointing to the colorful caster.
"First off, it’s my house and second Gemma graduated from Carwood, and I let Holly have her
party here, but it got outta what, and Selena disappeared before you came through the door by the way," I
said. Cole turned to Holly who gave him a perky smile and laughed.
"Wipe that smile off your face, Holly and get these people out of here," Cole said.
“How are you gonna kick people out of my house?” I said resting a finger on his chest.
“Because Hilary said Holly’s suspended,” Cole said. My face dropped and I turned to Holly’s too
happy to care face.
"Don't ruin the fun, Coleslaw," Holly said. "There's enough girls here to help you get a baby."
Cole slammed his hand on the wall causing the house to shake violently and putting a dent in the wall in
the process. I flinched and everyone else in the room stopped dancing and turned to us. Cole leaned
towards Holly and muttered something to her in Clesteadstorian, our language.
"Plin vasolin tatan, tornin'indietro," Cole said to her. Cole spoke our language and I only spoke
three words. Holly stared at him and turned to me and back to Cole.
"Clone vine neo," Holly spoke to him. "Loop sin bin vi-"
"Now!" Cole said and cut her off with venom in his words. Holly turned to me and turned to the
crowd. All eyes on us and the DJ just danced to the music smiling at Holly.
"Jobash fhan!" Holly called out. "Party's over." And everyone started to pack up to leave and
Holly turned to me and Cole. She smiled at him and grabbed her bag and drink and snapped her fingers
and opened the door that went to the basement. The basement turned into a portal going to the Caster
world and the mortal world. Everyone smiled at me and Cole and made their way through the door taking
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

everything with them, but leaving their trash and Holly behind. Selena walked out from the kitchen and
turned to leave but Cole crooked a finger at her and Selena's feet dragged across the floor towards us.
"Since when could you do that?" I asked Cole.
"I have my father's name in my blood," Cole said. "Who's truly in charge of this mess?" Selena
and Holly's fingers quickly pointed to me. I threw my arms up with a dropped jaw. Looking at Selena and
Holly they shrugged their shoulders at me.
“Why’s Holly suspended?” I asked him before turning to Holly. “Why are you suspended?”
“Because I punched a witness who was under my protection,” Holly said without a care in the
world.
"I was only doing the right thing, and Holly I said a few people and they were not the friends and
family that I knew,” I said pointing to the closed portal.
Cole turned to her and she gave a smile. Holly and Cole are like complete enemies at this moment
and when they are it's not the time to get between them. Holly and Cole went to training camp together
with me years ago and Holly hated Cole and he hated her because her parents hated their parents and vice
versa but Cole and Selena both have a cobblestoned path for Lee, but it's for a good reason.
"Do I have to bring your family into this?" Cole asked, "cause Holly you know very well that I
will or better yet, I could burn your tongue out of your face."
Holly didn't speak but she did give Selena a nasty glare but Cole was too quick to catch a thread
of her dress on fire. Holly hollered and patted her dress, the flames out and looked at Cole.
"Your choice, Lee," Cole said. "I can do this all day long." Holly didn't move nor speak. She just
stared at Cole and Selena who were close to breaking her neck. Holly took a breath of fresh air and turned
her back and walked out of the room through the portal and it closed behind her.
“I’ll get the broom and dust pan and help the House clean this mess up,” I said. Selena went to the
kitchen and grabbed the swifter from the supply closet and House started to hum, clearing the glass from
the floor and the stains from the curtains on the window. Selena and I turned on our heels and went to the
dining hall, starting in there since it was the worst place covered in filth.
A half hour went by and we were nowhere near finished with the place. Stains and what looked
like throw up stained the windows from the outside and dried up beer stained the kitchen table–I blame
the couple that were making out. Selena and I were halfway done with the living room and Cole made
himself comfortable and propped his feet up on the living room table. “You know we could use a little
hand over here,” Selena said, soaking the dish towel in the bucket of water in the sink. Cole looked at his
sister and snortled before turning back to the TV. Selena looked at me for help, and I set the last clean
dishes on the counter and hummed a spell. Cole jumped from his seat and fell off the back of the couch,
falling into the table behind it, breaking the golden vase with sea rocks in the process. Cole got to his feet
and looked at me.
“House is busy with one side of the house and Kitchen is just as exhausted as us and we all could
use an extra hand,” I said. Cole turned off the TV as I went on. “When we’re done with the place, you and
Selena can leave and you do whatever you want to her, just don’t ditch her where she’s vulnerable.”
“I was gonna ditch her with you guys, but maybe Aunt Del wouldn’t mind the help,” Cole said,
now sitting at the kitchen island. The tattoo on his wrist slithered up about his forearm and back down.
“No, you ditch her here and Ian’s gonna want some confirmation,” I said, putting the last of the
trash to the opening near the supply closet for House to take care of. The door was about the size of a
medium sized microwave oven, and could only fit fewer objects like trash, and dirty laundry. Down at the
bottom of the house shoot is the basement with two openings leading to the kitchen. Each opening has
two baskets, one for trash and the other a dirty laundry bin for dish towels, wash rags, and kitchen foot
rugs.
“And Selena wants some confirmation when she’s standing right here,” Selena butt in. We turned
to her as she put the last of the dishes away in the cabinets.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“Because you can’t keep your mouth shut for a secret,” I said. “All Ian has to do is glare and
you’re an open book.”
“Hay, he scares the hell outta me,” Selena said, taking off her silver cleaning apron, well my
apron since she won it from me at Rock-Paper-Scissors. She sat it over Cole’s chair and redid her messy
bun.
“Everybody scares the hell outta you,” Cole and I said in unison. Selena nodded and grabbed a
bottle of water from the fridge and yelped, dropping her water and levitating off the ground and onto the
island’s countertop in the process. Cole leaned over to see and I walked to my fridge to see what
happened.
A frozen bra in a glass jar filled with aluminum acid.
A sharp sigh escaped my lips and I turned to Cole and Selena; Cole was already putting plastic
gloves on his hands to remove it. Who the hell was trying to complete an Amon Ra Era spell in my
house? Amon Ra Era is a spell that makes the creator delusional about seeing what they want to see,
almost like smoking marijuana dipped in Wet but stronger. The side effects are weeping, crawling,
believing to be something that they desire, and if not treated well with an antidote, death. Cole removed
the object from the fridge and held it away from his face.
“House, please dispose of this from the Full Caster’s property,” Cole said. The jar disappeared
into thin air and Cole removed his gloves and threw them in the trash bin.
“Way to have a party, Margerate,” he said.
“Piss off, Colin Farrell,” I said. Selena’s head popped out from the supply closet with clothes
detergent and rubber gloves.
“Cole, help me with the curtains and dish towels,” Selena said tossing the big containers of bleach
and Tide over her tiny shoulders. Cole went to speak but I cut him off.
“If you’re not gonna help, leave. I’ll ask House to do it,” I said, putting my weight on the
countertop. Cole didn’t say anything so he grabbed the two heavy containers from his sister and led her to
the basement door next to the house.
“House, do you mind cleaning the rest?” House hummed and I thanked her and went off to the
stairs for a shower.
When morning came, Kitchen made three choices of pancakes, waffles and homemade french
toast for breakfast with scrambled, and omelet eggs, and choice meats. Multiple choices of beverages
lined the countertop like Coffee, Tea, OJ, Apple juice, and iced teas. I thanked Kitchen like I always do
and made my plate of waffles, an omelet and turkey sausage patties and orange juice. Ian hadn’t woken up
yet and I wasn’t gonna wake him, that would be a somewhat bad thing, better than waking me up in the
morning.
I sat at the island the same time House turned the news on the TV in the opening of the counter.
The news for the Caster realm spoke of nothing new about Caster libraries trying to improve the works of
antidotes for diseases. Selena walked in wrapped in her flower robe and slippers with her hair on her head.
Kitchen made her a cup of warm coffee that floated towards her.
“Thanks, Kitchen,” she said, taking the floating beverage, taking a sip and joining me at the
kitchen island. “I slept in Ashley’s room if you didn’t mind and Cole slept in the guest’s rooms.”
“You guys stayed the night?” I was shocked. “You guys never spend the night here. Unless, you
or Cole are running from the law.”
“Hay,” she said, looking at me. “We said to never speak about that. And I only stayed because
Cole made me help clean the place. You have more windows than I can count,” she said, taking a sip of
her coffee. “Cole and I couldn’t tell which of the curtains went where after they were done drying and
House refused to help us and I think it laughed.”
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“So, how’d you find out afterwards?” I said looking at the grey long curtains dangling from the
kitchen windows.
“Ashley. I had to call her to get help,” she said, making a plate with sausage wieners and
pancakes. “I might go over to Aunt Denise’s house today. I don’t know, I really don’t feel like going back
to your mom’s place."
“I would ask but then that means it’s about me,” I said, taking a sip of my tea.
“It’s always about you in that place,” Selena said, taking a seat next to me.
“Tell me something I don’t know,” I muttered into my cup. “My dad is up to his ears in paperwork
with random mortals waking up with no memory of the previous day.”
Selena said with confusion over her face, “With the mixed mortals or with Jenny’s Dream
Feeding?”
“Whose dreams?” I turned to my older cousin. If Jenny was feeding off of my dreams, I was
gonna kick her ass; They were confusing enough without doing a dream cast.
“Jenny’s practicing on Dream Feeding,” Selena said. “Denise said that she’s been dreaming about
sharing something. She begged me to teach Jenny to Dream Feed instead of Dream Sharing and she called
me boring. I might as well just be the border in the world," Selena added shrugging her shoulders.
“Wait, Jenny’s still Dream Feeding?” I said. “I thought she passed that phase.”
“Well, it seems that she’s not. Matthew tried helping her last Wednesday and didn't tell her that I
said this, but I've seen cannons bounce off like apples,” Selena said.
“Are you calling Jenny an abandoned egg?” I said taking my cup from my mouth.
“You said it, not me,” Selena said and took a seat next to me. “Oh, and Cole said not to wake him.
He wants to see how long he can stay in bed without triggering his headache from work.”
“Last time I checked I was the one with the bad headache,” I said.
“You don’t show it,” Selena said.
“That’s because I use one of Aunt Connie’s medical herbs before I drink,” I said smiling.
“Like what?”
“Green tea with a hint of cocoa leaves,” I said, telling a bite of my waffle. Selena made a face that
said, “damn, I’m stupid.” She awkwardly scratched her head and nodded.
“I did not think of that,” she said after a while. “Do you have any more left?”
“Top cabinet over the sink,” I quickly added. Selena thanked me and left the island and went to
the cabinet over the sink in a hurry, I raised my eyebrows at her.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

Chapter 3. Two Different Things
Mom’s office was the only room in the back of the house, the room is just her desk, laptop, a coat
closet with a light around it, which is a sign of a portal and a bookshelf that had books moving and
replacing themselves with other books that either did belong and that didn’t and I mean books that opened
the portal door and made their way out. When I stepped in the house, it bought back rushing memories of
both good and bad and somewhat neutral. Mom wore her pink with blue teddy bears nursing clothes and
her hair wrapped into a side bun, showing pinky-sized earrings. Mom’s office is about the size of an
average room, not too small and not too big but the books made the place look small. White walls and red
marble floors, with long extended bookcases piled high and full of books. Her desk is a painted dark
pink-magenta, a laptop and papers. Her chair was one of those clear see-through chairs that you get from
Amazon or the Martha Sterwart catalog and a long table with a copying machine all-in-one.
Ian had left for work and I spent the day with my mom in her office at the house that started it all.
Heart Manor, the house that my brothers and I grew up in. The house that caught fire so many times, it
would make Yellowstone National Park jealous, and the house that flooded more than once and is still
standing.
“I can’t tell whose job is better? Yours or Dads?” I said breaking the silence between my Mom.
Mom looked at me from a side glance turned back to her computer screen. “Why are you giving me the
cold shoulder?” I said. Mom turned to me, her eyes watching me from her side view again.
“No, this would be a cold shoulder,” she said and placed a hand on my shoulder, giving a soft
quick squeeze and ice flakes started to form down to my forearm and then retreated, disappearing. “Two
different things,” she put up two fingers. She was staring off into space, or was she watching the books
come in and go in the portal closet?
“Have you spoken to John and Will?” I asked, grabbing a book from the shelves.
“No, but your father needs you in the Courtroom.” She gave me a smile. I wanted House to suck
me through the marble floor. Dad always needed my help with something, whether it was in the Caster or
Mortal realms.
“Please tell Dad that I’m no longer available to help him,” I said.
“It’s a case of Censored fraud,” she went on. There hasn’t been a case on that for years. Censored
fraud when a person steals hundreds of thousands of dollars from a Caster realtor. It’s similar to identity
theft but the seller has to be a skilled Siren to steal from under their clients nose.
Mom went on. “He just needs you to see whether the plaintiff and defendant are aliases to one
another or not.”
“And you want me to take the Siren’s powers when they’re not looking, am I right?” I said. Mom
smiled nodding. “And you want me to use my powers to make them confess?”
“You are your father’s child,” she said. “Don’t worry, you’ll get pass security. I’ve arranged a
“prison break” for you so you’ll go unnoticeable.”
“Who are you and what have you done with my mother?” I said.
“Guards from the Whitedove Council are gonna be there and you don’t want them to sense you
know who,” mom added. What was she not saying? I pushed her puzzling words aside and left out the
white front door to my car.
When I got to the study office, I found him hissing in tongues that I didn’t understand. He paced
the small office behind the courtroom wearing his uniform. The judge, Lucius, an emotionless grey-haired
Cypher wore his uniform trying to calm dad down and he was having no luck. The judge looked at me and
pleaded with his eyes to help him. My dad and the judge had been friends since they were teenagers and
he’s like a father figure to him but my brothers and I don’t call him Granddad.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“Dad, Mom sent me to help,” I said, grabbing his arm. “Something about a Censored fraud.”
Dad’s hazel eyes caught mine and he looked like he wanted to loose his cool. I steadied him for a moment
before looking at the judge.
“What happened before I got here, Lucius?” I asked the judge. He shrugged his shoulders. Of
course he doesn’t know, the guy has had a bad memory for as long as I can remember. Dad yanked
himself from my grip and went back to hissing and spitting in the unknown language.
"Dad, for my sake who pissed in your Cheerios?" I said that my Dad's aura grew with his
adrenaline.
"My Cheerios have been getting pissed a lot lately, Demetria," he said and glared at an empty
space ahead of us.
“You’re pissed because you hate Tuesdays and your client Scotty Dukes may or may not be who
he says he is,” I said, pulling my dad in the empty seat next to me.
“You've known me for what damn my entire life and paid no attention to me and it's amazing that
you still know me," he added. For a moment a smile appeared across his face.
"You're my father," I said. "You married Mom, had two dumbbells for sons and me, your lucky
angel. I think I know just about enough about you."
"Yup, and you became a Full Caster at 6 years old; you were the perfect reason to forget about
having more children. We've basically raised Cole and Selena; so, what's the point of having more Heart's
and Cane's running around like a bunch of chimpanzee's?"
"We all are," I said. Lucius left the room giving us some space. Dad quickly turned to me,
grabbing my hands.
“I need you to spy on my client, Scott Dukes. He has a solid case but I don’t trust him,” dad said.
“Why?” I whispered, leaning towards him. Dad checked his surroundings, Lucis had left us alone.
Dad glanced at me from his peripheral vision. What was he planning on? What was he thinking about?
“I have a bad feeling about him and the Siren,” Dad said, he tightened his grip around my fingers.
“I don’t know why but that sinking feeling is back in my stomach and it’s not the mind-reading feeling.
He hasn’t met you before so you don’t have to worry.”
“You told me not to worry about many people and now I’m keeping secrets from my husband and
his family for their sake. Dad, I think I’m gonna have to worry about this one,” I said and gave him a
shoulder rub and stood up from my chair. Dad’s grip pulled me towards him, I nearly lost my balance.
“I need you to break into his mind and reveal what I think he is.” Dad’s eyes almost sparkled and
a shadow appeared in his eyes. I would ask him “what’s in it for me?” but I’m his daughter. I shouldn't ask
a question like that, not to my parents, anyway. After refusing to argue with dad, I accepted his little
request.
“Where is he?” I asked him. Dad fixed his tie and removed invisible lines from his suit.
“He’s in the Confidentiality Room,” he said. The Confidential Room is a room where we keep the
Defendant and Plaintiff safe from each other. They’re two separate rooms guarded heavily. Each room is
enchanted with high magic for the person being held can’t try or do anything illegal, Mortal or Caster. The
spell on the room locks the inmate in until they leave the room. Their lawyer can come and go as they
please.
Leaving the room, I made my way to the C.R., without any guidance. The yellow hallway led me
to the room where it was most active. A dim aura surrounded the concrete door. I showed the guards the
Hawaii shaped islands of my birthmark to the guard. He looked at me and then to the birthmark on my left
wrist, and stepped aside. The locks on the outside of the door creaked and squeaked to the touch and it
opened, revealing a man in his mid-fifties, blonde hair and brown eyes wearing a satin grey suit with his
hair pulled back from his face. He looked up at me and the poor man looked like he hadn’t slept for
weeks. Black bags under his eyes and something that I couldn’t catch, he looked over worked.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

The door slammed and locked behind me as I took a seat across from him at the metal table. He
didn’t speak a word to me and my powers weren’t flowing through me as they usually do.
“Hi,” I said and put a hand out. He didn’t take it, so I got nervous. Scrambling my brain for a false
name to tell him, I said the first thing that popped into my head. “Lena Savage, Statements Department.”
After a while he finally shook my dangling hand.
“Scott Dukes,” he said.
“I know. I’m George Heart’s daughter, and he wanted me to take notes on what happened between
you and Ms. Sylvia Sanders,” I said, giving him my best smile. If he didn’t look so exhausted I’d say he
was a funny looking old man.
“Well, as I told the guards and the officers, she had sold me a bad house located on Wishmond
road, just east of here and I’ve been in the house for about two years before things started to happen,” he
said, playing with the loose button on his suit.
“Like what?” I said, trying to use my powers to break into his head. The humming noise around
his head made me sick to my stomach.
“Where do I start?” he muttered to himself. “First it was at my great-grandson’s graduation party,
it was just a simple day and then I blacked out, a second later I was covered in blood and pieces of cake.
They said that I had gotten into a fight with my great niece–my family. Something about her stealing
money from her own disabled son and I punched her, she punched me and moments later, we were both
covered in cake and desserts.” He looked up at me, finally. “I don’t remember any of it. I took a lie
detector test and they refuse to tell me whether I passed it or not. When the results came back, my lawyer
balled up the paper and stormed out of the room. I haven’t heard from him since.”
“Just for a heads up, Scott. Make yourself comfortable, cause my Dad may be there for a while,
so you can just roam the building, I guess,” I said.
"Last time I did that I almost got fired," Scott said. "How long will your Dad be?"
I shrugged my shoulders, "who knows? My Dad could stay out of his office for three years or so
and not a step foot anywhere until necessary," I said. "He once stayed in his office for three weeks
straight, with no food, no beverages, and he didn't even take his eyes off of the screen. Not even once. The
odd part that I found weird was he didn’t leave the room to take a piss."
“So, anyway, you work here don’t you? Techs Department?” Scott nodded. I thought to myself for
a while. “Did Sylvia give you a piece of paper with Sirens Inc., written in black with a dark mermaid
figure stamped to the top of the page?”
“Yeah, how’d you know?” Scott leaned forwards towards me like a child being told a story about
dinosaurs.
I leaned towards him, “because, you’re a mouse in a maze,” I said and placed my hand to the side
of his head, and squeezed my hand into a fist breaking the bond over him. The aura around his head
disappeared and Scott almost fell from his chair. He held the table for support. He looked at me as I stood
up from my chair, the door opened and I left the room, letting it lock behind me.
I sat in the back on the side of the courtroom with a definite smile on my face. I turned and
twirled in the chair listening to my Dad, the plaintiff and the defendant go on and on about who owed who
the $7 thousand dollars to whom. The plaintiff, Scott stood next to Dad and an old lady named Sylvia
Sanders, the convicted Siren who stood across from them with her lawyer, a middle-aged woman with
grey hair and dark eyes, and she wore a formal house gown. She looked maybe in her mid-seventies, with
thin grey hair, grey eyes and pale skin. Standing behind the prosecutor’s stand, Sylvia gave the lady Jayla
a snare before facing the judge.
Don't try anything out of the ordinary.

Can I have the get together?
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

No.
Then, I ain't promising shit once I have my dignity back.
Just sit there quietly.
I looked up and dad turned from me, to the front of Lucius. I was fading in and out for two hours
in the courtroom with my eyes wandering around. The words from the courtroom mixing in with the
music and lyrics I had playing in my head, making it sound jumbled together. How can my Dad sit here
all day? It's depressing. A woman, Jayla Mills wore a grey suit with blue eyes and dark curly hair stood
behind the defendant's table. Scott stood next to her with a stern look plastered on his face.
The door to the courtroom opened and I saw dark hair walking in with a purple hat with a floppy
brim with a black ribbon. She wore dark shades and stocking gloves that come to the elbows and a purple
dress with a black bow wrapped around the waistline. The dress stopped pass her knees and her shoes
were black heels. She looked my way and walked over and pulled an empty seat and sat beside me.
“Miss me?” She looked forward ahead of the room and looked in both directions. I leaned to look
under her hat and her shade blocked her eyes but I could still see through them. Large brown eyes with a
hint of red, blue, purple, orange and yellow.
“Ryan?” She looked at me and smiled. “What are you doing here?” She looked forward to my
Dad who was talking to the old hag Sylvia, who creeped out the guards. Dad wasn’t paying attention to
me and he had a protective aura around him.
“So, this is your idea of losing a tail?” She turned to me with a gleam in her eyes.
“Different tail,” I muttered and gave a side glance. “Did anyone see you come in? How’d you get
through the metal detectors?”
“I didn’t. I came through the back, security got heavier than the last time,” Ryan said.
“That’s because of what happened yesterday,” I said. “Where’s Ming? She’s not here?”
Ryan shook her head, “working another late shift but she’ll be done sooner than later.”
“What’d you do, Ryan?” She shook her head and turned to me, letting me see through her
transparent glasses.
“Nothing, that doesn’t concern you. I mean you are a criminal in the Caster world for taking
another’s powers for your own self-pleasure,” Ryan muttered. “That’s what the Council is saying anyway.
And besides, your mother has an idea that just might help you clear your name. And it has nothing to do
with magic, your mom and my parents are trying to convince the Council that you’ve been working with
Theresa and Cole at the bakery; so as long as they find Holly, it’ll be your word against hers.”
“Yeah, I heard she vanished after the party,” I said. “She’ll show up, she always does.” Ryan gave
me a smile that didn’t reach her lips but she didn’t doubt that the spoiled Korean would stay away for too
long. Not if there’s a party involved.
Don’t even think about it.
Dad read my mind, I looked up at her, and we were eyeing her, I could see her colorful eyes
through the dark shades. Faking a party is a shitty idea that’ll turn wheels in the blink of an eye. Dad and
Scott talked about the rent that was $350 dollars a month followed by failed payments, he told Dad that
he’ll get the bank in here if he could and dad and the jury found that quote amusive.
“Mrs. Sanders, the only papers you have are the ones in front of me,” Lucius said. “Your landlord
gave you a week to send in the $350 dollars by check and you failed to make that payment.”
“I sent her an email and a letter by mail stating that I won’t be able to pay the rent for a few
weeks because of my daughter’s cancer. I told her that I will be flying to Oklahoma in the Spring of
2013.”
“You said in the Winter of 2013,” Jayla spoke, pointing a manicured nail at Sylvia. “Get your
facts straight, Sanders.”
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

I rolled my eyes and started to hit myself in the head. Ryan elbowed me in the arm and the second
I looked at her the fire alarm went off including the sprinklers. The courtroom started to flood with panic
and everyone piled on one another to get out of the doorway. I turned to Dad who gave me a thank you
look and turned and walked out through the judge door. Ryan pulled me to the door and pushed her way
through the crowd. In the hallway, security raced back and forth shouting in their radio. Ryan pulled me
down the hallway that led to the back of the courthouse and I spotted Kris and Scott standing by the exit.
We stopped in front of them and they gave me a smile. “What’re you guys doing here?” Ryan’s
brothers smiled and waved a half “what’s up” in my face.
“Saving our little sister’s best friend’s ass,” Kris said, “come on, Ming’s waiting by the back
door.” I had no time to speak cause I was pulled by Ryan. Scott held the door open for us and locked it the
second he let himself in. The second hallway was orange with paintings of idolized people like Macon B.
Allen, Malcolm X, Julius Caesar, Myra Bradwell, and Thurgood Marshall. Kris and I slid a few feet
before catching our balance again turning a corner to another door. Scott pushed open the door and Ming
stood with her arms crossed.
“Took you long enough, I was starting to think you guys got caught,” said Ming.
“The place is packed, it’s brutal in there,” Scott said. “I was thinking if Ryan pulled Maggie out
without us.”
“That was my first option,” Ryan said, smiling , removing her shades and hat.
“I had a blast when Kris told me that you guys were gonna break Maggie from the crowd,” Ming
said. “My cousin is holding my shift. I used a Siren gain to get past my parents and I stopped time to go
through stop signs and red lights, I felt as though I could pick up a car and throw it, like some superhero
from my comic books.” Ming picked up a nearby car and threw it; the car landing on another car, no one
was hurt. Scott and Kris stood with wide eyes and tight pouted lips. Ming chuckled.
“That’s my Dad’s car you just threw,” I said pointing a finger at the silver Mercedes-Benz that
crushed a blue jeep. Ryan, and the others returned their gaze to me.
“Should we make a run for it?” Kris asked, looking around the corner of the courthouse.
“Don’t have to tell us twice,” Scott said and went to walk away; but Ryan grabbed him by the
shirt. I shook my head and Ming was thinking hard, maybe trying to come up with a spell to fix my Dad’s
car and its victim beneath it.
“Even if we did, George would still turn his head and point fingers at Margerate,” Ryan said,
throwing her arms up. Scott and Kris were keeping a lookout.
“Why are we still standing here when we should be getting the hell out of here?” Ryan muttered
under her breath. I turned to Dad’s car and the smell of dead grass hit my nose and Dad’s car was off the
jeep and on the ground, not a scratch on niether vehicle.
“Now that that’s done, let’s get the hell out of here,” Scott said.
“Ming met us at my place after work,” Ryan said and pulled me to Scott and Kris’ van.
“No matter what happens we don’t speak of this. Ever,” Ryan turned to me and then to her
brothers. Ming had already taken off from the parking lot. Kris drove off just in time to see my Dad open
his car door.
Cole and I worked in the back of Sweetie's Cupcakes making 3,000 calories worth of cupcakes
every 10-20 minutes, while Theresa worked the cash register. Cole and Theresa left out my own tray of
cupcakes, knowing that I eat sugar to think. I mixed the batter roughly with a spoon maybe twice as hard,
with a few mortal eyes on me. Theresa stared at me while putting the money in the cash register not
looking. Theresa can count money and add up without looking, like Ian can text without looking at the
screen on his cellphone, and Maria can paint her nails without looking.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

"You're attracting attention, again," Cole said, pulling me from my thoughts and taking the bowl
from me. I looked up at him and turned to my surroundings; Theresa gave me a facial expression saying,
“what's up?”
I turned to Cole and his eyes burned into my soul. This is my fifth time today that I've caused
attention. First using magic in public and telling the customers that Halloween came early although it
hasn't, second I levitated in mid air, trying to put the clean pots and pans on the shelf over the oven, Cole
and Theresa gave me a 'what the fuck' look and grabbed two knives and cut the air above me, pretending
to cut wires, and me playing along and levitated back to the ground.
The third wasn't basically my fault. There's a case of cupcakes by the door and a clumsy old man
walked in and the door swung open fast enough to knock the case down, and knowing me I threw my
hands up making the case freeze in place and last but not least, the fourth time of the center of attention is
on my break and I was caught by a mortal employee and customer, I was doing a little thing I like to call
orb balancing. Don't know? It's balancing a ball of light; or orb as we call it on either our hands, or
fingertips. Full Caster, any part of his or her body
"Should I cause even more attention by banging pots and pans together?" I said and put the bowl
down on the countertop.
"No, you've caused enough attention for today," Cole said. "Just don't spin the batter too hard or
too slow. We don't want the cupcakes too soft, too hard or too lumpy."
"Not my problem," I said. "The lumpy, hard and soft ones can go to me. I could use a few calories
on my face. But the hard ones I can use for throwing at Ira."
"It is sort of your problem," Cole said. "And you can have the cupcakes, just don't attract so much
attention." I rolled my eyes at him, and Theresa made her way over to us.
"Margerate, what is up with you?" she spoke, she looked at the bowl on the counter and turned to
me. "You made the cupcake batter watery."
"Sorry, how much longer?" Theresa looked at me and raised a brow.
"Until closing time," Theresa said.
“They’re on Caster dust,” I muttered.
“That’s what I said,” Theresa said. “I’m thinking about changing the hours. But the least you can
do is make less attention, or make a shield for yourself."
Cole’s head popped up and he looked over at us. "Now, why would you give her that idea?"
Theresa looked like a dumb bird.
"Well, she needs to cool off, blow off some steam sometimes," Theresa said.
"You know what? Fine, fine. You let her do whatever pleases her, but don't come crying back to
me when something goes wrong," he said, “like a sinking ship.”
“You mean like the Titanic?” Theresa said, looking up at him, and smiling.
“No, like the Lusitania,” Cole said.
"I got the nerve to throw this at your face," I said to Cole with a hand on the tray.
"You do that and I'll lock your head," he said. "Now, cool off and get back to work." Cole left me
and Theresa there and I turned to look at her and she shrugged her shoulders and walked away.
“At least you can lock his head without laying a finger,” Theresa whispered in my ear and we both
chortled.
I went over to Ryan's place and ended up staying for dinner. I sat on the couch of the large house
and stared at the ceiling while Ryan helped her Mom make the rest of the hot food to complete dinner.
Kris and Scott sat away from me playing the game on their playstations. I groaned every time one of them
made a shot into the court. Scott's good in basketball but he has to bounce the ball like a hundred times
before shooting.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

What happened to all of the outside games? Like Jacks? Outdoor ball games, like soccer and
baseball. Checkers? Jumping rope and all that other stuff? Where'd they all go? Kris had the ball and then
passed it to his brother. Scott grabbed the ball and bounced it. Scott turned to me and smiled, bouncing
harder and harder. I groaned at him as he bounced it harder and harder. When Scott made his shot, Kris
tried taking the ball from him but no luck. I got up from the couch and stood but the side door, staring out
the window. Kris grunted behind me, bouncing the ball even harder. Ryan in the kitchen and Bennett
Little, their father, hadn't come home from work yet. When he gets home, he's gonna be shocked.
Bennett's like another Dad to me. And to the Little brother's, I'm just another little sister walking around
the place. I heard Kris shout out from the top of his lungs.
"We are the reckless, we are the youth!" I turned to him and he was now standing up on the
couch, eyes glued to the screen and fingers pressing hard against the remote control buttons. I turned to
Ryan and Alice, her Mom and they both chopped vegetables without looking.
Alice Little is a Thaumaturge like her husband Bennett who's a Full Caster and then there's Ryan
the baby trying to become a Full Caster, a Full Caster in training, to be exact. I pulled outta my thoughts
by hollering, I turned to the TV and saw Kris' arms in the air and his controller on the floor. Finally the
game is over. Scott rubbed his head and scratched the back of his head.
"Ready for round two?" he asked his older brother.
"No, no, no, no," Ryan said, making her way over to the TV and cutting it off. "You guys have
been playing that damn thing for hours. Give it a break, would you? And one of you will come help me
and Mom out with the chopping."
"Scott!" Kris called out. "I beat you fair and square. Go help Mommy and Ryan." Scott gave Kris
the quick finger and took off to the kitchen. Kris turned to me and Ryan and smiled.
"I told you that I'd beat him like a pony," he said. Ryan turned to me and walked away; Kris
turned to me and sat down on the couch and turned the actual TV on, but then it cut right back off. Kris
turned to me expecting that I did something but then his eyes traced back behind me and I turned around
to see Bennett, their Dad standing there. I turned to Kris who stood up and threw his hands up.
"What was that for? Hi Dad, how was work? What was that for?" Kris said he turned to me.
"Hi, son, work was fine. And I didn't do anything," Mr. Little said. Kris turned to me and glared.
"I didn't do anything," I said and sat down. Kris gave me another glare and I just rolled my eyes.
"I'm here for fifteen minutes and you're already accusing me of something I didn't do? Yeah, that's fair," I
snapped and laid down on the pillows, burying myself in them.
"Something's wrong with Margerate and I'm not gonna ask what happened," Mr. Little said and
walked in the kitchen. I muttered a please don't, and then I felt the couch cushions jam down beside me. I
didn't wanna look up to see who it was, but I looked up anyway. Mr. Little dressed in his regular pants and
shirt.
I turned to the kitchen and walked in. Alice and Ryan turned to me and I grabbed a bell pepper
from the bowl and took a big chunk out of it. "Should I ask or should I ask?" Ryan looked up from her
chopping. I glared at her and she grunted and stabbed the knife on the cutting board making it stand on its
tip. "Bennett Ethan Little!" Ryan and Alice shouted, calling Bennett’s full name. He walked into the
kitchen and stood away from her.
"Ryan Eliza. Love," he called to his daughter before turning to Alice.
“You really know how to turn the wheels on the Caster Council’s heads,” Alice said looking up at
her husband.
“I know but I had a blast,” Bennett said sitting at the island. “A chair was pulled from Dr. Land
and Mr. Lee but that wasn’t my doing.”
"Bennett, I don't know whether your irks are correct or not, but don't ruin the future plans for the
oils in the council." Alice looked at me and smiled
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

"They can start all the drama they please with me. I know how to deal with them," I chimed in,
putting an arm around Bennett’s shoulder.
Ryan and her brothers talk in riddles but I’ve picked up on them with and without magic. Ryan
says that it’s a ligament thing that she and her brothers created to talk to one another without being
understood by their parents but they took over Alice and Bennett.
"Are you sure?" Alice said. I nodded and smiled, my eyes changed to polychrome.
When a Caster has eyes that look like a kaleidoscope is a sign of a Full Caster. Not many Full
Casters have polychrome eyes. Some just have dark eyes, making others think that they're Dark Casters,
which can turn into a multiple misguided blood bath which has happened to a lot of people, even myself..
When dinner was finally done, we ate in silence, hearing the clicking of the clocks and the
clinging of the silverware against silverware. They don't really have conversations during dinner–the
Little’s and I don't know why.
"So, Kris, how was work?" Alice asked her younger son. I don't know why she calls Kris her
younger son, when he's the oldest. Probably because he's shorter than Scott.
"Great," Kris said. "But I've been having a little issue. We have to use virgin olive oil for the
window wipers. But if olive oil comes from olives, then baby oil must come from..." Kris trailed off eyes
wide.
"You scare me sometimes," Ryan said with her fist resting on her jawl. Staring at her brother.
Kriss looked at Bennett who rolled his eyes and a roll of money appeared in his hand.
"I'll give you $100 dollars if you move out," Bennett said, holding out a hundred dollar bill. From
the corner of my eye I spotted Ryan jump from her seat and snatched the dollar from her father and
quickly bolted up the stairs. I turned back to the Little's and bit on my top lips.
“She ain’t coming back,” I said.
After dinner which ended pretty quickly for both me and Ryan. Scott's room which was my least
favorite part of the house. Posters of celebrities and game company logos. We sat in a circle on the floor
of Scott’s room–which was my least favorite part of the house–playing a Caster game, called Printed
Logick. It's pretty addictive once you know the round game to it. I took in my surroundings before turning
to the game board. I laid my head on Ryan's lap like a baby and grabbed the dice and shook them before
tossing it in the board and moving my CT piece four spaces ahead before sliding Scott’s lit lighter next to
my piece. I reached for a card and read it.
"Truth be told, Rio? You plant a seed in your flower and it becomes a memory. What do you call
it?" I called Scott. He looked up at me and snickered.
"A memory," Scott said and propped his feet up on his reclining bed. "I'd name it Memory."
"Bore-ring," Ryan, Kris and I said in unison. Scott rolled his eyes and randomly smacked his
older brother in the head.
"Okay, Autumn," he said. "You can't ignore Autumn."
"I can," Ryan said and picked another card. "Trust and dare and let it be told. Scott. Mom and
Dad find out that you've impregnated the new neighbors. What do you do?"
"Kill myself," he said. "Mom and Dad would have a fit, and it ain't mine." Ryan and Kris
exchanged views. We looked at Scott and he started at the deck of cards fumbling with his fingers. Scott
ran hand through his hair before mumbling, “shit.”
"I'm scared to pick another card," Scott said. "Maggie you have the next one."
"No it's Kris' turn," Ryan said. Kris looked at his sister and took a card and looked at it.
"I already picked the fudge sundae," he said and put the card down.
"Hay, not fair," Scott said. "You have to read the card."
"Do I have to?" Kris said, eyeballing his younger brother and sister. His eyes connected with
mine. "Maggie?"
"Read the card, Elvis," I said. Kris' eyes gave a sad look before falling on the card.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

"You're stranded on the Moon and you fall for an alien who turns out to be a man and he gives
you their own way of a fudge sundae made from two ingredients; toxic waste and aborted alien babies,
and the other is the American fudge sundae. Would you pick the Earthling fudge sundae or the Moon
landers?" Kris put his card down and looked at us. Ryan's eyes were big and her mouth formed a gap. Her
and I exchanged views before looking at Kris and Scott.
"Earthling fudge sundae, shit," we said in unison. Ryan grabbed a mini hammer and used the head
and took out the cemented nail from her space which left a hole but slowly healed itself. Ryan placed her
nail in three spaces and the nail hammered itself into place.
"Yo Charlie Charlie, wanna go get some pizza?!" Ryan said, reading her card. Kris put the card
down and Alice appeared.
"Y'all playing that game again?!" she spoke, her eyes on me like I gave them the idea. The Little's
looked at me and went back to their Mom.
"Mom, sometimes we try to mix the truth with jokes," Scott said, smiling at her. Wipe that grin
off your face, she thought. The three of us looked at each other with sealed lips and wide eyes. Scott
looked at us and we slid back away from him and Mrs. Little.
"I will knock your lights out, Scotty Jr.," Alice said, eyeballing her curly brunette son and looking
at me and her daughter. "Get me angry all you want, I'm still upset about you two breaking my vase. And
since I made dinner the pass few years, you boys can make dinner tomorrow night," she gave a smile at
them and left the room. We looked at each other and were not sure what to say.
"It was all Ryan's idea!" They called out running after their Mom. Ryan's mouth gaped and she
threw her hands up and looked at me whose mouth was in a gap. The boys just blamed all of their troubles
on their younger sister. Well played Little boys, well played.
“I’ve taught them well,” I said as I left the room before Ryan could say anything.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

Chapter 4. A Forger in the Circle

Okay, so I think that I’ve done quite a good job with my life. Ian and I have a red redhead
together, Ashley, who has dark brown eyes that sometimes looks hazel depending on the lighting, with
long auburn curly hair like my Mom's natural color. She looks more like my Mom than she looks like me
or Ian. Mom calls her “Little Maria” because she’s the spitting image of my Mom when she was little.
Everything’s been good since Ashley was born, and the Caster Council seemed to be pretty fair on and off
at the times but other than that, life’s good. The Council found out about Ashley and Val right after I had
them. I have a good life but a missing piece in my soul. I had to give Valerie up at birth because, since
both of them are Full Casters, I had a complicated birth and was in and out of a coma and labor for three
days straight which isn’t healthy if you’re a Mortal. Everyone knows about Valerie but Bian and Ashley
and we’ve agreed to keep it hidden until it’s time for them to collide.
"So, I was talking to Lucy and I was wondering if she could come over next Friday?" Ashley says gazing
at me.
“I’ll see what the schedule looks like but right now we’re going to grandma and grandpa's,” I said
looking at the watch on my cellphone and got up from the couch.
"Your parents or Dad's!" she asked, her eyes widened.
"Mines," I said. "Don't worry, if we were going to Nonna Sofia and Nonno Robert’s house, I'd
have you covered with petroleum products by now."
"Oh good. I hate it when Nonna flops up my hair and makes my hair feel heavier than I am, and
pinches my cheeks," Ashley said, smiling a forced sarcastic smile.
“She does that to everyone in the family,” Ian said.
We took the coat closet to my parents house instantly walking into the living room of my parents'
house. We’re an hour early because I have to help House or Katherine as my Dad calls her to set the table.
My Mom ran out the kitchen with a big smile on her face and her arms held out.
"You guys made it!" she called out with excitement in her voice.
"Of course," Ian said, closing the driver's door. “It was either here or my parents.”
"Hi gramma," Ashley said smiling and hugged my Mom before pulling quickly away. "Where's
Sam?"
"She's in the other living room with her Mom,” Mom says and looks past her, “Katherine’s
already started on dinner.” Mom gave me a look that I found both dangerous and curious. I gave her a
look before turning to Ian but he had already taken the open door to the theater hall. I turned to Mom who
put a finger up at me.
“Your father decided to stop calling Kitchen, Kitchen so he gave her the name Katherine instead.”
“Yeah, I heard. It’s pretty off in an odd way, but okay, let’s go with that.”
“Have you talked to Meredith?” she started.
“You know I can only talk to her about the little things. Ashley’s been drawing pictures of Val,
though.”
Mom stopped, grabbing my arm, “does she know? You didn’t tell her, did you?”
“No, but their connection has been growing stronger on and off, which is a good thing,” I said
walking ahead of her before she could go on.
William was already setting dinner on the table, and I could smell John had his infamous Italian
pot pies. One with red meat and the other with white. The second Samantha spotted me she threw her long
arms around me. Sam has long brunette hair falling down her back and her eyes that sometimes change
from hazel to brown.
"You guys made it," she said as we broke the hug. "I thought you guys might never make it. Did
Ashley change her clothes at the last minute?"
"You know her like you know yourself." Samantha smiled at me and pointed. “Uncle John’s in the
kitchen.”
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I left the room and headed for the kitchen. Ashley walked in after me wearing a pink and yellow
dress with black and white hearts and stripes. John smiled and wrapped his arms around her.
"How have you been, little Ginger? Any spells that need to be practiced?" he said. I looked at
John but I saw Ashley concentrating on a cooking spoon. She broke her and John’s hug and sat on the
island.
She frowned at the spoon, "I give up," she said.
"Don't give up, Ashley, it's really not that hard," John said.
"Easy for you to say," she said. Ashley turned to the spoon and the vase on the stand near the
front door moved a little bit before it flew across the room and Cole grabbed me, pulling me down making
us dunk and John caught it with one hand.
"Dammit Ashley!" he hollered. "Try and be more careful."
"Sorry," she said. John smiled at her and sat the vase on the kitchen counter.
"Now just say " before I could finish talking John put his hand over my mouth and shook his
head.
"No, don't say anything, don't say nothing. Just shut up," John said.
We walked in the dining hall and took our seats, and a sucking sound followed by a Rip filled the
room and Del walked through the holding room where we kept the extra coats for when family comes to
visit. Del closed the door and smiled at my Dad. Ian looked confused and gave me a look while George
shook his head and stabbed his fork in his shirt side.
"I'll never understand you creatures, for as long as I live," Ian said.
“Same to you,” Dad said and looked at George who was staring at my Dad. Dad smiled.
"So John, how's Heather?" I asked, sitting in one of the single-chairs.
"Still shooting men in their knees," John said.
"Heather's probably been shooting men in the knee since she was twelve," William said.
Knocking hit the front door, we turned to see Bian, dressed in a green dress with black hearts and white
diamonds with a silk belt and Jenny was dressed in a red dress with red heels. Jenny’s my Aunt Denise’s
daughter and the only Succubus-Seer in the family, she has dark brown hair and dark hazel. She looked
like a hooker. Bian works as a bail bond enforcement officer and loves her job but hates the pants she has
to wear.
“Thanks for locking me out whoever did,” Bian said. “I go to my car and come back to a locked
door.” Ming’s face turned beet red and she turned on her heel and left out the room with her plate walking
past Ryan.
"How the hell did you get in?" I said.
"Your parents gave me a key, remember? My plan was to come alone but then your cousin
Jennifer over here launched at me when I put the key in.”
“I had a feeling that someone was missing,” Dad said, smiling at Jenny before pulling her into a
hug. “I smelt your Olsen twins perfume from the kitchen." Jenny gave my Dad a smile that said “shut up”
written all over it.
“Oh, and thank you for the present. The chicken was delicious.” Jenny broke Dad’s hug and
walked to the dining hall. Dad and I looked at each other.
“She ate the chicken; she ate the fucking chicken!” I grabbed my Dad’s sleeve.
“This is why she never gets a spell right,” Dad muttered and rubbed his eyes before walking to the
dining hall.
Del sat at that table with her plate and kissed Mom on the head before giving her shoulder a
squeeze. Del has long blonde hair and hazel eyes, and she’s a Clairaudient and she’s always in a trance
with the dead. Del looked at my Dad and smiled meaning that she was about to speak in code. Dad
laughed as he sat down. I turned to Mom who shook her head with a smirk coming across her face. I’ll
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

never understand those three. Ashley and Samantha and Oakley were eyeing the three adults and Theresa
ignored them. She’s the only one that can ignore people for weeks at a time.
I leaned over to my Dad whispering, "why is it every time we send something to her she ends up
eating it?" Dad shrugged and whispered back to me. Denise's plate appeared in front of her and popped a
grape in her mouth. I'm surprised that she didn't come here with a caster pet like one of her baby chimps
that don't grow or age. We don't go to her house because of the Caster pets that she owns. They're all
really small but they grow to about two feet. She has two baby chimps and three baby rabbits and one
yellow belly cobra that can change its color, three garter snakes and two baby elephants. Denise is my
dad’s sister and she’s Clairaudient, she has long brown hair and dark eyes. She is caramel skin-toned like
Jenny and Ryan and my aunt is what you’d call the mother load of the family because she has six children
all by the same man. There’s Matthew, Catherine, Jenny, Jacob, Cassidy, and Jonas Sean or JS in that
order.
"Your mother thinks it's just for fun but I just think she does it to impress the family." Dad took a
sip of his wine and turned to Mom who left her spot. She reappeared with a tall glass of vodka and gave it
to Connie and walked over and hugged Jenny.
“I know I should’ve used a portal but then it wouldn’t be very fun to tease the Mortals,” Jenny
said, pulling from my Mom. “But whatever floats my boat, right?”
“Definitely,” Mom said. “No, Milly?” Mom looked pass Jenny but the strawberry red head was
nowhere in sight. Jenny shook her head.
“She got fired,” Jenny spoke and pulled out a seat next to her brother Jacob and Selena. Mom’s
eyes enlarged at the spunky brunette. Mom looked at Jenny and she was already making her plate. Jacob
laughed. Jake’s an Illusionist-Diviner, the power to make illusions of himself or of something and Diviner
is to see the future. He has dark hair and blue eyes and a round head that makes everyone want to laugh in
his face.
“She got fired?” Mom repeated.
“She got fired alright. Selena burned her, killing her. Ming helped Selena set Milly on fire,” Cole
said and Selena slid down in her seat the sametime Ming walked back out the room. Ryan and Oakey
exchanged views before laughing and pointing at Mom.
Mom turned to them, “why was that so funny?” They immediately stopped laughing. A laugh
came from the kitchen, that wasn’t deep or high-pitched. Ian and Bian barely jumped from their seats.
“Shut it, Kitchen!” Mom hollered and crossed her arms turning to Selena and Jenny.
Bian pointed to the kitchen. “The kitchen talks too?”
“Yeah and so does the furniture,” Mom said with sarcasm. She turned back to Jenny. “Why would
you kill Milly? She didn’t piss you off did she?”
Selena poked her head out from the table, “why’d you think I set her on fire? For fun?”
“She called my family freaks after Selena levitated her in the air,” Jenny said, “before she
mumbled something in spanish, that’s when Selena burned her.” From the corner of my eye my Dad gave
Selena a thumbs up. Mom rolled her eyes and took her seat.
“At least she’s better than Sydney. She ran out screaming that the “chickens were plotting her
death;” but in the meantime I torched her ass, right?” Selena said, still slouched in her chair. She smiled at
Jenny who popped a grape in her mouth and raised her brows at Selena.
“Yeah, and now you and Jenny get to be the lovable cousins you were sixteen years ago,”
Catherine said with a smile on her face. Jenny turned to my Mom and her face turned to sarcasm.
Catherine’s a Catalyst or a Natural, she can control the weather and she’s the only blonde from Denise on
the girls’ side. Catherine is the hissy apple off of the Heart-Cane family tree next to Jenny, me, my mom
and Del.
“I’ve always known we’d end up to be close cousins,” Selena said and hugged Jenny.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“What’re we gonna do? Start braiding each other’s hair?” Jenny said, pushing herself from
Selena’s grip.
“Yeah, like we used to when we were little,” Selena said and smiled. Jenny looked up at Selena’s
dark eyes and turned to Catherine.
“Is it too late to back out?”
“It’s too late for you to be unborn again,” Mom said with sarcasm in her words. Jenny rolled her
eyes and crossed her arms around her torso.
“No Lamentations? You sure know how to hurt a girl, Aunt Maria. So, what’re you guys getting
me for my birthday?” Jenny took a sip of her wine. Everyone at the table grew silent. Their eyes moved
vividly to the side and across their plates.
“I was thinking about getting you a Yoko Dragon,” Matthew said, breaking the silence in the
room. “I know a guy who sells cheap ones.” Matt’s a Thaumaturge, a healer. He’s six foot and had hazel
eyes and blonde hair in his signature quiff.
“Awesome, okay, cool. But none of that fell-off-the-back-of-a-truck stuff,” Jenny smiled.
“Well, you just killed it,” Matthew said. “It was Bian’s idea anyway so, yeah, that’s off the list.”
Bian dropped her fork on her plate and covered her face with a hand. Jenny was already glaring at the
Japanese descent.
“I swear, I’m running a goddamn zoo,” Dad spoke to Mom through his champagne glass. Mom
agreed and Dad took his glass from his mouth.
“What are you getting me for my birthday, Aunt Maria and Uncle George?” Jenny said and my
parents looked up at their niece. They exchanged glances from each other.
“How about we go see that new movie A Beautiful Mind?” Matt said pointing to Bian with his
index finger holding his glass. “Kimiko said that it was good.”
John shook his head and whistled, “let me save you some time. The office building catches fire.”
Jenny’s eyes looked up from her plate and her eyes froze. Ming stood up from her seat and Selena
and Frankie put a hand on her. Frankie is my Mom’s sister and my Aunt Chloe’s daughter who’s a
Blinking-Evo. Blinking is to move from one place to another in the blink of an eye. And Evo is to
influence people like Sirens can, but they can evolve, morph into anyone they want. Frankie’s a blonde
with brown eyes and my older cousin but she’s shorter than I am. Her little brother Luis is a Shapeshifter
and Sync, the ability to merge their soul, or mind with someone or something else.
“I am addressing the living,” Ming spoke again, her arm transforming into a snake with orange
stripes. Jenny didn’t say anything for a Moment. The house started to creak and the floorboards started to
change colors and music started to play from the loudspeakers in the ceiling. Thank you, House.
“I like this song,” Ashley called out and pulled Oakley and Samantha from the table. They headed
out the glass door that went to the patio. Sam kicked off her shoes and jumped into the in-ground pool
followed by Oakley and Ashley. I turned to Jenny and smiled.
“Follow the leader,” I said and Ripped from the table to the backyard with my face pressed
against the glass french doors. “Come on, slow pokes! It’s better out here than it is in there!” I Ripped in
the pool with my bikini and pool float. My hair in a high bun. Sam and Ashley jumped in from the diving
board and Oakley floated under the umbrella with the water traveling up.
“Thanks for the distraction? Guys. House.” Ashley swam over towards me and leaned on the float.
Her red hair falling down her back, each group of hair curlier than the next.
“It’s cool. Besides Jenny’s always causing a fight over nothing,” Ashley said. “But you gotta
thank House. She’s the one that started it all. The music and floorboards were all her.”
“Yeah, I know.” Ryan and Ming appeared next to me on their own float. Ming’s face was so red
that it looked like she was pinched.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“Don’t say a word,” she put up a finger with her eyes closed. “Just let me enjoy the coolness
before I go back in and pound Jennifer into a Jen-stu.” Ashley looked at her and slowly went under the
water.
“Ignore her. Your parents and Del calmed her down before she had the chance to bite her,” Ryan
says. “For an old lady, Connie sure moves fast.”
I turned to her and raised a brow. “Connie’s not old, she just has the mind of an old lady.”
“Anyways, my parents said when are you gonna come over? You haven’t been over since like
forever,” Ryan added after a moment.
“I’ve been a little busy, but I’ll make it up to them,” I took a sip on my red wine. Ryan looked at
me from her red wine and tapped her glass with mine.
“You better because my Mom hates it when I talk on the phone with Ming or Kyle and not you.”
“You still talk to Kyle? Oh my God, I haven’t seen him since graduation,” I said.
“Yeah, and I still have feelings for him,” Ryan said. Ming and I froze, looking at Ryan. She
continued, “I thought that I was over him.”
“Both of you guys were madly in love,” Ming said. “Remember on your dates me and Maggie
had to come with in case you slipped up on something especially at the movies? Or when you knocked
over that poor lady's drink at the Hookah bar?” Ryan nodded, smiling.
“Or at the movies when you and that group of girls got into a fight and me and Ming jumped in it
ruining the entire date?” I said. “What happened after that?”
“He kissed me,” Ryan said snickering, “my first real kiss.”
“Exactly, and you don’t call that madly in love? The poor guy bought you Amaryllis not knowing
that you were allergic to them,” I went on. “Your brothers told him what to get for you.”
“All because he didn’t want me dating,” Ryan said and chuckled.
Ming nodded, “and once Kris and Scott got to really know him. They were fine with it. You and Kyle
were the only lasting couple that lasted from middle school to high school. Plus Maggie and Ian.” Ryan
laughed and straightened up, wiping her eyes. Kyle and Luis have been with us through thick and thin.
His parents stopped talking to us because Selena and Ashley–who was five at the time–laughed at Kyle’s
aunt’s funeral. They don’t talk at all and the only person that does talk to us is Luis himself.
Water splashed behind me, and Frankie, Cole and Selena diving in at once and Selena came up
right after. She smiled at us and when she caught sight of Ryan’s broken red eyes and her whole demeanor
changed.
“Who hurt Ryan?” she spoke. Ming and I told Selena what happened between Ryan and Kyle.
Cole and Frankie were already in the conversation and Cole’s jaw tightened and his eyes darkened and he
pulled himself out of the water and sat beside Ryan.
“That buttmuch is gonna have an imprint on his face,” Cole said.
“Cole, you promised that you weren’t gonna mess with him,” Selena said.
“Yeah, I promised that after he graduated.” Cole turned to Ryan, who’s face blew in the Caster
wind and her face was dry not a tear in sight. Ming and I looked at each other and Frankie and Selena
clapped their nails together with a grin on their face. Ming leaned in and her arms transformed into a
heart. They quickly retreated into her arms as soon as Cole turned and gave her a look.
“I really believed that I was over him,” Ryan said and turned to me and started to sputter like my
Mom does when John tries to do something that only my parents would align to me. “How am I supposed
to get over him? What am I supposed to do if I run into him?”
“You could smile and say that I’ve moved on too,” Ming said. “Just tell him that you and Cole are
married.”
“We have nothing in common,” Ryan and Cole said in unison. We looked at each other and
blushed at them.
“You guys try anything and you’re dead,” Cole said.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“I thought we already were,” Frankie says before laughing. Ryan rolls her eyes at her and Cole
just looks like he’s about to push Frankie in the water.
“So what’s up with Jenny? I mean I will never understand why she hates you?” Frankie was the
only cousin on my Mom’s side who sees me as me and dislikes Jenny.
“Full Caster or not, the girl has some serious issues,” Ryan said, twisting her necklace.
“She’s only like that because she’s a Dark Caster,” I said, “it was her destiny. When she was little
she read a book on family and Casters and she said that “when a family has more than one Full Caster in
the bloodline and the current Full Caster’s parents have two or more of them their child will become a
Full Caster by the age of seven.” Which means that my ancestors including both of my grandparents were
Full Casters and so were my Aunts and Uncles both sides.”
“So with Light and Dark magic in your blood; Nature Claims your true nature.” Selena said and
bit her bottom lip, thinking.I nodded feeling a little guilty.
“Both of my Mom and Dad’s parents were Full Casters, which makes Chloe, Daryl, and everyone
else,” I said. And we don’t know how Uncle Daryl became a Full Caster. He was a Light Caster one
minute and a FC the next.”
“So, enough about me, who wants to take a walk?” I said quickly changing the subject.
“We can go to the Borrem Forest,” Ming said. “The actual forest, not the bar.”
“I’d rather go to Millicenti,” Ryan said, “the club just got a new hot tub.”
“How about we go to Sharktooth Cave?” Frankie said smiling. “Sharktooth Valley? Sharktooth
Creek? Sharktooth River?” Cole and Selena looked at each other and Luis and Ming bit their bottom lip.
Frankie looked at Ryan.
“Anyone. Ryan?”
“Sharktooth Cave is too deep in Borrem Forest, the Cave is just as deeper, the Creek is one good
idea and the River is faster,” I said thinking to myself. I looked at Francesca.
“Yeah, let’s go to Sharktooth River.” Frankie smiled and clapped her hands and pulled me in a
hug that almost knocked the air right out of me. I looked at Luis and he gave me two thumbs up with a
stupid grin on his face. If I was going to go to Sharktooth River with Frankie, I’d need a lot of protection.
Ryan and Ming tongue clicked their tongues, and Selena looked miserable already and she wasn’t going
to back down so quickly.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

Chapter 5. Shared Wounds
The words, Blood, Death, Lust and Projecting, your thoughts might not be yours, these words
popped in my head the second we crossed the bridge to Sharktooth River. I didn’t know why. We walked
for three hours with no breaks because Ryan believes that no-breaks can get you there faster, but I say
she’s delusional. The bridge creaked and moaned under our weight and a shrieking pain attacked me, I
held my stomach and leaned forward groaning. Ming placed a hand on my shoulder and her lips moved
but nothing came out. I opened my mouth to scream but nothing came out, I closed my eyes and felt a
blow in my stomach like I was getting punched but from the inside. I fell on my knees and placed my
hand on the cold damp grass and gripped the grass and dirt between my fingers. Ming and Ryan’s hands
grabbed my shoulder, and Cole, Luis and Frankie called my name but they sounded far away. I squeezed
the dirt and held down the scream in my throat. I saw stars behind my closed eyelids and when the pain
subsided, I let my body fall to the ground, the scream in my throat dying out.
I opened my eyes, cold sweat running down my forehead and my cousins Ryan and Ming circling
me. Their body heat was raised high for a second before it subsided and my vision came back. Ming and
Ryan helped me up and when my feet hit the ground; a sting crawled up my leg, I winced and stood my
ground. I looked at Ryan and Ming, they both looked concerned, my cousin's look concerned. I felt a
warm feeling in my stomach, maybe a hum, whatever it was I felt safe somehow. A humming sound grew
louder in the distance; I looked over the bridge and there stead of dark river with red and green lights
glowing above and beneath it, Sharktooth River and its death beauty that reigns of hatred for Full Casters.
The river called my name in a whisper.
Margerate. The daughter of a Cane and Heart.
I eyeballed the river and took a seat on the dead log that I was surprised to hold all our weight. I
ignored my cousins and best friends curiosity, the questions, the humming in my head of my mind trying
to get read but I had no intention of letting anyone in. I looked down at my feet and watched a baby locust
crawl over my feet and up my leg. I picked up the little oriental looking insect with my finger and it
smelled and walked around on my finger before Ming came into view. I looked up and she stood with her
arms crossed her torso and a concerned “are you alright?” stare.
“I’m alright,” I said, putting the locust back down. “Honestly. I just had a sharp pain in my
stomach; like a blow from the inside.” Cole, Selena and Frankie looked at each other and Luis walked
over to me. He even looked concerned for me and he never has a concerned look on his face.
“Don't throw up on us,” Frankie says. “Please, don't throw up on me.” Luis gave his sister a “what
the hell” look before turning to me.
“Has it happened before?” he asked.
I shook my head, “no. Wait, yeah it did. When I was pregnant. My Mom said that it’s neutral and it
happens with all the female casters who are expecting a child, but there’s only one problem, I’m not
pregnant.”
“What if you are?” Luis replied.
“I’m not, Sam or Ashley would’ve picked it up before anyone,” I said. “This has nothing to do
with being pregnant.”
“Yeah, it’s called Grape Prunes,” Frankie said, “well that’s what me and Luis call it. Mom just
calls it Oriental. She said she got it with me and I’ve seen her go through it with Luis, so I know it’s
definitely not a hoax.”
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“Yeah, me and Dad saw our Mom go through it with her,” Cole jerked his head sideways to
Selena beside him. “Don’t worry about it, it only happens once every thousand years.” Cole blushed at
me, Ryan furrowed her eyebrows and threw up her arms.
“Not helping, Nicholas.”
“Don’t call me that,” he said with dark eyes. Ryan smiled at him and turned to me. I put a hand up
for her not to speak and she put her hands up and took a step back to her spot next to Selena and Frankie.
“Guys, I’m picking a reading up on someone,” Frankie said and looked at us. “I can’t sense the
vibe but it’s someone.” We looked at her and she was standing on her feet with her nose up and her eyes
looking around like she was scared to turn around.
“I thought that I was the only one. You can hear them too?” Selena stood up with furrowed brows.
She and Frankie exchanged views and took off down the narrow muddy path.
“Come on. Hurry up, or we’ll lose them?” Selena said.
“Are you kidding? I can hear them yappin’ all the way from here?” Frankie called out.
“Seriously?” I knew that Frankie had Evo powers, but I guess I didn’t expect them to be so
powerful. Frankie had developed some strong points of her Evo powers and she can now hear things from
more than a hundred miles. How can she hear something that I can’t hear? Why isn’t Ryan and Ming
picking this up? Cole walked in front of me and placed his hand on my forehead with his thumb pressed
against me.
We are to hold every thought captive. Think before you act, because your thoughts might not be
yours. Some people are the stupid, and the stuck. The ones who are bound to stay or are just too dumb
and stuck to move. It’s amazing how everyone else finds a way out.
They’re thoughts. I’m hearing someone’s thoughts. Cole took his hands away.
“You get it now?” he said, “come on, we gotta catch up with the others.” The second I turned
behind me, it was just me and Cole. He walked past me and disappeared into the dark trees followed by a
crying owl and Selena calling us to hurry up. I took a breath and Blinked myself to the others, in front of
me was darkness and the smell of sulfur. My body hit something and I heard a yelp before I crashed to the
ground.
Selena laid beside me holding her head. “Why do we always end up smacking into one another?”
“I was gonna ask the same question,” Ming said. “Who and what are following?”
“They’re more like whispers than thoughts,” Frankie said.
“How can you hear these things that we can’t?” Ryan spoke. Frankie started to pick at her pink
nail polish.
“I may have slipped into the old Caster Cranes books,” Frankie says, stammering and looks up at
me. Luis gave his sister a derisive laugh and threw his hands up.
“What the hell were you thinking?” Luis called to her.
“Hay, it wasn't my idea,” Frankie spoke.
“Of course it wasn't,” Luis mocked his sister. “Then who's idea was it? Jacob’s? Selena?”
“Nope,” Selena spoke up for herself. “I'm a troublemaker, yes, but I do not mess with Caster
Cranes books.” Luis turned to Frankie and then to me.
“What's the deal?” Luis spoke again. Frankie rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. She looked
like she was about to grab a nearby stick and start beating Luis with it. That'd be a sight, actually.
“Truth be told,” she started, “I talked to Lilith and America about hacking into my full powers. It's
not a big deal, America said that she and Lilith can talk to the Lee’s about it.”
“That shit ain't gonna fly,” Ryan says, speaking up.
“Nothing hardly ever does with me around does it?” I said, crossing my arms looking at everyone.
My eyes stopped in between Cole and Ryan.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“Where's Ming?” They looked around and shrugged their shoulders. Great, we lost someone.
Ming’s parents are going to kill us, especially me and Ryan.
“She was here 5 seconds ago,” Cole said, walking up to the group. “She's not at the riverbank.”
“I can't call her, something or someone is blocking my vision,” Ryan said. I tried to call her with
telepathy, nothing. I looked at her and shook my head.
“I can.” Selena called out. We all looked at her, her eyes golden around the pupil. “She's three
miles back the other way.”
“Selena, can you see through others' eyes?” I pushed myself through Frankie and Luis. Selena
nodded. “You have an idea, too?” Selena nodded.
“I need some of that shit,” Luis says, smiling at me and Selena.
“Wait, too? Who else has invision?” Frankie says wanting to jump up and down.
I looked at her, “you do. Frankie you're an Evo, you can hack into someone else's sight too. Being
Evo is a powerful tool.”
“How powerful?” Frankie wanted to know.
“Like dangerously powerful, like Full Caster powerful,” I said. Frankie smiled and Cole shook his
head.
“No, that doesn’t mean you’re a Full Caster, being an Evo is powerful but nothing like FC
powerful,” Cole spoke pointing to Frankie.
“Shouldn’t we be going after Ming?” Selena called out fifteen ahead of us. We looked at each
other and ran after her. My older cousin, an invisionist? This is not a peaceful power. We followed Selena
through the dark end of the wood until we completely lost her. Nothing but the white moon and stars
above out heads and the sound of the leaves under our feet and crying wolves and crickets.
“We lost her,” Luis said, “I can’t believe we lost her.” Luis turns to Cole, “we lost your little sister,
man.”
“She’ll come back,” Cole says, stuffing his hands in his pockets, “she always does. She never goes
too far without me.”
“That sounded so weird,” Frankie said, putting a hand over her yawning mouth. Ryan gave them a
blank stare, when the pinching pain came back and this time I cried out. Ryan instantly grabbed my hand.
A blow to my abdomen came and the air was knocked out of my lungs by the same invisible force from
minutes ago. Another blow hit me and I fell in the dirt, gasping for air. My vision started to blur and
closing my eyes, another blow hit me and the taste of metal found my tongue and poured out the side of
my mouth. The blows were so strong that I let out a piercing scream. Grabbing the dirt for support , the
blows just kept coming. I rolled on my back screaming bloody murder. A scratch ran across my stomach,
arms, back and legs. I could see stars behind my closed eyelids, and hear Ryan, Frankie, Luis and Cole
shaking me, trying to shake me awake. Red light and fire appeared behind my eyes and darkness came
over me followed by the screamings and panicking of my cousins and best friend.
֏֏֏
Smoke clogged my lungs and the roaring of fire screamed in my ear and voices called out to each
other. The smoke was so thick it covered the sky above me. I felt my hand hit something hard; opening my
eyes, I was surrounded by fire and smoke. Looking up, my hand was intertwined with a hand with a silver
charm bracelet. The bracelet was too familiar, my eyes followed the hand and dark eyes covered in ash
looked back at me. Jenny Yamaha. My cousin, the Dark Caster. She squeezed my hand, blinking, with hurt
in her eyes. The Caster Crane burned behind us and I let out a wail, tears falling down my face. She gave
me a forced smile. Screams and roars echoed all throughout the woods around us.
“It was the only way,” Jenny spoke. “It was the only way to save you. They were going to kill you,
Val and Ashley. Connie and Del couldn’t let it happen. Maggie please, take control of the Caster Realm,
she will only kill the Full Casters in our blood. Make sure that Ashley keeps Val under her wing.” Jenny
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

closed her eyes and her hand loosened and fell from my hand. Looking up at the sky, the two moons stared
down at me. The kind with two Caster moons and a Northern and Southern star.
The sound of burning metal and the popping and clicking of the fire cried in my ears. I took a
breath and closed my eyes and rain automatically started to pour down on us. I stood up and the mud and
ashes covered my clothes. Looking around the bodies were covered in a black mist, like they were burned
to death. They couldn’t be burned to death, they were just screaming seconds ago.
“Maggie, help us!” The voice wasn’t anyone’s voice that was familiar to me. The voice was far
and it echoed beyond the fire and trees. I blinked my eyes, trying to look through the flames and black
smoke. I coughed and followed the voices, trying to make my way through the black smoke.
“Maggie!” I forced my eyes to look through the flames and when I did, the flames roared and
turned from black flames into orange and red red flames. I strained my eyes through the fire and eyes
appeared. Two glowing yellow eyes. Wings appeared behind it and my eyes widened and blurred. A tear
fell down my left cheek as I made eye contact with the figure. It smiled at me and put its hand out and
crooked a finger at me.
“Come here, Angel.” The words hissed rolling off its tongue. I was afraid to hear it call my name.
The mouth on the figure parted and razor blade sharp teeth appeared, with black drool and blood running
down its mouth. It smiled and let out a gruesome laughter before I felt myself being pulled towards it with
a strong invisible force. I slammed to a stop in front of it, it was taller than me. It looked to be taller than
my Dad or Cole or maybe even Ethan Young.
“Such a pleasure to be in the presence of an Angel,” it said. “My name is Dantalla.”
“What do you want?” I said trying to keep the terror in my voice down but failed.
“I want a lot of things. You and your daughters are one of them. Oh, and your nieces,” Dantalla
said, the black ooze escaping his mouth. “But. Maybe your parents could do me some good too, but that
would be too greedy of me.”
“What the hell do you want?!” I raise my voice. Dantalla sneered at me and swung a hand and I
flew back, my back hitting a wall, vines and twigs started to immediately wrap themselves around me,
even my neck. I choked and gasped trying to fill my lungs with air.
“Don’t you dare raise your voice at me, Angel. Never.” He appeared in front of me in a second.
“I’ve only come to take the souls of your beloved family and torture them for eternity. But I can’t do that
until I have you and your seeds.”
“Don’t you dare lay on hand my daughters. You can’t touch Valerie, not even Ashley,” I hissed at
him. “I’ve heard of you. You’re like the Caster Death but without the satchel, you’re just a messenger like
any other Demons.”
“You’re smart and devious, that's what I love about you Angels. I’ve killed so many of your kind I
lost count.” Dantalla walked away and circled Alice and Bennett’s dead bodies, both severely burned. He
smiled.
“My work is not yet completed, Little Star,” he said and turned to me. “Your parents have many
secrets that've been kept in the dark. The death of your grandparents. The isolation of your daughter, the
broken bond between your brother William, I always thought that he’d be the sophisticated one in the
house.”
“Will was always the brat of the family,” I said through a forced breath.
“I know, darling, I know.” Dantalla put a hand out and the fire disappeared and all I could see
were the burned
֏֏֏
I awoke with a bright light in my face, and a damp cloth over my forehead. I looked around and I
was in a white room. I sat up and a hand slowly pushed me back down. Erasing the blind spots from my
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

eyes, I looked up at my mother sticking a syringe into the IV tube. She wore a white dress with a black
belt around the torso and her hair in a ponytail, her signature.
“Whoa, relax sweetie. You get up too fast, you’ll feel dizzy,” she says softly, squeezing the IV
pouch with her hand. She turned to me and exhaled, “you were a problem as a child and you’re a problem
now.”
“Where am I? This isn’t Bluford.”
“No, it’s Himalayan hospital. You’re in a hospital in Sharktooth Valley,” Mom said, turning to me.
“What’re you talking about? Where are the others? Did they find Ming and Selena?” I rubbed my
eyes creating blind spots instead of preventing them.
“Yes, they found them, they’re in the waiting room with the others,” Mom put a hand on her hip.
“How long was I out?” I asked throwing a pillow over my face.
“Two days now,” she said with deadpan. “Ryan said that you passed out when you guys were
going after Selena who’s now a Invisionist. Never had one of those in the family. I don’t even know what
they are honestly.”
“Someone who can see through another person’s eye,” I said and looked at Mom who looked
confused. “How did I get here?”
“Ryan tried to Blink you here but you need more than one Full Caster, so thanks to John, he knew
where you guys were and helped Ryan Blink you here,” Mom spoke. “If he didn’t get there on time, you
would’ve been dead.”
“Ryan said that you guys were at Sharktooth River,” she said. “Sharktooth River despises Full
Casters. I just don’t understand why the Force didn’t threaten Ryan.”
“Probably because she’s never had a child?”
“No, Sharktooth River doesn’t necessarily go after Full Casters all the time. The Force didn’t even
attack Ming. If it didn’t attack Selena and the others, that means that someone or something put a cast
over the river or just you alone.”
“If someone put a cast over me, I’d feel it.” Mom shook her head and started to twist the crystal
heart on her necklace. Mom twisted her lip and folded her arms and looked at the white marble floors. She
didn’t speak and she did move a muscle..
“Yeah, but some casts you can’t feel,” she said. “They’re called Reconsona casts. It’s to put a spell
over a secret place, object or soul. Reconsona means River song which is a spell to threaten anyone who
comes near or too close to a river.”
“Like me and Ryan?” I sat up slowly.
“And Ming. But I’m shocked that there’s not a scratch on you,” Mom spoke before a smile
appeared across her face.
“Please tell me this is a dream?” I pleaded, burying my face in my hands.
“Sadly it’s not,” Mom spoke. “But I know someone who can help fight these types of spells.”
My head popped up the second I knew who she meant. “I’m not going to William.”
“It’s either him or Ethan.” It was a question not a choice. Ethan will just have his short-attention
stance Moments and William will just cut me through the heart with how much I annoy him, I think he’s
pretty much the reason why I was Claimed both Light and Dark, because of him.
“Fine, I’ll go with ‘worst brother in the entire universe’, but Cole and the guys are coming with
me,” I said pointing a finger at my mother. She smiled at me and walked over to the windows, opening
them. I took a sip of my glass of water from the night stand.
“Where’s William?” I spoke, my voice bouncing off the walls of the white marble room.
“He and John’s gone back to the mad science drawing board,” Mom said. “Something about
breathing or something.” I felt a flick of electricity and my glass turned to ice in my hand. I could feel the
frozen particles collecting at the tip of my fingers.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

A knock came at the door and John opened it, when he saw Mom he looked at me with one of
those alternative “what did I miss now?” look which is pretty obvious to look at from a distance.
“Hay, lil sis, you okay?” he sat beside me and wrapped an arm around me pulling me to him. He
looked up at Mom, “Dad’s out in the waiting room with the others.” Mom gulped and her eyes enlarged.
“What’s he doing here?” she asked him.
“Don’t know bruh,” John shrugged his shoulders.
“I’m not a bruh and I’m not your brother. Will I be here too?”
John shook his head, “no, thank God.” He turned to me. His eyes were grey again and he went to place a
palm on my forehead but Mom slapped it away.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Mom spoke. “The condition she’s in, you might knock her
out.”
“Knock. Her. Out.?” John repeated, Mom nodded and turned to the IV monitor and did one last
clock before leaving the room. “I’ll be back in ten.”
“What does that mean?” I asked John looking at the door where our Mom was just seconds ago.
“I don’t know, she’s Mom, I don’t even know if she knows what that means,” John broke his grasp
and turned to me. “What were you guys doing at Sharktooth River?”
“Didn’t you ask the guys?” John shook his head. “They told me to ask you.” Some friends.
“It was Frankie’s idea, it was either Sharktooth cave or Sharktooth Creek. We all took a bet on
Sharktooth River,” I said. “Ming wanted to go to the Borrem Club.”
“Yeah, that place you guys wouldn’t have survived. Especially you, Ming and Ryan. Full Casters
are their everyday meals.” John pointed out.
“How’d you know we were there anyways?” John let out a snicker and shook his head.
“You’re my little sister. I can sense you if you were a million miles away,” John said with a smile.
“William can sense you too, but he won’t come saving your ass like I will. But anyway when I sensed
you, I sensed something was wrong and when I got there, you were on the ground covered in mud and dirt
surrounded by the guys”
He was joking. My glass started to freeze up again and I put it down on the table stand and looked
at John.
“I swear my life gets more interesting every day,” I looked at my black nail polish and looked at
John, “it’s your fault that I’m a Full Caster.”
“And it’s not my fault Dad had to bang Mom three times to get a girl,” John threw his hands up.
“And it’s not my fault that Mom and Dad wanted boys or kids for that matter, so it looks like we’re both
gonna be disappointed.” I eyed my brother and narrowed my eyes at him.
“What does Dad want with Mom anyways?” John shrugged. “He was here when I pulled up and
he was about to go head-on with the receptionist. And she was a skinny thing, if I hadn’t come in time she
would’ve been soup for dinner.”
“Mom said that you had to help Ryan Blink me here.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t know the others were with you, but they did sort of look lost on how to get
back, and when I tried to come back, they just sort of came along for the ride.” John must have seen my
face, because he got defensive all of the sudden. “Hey, don’t look at me like that. I wasn’t exactly
planning on picking up hitchhikers.”
“Yeah, and those hitchhikers are our relatives,” I pointed out to him. He rolled his eyes. “Where’s
Ashley?”
“With Will, Theresa, and Heather,” he said. “Don’t worry, I told Sora to keep an eye on her.
William included because he may use her as a Caster experiment.”
The door to my room opened and Mom appeared with Dad and Cole and the others. Ming had a
handful of what looked like chocolate dragon eyes with sugar covering. Selena was handcuffed to Ryan
by the wrist; and Frankie and Luis were side-by-side like usual.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“Why’s my cousin handcuffed to my best friend?” I asked and looked at my parents, especially
my Mom.
“So, she wouldn’t runaway,” Mom said. “Ryan’s idea.” I looked across the room to the people that
I call family and friends. The way they were all huddled up against Cole made me think of the time when
he was eight and he chased our neighbor Mrs. Picasa through the park during a city family reunion, shit
ended badly.
“Ming, where did you go?” I asked the chocolate covered Chinese girl to my curly sparkling eyed
cousin Selena. “And where in the hell did you run off too, Lena?”
“Don’t call me that,” Selena said, “I told you I could see Ming, you guys were behind me one
minute and the next you guys were gone.”
“Yeah, because our little cousin had a mental breakdown,” Cole says, wanting to squeeze the life
out of his little sister.
“Guys, it wasn’t a mental breakdown,” Mom put herself in like usual. She turned to my dad the
same time I turned to her. “Are you gonna tell her or should I?”
“Tell me what?” I said.
“Let me talk to Maggie alone. Ryan and Ming you guys stay,” Mom said. “George, you stay with
me.”
“If she stays, I stay,” Selena said. Mom sighed and fanned the guys to leave the room. Once they
were out of the room, Mom turned to me, Ryan and Ming sat beside me. If this was going to be one of
those dangerous quests that my Mom is thinking about, she better speak her words clearly, because no
self-respecting parent in this world or any other is going to step aside and say, “Sure, risk your life. The
world is at stake here.” I mean how could they possibly know how to say it?
“Do you remember the name of the book that you guys used to read in the Caster library with
Ethan and your brothers?” Mom turned to us with a crimson look on her face. “The book called Joewards
and Full Casters?” When none of us spoke, she went on. “The book is about Joewards, the combination
of a Full Caster and Mortal, or the creation of people who aren’t Full Casters at all, in fact, they have a
presence of all creatures in the universe; in the Caster world for that matter. In the book there are five
siblings, who have Full Casters and Mortals for parents and these children Joewards are very dangerous
beings. Joewards can look at any Demons, devil, Caster light and dark you name it. They can change their
destinies in one look.”
“And why are you telling us this?” Ryan spoke to Mom who closed the curtains.
“What you’re feeling, the heightened senses of your powers and the attack at the cave, that’s your
conscience telling you to bring your new child into the chapter. Maggie, you have to tell Ashley about
Valerie,” Mom turned to me.
“Mom, we agreed to never tell Ashley about Val, she’s too young,” I said. “They were too strong
together at birth.”
“Ashley’s a Full Caster and therefore our grandchildren are nowhere near Full Casters. They’re
Joewards,” Dad said. “A combination of all magic in the universe. Ashley will find her–”
“Don’t say it Dad,” I said. “Please don’t.”
“You have to tell her, Maggie. She deserves to know like you deserved to know that Ming and
Ryan are your blood sisters, no matter where they come from.”
“Margerate, you have to understand that your Claiming has changed a lot of things starting with
Full Casters turning on the Council and the entire Colony,” Mom says.
What Ming said next made me, my mom and Ryan’s jaw drop. “Fuck the entire colony, this is my
best friend that could save or destroy the world.”
“Tell her or I will,” Ryan said and crossed her arms around her torso. Some sister. Usually a best
friend sides with their best friend and tells their parents, “maybe it’s best Maggie tells Ashley when she
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

feels that it’s best too;” but no, she actually sided with my parents. Ming didn’t even bother with siding
for me, she was too busy stuffing her face with chocolate.
I can’t tell Ashley about her sister. She’s the reason I had to give Val to Meredith because she
knew that both of them would be too strong to be in the same room. I haven’t seen Val since I gave her up
at birth. No one knew about Ashley’s twin, not even Ashley herself. When she was little she used to draw
pictures of herself and Val and she says that she’s always felt like she had a strong connection to her like
she knows her. Which she does, mentally. I can’t tell Ashley about Valerie, I just can’t. Everyone knew
about Val, all except Bian and I don’t think Selena and Cole knew; I don’t even know if Sam and Oakley
knew about her. No, Sam must’ve known, she’s a Sybil, she probably told the entire family. I just hope she
didn’t tell Bian and the Gonzalez siblings.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

Chapter 6. My Family is Complicated
When we got to the door, Ming turned to with a smile, Ryan had her nervous grin on her face and
Ming put a hand on the doorknob, she gushed, making little squealing noises that made me want to slap
her.
“Just for a heads up, Bian and your cousin Jenny are here,” Ming spoke and her smile
disappeared.
“Great, I completely forgot how crazy those two are together,” I said. I opened the door to
William’s house and stopped in my tracks for what I saw. Bian, Jenny, Ashley and Ian were pushing the
furniture from one room to the next leaving the middle of the room empty. Jenny’s hair looked like she put
one can too many hairspray in her hair, as shiny as it was it looked like a cat licked it. I hope she doesn’t
go near a naked flame. Watching them run back and forth, I started to wonder what they were up to now? I
turned to Ryan and Ming and they were both too happy to see what my daughter, niece and my best
friend-evil twin sister were up to. The second I spotted Bian and Ashley I almost wanted to turn and walk
out the door. Why? It’s complicated.
“What are they doing at my brother’s home?” I turned to Ryan and Ming. They turned to me and
kept their creepy smiles on their faces. I raised my eyebrows at them.
“William wants to have a party for Samantha, he didn’t say why he just gave us a check-up list,”
Ming said.
“I thought that was gonna be next week?” I sat in the rocking chair that Theresa’s gramma gave to
Samantha.
Ryan spoke, “you live in a family full of FCs do you really think no one will notice that William’s
daughter is turning fourteen? That won’t get anywhere far.”
“Hay Maggie,” Ian called, walking over to me. He wrapped his arms around me and the second I
touched him, I could feel and see his pulse and heartbeat through my hands. My senses were growing
stronger, last time I felt Ian’s heart rate was when I was pregnant and times when he won awards at work.
After Ian broke the hug, I found my eyes sharpening, I blinked my eyes and smiled at him.
“Mom told me that you’re gonna have to tell Ashley about Val,” he whispered close to my ear.
“Yeah, I still can’t get that through my thick skull,” I said. “But as long as someone doesn’t leave
outta here with no bald spots or anything, I don’t care what happens.” I climbed over the coffee table and
sat on the couch. “Where’s Heather and Theresa?”
“Shopping,” Will sat across from me. “Something about a crazy 20 minute sale. Sam was
supposed to go but she found her way home the second they said they were going to Dylan’s place.
“I’d chicken out myself,” I said, “Dylan is the most annoying guy that Theresa calls her brother. I
don’t know why her parents did stop with him, or raise him like they raised Theresa.”
“That’s harsh,” Ian spoke, “and I thought Ryan was the harsh soul.” Ryan snarled at Ian and the
papers in her hand from my discharge caught fire in her hand. Everyone in the room flinched, even Sora
and she’s used to seeing Ryan catch something on fire.
“Since when can you burn paper?” Ian asked Ryan. Bad question to ask her Ian, a very bad
question.
“Maybe I can burn more than just paper. So don’t tempt me,” Ryan glided across the room to Ian
at full speed. Ian started to mumble and the glass french doors to the stairs opened revealing Samantha
and Oakley.
“...I was thinking more across the line of a Discordia cast,” Sam says, turning to Oakley. Oakley
gave her a blank stare. “A cast to get information about the deck of Tarot cards.”
“I know what it is, but you want to use some kind of deficiency spell to cheat on a deck of cards?”
Oakley says.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

Will cleared his throat; Sam and Oakley turned to him. “You girls aren’t leaving the house until
your mothers get back. And I don’t care whose idea it was to do a Discordia cast, but that’s off-limits.”
“I can tell Mom that you let us Travel,” Sam spoke out. Oakley’s eyes enlarged and she turned to
Sam the same time we all did. Oakley looked down at the floor under her feet that changed to a
carcinogenic carpet with fibers that looked just like the fat ugly guy on LOST with chow mein noodles
sticking out of his sides. Come to think of it, the poor guy looked like one of my chinchilla pets that I had
as a child.
Bian chortled and buried her face in the pile of pillows she was carrying.
“Second, yeah you girls go right ahead,” Will smiled. “No Demons conjuring.” Samantha left the
room pulling Oakley by the wrist. I turned to my brother.
“If you say anything about this to Heather and Riesa, you’re dead,” he pointed a finger at me.
“Cole took Ashley to Clesteadstoria so I can’t judge,” I said. “So Mom said that you could help
me fight Reconsona spells?” Bian and Jenny laughed and turned their attention to Will.
“Yeah, it’s easy,” Will got up from the couch and stood in front of me. “Me and John had to read
the book when Sam and Oakley were born, but yeah it’s easy.”
“You read the book too?” I wanted to know how to turn to my brother.
“It was a book we all had to read and the book Ryan told you was just her version of it. They
apparently took out the important parts of the book. So Ryan’s great grandparents held onto it.” I turned to
Ryan and she held the pink book in hand.
“You know it’s hard to get something from them,” she said, “and I thought they were dead too.” I
looked at William and he nodded.
“When William told me, I called Jenny and now Mrs. Lee is coming here and Holly’s stuck with
us.” My heart dropped and I turned to my brother and Ming and Ryan and then to my cousin and back to
my brother.
“It’s not as bad as it sounds,” Bian put her hands up. “She and Holly are even bringing the old
booth we used to sit in at Linnie’s Kitchen.”
“Why are they bringing our old booth?” I said with curious eyes. Linnie’s Kitchen is a restaurant
that we used to go to after school, it was kind of Tallahassee High and Riverdale High’s hangout spot. Our
schools once almost collided with a fight and Linnie’s daughter Madison made a schedule for us and now
only a few of us come in. The restaurant closed down because Madison went off to college, so Linnie shut
the place down.
“Well, I didn’t want someone else to have their smelly ass on our booth,” Ming said.
“Why would they smell…” I shook my head. “Actually, never mind. Gimme the ice cream,” I put
a hand out at Ashley who was trying to sneak out of the room. She turned to me and slowly walked over
and gave me the vanilla ice cream with gummy bears, her and Ian’s signature. I used the spoon and ate the
ice cream in minutes.
Will shook his head and turned to me. “So, you wanna stand there like a mannequin or do you
want me to help you fight the spell?”
There goes the big brother I know.
“Yeah, lead the way, dipstick,” I spoke out loud for him to hear. I got glances from everyone in the
room, but he had it coming. Sora looked at me and then at Will and I could’ve swore she laughed. If
Sora’s here then that means that John’s around somewhere.
I sat in the curling chair and Will stood across from me. His study was no different than our
parents’ or John’s; not even mine. You could walk into any of their study halls and name the person who
owns it, even a blind person could tell who was whose. Me. William’s room smelt of mothballs and
dandelions. A room that would make any pregnant woman want to barf; but I didn’t feel a thing and I’m
not even pregnant. Is my conscience really trying to torture me? Or is it the spell?
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“When Mom called me and said that she needed me to help break a cast, I thought she meant for
Oakley or something like that,” Will propped his feet up on his desk.
“You weren’t expecting me? Your sister?”
“Honestly, no. Usually when something like that happens you know how to break it. You always
did know how to break outta something, since you were a baby. Like when we tried locking your powers.”
“Yeah, I know I unlocked them,” I said, growing bored of the conversation. “I was a baby, how
was I supposed to know?” A grape lollipop appeared in my hand and found its way to my mouth.
“You did a Stinkus Lessus cast on Aunt Chloe,” Will called out practically throwing his arms up in
the air.
“Stinkus Lessus cast?” Will nodded. “I could use that on Bian. Do you think you could pull a few
strings to help me with a―” I was starting to think out loud again because Will cut me off.
“No, but I’m pretty sure I can think of a few Shutus upus casts that might be applicable right
about now.” I frowned at my brother, he continued. “I swear Maggie, if you’re really this crazy, if you’ve
really gone this Dark, John and I agreed that we’re going to jam that lollipop and the futures down your
throat one ball of sugar at a time.”
“Wow, and if you guys are really this crazy and dark which you two are, I’m going to jam each
and every pen down your throat and burn all of John’s favorite books all at the same time,” I happily
crossed my arms at my brother.
“That cast is going to make you Dark,” he noted.
“Already am,” I added. “I broke the mold, remember, big bro? When I was eight, Claimed Light
and Dark?” I shot Will a serious look. “Don’t forget that I have a twisted side too.”
“You were born twisted,” he said and straightened himself up. “So, I looked up the spell that you
described to Mom, it’s a Viniti cast, a cast that Demons or Incubuses put on something special, when the
cast senses a Full Caster you it’s kind of a rough thing to break out of. A side effect is the
hallucination of pregnancy for females and high pitched talking for men. But in your case, I think the
spell was probably the attraction to Val. So the river was someone special to that person and the river cast
attacked you instead of Ryan and Ming.”
“You make it sound scary,” I said. “But why me? I mean I couldn’t feel that I was in a cast. The
attack just happened. I thought that I was gonna die out there.”
“Yeah because it was unexpected, sometimes a Viniti cast can be unexpected. The second attack
happened after Ming ran off, right?” I looked at the books on the shelves before turning to him and
nodding.
“Yeah, so the spell attacked you because you’re the strongest in the Full Caster circle and
breaking that circle leaves the strongest one vulnerable.” Rolling my eyes, I covered my face with my
hands. Why does everything always happen to me? I hate being a Full Caster, too much jealousy and
torture comes with it. I almost lost Ashley when she was little and she’s a Full Caster; and Valerie is a Full
Caster as well. My parents are right, I have to tell Ashley about Val. They’re blood relatives anyway.
“I hate being a FC,” I said out loud and looked up to Will from my hands. He was holding Sora in
his hands, scratching her head. “You’ve been attached to that cat since I was in high school.”
“She’s like a little sister to me. A fuzzy little sister,” he put Sora up against his cheek; Sora looked
at Will before hissing, making Will jump and she jumped from his lap and ran through the closed door. I
turned to Will.
“Fuzzy little sister?” I mocked Will’s words. I sat up straight, “you know for a big brother you
sure aren’t the wise one. Not like John, of course.”
“John wasn’t as wise as you think he is until you were born. When your heart stopped multiple
times, he put all our plans and practices aside. We barely played Disco Dungeon. Everything was Maggie
this and Maggie that. It drove me nuts.”
“Why do you hate me, Will?” I looked up from my lap.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“I don’t hate you, Margerate.” He spoke my name like he would when something disappointed
him. And I think I disappointed him this time.
“You were the only one that refused to look after me as a child,” I said almost at the point of
raising my voice. “Ever since I was Claimed on my eighth sunset, you looked at me in a different way.
The only person who still sees me as Maggie next to Mom and Dad is John. Not Ming, not Ryan. John.
Do you know how much it hurts me that only one quarter of my brothers support me? If you hate me
because I’m a Grey, it’s not my fault, I didn’t ask to be a FC. I didn’t ask for a lot of things. I’m no cactus
expert; but I know a “prick” when I see one.``
Silence mocked us and Will eyeballed me and I could feel his aura glow a faint purple. He put a
fist to his mouth and bit on his knuckles, something that he does when he’s thinking or upset.
“I don’t hate you, Maggie. And I’m not jealous neither. Sometimes you just disappoint me.” His
words were harsh, but yet I didn’t feel any sympathy from them. He leaned forward and placed his hands
on the desk. “The only thing that you do that disappoints me is when you torture Mortals and speak out of
term.”
“I haven’t done that since high school,” I said, defending myself. “Look, William, as your sister,
sometimes I do and don’t care. Honestly, sometimes I want to die, but I can’t because I’m a mother. So,
you can be disappointed in me all you want. Just remember that I delivered your daughter, I was the one
who helped her gain her powers and help control them. So, you can be a dick all you want, just remember
that I’m disappointed in you, as a sister.”
I stood up and walked out the door leaving William in the midst of my mind. The second I closed
the door I walked into the living room with a smile on my face.
“So… Who wants to help me move the rest of the furniture around?” Ryan was the first to raise
her hand with a smile on her face. Ming looked at Ryan and softly kicked the desktop across the room
with her foot. The second I walked back into the room, everyone looked at me like I was crazy. Ming’s
eye caught me and she and Ryan walked past me and into Will’s study room. The door closed behind
them and nothing happened. Silence was in the room.
“I think they’re about to rip William into shreds,” Ian said, holding a glass of OJ. We still didn’t
hear anything from the room so I left the hallway to study and sat next to Jenny and Bian.
“As long as they rip some sense into him, I wouldn’t care,” I said leaning on my hand. A
humming sound filled the room followed by a slurping sound and the door to the broom closet swung
open and Mrs. Lee and Holly walked through with a miniature bright red booth that looked all too
familiar.
I opened my mouth to speak but Holly pulled me in for a hug. She smelled like coconut and
watermelon; her black hair falling down her back smelled like the peppermint that my mom used to put in
her potato salad. I haven’t seen or heard from Holly since she disappeared from the party she threw at my
parents’ house almost ten years ago.
She broke the hug smiling at me, “I know we haven’t seen each other since the party, but here’s a
good story; my powers are locked thanks to my parents… And yours.”
“You were asking for it,” Mrs. Lee and I said in unison. “So, how’ve you been Holly Jolly? Any
Mortals you’ve been picking with?” I asked, pushing myself away from Holly.
“Sadly, no. My powers are locked and with no powers, I can’t torture Mortals.”
“Good,” I said and looked passed Holly to her Mom. “And how are you Mrs. Lee?”
“I’ve been good, thank you for asking,” Mrs. Lee said, smiling at me. She held up her hand, with
the red booth attached. “Here’s the booth. Ming asked me to bring it; she’s very persuasive.” I took the
booth from her and eyed it like a baby holding a flip-up phone.
“When you’re ready to use it just toss the booth. In a clear opening of course, unless you want to
be crushed under it.”
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“No, thanks, I’m good.” I put the booth down on the coffee table softly afraid that it might enlarge
and I’m stuck balancing its weight on my own.
“Hello, Ian, Bian.” Mrs. Lee spoke. Ian and Bian were huddled up in a tight space trying to flatten
themselves against the wall.
“Hi, Mrs. Lee,” Bian said, opening one eye. A smile plastered on his face and pushed his way past
Bian. “How are you?”
Mrs. Lee eyed Ian and raised a brow and said, “I’m fine and you?”
“Same here,” he said. Ian looked at me and I looked at him giving him a “what do you want me to
do?” face and turned to Mrs. Lee. Long dark hair falling down her back like her daughters and her eyes
bright and angry looking as always.
“So, Maggie, we have to tell Ashley about Valerie. She knows a lot about this family, it’s best that
she learns about her,” Mrs. Lee hugged me; I could feel her eyes watching Ian from the corner of her
peripheral vision. She broke the hug, “your parents wanted me to stop by anyway so I’m quite shocked
that Ming called me. Holly’s stuck with me so don’t worry about her.”
“Where haven’t I heard that one before?” I spoke. “Why did my parents want you to look after
me?” Mrs. Lee opened her mouth to speak but Bian spoke before her.
“Not to cut you off, Mrs. Lee but I only know when you’re here, drama follows.”
“That’s with Holly, Ms. Chow not with me, get that through your head.” Mrs. Lee turned back to
me. “Your mother says that you were at Sharktooth River. Maggie, that’s a dangerous area for a FC, or
any FC. I’m not gonna drag you down the WSC because as the wife of the man in charge I won’t do such
a thing. What I want you to do is come to my house when you get a chance. What you could use right
now is a lot of uninterrupted sleep. Maybe a sleeping cast will do you some good.” Mrs. Lee turned on her
heel and disappeared through the broom closet.
I turned to Bian and Ian. “Does Mrs. Lee like me at all?”
“She has her moments,” I said.
The door to William’s study opened and I was expecting Ming and Ryan walking out with Will’s
head on a stick but I saw something way different. William was in his desk chair being pushed by Ryan.
His feet and wrists were tied together with frozen chains, my eyes looked wide at him and my mouth
hung open, Ian and Bian were giving a “what the hell” look.
“Why is my brother tied up?” I asked, looking at Ryan.
“He refused to tell you how to break the Reconsona cast,” Ryan said. Come to think of it, he
never told me something, I was on the bridge snapping his face before I could find out how to break it.
“So, I tied him up. Tell Maggie what your mom told you to tell her,” Ryan added and Ming turned
to Will with dark eyes.
“I didn’t get a chance too, she walked out so fast,” Will took a breath, “you can’t break the spell.”
I opened my mouth to speak but he cut me off. “Because, some casts can’t be broken. Not all Full Casters
can break all spells and curses. It’s like wishing death on someone you hate and then someone you love
dying.”
Ming turned to him. She forcely put a hand on Will’s shoulder and he gasped, the veins in his
eyes turning red in the process. “I’m telling the truth, Maggie. Even the hidden Joeward books can tell
you that.” I put a hand up at Ming and she took her hand away and Will’s eyes slowly appeared to brown.
I walked over to him, the anger of my brother bothered me.
“You can hate me all you want, just remember that I can end your life.” I placed my hands on the
chains around Will’s wrists and the chains on his legs and wrists broken and evaporated into the air. I
walked away pushing pass John who stood in the doorway of the guest bedroom with a look on his face.
The second he looked at Will’s seating position, he sighed hard and followed after me.
“What did he say to you?” John said. I kept walking, refusing to answer him. He grabbed me by
the arm, forcing me to turn to him. “Maggie?!”
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“Ask the brother who hates me,” I snatched my arm back from him and walked past him.
֏֏֏
As angry as I was Ian and Bian did the American thing and threw a barbecue. Ian had the steaks
on with barbecue and marinara sauce and added 2% olive oil to it to keep it from sticking. Ashley,
Samantha and Oakley say across from Jenny who was spinning the cooking knife in her hand. The knife
was one of those knives that had a hole in the handle so that you could hang them on a hook. Ian wore
Will’s grilling apron and Bian wore Theresa’s kitchen apron. Bian mixed the spices while Ian grilled.
“Where’s Cole and Selena? They never miss a grill out.” I sat at the end of the table. Bian sat at
the table with the chopping board.
“Jenny said that Cole wanted some time to grow closer to Selena, so she told them to go on a
shopping spree,” Bian said.
“I wish that I’d gone with them, but your parents told me to stay here and look after my baby
cuz,” Jenny said, spinning the knife faster. I grabbed the knife from Jenny, and Sam, Ashley and Oakley
relaxed at the view of my hand on the knife.
“They only want you here because of what happened at the River,” I said, putting the knife down.
“And if it were my idea I’d let you go, but then Sora will report it back to my parents.”
Jenny made a disgusted noise, “I hate that cat.”
“And I’m pretty sure that she hates you too,” Ashley butt in. Jenny gave Ashley a look and rolled
her eyes.
“What happened between you and Will?” Jenny said, taking an uncooked chicken leg from the
cutting board and biting into it, chewing like it was a piece of pizza. After I told them what Will said back
in his study, Ian stood at the grill holding the tongs in his hand. He didn’t realize that the food was burning
a black smoke was growing thicker by the minute.
“What kind of brother says that to his own sister?” Ian spoke.
“Dad, the food is burning,” Ashley pointed out. Ian ignored her and eyed me like Will does when
I told him that Theresa was pregnant with Sam.
“He has a lot of nerve,” Ian went on. “I couldn’t say anything like that to Maria if I wanted to.
That’s my sister and even I know I’d feel like shit. Excuse my French.”
“No worries, I used to swear back when I used to go to school,” Ashley said. Ian looked at me and
both me, Bian and Jenny nodded. Ian went to speak but thought against it and went back to the grill. He
put the burned food on a glass plate and set it aside from the rest of the finished food. Ming walked up to
the grill and looked at the burned plate. She didn’t have to ask, she just knew. Ming was like me, sweet
and silent and deadly. She grabbed a finished plate and eyed the burned plate again.
“Will’s?” It wasn’t a question, it was a point out. Ming poked at the burned steak with her fork
like it was gonna jump up and attack her.
Ian answered by putting fresh food on, “damn right.”
Ming shrugged her shoulders and walked over to our table and sat with a smirk on her face; she
looked at me.
“John is having William’s ass on a stick. Him and Ryan are in there right now knocking some
sense into him.” I would’ve done the same but I know for a fact that I might hurt or kill my brother would
be a lot of weight on my shoulders.
“I don’t care what they do to him as long as he knows that he has a sister who can drop him from
a ten floor building without even touching him,” I said, taking a spoonful of seafood salad from the middle
of the table. “He should be thankful that he has me.”
“So, guys,” I put a spoonful in my mouth. “I was thinking about playing the “Dead Board” game.
Something that’ll keep us from pulling off each other’s heads.”
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“The Ouija board. Man, that shit gonna start snitching on me, Cuz,” Jenny said.
“Not that game, the Dead Game. When you pick your favorite and least favorite person of this
generation and plan their death,” I said.
“Yeah, last time that happened my neighbor died,” Ian said. He leaned forward in Jenny’s ear and
whispered, “thank you for making my life so much better.” Jenny looked at Ian and gave a smile
“I didn’t know the lady existed, I just put a random name on the paper.”
“Yes, and I thank you for that.” Ian and Jenny were coming up with more ways to kill disliked
people and I was starting to think that maybe playing this game and creating it was a very bad idea. I
created the game with my brothers when I was six and sometimes my parents would join in on the fun,
and now I just play it alone with myself or others.
The door opened and closed behind me and Ryan walked in. “Okay, guys, I talked some sense
into William and thanks to John, he helped me with a lot of things. But here’s where it gets complicated,”
Ryan turned to me. “Maggie, the Council said that Valerie is ready to come home. But it gets worse,
you’re gonna have to stay with Ira. If she comes in contact with too many Casters at once, she’ll realize
that she’s too strong.”
“Irabelle Antiguan? Why stay with her?” I grabbed a knife from the glass jar. “I’d rather stay with
Holly or Maaya or Endora. Anyone but her. Do you have any other options for me?”
Ryan shook her head. “It wasn’t my idea and I’m pretty sure that you don’t have a choice. And
speaking from Oakley’s perspective a Full Caster with one Joeward is another thing but two is just plain
awful.”
“Fine. When do I leave?” Ryan looked at John and he looked upset. He hated separating himself
from me. I had to be separated from my family when I was pregnant. The Caster laws are very twisted and
complicated. I had to stay with Chloe for nine months. They were born on the 4th of June, Val was born
three minutes before Ashley.
“Midnight tonight,” John said. “But in the meantime let’s enjoy the grill out.” I was about to break
down, when Ming put a hand on my shoulder. My emotions disappear like a lightning bolt.
“Don’t worry,” Holly hugged me from the backside and rested her chin on the crease of my neck.
“You can handle her.”
“Are we still playing the Dead Game or what?” Ashley said the same time Sam and Oakley
shouted, “No.”
“We haven’t played that game in years,” John said laughing. “Maggie grew with that game with
perpetuous drama and bodies dropping like flies left and right. Although, I wish she wrote Miracle Lee’s
name in that bad boy. Like when she was little she used to try to turn the kids from school against Endora
but it only backfired on her.”
“Beach party, John,” I hissed. Trying to shut him up before I do or say something that I can’t take
back. John could drown in a puddle but ride a wave like a pro.
“What beach party?” Jenny said, sliding in the chair next to Holly. Holly was already laughing at
the memory of my brother performing at the Hillock beach back when I was sixteen. I opened my mouth
to go on, but Will and John were shaking their heads, “no.”
“John performed a striptease to “Poker face” at a beach party,” I announced.
“It wasn’t a striptease! What the hell is wrong with you Maggie?” I raised a brow at him and gave
a half smile.
“It was a striptease. Although I don’t know if he actually went all the way. I left when his hands
reached the top of his boxer shorts.” I shuddered in disgust. “He sang and everything though.” John
muttered a string of swear words under his tongue. Cole and Selena pulled a chair out and Selena sat
happily next to Bian and Cole sat distressed next to Ashley.
“How was shopping with Selena?” Ashley spoke to Cole who had his head buried in his forearms
on the table. Cole sat up and pulled a smile on his face.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“It was great,” Cole replied, putting a little too much emphasis on the word was. “I had fun
although I’m feeling quite violated right now.” He turned his gaze to Jenny.
“You said that you wanted to grow close to Selena like old times, well, there you go,” Jenny says,
putting her hands up in defense mode.
“Don’t worry next week will be better,” Selena said smiling at her brother. Cole’s head popped up
with fear in his eyes.
“What’s next week?”
“We’re going shopping,” Selena sang. Jenny laughed, clapping her hands, almost spilling her
drink. On Jenny’s arm and on her wrist shimmered a tattoo: a black snake, it’s mouth agape, twisting and
turning and coiling like a living creature living beneath her skin.
Cole looked at Jenny, “beat it, Succubus…” Jenny grabbed the mallet from Ian who just walked
over to set a new tray of grilled corn, and grilled potatoes on the table between Jenny and Bian. Jenny
pointed the mallet at Cole and Selena jumped up with a glass bowl in her hand. I sank into the cushions,
figuring I might as well hide in the corner, playing with furniture accessories. Ashley, Bian, and Ming
grabbed a stirring spoon with a glass sharp handle.
“You wanna dance, Nicholas Cage?” Jenny spat at him.
“You first snake with a smile,” Cole called out. “Or do you wanna betray the family like last
time?”
“Whoa!” John and Will jumped between them.
“That was deep Cole. That was low, even for you,” Will said, pointing at Cole. He turned to Jenny
who sat down in her chair tossing the mallet on the table and folding her arms in the process.
“Why is everyone pointing spoons at each other like ninja turtles?” Will said holding a butcher
knife near Jenny’s mallet for a weapon. Oakley and Samantha were slouched down in their chairs with me
looking back and forth.
“Yeah, I’d like to know why we all came to Jenny with unannounced prosperity?” I said. When no
one answered I sat up and got up from the table and I went to take a step to Jenny when my face found
scales covered in black ooze. I lifted my face and wiped the slime off my face and stood up, I was covered
in black ooze and slime. I looked at the creature and it was a black Demons covered with black slime and
scales, red eyes and sharp yellow teeth with a black tongue and rancid breath, the stench was awful. The
creature had a symbol of CG carved into its tail, and right away I knew who this creature belonged to.
“Really, Cole?” I looked up at him. He had a horrid look on his face and everyone at the table
were covering their eyes and nose.
“I swear to God that was supposed to be for Jenny,” he said quickly.
“Does everyone hate me?” Jenny said, looking at Ryan. She looked hurt, disappointed and
confused just as Ashley and Selena were.
“No one hates you,” Ryan answered, “we just don’t like you.” Ryan did her best not to piss off
Jenny, but knowing her, she’ll take anything to heart. Ming and Bian took their plates and fled the table
with Sora and Oakley behind them.
“I was gonna put it another way, but that’ll do,” Ming looked at Ryan with a “what the fuck” face.
Jenny turned to me and as if on queue I put my weapon down and made my way over to her.
“Since no one isn’t being completely honest with you, let me be the first to say,” I put my right
hand up as if I was in court, again and gave Jenny a blank face. “I promise to tell the truth; the whole truth
and let God be my witness,” I put my hand down. “No one looks at you the same way we used to, you’ve
been spending a little bit too much time with Leigh Hannah and you’re becoming the next one. So, as
your baby cousin, I’m starting to despise you and I have never despised you until now. Now, I don’t know
what just happened between you and Cole, but knock it off.”
“He called me a Succubus.”
“Because you are one.”
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“That’s offensive to me, you know that?”

“Yeah, I know. Jenny, try not to wear your heart on your sleeve. Remember you’re a Succubus for
a reason, you feed on dreams and you can feed on blood as well,” I reminded her with a cheeky grin.
Jenny looked at Cole who wanted to throw his weapon at me for sure. I turned to Jenny with a smile that
said go for it.
“Later,” she said. “I wanna at least torture him on a full stomach.”
“Fine by me, now if you guys don’t mind I’m gonna go get this Cole gunk off of me.” I turned on
my heel and walked to the house, the doors hummed and I opened on their own and I walked through the
glass French doors.
“It was an accident,” Cole hollered out again, I closed the doors before he could go on. Cole
really has to sort out what he gets his art on.
“House, run me a hot shower and I’m gonna need fresh clothes.” A hum ran through me and the
shower upstairs came on. I climbed up the stairs and opened the door to the bathroom. William’s guest
bathroom has a marble shower with a silver shower head that separates from the nosil. A two person spa
sink with a long mirror over it which is now foggy, with the lights that are built into the ceiling. A spa tub
across from the shower. I wiped the fog off from the mirror over the spa sink and placed a hand on the
mirror.
“Sora, keep an eye on Jenny and Cole. I have a bad feeling that they might kill each other.” Taking
my hand from the mirror and getting undressed and opening the glass sliding doors and felt the warm
water with my hand, I stepped in and let the water run through my body and scout. The smell of mud and
melted metal made me sick. I closed my eyes and my vision blurred and Cole came into view.
“Make a chime with me and Cole and replace his magic with Time,” I said to myself and opened
my eyes feeling the warm humming sensation run through my head to my fingertips. Cole now has to
power to stop time like Selena, only this time he can torture with his mind instead of his sketches.
After I dried myself off, I stood in the wide mirror looking at the outfit that House gave to me. A
red bra underneath a red blouse tied into a belly shirt with black tights and shorts with red and green high
heels. My hair on the top of my head. I thanked House and left the bathroom and almost stepped on Sora.
She stood at my feet meowing aggressively. Cole. I took that as a warning sign and took off down the
stairs with Sora behind me. I burst through the glass French doors and stopped in my tracks.
Cole had Jenny in a Time Loops and head her in a headlock and hitting her in the head with the
mallet. Selena, Ryan and Ming turned to me with gaped mouths and their hands up. Ian and my brothers
are trying to pulling Cole from giving frozen Jenny any more damage. Cole switched and was now hitting
Jenny multiple times in the arm with a spatula from the grill. Ashley, Sam and Oakley stood across the
backyard by the in-ground pool with Bian eating their plate of burgers and hotdogs.
“Help us, Maggie!” Ryan called out. I looked at Cole and glared at him, and Cole was thrown off
of Jenny and into William’s in-ground pool. The field around Jenny broke and she fell from the force and
was caught by Ming and Ryan. Cole swam to the surface and threw his hands up at me.
“I don’t know why I gave you Time Loops in the first place,” I said. Eyes turned to me and I
watched Cole climb out of the 12-foot pool dripping wet.
“You are one cruel cousin, you know that?” Cole said rinsing his jacket off, or at least trying to.
“At least I don’t throw the past at someone’s face,” I said and walked over to Jenny. I pulled her to
the house ignoring Cole’s arguing about what Jenny did when Ashley was a baby. I closed the French
doors to the kitchen and an ice pack appeared on the counter.
“Thanks, House,” I said and placed the ice on Jenny’s forehead. She sat on one of the island stools
holding the ice packet to her head when Sora jumped up on the counter beside her.
“You really know how to start an argument,” I said, taking Sora off the island top but she jumped
back on again. I stared at her annoyed and turned to Jenny. “I’m gone for fifteen minutes and you and
Cole are going at it like me and my brothers do.”
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“You gave Cole Time Loops,” Jenny pointed out my big mistake. “That was a big mistake.”
“Yes, to let him get what he feels about you off his chest, not to ram your head with a mallet.
What he did was uncalled for. I’ve never seen Cole so rambunctious,” I said, taking a seat across from her.
“Yeah, well now you know that he can be,” Jenny groaned under the red ice packet. “And he’s
worse than the monkey,” she pointed over her back at Sora. Sora hissed and her eyes turned white. Jenny
lowered her eyes. She turned to make sure no one was looking, and in one swift movement she pushed the
cat off the counter; and muttered a list of swear words that would probably make any football coach
proud. I hate to see Jenny in pain and sometimes I do, but she’s not all that bad once you get to know her.
William walked through the door with Ashley and Samantha behind him holding the tray of
grilled food. Sam spotted Jenny and went the other direction. Having a cousin who can pick from your
dreams in your sleep instead of drinking blood can have its tempting mood swings, or as my Dad says. I
started to feel bad for Jenny; everyone mostly treated her like she was the scheming devil in the family
when really she was just lost and confused.
John put the tray of grilled barbecue in the fridge before giving Jenny a look and walking out the
kitchen. She turns to me and gave me a look that said “help me” and I really did want to but the last time I
helped my cousin she made me wear her school’s cheerleading uniform and sing her style of the national
anthem and let's just say that I got grounded because Jenny said that it was my idea. And that was
sophomore year of high school. Never again.
“Ok, look; what I can help you with is setting up an appointment with the WSC.”
Jenny shook her head, making me get a headache, “no, anything but that. I can't look Meredith in
the eye. No one can. No one but you and your Mom.”
“It's just until everyone cools off. I can tell Meredith that I want to set up an appointment to talk
to Val.”
“Ashley’s sister?”
I nodded.
“Well, it’s about time she’s ready to come home,” Jenny said. “Me and my Mom’s been trying to
convince Ashley that we all have that personal connection to someone.”
“Yeah, but this is Ashley’s sister. I separated them the minute they took their first breath,” I said.
“It’s been years since I heard about Val. I was forced to lock her away after Meredith took her.”
“Okay, we’re getting off topic,” Jenny spoke. “How about we talk to Mary during the next family
dinner?”
“That could be a while, but it’s worth a shot. I can tell my parents what’s been going on and they
can pull the strings they pulled to make an appointment with Meredith.”
Jenny's eyes froze on me and she removed the ice pack from her head. She nodded and pointed
her finger at me.
“Okay. Let's do that. But I don't want to be humiliated like last time,” she said.
“That was me,” I corrected her. “You can dream of picking her and I'll go with you. I know a little
Dream Drinking myself.”
“How?” Jenny spoke, getting interested. “Did you Dream Drink on me?”
“No, I learned it from Aunt Chloe and I was the one that taught you. But instead you can Dream
Drink in someone's sleep. You get better details than the ones you get from the outside.” Jenny raised her
eyebrows at me. I raised mine back at her.
“Remember you're the Succubus-Seer, and I'm the twisted tainted Caster baby of the family,” I
said.
“This whole family is twisted,” Jenny mumbled, putting an ice pack on her head.
Everyone was still in the backyard when we returned and everyone glared at Jenny like she was a
parasite from Hell. Jenny’s old self jumped in her and she rolled her eyes at them and sat in her chair
crossing her legs. I sat back in my chair keeping my eye on Ryan and her hand slowly squeezed around
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her spoon. Ignore them. I talked through her; she looked at me and blinks four times at me, signaling me
okay.
“Okay, I talked to Jenny, and Cole you’re next if you don’t stop pissing her off. I can break your
mold too so don’t tempt me,” I looked in his direction and he was clearly ignoring me. Selena and Ian
were on the other side of the yard with Sam and Ashley, while Oakley just sat between the adults taking in
all her surroundings. John and Bian didn’t look like they cared, they just sat in the jacuzzi with William
and Ming.
“I know you guys hate me and all and I’m sorry if I did anything to piss you guys off , but I’m
going to talk to Connie and Chloe tomorrow night about my powers. And I wanna see if I can train my
powers in a different direction.” Jenny spoke and put her right hand up. “Seer’s honor.”
“Only a disrupted Seer would say Seer’s honor,” Selena said. Jenny scowled at Selena and looked
at me before grabbing her plate.
“I'm gonna go take my plate and myself in the dining room,” Jenny says and walks into the house.
I turned to my family and they eyed me.
“Jenny is staying with me,” I said.
Ian stared at me. “Fine, whatever. You're lucky that I love you or I'd complain about you,” he said,
closing the grill and placing the last of the grilled food on the table.
“Yeah, that's everyday, hun,” I said, putting a grape in my mouth. Ryan and Ming gave me a
“what the hell” look and Oakley smirked while Ashley and Samantha gave themselves a mental head
smack.
“We're staying with you,” Ming said, pointing her manicured nail at me. “And you try to kick us
out, it's not gonna work.”
“Yeah, yeah I know,” I said, leaning my hand on my cheek. “But you're not going with me to
Denise's house.”
“We couldn't care less, it's Jenny we're worried about,” Ryan said.
“Yeah, she’s the broken rhythm in this family record,” Selena said.
“Like you and me? That’s a good persuasion. Now, I know what to get you for your birthday,” I
said grinning at her.
I walked in the house and made my way to the dining hall where Jenny sat at the far middle end
of the dining room table chewing and lost in thought. Her aura was dark and blackened, I could feel her
pain and she didn’t want to be here. I sat beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
“I’m not good at communicating, but what they said was unacceptable. Mary is going to
straighten this out for you and I don’t care whether they like it or not.”
“No, they’re right,” Jenny spoke. She turned to me. “Cole is right. I am such an idiot. Do I always
stay stuck in the past?”
“You do, sometimes. But you’re used to it and so am I; I’m a little stuck in the past myself and I
don’t show it,” I firmly squeezed her hand.
“You don’t show it,” she said.
“I hate Ira Antiguan and Endora and yet she’s on the bridge of my New Friends Welcome list,” I
said. “Trust me. I'm stuck in the past with her, in fact we both are. You remember what I did at my high
school reunion three years back. Ira was walking around with a broken collarbone.”
Jenny’s sad eyes met mine. “Trust me, Jennifer I am still stuck in the past more than you, than any
of us. I still can’t stand William because he refused to watch me countless times growing up and he’s
called me the Mistake Baby in all of my birthday cards and he’s done worse to me than that. He’s thrown
me in the pool, he’s told my darkest secrets to his buddies and more, so trust me, I’m stuck in the past.”
“Is that why you always push him in the pool and call him “No Backbone, Billy” and burn his
library every chance you get?” Jenny smiled through her tears.
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“I’ve burned his entire library once, no that’s a lie, many times, and every time I did, John refused
to help him fix it. John is the only brother that’s helped me with my problems since I was a child. He was
my personal trainer with my magic and he’s not even a trained Full Caster, he’s the reason why I’m good
at what I am,” I said thinking back to when John helped me teleport my soul to another person.
Jenny played with her pink nails and slid her plate across the table which disappeared before it
could slide off the table and a hot bowl of vegetable soup appeared in front of her. She turned to me with a
look in her eye that I really wished that I could read.
“I have to let this pain go,” Jenny muttered and looked up to the chandelier over the dining table.
“House, give me my journal.” A hum stretched through the room and her yellow book appeared in front of
her. She looked at me and I walked to her and on the first page was a picture of Mary standing over
Jenny’s bed.
“Mary’s been watching me sleep for five months now,” Jenny looked at me. “She’s the reason
why I can travel in daydreams. I’ll do anything to protect myself and my title. When can I ever have this
families forgiveness?” I placed a hand on Jenny’s shoulder and gave a twist.
“When the time comes, you’ll know,” I spoke and pulled my older cousin into a hug. “I’m no
expert on this but I think you should tell my parents about this, or to your Mom at least.”
“Who’s going to care that a Dark Caster is feeding me lies?” Jenny pushed her bowl away. Soup
smiling on her plate of grilled burgers.
“We have more people who are smarter than we care to know,” I said.
Jenny nodded. “That’s good now, Maggie. Thanks for listening.”
“No problem, I’m always here if you need to talk.” Jenny smiled and wrapped her arms around
me. I hugged her back and I could’ve sworn that I heard her sniff. I tightened my hug one last time before
she pulled away.
“I’m gonna get ready to leave, I don’t think I can stay here any longer. I have a feeling if I step out
there, they’re going to pumble me into pudding.” Jenny thanked House for the soup and leaves and left the
dining hall.
I walked back into the backyard and Jenny’s vision was true. Cole, Selena, Bian and Ian were
holding forks, knives, burned food and glass cups in their hands. They froze when they saw me. I stared at
them before turning to Ashley.
“Come on, we’re going home.” Ashley didn’t argue and I’m grateful for that. She grabbed her
shoes, we said our goodbyes and Ripped home since Ming dropped me off.
When we got home, I felt a presence and when I opened the door, on the other side stood
Meredith with a smile on her face and a girl who I've met before with long hair embracing the little girl in
a hug. Maggie Lennon. The little girl had brown eyes and brunette hair. Ashley walked in behind me and
they exchanged views. I looked at Mary and Maggie, she broke the hug between her and the little girl. I
smiled and pulled her into her hug. I let a wail leave my lips the second I inhaled her scent, strawberries
and vanilla, the missing scent from the hole in my soul. I felt tears cloud my view and a smile that started
to burn my face.
“Hi, Sweetie.”
My voice was cracked and I didn’t care. I was meeting my second daughter for the first time in
eight years. The second one to take her breath and the last to complete the black hole in my heart.
“Hi, Mom.”
Her voice was just as low and cracked as mine. I let out a laugh and tightened my hug around her
tiny frame. Meredith smiled and placed her hands to her mouth, letting out a wail that made Ashley look
confused.
“Mom, what’s going on?” Ashley said standing behind me. I broke the hug and wiped my face
with the back of my hand.
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“Ashley, I’d like you to meet Valerie,” I said, her name bringing more tears to my eyes.
“Yeah, Mrs. Mary’s daughter,” Ashley said.
Me and Maggie shook our heads. “No. Your sister,” I said. Ashley looked at me and gave a confused head
scratch.
“Sister? I don’t have a sister,” Ashley said.
“Ashley, remember those pictures you used to draw when you were little, of you and the little
girl? The ones you said that you have an unexplained connection to the girl?”
She nodded. “Yeah, but I haven’t drawn her in years.”
“The little girl, your connection to her, is your sister. Your twin sister, Ashley.”
Ashley looked passed me to Valerie. Val smiled. It took Ashley a while when she pulled Val into a
hug. I was expecting a gust of wind to blow through the room, but nothing happened. Not a little gust of
wind or a bolt of lightning. Meredith looked like she was about to burst into tears and so was Maggie, I
was already in tears, there’s no need for me.
I sat at the kitchen table with Maggie and Val and Ashley with Meredith beside me. I refused to
let go of Val’s hand as Meredith continued to tell me about Val’s powers. Meredith said that Val was
Claimed along with Ashley before they were born. It actually explains why Connie and Del have been
distant. They know about Val, they knew that she would want to come home.
“Maggie, I’ve decided to move you and Ian and the girls to your parents house,” Mary said. “Mr.
Lee is having a mental breakdown. Holly and Hilary don’t know what to do, you’ve already lost loved
ones.”
“What loved ones?” I looked up at Mary’s dark eyes. “What cousins, Meredith?”
“Cousins on your father’s side. I don’t know whom at the moment, but this is the only thing to
keep you and your daughters safe.”
“How can you say that loved ones are dead when you don’t even know who, yourself?” I snapped,
regretting what I said.
Meredith placed her hands on the countertop; “your brothers and your sisters are all coming with
you. Tomorrow, we’re moving you to a secret underground facility ran by the WSC. The entire family is
coming with you, even Ryan and Ming’s parents. All family and friends will be assigned to live together
and they’ll have the right to pick their rooms, the letters should be ready momentarily. Hilary and Holly
and myself along with Connie and Del are sorting out your Houses.”
“Will Bian and Heidi come with us?” I asked. Mary looked at me with sad eyes.
“Only Bian will be able to come, since she’s been with the family through thick and thin. Her
parents and sister Sasuki will be included as well.”
Heidi Anderson is Bian’s co-worker at the Tallahassee Bail Bond Enforcement or TBBE, and I
look at her as another one of my sisters. She has long dark brown hair, bright brown eyes and about my
height.
“You still didn’t answer my Mom’s question,” Val said. Mary looked at her hands before turning
to Jenny and walked over to the cabinet where I kept the potions. Opening it, she picked a vial of blue
sparkling liquid. She placed it in front of me, sliding across the counter.
“I don’t remember creating that,” I said pointing to the vial. “That’s not even labeled.”
“That’s because it’s not supposed to be and I put it here. I had to keep it from Bian, she can smell
when something’s not suppose to be here. Anyway. This vial contains all the DNA that was taken from
you when Ashley and Val were born. We did some few illegal genetic experimentations and we’ve put
Demons and Dragon blood and scales within’ it. And what happened was very amazing.” Meredith
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poured the vial in her hand and the liquid expanded in mid air instead of pouring in her hand. Maggie
Lennon, Val and Ashley leaned in looking closer at the blue liquid.
“It can sense my DNA and it can tell that it's not the DNA that’s in the bottle,” Meredith held her
hand out and the liquid slowly slithered through the air and moved towards Val and me. We moved back
closely watching after it, Meredith spoke in Glasstongue and the liquid faded, and appeared in the vial.
We looked at Mary.
“What do you plan on doing with that thing?” Maggie asked.
“Nothing, yet. I had to go to Seberlyn to get this,” Mary said. “This vial is a potion that can turn
Val, Ashley or you into a Demons or a Dragon. The potion alone can turn any Full Caster into a Demons
or a Dragon. But you have to have the right DNA and the Caster’s DNA. If not, you die,” Mary looked at
us from the vial and we all had the same facial expression. Confused.
“What Mary is saying is that Val and Ashley are going to be wearing a pendant with the liquid
inside to keep them connected,” Maggie said. “The pendant or RingStone, easier said, will keep other
Demons and Dragon-like creatures attached to them.”
“I don’t want Demons and Dragons attached to my daughter,” I said.
“No, no one does,” Jenny added. “The Dragon and Demons that Mary chose was the essence of a
Chrome Dragon, dragons that can camouflage before killing their prey. And the Demons was family
friend Brokeslum, she took a few blood and hair samples from him. So if other Demons that kill FCs try
to kill Val or Ashley, they’ll sense Brokeslum’s DNA before attacking. Just think of them as one of
Brokeslum’s relatives.”
“Does he even have relatives?” I stepped between Mary and my two.
“No one knows, that’s why Mary did it.”
I looked at my cousin before turning to Meredith. “What time do we leave tomorrow?”
“Around 5 in the morning,” Mary said. “The neighbors will think you’re moving. And Bian comes
a week after you’re settled in with the facility.”
“Ok, so what’s the name of this facility?” Maggie spoke, “Unicorn or Casparian or something?”
“You’re in the right book, it’s called Dutch Star or something, but it’s better if Connie explains it,”
Mary said, putting the vial back into the cabinet. “But, in the meantime, Valerie is welcome home.” Mary
pulled Val in a hug and kissed the top of her head. “You have a lot to catch up on and your mother has a
lot of explaining to do.”
Meredith looked at me and placed a hand on my face. “Tell your mother to be ready by tomorrow
night. And bring everyone. We’ll have the map mapped for the facility soon.” Mary turned on her heel and
walked away, leaving out the coat closet.
I turned to Maggie, Val and Ashley and was on the bridge of a breakdown. Val smiled and pulled
me in a hug. Ashley joined in with Maggie.
“We’ll, I’m family too, shit, let me get in on this,” Maggie says, wrapping her arms around us.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

Chapter 7. Soup and a Knife
After telling Val what happened and why I had to give her up at birth, she felt betrayed but she
started to accept that I had to do what I had to do, as a Mother and as a sister and I’m grateful for that. It
took almost two hours to explain to Val and Ashley about one another. I can tell if House had eyes he’d
roll them. Although we all don’t know what sex a Caster house could be. We usually just name them a
random name, Katherine or some shit like that. The Houses don’t really care, it’s better to give it
something.
Ashley showed Val the pictures that she’d drawn over the years and Val showed Ashley her
pictures. They were different but had the same face features. I told her a little bit about the family,
showing her the family tree at the Golden City library with Connie and Del. Val seemed excited to learn
that there’s more people like her, like us.
“So, Gramma and Grandpa are both Sirens and Gramma’s a Telepath while Grandpa’s a
Thaumaturge?” Val said, her fingers playing with the edges of her sketchbook. I nodded. “And Uncle John
and William are Knowing-Seers and Cypher?”
“Uncle William’s a Knowing-Seer, Uncle John’s a Cypher,” Ashley said. “But they can sometimes
switch their magic and confuse the shiz out of you.”
“Yeah, Aunt Mary told me,” Val says smiling. She turned to me. “So, when do I meet the rest of
the family?”
“After Connie and Del finish sorting out the FacMaps, you’ll meet them for the first time,” I said.
“They’re going to be shocked to see another Ashley. Not everyone knows that I gave birth to twins. Only
my parents, your Uncles and Aunt Ming and Ryan. But, I doubt it, Sammy probably told everyone by
now.”
“No, you’re right, no one knows,” Ashley said. “Although I’m not too sure Cole and Selena
know.” I facepalmed myself in the face hoping that they didn't know. If they did, it would mean that they
were going to give Val a full grand tour of the family tree.
When Ian got home, I had to explain to Val that he wasn’t a Caster of any sort, but a Full Mortal.
Ian showed Val photos from the photo album of Mom Sofia and Dad Robert Morteze along with Maria.
Ashley stood across from her and explained where Ian’s parents come from. Although it wasn’t long
before a piece of paper flew in from my closet door. Looking at the paper, I nearly jumped up from my
spot on the bed. It was a letter from the WSC. Reading the letter to myself I had to read it a few times
before compressing this new knowledge in my head. Ashley, Val, Ian and Jenny sat on my king size bed
while I read out loud the instructions for when we leave.
Fond Stars,
We hereby announce that tomorrow morning, you’ll be forced to leave your homes to be moved to
the Von Dutch Caster facility underground and your belongings will be moved there afterwards. The Von
Dutch Caster is run by Maggie Lennon herself and is employed to over 500 Caster scientists who are in
lookout over anyone who doesn’t belong in the premises of the facility. Please keep in mind that these
Caster scientists do take pride in their work and take pride in having a Caster family in their home. Each
Caster has the right to choose their own rooms as well as all Mortals that have been written in the
essence with any Caster and/or Demons will move within a week after the rank of Casters and/or
Demons. All Casters and/or Demons will be called forth at 5 in the morning, Mortal Realm by two hand
picked Casters, Dorth and Condor from the WSC, to escort the Casters and/or Demons to their rightful
Homes. The Mortal neighbors of the Casteadstorians will believe you’ve moved. Please don’t take this
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letter as a misconduct or an immediate situation, this letter to put you and your family in the protection of
a threat that’s been witnessed due to floral wars of Casteadstoria.
Thank you for your wisdom,
Signed by: Constance Young & Delinda Martelli

Co-signed by: Hilary Lee & Meredith Cloawns, CEC.
“So, it’s official, we leave tomorrow morning with Caster guards,” Jenny said, getting up from the
bed. “I love how the WSC can just move us to an underground facility just because Mr. Lee is having
some mental breakdown.”
“That’s not the only issue, Jenny,” I said. “Family on my Dad’s side were found dead.”
“Yeah I know, Meredith told me before I could start packing, but she didn’t give any names,”
Jenny spat. “What if what Mary said was all a hoax just to riddle us up?”
“Trust me, my mother wouldn’t let her put her life and family in danger,” I said. “Meredith has
been like a second Mom to me since I was little.”
“She’s even a cold hearted bitch that doesn’t give a rats about no one but herself,” Jenny added.
Fire formed in my cheeks and I turned to my cousin. “Are you sure you’re not talking about
yourself?” Jenny’s neck cracked and she took a breath before turning to Val.
“So, Val, do you think Meredith’s a cold hearted bitch who only thinks about herself?” Val’s eyes
darkened and she placed a pink manicured hand on Jenny’s cheek.
“She’s better than Mrs. Lee,” Val started. “She does whatever Mr. Lee or Holly tells her what to
do and she does it and Ms. Mary is just the opposite. Mr. Lee told Mary to wipe the whole family off the
face of the earth but she did something better. She’s moving us to the VDC facility to fake our deaths, not
strings attached.”
Val moved her hand from Jenny’s face. “If that’s not a cold-hearted bitch then I don’t know what
is–pardon my French, Mom.”
“I honestly don’t care if you swear, I was swearing at your age and earlier, they’re just words with
given definitions,” I shrugged my shoulders at her.
“I’m just saying, Cuz. Keep an eye and ear open.” And with that Jenny walked out the room.
When the following morning came around, two guards waited for us in my living room with grim
eyes. One had red eyes and sharp pointed teeth and the other had a combination of magenta and yellow
eyes with razor bladed teeth, they were about 6 or 7 foot tall and made Ian feel small. Val and Ashley
stood side by side staring at the giant guards with concerned eyes.
“You must be Condor and you must be Dorth?” Val says, trying to make conversation. I sat on the
couch puting the decoratives away eyeballing the guards and the twins making sure nothing smelly hits
the fan. The one with red eyes nodded, smiling.
“How long will we be in this facility?” Ashley spoke, asking the one with red eyes. He looked at
Ashley and Val before answering her question.
“It’s just until Mr. Lee calms down, and until he steps down,” the red eyes said.
“Okay, so which one are you?” Val moved her finger side to side.
“Dorth,” the one said with red eyes.
“Ah, and Condor,” Val said with a wide smile. The Demons nodded. Ashley looked at the Demons
and her sister with wide eyes and a smile that said, why Demons?
“One question, why did the WSC send Demons and not Casters?” I found my voice. Dorth looked
at me and shrugged his broad shoulders.
“No, idea Mrs. Morteze, we’re just doing our orders,” he said, crossing his arms across his torso.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“Yeah, all we know is that we need to escort the Casters and Mortals to the facility before 7am
Mortal Realm,” Condor says, checking out a picture of Ashley when she was nine months. “That baby has
a headful of hair,” he pointed. Dorth glanced at the picture and laughed.
“Yeah, I was a crazy head,” Ashley says, as Ian walks out from the hallway to the stairs holding
the last of his suitcases in hand.
“Okay, that’s the last of the luggage. What now?” Ian says walking down the stairs.
“Well, Mr. Morteze, Mrs. Lee and Mrs. Cloawns will meet us at the entrance of the facility. You
will be given a map to the wing hall where your rooms will be located.”
“Great, so we’re ready?” I said walking up to the two Demons.
“Yup. The Huia will have your belongings moved to your rooms when you get sorted out,” Dorth
said smiling, showing white pointed teeth and deep red eyes.
“Okay, cool,” Ian says, setting his luggage down by the sofa. “Let’s go.”
The two Demons gave Ian a smile and nodded and Condor walked to the fireplace and pulled a
blade and turned to me. I gulped feeling like my feet will give out on me.
“Mrs. Morteze, do you mind if I borrow your hand?”
Before I could answer, Condor grabbed my hand and slid the blade across my hand. I wailed in
pain and Condor led my hand to the fireplace and dragged my hand across the bricks. The second my
hand and blood touched the brick wall, the fireplace rumbled under our feet and dust and pieces of the
walls crumbled to the floor as the walls parted and a dark narrow hallway appeared before us and at the
very end about 15 feet ahead was an open doorway with insane bright lights with people walking and
rushing across the threshold wearing black, grey and white jackets that looked a lot like lab coats.
I stared with awe and watched the Caster scientists make their way across the white marble floor.
Ashley, Ian and Val mocked my reflection and Ashley turned to Condor and Dorth. Ashley pointed a
shaky finger at the white room.
“Is that where we’re staying? In a room with like 40 people?”
Condor shook his head. “No, that’s just the entrance of the Green wing.”
“Then who are those people?” Ian added. “Scientists?”
“Yes, Caster scientists who look after the facility and keep track of the little Caster and Mortals on
the grounds,” Condor says, picking his teeth with his blade.
“Yeah, and there’s a lot of your kind coming,” Dorth added, looking in Ian’s direction. Ian nodded
and shrugged his shoulders.
“Don’t remind me,” he said. “There’s more of my kind that are stuck in this little circle that we
have.” I elbowed Ian in the lung eyeballing the Demons skyscrapers. Dorth raised a brow at him and made
the first move down the darkness. When Condor gave me a jerking motion with his head, I stepped
forward and the twins and Ian followed after, when Condor moved behind him Ian quickened his pace and
was close to Ashley. She gave him a nodded smile and she and Val grabbed his hand. I looked back at
Dorth and almost stumbled over my feet when the only light behind us disappeared followed by a large
crash. Ashley and I jumped almost ten feet off the ground.
“Since when could my fireplace do that? Was this building always behind the fireplace?” I said
looking over my shoulder at the darkness behind where our only source of light took place.
“Since, you've purchased the house, Mrs. Morteze,” Condor added. “Mrs. Lee placed this house
here to draw your attention. Your house is one of many homes why Demons and Vampires can't hide out
in your house. And that includes your brother's house and your family home.”
“Exactly, you see Mrs. Morteze when Mrs. Lee created this house and your brother's and family
house as well, she created an entrance to go through this facility, your house and your Aunt Gloria's house
are the only entrances and exits through the main and Caster world.”
“So, what about my parent's house?” I asked.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“Their house would be the main magnet attraction. We're afraid that Mr. Lee himself will wipe
your family and friends off the face of the Earth,” Dorth says, laughing. “It's the reason why Mrs. Lee
built the place. Meredith tapped in a little on how she wanted the place to be organized and crowded with
Caster scientists. I guess you can say that this is a precious family and friends get together vacation or
whatever.”
“Show a little respect for her family, Dorth,” Condor says under his breath. “They're the only ones
who've survived the Huntingdale wars.”
“What wars?” I said looking forward to the dark.
“Huntingdale was a war that went on between the Caster world and the Underworld. The Demons
threatened to wipe out the entire Caster world because they realized that our world had magic in
everything,” Condor answers my question. Dorth must've seen my facial expression in the dark because he
placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. “We were three hours away before they attacked us, and we had to
make some regretful sacrifices. Your ancestor Margerate E. Genetelli Made a deal with the Lee's and the
Wayward’s to have all Caster inbreeding killed. Including your Uncle Daryl's great grandfather,” he went
on.
“And my parents?”
“Well, three generations of your family wanted to survive. So, they went to Mrs. Lee to help them
cross over to the Mortal realm,” Dorth says. “At first she was scared but your great-grandmother
Genevieve was Mrs. Lee's Goddaughter at the time and she refused to say no. So she took them down to a
shortcut off of the perimeter of the Mortal line and that's how you got here.”
“Right. And Mr. Lee who basically started the war was friends with the Demons who called upon
it. So shit just hit the ceiling,” Condor says shrugging his shoulders in the dark.
“Ok, but about Uncle Daryl’s birth father. I thought he disappeared before he was born.” I don't
know if it was a question or a statement but I was told that he had disappeared before Uncle Daryl took
his first breath.
“No, he was one of many sacrifices.”
“So, how long do you think Mr. Lee will have his mental breakdown?” I said finding Dorth’s
magenta-yellow eyes in the pitch darkness.
“We don't know for sure, that's why Mrs. Meredith and Mrs. Lee built the organization in the first
place,” Dorth says, our feet echoing on the cemented dirt ground. We were hoping that the place would be
done by this time, but his health has broken down.”
“What do you mean?” I asked him, feeling my way down the darkness with my arm on the wall.
Dorth or Condor didn’t say a word and niether did Ashley and Val or Ian. The light ahead of us got
brighter and blocked my eyes, a warm blast of air hit me and before I knew it, I had stepped in the white
room with crowded Caster scientists. Taking in the white room, with three balconies looking down on us
with more scientists rushing and doing experiments. Ian and the twins stood beside me eyeballing the
facility in awe. The crashing of the door closing behind me didn’t shake me one bit. The mumbled voices
of the scientists and the heels of their shoes snapping at the ground were so quiet you could barely hear it.
“Morteze’s welcome to the Von Dutch Caster facility,” Condor said standing in front of us. “Here
is the map to the entire building along with your houses.”
“Do we pick our houses?” Ian says, looking at the map over my shoulder.
“They’re already picked for you, but your rooms you can pick yourself,” Dorth said. “Did you not
read the letter, Mrs. Morteze?” He laughed.
“No, I actually burned it,” I said with sarcasm. Dorth snickered under his breath when a woman in
grey with long hair walked towards the Demons and stood beside them. Her eyes were behind dark shades
and her hair fell down her shoulders and stopped long past her back.
“I’ll take it from here, boys,” she said in a strong voice that made a shiver run down my spine.
Condor and Dorth looked at the woman in grey and stepped aside standing behind her.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“I hope they didn’t give you a hard time, Mrs. Morteze,” she smiled, extending a hand. “I’m
Maggie Lennon, the manager, the VDCF under Mrs. Lee, but you can call me Hurricane Lena.”
“I knew you looked familiar,” Ashley said. “Val told me that you helped Mrs. Lee and Ms.
Cloawns with the designation.”
“You are right indeed, Little Morteze,” Maggie smiled.
“Yeah, I’m not gonna call you that,” I said, shaking her dangling hand. “I’ll call you Maggie
instead.”
“No problem at all,” she says, putting her hands on her hips. “Now that you have your maps you
can follow me this way to the Blue Wing elevator.” She turned on her heel and walked ahead of us. “The
facility has nine wings and four elevators that take you to the main shaft. All elevators can take you to the
very top and bottom with no problem. Your identification for entering a room is your eye. We’ll already
familiarize every door and room with your EYE-D so you shouldn’t have any issues.” Maggie pressed a
blue button and the doors opened to what seemed to be a glass elevator.
“Your brothers and parents are already settled in, you each share the West and East Wing but you
have your own houses. You’re cousins and family friends will be on the same floor as you but Maggie I
never knew that your family was huge so, instead of sharing one floor one half on this side and the other
half on the Grey side,” Maggie says laughing. The doors opened and Maggie stepped on and we stepped
on behind her along with Dorth and Condor.
“Yeah, I don’t think they believe in birth control,” I said, standing next to Condor and Ian.
“Trust me, I know. The list of your family tree can build the Empire State Building three times,”
Maggie says, holding a button with her thumb and looking through a glass bubble. A red laser light
outlined her eye before turning purple followed by a humming sound and before I knew what was going
on, the elevator moved upwards. Looking down at my feet, I could see another elevator take our elevator’s
place and a few Caster Scientists stepping on. Ian’s face turned pale and he closed his eyes and leaned his
head on Condor’s shoulder. Condor turned to me with dark eyes.
“He’s afraid of heights,” I said and turned to Maggie. “So, Maggie, do you run the place all year
‘round or just when Mary Beth isn’t here?”
“All year ‘round,” she said and smiled at me. “I don’t sleep. I suffer from narcolepsy.”
“Is that why you wear shades? So no one sees your red eyes and eye bags?” Ashley asked.
“No, my shades are what keeps me from reading auras,” she said and the elevator doors opened.
When we stepped out I almost tripped over my own feet. The hallway had gold walls, gold tiles
and the ceiling was a gigantic mirror. At the very end of the hallway I could see a green neon sign that
read West Wing and down the other hallway another neon sign in orange read East Wing. Orange doors
lined the hallway on both sides with 7AB to 44AB signs on the door.
“Are those our addresses?” Val pointed to my mind.
“Yup,” Maggie says. We stopped at an orange door and Maggie reached into her shirt and pulled
out a set of orange keys on black wire that looked like a single strand of hair from her grey shirt and put in
a random key that matched all the keys on the hair strand and placed it into the lock shaped like a flower.
The second she turned the key, the door opened and a hallway stood before us with the stairs to the right
and a room that was closed off to the left.
“Okay, guys welcome to your new home,” Maggie said smiling and turned to me. She made a
hand gesture that said “you may enter” and placed a hand on my arm and led me in through the door.
“I thought you said that we could only open the door with our EYE-D–?” My face found the hard
marble floor that looked like smooth cobblestone. I looked up at the front stairs and closed off rooms that
made the place look larger than it did when you stood up. Pulling myself up from the floor with Dorth,
Ian, Condor and the twins, Maggie gave me a raised brow and smirk on her lips.
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“I did, but since I run the facility I have the keys to every room in case someone can’t get in
theirs,” she says. She must’ve seen my face because she smiled. “Like someone can’t get in because
they’re missing their eyeballs. It’s happened before.”
The living room had magenta walls, silver marble floors that I know for a fact will blind someone
if they stared too long at them. The couches were burgundy with silk head pillows attached to the back
and mahogany pillow seats with vines twisting across each other. A glass table with marble hooks
attached on the four ends with a vase of lilies in liquid jello. A flat inch hung on the wall over what looked
to be half a bookshelf and fireplace. Ian and Ashley sat on the couch and a smile quickly appeared on
their faces, they let out a relaxing moan while Val sat in a purple rocking chair with glitter attached to it.
“That’s not staying out here,” I pointed to the chair.
“Okay, but it’s going in my room,” Val says.
“Okay, then,” I said looking around the room.
“Mr. and Mrs. Morteze would you mind following me to your new room?” Maggie says, leading
me to the staircase. I gave Ashley and Val a glance before following Maggie up the stairs. The marble
staircase was smooth to the touch under my feet and the railings were twisted vines with bright red roses.
The stairs curved in two directions and I was too overwhelmed to stay behind Maggie, so as professional
as I tried to be I stayed on her tail. The hallway was wide with simple green wallpaper with real vines
twisting to the point where it looked like they were breathing. They were moving around in simple twists
and turns, soothing music played beautifully at the end of the hall and when I looked up a silver harp was
playing and the music almost put me to sleep.
“Your Aunt Denise decided that the Gods' music would be played constantly to give the house a
lovely meaning,” Maggie says, running her long pink nails along the bodies of the vines. “She said that it's
better than the piano Von Gilbert the third and I couldn't agree with her more.”
“Denise was always good at setting rooms to a certain time,” I said looking up at the silver
cobblestone ceiling. I had no idea that Mary Beth and Mrs. Lee had taste when it came to Caster homes.
Maggie stopped at a red door with a cream painted diamond stuck to it, and the door opened by
itself and when it did tears almost fell from my eyes. It was a huge bedroom with a violet carpet, two
couches and a glass marble table between and a large flat screen TV hung just on the wall over a fireplace
that crackled and popped. The king size bed was set on a bed frame with two mattresses and decorated
with green and blue silk pillows and bedspread with me and Ian's suitcases beside it. A walk in bathroom
to the far right of the room, when I walked in a Jacuzzi/tub sat on the right, a hamper beside it and a
double glass walk in shower. The toilet had a protection wall around it, a double sink and a large mirror
with light bulbs outlining it. The floor is what made me smile because they were black textiles with light
bolts striking in the same place. There was no thunder followed by the lightning, it was just plain
lightning bolts. I turned to Maggie and she nodded smiling.
“I know the paper said that you have the right to pick your own room, but Connie, Del and of
course Denise helped with the decorations,” Maggie says leaning against the door frame of the bathroom
with her arms crossed her torso.
“Yeah, it's scary how they know me,” I said walking out the bathroom and shutting the lights off
behind me. “What does the twins room look like?”
“Well, they have their own room, and theirs is about the same size as this room, their own walk-in
closet and all,” Maggie sat in one of the purple chairs in the front of the room. “Down the hall you have
your own study, your books and casts are already there, stacked as you left them when you left.”
I smiled at Maggie and shot down the hallway and I was drawn to a real door with Librona
written on a gold star. I opened the door and one too many books sat nearly stacked on a yellow marble
bookcase. The books looked too familiar. Maggie was already behind me when I walked in and rushed
over to a pink cabinet that opened before me. And there stood all of my casts in bottled tubes with the
name written across the glass bottle. Looking for the potion that Mary Beth gave me 8 hours earlier, I
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started taking them down one by one looking for the familiar blue glow. Maggie stood beside me and
reached up grabbing a blue bottle from the top shelf, she gave it to me and the familiar blue glow came
alive in my hand.
“I really need to organize this if I’m gonna be a Potion’s Keeper,” I said under my breath,
eyeballing the bottle.
“That won’t be a problem, just tell your Caster House what you want and it’ll do it. No different
than the house you had back home,” Maggie smiled. She looked up at the pink ceiling with baby breath
flowers attacked. “House, rearrange Maggie’s potions…” she looked down to me and smiled, “in
alphabetical order.”
A hum passed through my veins and the glass bottles immediately started to reposition
themselves from A to B and so on. I watched in awe as the glass bottles of dark, light and bright colors
fixed themselves. Once they did, Maggie put an arm on my shoulder.
“The fun part about the facility is being able to Travel to people's homes and do whatever your
heart desires in public without judgment,” Maggie says.
“Yeah, that’s what made Ashley go bonkers,” I said looking at the dark shades of the Full Caster
before me. “She slept in me and Ian’s room last night, and Val… she pretty much can’t stay away from
Ashley.”
“She has a strong connection to her sister,” Maggie spoke. “Come on, there’s still a lot to go.”
Before I could answer, I was being pulled out of the room, down the long hallway and into another
unfamiliar room.
“This is Ashley’s room, like I said no bigger than you and Ian’s,” she pulled me to another room
next door with a purple flower handle. “Val’s room, same size as yours and Ashley’s and of course Bian
and her sister’s rooms.” Maggie was moving so fast I couldn’t keep up. Bian’s room was sexy pink with
stars and diamonds and Sasuki’s was purple, her favorite color with flowers, and neon colors. I could
barely take in all the rooms when we finally got back to the living room. Ian and the twins were eating a
veggie sandwich when I returned.
“So, you’ve got the full tour of the house, you can roam the facility if you want, there’s an
underground and rooftop pool, maps are outside the door and your belongings are ready to be put away,”
Maggie says sitting in the glitter chair.
“Great, now where’s the rest of the family?” I said desperately wanting to kick Maggie out the
door.
“All down the corridor hall, you want to go see them–?”
Before she could finish her question, we answered in unison and ran out the door and down the
hallway and turned a corner and waited. I was hoping that Maggie or the Demons were behind us. Once
the coast was clear, we walked into a room with the same orange door, when I opened it the twins pushed
past me and Ian as we entered and closed the door locking it. Looking at our new surroundings, my eyes
fell on someone I was praying not to run into.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

Chapter 8. Enemy’s Friend of Casters
A smile plastered on the face, and the eyes narrowed as the long hair fell down the back of the
figure. I felt my stomach drop and my legs felt like jelly under my weight. The figure turned to me and the
smile disappeared from my face. But the it was her and she was my cousin Leigh Hannah. Ian grabbed my
arm and his aura dimmed. Leigh Hannah took off her jacket and placed it on the chair by the couch. Leigh
Hannah's my cousin on my Mom’s side. She’s a Mortal-Siren, a Dark Caster since her Mom Stephanie is
an Illusionist, a Dark Caster herself. Leigh Hannah's powers are Intangibility, the ability to walk through
solid objects.
“Hello once again, Lil Cuz,” she started placing her hands on her hips. “I wasn’t expecting to see
you here.”
“Niether was I,” I found my voice. “Do you mind if we hide in here? Maggie is already going
crazy fan girl on me.”
“Whatever, just don’t make sure she doesn’t come into my room,” Leigh Hannah said. “She
knows better not to come here.”
“She has every key to every room,” Ian says sitting on the couch. Ashley and Val sat beside him
while I locked the door and looked through the peephole.
“Yeah, and I can put a key cast on every room she has a key too,” I said and walked over to her
and opened my arms. “Now, give your baby cousin a hug.” Leigh looked at me and wrapped her arms
around my torso. She pulled away the second we touched.
“Are your parents here?” I asked, trying to give her the best smile that I could find.
“Yup, Dad is in his new study and Mom is sleeping away last night,” Leigh Hannah says plopping
down on the couch and putting her feet up on the table.
“Why? What happened last night?” I looked at my cousin; Leigh Hannah rolled her eyes and bit
into a red apple from the fruit bowl on the table.
“What didn’t happen last night,” she said with sour words. “I swear if I had a sibling I’d be over
their place in the blink of an eye.”
“You have us, you have me,” I smiled at her.
“No, I mean siblings from my parents,” she said with sarcasm. “All of my cousins have siblings
but me.”
“Oakley doesn’t,” Val chimed in. “Niether does Ethan, or Ming.”
“Heather has an older sister, but yeah Ethan and Ming don’t have any siblings,” I said thinking out
loud.
“Great, then I call dibs on being their older sister,” Leigh Hannah smiled.
“Ethan’s the oldest, but okay,” I said. Leigh didn’t say a word. “But to give you a heads up, Ming
doesn’t really like you.”
“Yeah and I don’t like her but she’s still my little sister,” Leigh Hannah said smiling. “Little sister.
That feels good coming from my lips.”
“Would my fist touching your face make it feel any better?” We barely jumped three feet in the air
at the sound of a female's voice. Ming stood by the doorway with a smirk on her face, her arms crossed
around her torso and her eyes dark and stuck on Leigh Hannah’s. Leigh smiled and waved at Ming.
“Just so we’re clear, Leigh, I’d rather give away my powers and dance on my Gramma’s grave,”
Ming said. “She was a total nut job,” she added when she saw Ian and Ian’s face. She turned to Leigh
Hannah and smiled then she turned to me.
“Your parents are cooking dinner and they sent me to come and get you,” Ming says, grabbing an
apple from the bowl on the table.
“We haven't been here for a week and she's already cooking dinner?” I said. Ming nodded,
smiling.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“It's actually your Dad this time who wants to cook. I know it shocked me too. So, come on
before we take too long and they come here themselves,” Ming waved a come-on gesture with her hand.
“Come to think of it. How did you find us?” Ian asked, taking the words from my mouth.
“Your Caster line.” Everyone raised their brows at her. “It's a line that the Full Casters have.
Maggie, yours is magenta, Ian's is bright baby blue and Val's is green and Ashley's is orange.”
“Well, what's mine?” Leigh Hannah asked her.
“I prefer not to use my new ability on a hothead like yourself,” Ming says, tossing her apple in the
air before biting into it. Leigh rolled her eyes. “Well, are you guys gonna stand there or be late for
dinner?” Ming turned her attention back to us, but we were already on the move. Being late for dinner at
my parent's place is like being late for your first day of work.
Food covered the table in the hall and my family and friends crowded all the seats leaving just
enough room for us to get in. All types of food covered the table Caster and Mortal food. Connie and
Leigh Jane ate in silence while the rest of my family talked amongst themselves. Luis and Chloe were
cutting the Drahgon which made Catherine cover her eyes and Jacob stared in awe with wide eyes.
Frankie and Cassidy stood in a corner with their plates and picking from it. As big as my family was, I
don't think there were enough chairs. Family from both sides were here and only fewer of them I despise.
I found a spot next to Selena and Cole and for some reason I felt claustrophobic. The second I sat down I
jumped right back up.
“Whoa, getting claustrophobic,” I said and quickly left the chair. The room started to rumble and
hum, the second it started, Aunt Gloria walked in from another part of the house.
“Hay, you guys should come and see this,” she pointed over her shoulder with a smile on her face
before rushing back out where she came. Dad sat his glass of wine down and followed after his sister in
law and as curious as I already was about the place I followed behind him. I walked right into him when
he stopped and looked over his shoulder and my breath caught in my throat.
Three long brown maple tables that seated maybe 20 or 30 stood before us with silverware
already plastered on it. Frankie and Cassidy squeezed by us holding their plates in the air and took a seat
at the second table in one of the chairs.
“These chairs weren’t here before,” Dad said, running his hands down the light purple silk chairs.
“Of course not, I just put this here,” Maggie Lennon says standing by the third table with her
hands on her torso. “Do you really think that I’d let you guys fit at that tiny table? That's the dinner table
by the way. This is your lovely dining area. Three maple waxed tables with a 100% actual gold ribbon
aligned with 30 seats and of course the family photo.”
“Yeah, I can see that,” Dad said and looked back at Maggie. “Can I help you, Ms. Lennon?”
“No, I just needed to help you guys. I don’t understand why the table wasn’t here in the first
place,” Maggie said, patting the table with her hand.
“Well, thank you very much, Maggie we really appreciate it,” Frankie says, her mouth full of
what looked to be jello. Maggie smiled at her and turned to Dad.
“Don’t let it go to heart, George, I’m pretty sure your table back in the Mortal realm was 100x
smaller than this,” Maggie says.
“Make that a million times smaller,” Frankie added. “I was pretty shocked that we all could fit at
the table.”
“That’s because the table we had could fit less than 30 people. And because fewer of the family
stayed with us,” Mom’s voice echoed through the room. She was standing beside Maggie with a grin on
her face. “And that included my niece and nephew and my children and grandchildren.”
“Yeah, when Hilary showed me what the house looked like so I could picture the theme to this
place, I was pretty sure that we were in the wrong house,” Maggie spoke.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but what are you anyways?” Jacob asked to take a seat at the
first table with Catherine, Connie, Matt, Val and Ashley.
“A Joeward. A combination of Full Caster and Demon,” Maggie said. “My father’s an Incubus.
Dhiloh.” Brokeslum almost dropped his plate on the table and his eyes were dark as coal, he had a glare
on Maggie.
“My father’s name was–” Brokeslum stopped mid-sentence. Everyone looked at Brokeslum with
confused glares. Maggie nodded, smiling before shaking her head.
“You guys are related,” I said, finally finding my voice. “And not just related. Siblings. You’re
brother and sister.” Brokeslum was already in front of Maggie, staring at her. Maggie stared back at him,
with soft eyes. Brokeslum reached to Maggie’s face and removed her dark shades from her eyes. The
room went dead silent and my cousins started to murmur in hushed tones. Maggie’s eyes were the color of
a Full Caster, technichrome. She closed her eyes and covered them with her hands.
“What’s your mother’s name?” Brokeslum asked her. Maggie took a breath and turned her back to
him. “Face me this once, Maggie.”
Brokeslum’s voice was dark and covered in doubt.
Maggie shook her head. “My shades are to keep me from reading auras.”
“You didn’t answer my question,” Brokeslum says, setting the shades on the table. “What was
your mother’s name?”
“Valentine.” Maggie spoke clearly. “Valentine Aries Lennon. She was a Full Caster. Raised me
alone since birth.”
“Then how do you know my father’s name?”
“Because that’s what my mother’s aura would always talk about. Dhiloh. Dhiloh. Dhiloh.
Dhiloh,” Maggie said looking at her feet. “I kept asking who he was and she’d never tell.”
“You read her aura?” Brokeslum spoke. “And you didn’t even know?”
“I was three,” she said. “She later told me about him and–you. My twin brother.
“When were you born?” Brokeslum’s voice darkened.
“Queso 16th 1321 B.C. Lipal night,” Maggie said. Brokeslum’s eyes widened. Maggie slowly
turned back to Brokeslum. Her eyes were wide with terror and Brokeslum’s were wide with hatred.
“You were raised by father and I was raised by mother,” Maggie said. “She said that it was
something that had to do with our magic. She separated us from birth.”
“Yeah, because we’re Death Breed siblings,” Brokeslum said.
“What Breeds?” John said furrowing his eyebrows at Brokeslum.
“Death Breeds,” Brokeslum repeated. “When a Full Caster gives birth to an Incubus child. That’s
why I can see in the dark and drink any type of blood and not die. Because my Dad’s a Demon.”
Brokeslum squeezed his temples and took the seat in between Connie. Everyone was already set
at the table, and surprisingly my family looked like the students of Hogwarts–minus the Professors.
“So, why did your parents separate you guys?” Leigh Hannah spoke, “because she realized that
she made a terrible mistake bringing two creatures into the world?”
“No, because they realized that if we grew up under the same roof, we’d be confused where we’d
fit in with the Great Power Chain,” Maggie answered Leigh’s question correctly. “Meaning, we’d kill
Casters and eat them and mother didn’t want that because there was a lot of death involved.”
Glass hit the table making everyone in the room jump. Theresa walked in holding her stomach
with a tired look on her face and her hair wrapped in a neat bun. She wore the grey sundress that my Mom
had made her. Theresa’s nine months pregnant with Josephine and both Sam and John are betting that
she’s going to be due everyday now, and William's hoping that she does and so do my parents. I've seen
and heard Theresa bitch slap William so many times that even I felt bad for him, although he probably
deserved it. I'm sure he did and said something to Theresa for him to get bitch-slapped or elbowed in the
neck by his wife. Samantha would want to jump in but Theresa almost accidentally knocked her out with
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

the tea kettle and now she doesn't even jump in if they're going at each other's necks. Well, when Theresa's
going to Will's.
“I love how we have family dinners that always end up with either a tearbath or a bloodbath or
both,” Theresa started. “Can we once for a fucking family not bring this up? God.” Theresa pushed pass
John and sat in a seat. I couldn’t agree with Riesa. Although the baby’s been changing her mood swings
like crazy.
“Someone’s–you know what? I agree with her,” John says and takes a seat at the third table away
from Theresa.
“We’ll talk about this after dinner,” Brokeslum said, pointing a finger at Maggie and taking the
furthest seat away from her. Maggie’s lips tightened and she put her shades back on and took a seat. I took
my seat and a sad feeling came over me and I suddenly felt bad for Maggie.
No one spoke for 10 minutes throughout dinner. Ashley and my nieces didn’t once mutter a word
to one another. Theresa was stuffing her face and I was scared to make conversation. Not even Aunt
Stephanie and Uncle Daryl, and they always talk crap.
“We can talk, not just about death,” Theresa spoke. The air in the room tightened at the sound of
her voice and I’m pretty sure that the Caster Scientists’ who were doing more repairs to the walls, hearts
dropped. No one said a thing.
“I’ll start,” Selena spoke. “I talked to Bian, Brittany and Heidi and they said that they can’t wait to
get here. But Bian’s growing impatient, Maggie.” She turned to me.
“She can be impatient with me all she wants, she’ll have to wait until next week,” I said, putting
my fork of steak in my mouth. “All of them.”
“Okay, well I’ve never heard that come from Maggie,” Mom said. “So how do you guys like your
new home?”
“I miss the Mortal Realm, but atleast I get to meet the other side of my family,” Val smiled. “Ms.
Mary told me when I was six that she was creating a secret planet far from Earth and that Earth would
have my entire family docked there.”
“Meredith already had the place planned out?” Mom says drinking her white wine.
Val nodded, “Of course, isn’t the reason because of Mr. Lee’s murderous breakdowns? Ms. Mary
had me design a few places such as the secret passages. My drawings looked like a three year-old drew
them but that was the best part. No one but Ms. Mary and Mrs. Lee could read my mind.”
Everyone at the table was quiet.
Even I was.
Ian raised his eyebrows at the eight year-old and turned to me. I sat my fork down. “As to how
many SPs did you actually draw in this place, Valerie?”
“About 21 in total. Each of your rooms have one; the extra door in your closets,” Val said bubbly.
“I lost track after Mrs. Lee added in a few of her versions of SPs and from there I was like all the hell with
it. Pardon my French.”
“Please, sweetie in this world I don’t quite care anymore,” Mom said.
“I do,” I said, barely shouting. “Val, what else is there in this place?”
Val nodded, smiling, “we have a dungeon room, a Horizon Palace–that has an inside pool, a drag
racing section, a child’s daycare center and I believe our own shopping center which I don’t know why we
have one of those.”
“You had me at drag racing,” Cole said, a smile on his face that made him look like the Cheshire
Cat’s.
“I can shed some light on that,” Maggie says, raising her hand like she was in high school. “The
market was added because some of the workers here have a family that’s half Mortal and can eat Mortal
food. Some of them eat Caster food but not a lot of them like it.”
“How do you know so much about the place, Hurricane Lena?” Will spoke, wiping his mouth.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“Wow, are we still on that nickname? Okay, well I train the new Joewards of the place. I help
them how to control things like the Caster Cranes, how to read others without them knowing,” Maggie
answered.
“There are more like us?” Oakley’s voice echoed through the room. “Like me?”
“Of course,” Maggie spoke.
I turned my attention to my niece. How does she know?
“Honey, your cousins are Joewards because–”
“I think it’s best if you not finish that sentence,” Connie said.
“Okay, but all I’m saying is that you’re all tainted stems,” Maggie said and stopped talking when
she saw Connie and Del’s faces.
“What are those?” Heather whispered to me while Maggie still chatted about Mrs. Lee and
Meredith’s life’s work in this place.
“Joewards aren’t Casters, well they are but they have more than just magic in them. They’re
immortal beings who can do things only God knows what,” I whispered back. “They can talk to Demons,
turn into them, drink their blood and so many other God awful things.”
“Are you saying that my daughter and her cousins are Demons?” Heather glared.
“It’s in their blood but yes. It’s in them because I have it in me. From mom and dad’s side.”
Heather covered her face with a hand and looked across at the talking hurricane. Now, I see why
they call her Hurricane Lena, she talks way too damn fast for me.
“Thanks, sis now I gotta learn more about what I’ve gotten myself into,” Heather spoke.
“Well, you don’t have to ask to travel back and forth to the Caster Realm, now you live in the
place. You can read all about this place and not have your energy on full blast,” I said.
“Don’t remind me,” she said. “I couldn’t go into the Caster world for five minutes without having
to be drained.”
“Theresa and Bian were the same way,” I added finishing my plate and red wine.
“I quit my job to come here, I told them I was moving to Austria with my family,” Heather said. I
pushed my empty plate and glass away from me and they vanished before me.
“That’s what everyone’s telling everyone,” Theresa chimed. “I told my parents and Dylan that
William and I were moving to Charleston, Texas because Sam started boating school.”
“Am I SpongeBob, now?” Samantha asked her mother. “Am I a troubled teen now?”
“I just told them that so they could get off my back,” Theresa said.
“Are your brother and parents even coming here?” Will asked, his face dropping a centimeter to
the floor.
“I hope not,” Theresa spoke.
“No, cause they would’ve been here,” Brokeslum says, cutting in. “You’re always welcome to
visit them, but they can’t come here because then Crazy Lee can follow in your footsteps.”
“Now, that’s fair. I wouldn’t want them here if it was legal,” Theresa said and finished her plate.
She looked down at her stomach. “Just break already!”
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

Chapter 9. A Cup of Tea in the Road
Sometimes I couldn’t understand why so many of us had to share the same place. The same
Facility. Why couldn’t it just be one half in another half, like a damn mini apartment or something, I don’t
know. I wanted to sleep in for at least two successful days with no interuptions. I had finally succeeded.
Not a phone call or a text from no one. Probably because I had my phone on silent.
The new bed made me lazy and it helped Ian stop snoring. The bed hummed to the sound of the
vibrations under me. I rolled over on my stomach and my hand hit an empty spot next to me. Ian’s spot. I
could still smell his cologne, still strong, but he was gone. I opened my eyes and stared at his spot. It took
me five minutes tops to pull myself from bed. I walked into the bathroom and cleaned myself up and
dressed into something more chic than just my usual black pants and white shirt. I walked out of the
bathroom and a yelp escaped my throat.
“You weren’t playing about that 2-day hibernation,” Ryan laid on the perfectly made bed.
“You know I don’t kid around about that,” I said.
“Well, yeah but then again, you don’t kid around about a lot of things,” Ryan added.
“Damn right,” I muttered. “Where’s the family?”
“Well, my parents aren’t coming until next month instead of next weekend because my brothers
were in an accident.”
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry. What kind of accident?” I sat beside her on the bed.
“A drunk driver hit them last night on the way to the Carlson Convention. They’re okay, a few
broken bones here and there but they can still get around.”
“You don’t seem so surprised,” I said, raising a brow at her.
“It was bound to happen. That old truck they drive had been in my family for generations, it was
bound to pull out,” Ryan shrugged her shoulders. “Just like the time we got stuck on the way to
Melweither Waters and the Grey Lakes.”
“Please don’t bring it up,” I said. “The shit that happened that day was just uncool. Where’s
everyone?”
“The adults are in the Deck Hall watching some game in Europe,” Ryan said. “Your Mom’s in the
dining room going over papers and Ming’s parents are here.”
“Oh my God Lisa and Connor are here, oh my God,” I smiled and rushed out of my room with
Ryan behind me shouting that they’re in the Deck Hall with my parents and Connie.
When I got to the Deck Hall, Lisa was giving a sheet of paper to Connor. Ming stayed hooked on
his arm and refused to break free. It even looked like Connor was growing annoyed at his daughter
clinging onto his arm.
“Hay, guys,” I smiled, rushing over to them. Lisa looked up and a smile plastered her face. Ming’s
Mom Lisa is a Seer, she has long silky black hair that she constantly catches herself sitting on, but keeps
them in two french braids and pulls them to the front to keep from sitting on it, and today she had her hair
falling down her back.
“Margerate,” she says, wrapping her long arms around me the sametime Connor looked up and
smiled. Connor had short curly hair and hazel eyes, he’s a Full Caster that a lot of my family don’t really
get along with, like Leigh Hannah because she was rude at his twin sister’s wedding. She called her a
leech because she’s tall, skinny and her dress made her look like a walking chameleon, which I happened
to agree with her on.
“It’s good to see you again,” she says, breaking our hug.
“It’s good to see you too, hay Connor,” I hugged him.
“Hi Maggie, it’s good to see you,” he kissed me on the head and broke the hug.
“What’re you guys doing here?” I said. “I mean besides the Game.”
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“Connie and Del have an idea that could break Mr. Lee’s mental breakdown,” Connor says. “No
pun intended. Connie believes that if we all come forward to him and make a deal to have an agreement to
Relocate the half-breed powers and maybe, just maybe we can all save our species.”
“What are you getting at Connor?” I spoke. “Are you saying that my family has to give up their
powers just so Lee can calm down?”
Connor didn’t have to answer and niether did Lisa. Their faces answered for me.
“No, that’s complete bullshit, I’m not going to let my family give up their powers just to make
Mr. Lee happy,” I said, barely shouting. Connie looked up from the TV and was behind me in seconds.
“They’re not giving up their powers, Maggie,” Connie said. “They’re giving up their souls.”
“Sacrifice? They’re gonna have to sacrifice themselves?” She nodded. “Connie, this is my family.”
“They volunteered. Some of us volunteered to keep the family from falling,” Connie leaned
forward and whispered in my ear.
“Half of the family volunteered. Both sides of the family did.” She pulled back and locked eyes
with me. “I promised them that I wouldn’t tell a soul, but you mustn’t tell a soul neither. Promise me.”
I stared at Connie and looked behind her shoulder and Connor and Lisa stared back at me with
sad eyes. Why would I promise to keep this from my family and friends? My daughters and nieces are
half-breeds, I have cousins who are half-breeds. Closing my eyes, sighing, I nodded and met Connie’s
eyes.
“I promise, Connie,” I found my voice. Connie gave a broken smile and hugged me, thanking me.
When she pulled away, I fought the urge to look Ming in the eye since she was already looking at me. If I
even let her look at me, she’ll know for sure. She’s a Full Caster for chrissake she can shapeshift into
Connie or her parents if she wanted to just to trick me. She’s done it before.
I turned away from Ming’s dark eyes and I put a Force Lock on a door in my head so no one
could try to get in that part of my head. I would have to be like my mother and lock it away and throw
away the key. I looked up at Dad who glared at me with his hazel eyes and raised a brow at me. I tried to
give him a smile, but he shook his head.
You know your mother will have a chat with you when all of this is over.
Dad, you’re not making it any easier for me. What am I going to do? Why did you guys
volunteer?
Your mother and I didn’t volunteer. A few family and friends, yes, but not your mother and I. We
have too much on our souls.
Do you know who’s sacrificing themselves?
Dad shook his head.

Only your mother and Mrs. Lee know.
Before Dad could go on, I raced to Mom’s presence in the dining room. She sat at the middle
table, papers surrounding her. Her hair was in a messy bun and she turned a spoon in a teacup with her
finger reading along with her eyes.
“Mom,” I called out to her. She looked up at me, her dark eyes in a haze. I sat next to her, papers
floating out of the way. “I need to know and don’t lie. Who volunteered?”
Her eyes darkened and her lips grew in a tight line. She put her hands on the table, the spoon in
her cup stopped immediately. She blinked her long eyelashes at me.
“Kris, Lisa, Scott, Bailey, Connie, Del, Jenny, Ryan’s parents, JS, and Denise. No one knows but
us.” Mom had tears in her eyes, I placed a hand on her arm. She let the tears fall and I wrapped my arms
around her, squeezing her. My best friend’s brothers and parents agreed to this, and her sister. Her older
sister. My cousins and Aunts were doing this. It was all unfair.
“This is all my fault,” I said. “I had to fall in love with a Mortal and bring two children into the
world with him.”
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

Mom shook her head and broke the hug, looking at me. “It’s no one’s fault. We’ve been in love
with Mortals for years. Your ancestor Margerate Genetelli started this. She’s the reason both of our worlds
are so off balanced.”
“Mom, I’m the first daughter born a Full Caster with Mortal children. I started this,” I spoke
through a cracked throat and tears falling from my eyes
“Your brothers fell in love with Mortals too. All of my grandchildren are half-breeds. They’re
Joewards, Maggie. Do you really think I’d let this happen? Mr. Lee is so twisted he doesn’t know what
he’s doing anymore. No one can stop him unless someone steps up for him.”
Mom took a breath and swallowed. “I don’t know how much longer I can take with his mentality.
He knew this was coming, he knew that M.G. was going to fall in love with a Mortal. The whole Court
knew it, they just didn’t do anything about it until now. Dhampirs, Vampwolves and Demon-Angels and
Blood-Stars, they’re all coming together to make themselves tainted creatures. And now, all of a sudden
they want to do something about it because Joewards are being elaborated? This is just a cup of tea on the
road that no one’s going to agree with. Justin Lee is slipping away and so is the rest of the Courthouse.”
She was suggesting something. Something that she wants me to do. I looked at her white
knuckles and back to her dark eyes. “Mom, what are you suggesting?”
“I have countless suggestions, but they may lead to so much as a whip through time,” she said.
“Are you suggesting that I go back in time?” I said, my words sounding harsh. Mom shook her
head, but mouthed the word yes.
“Of course not, honey, I can do that myself,” she said, taking a sip of her tea.
“You can’t go through time,” I said, but stopped myself. “But Dad can.” She smiled, nodding.
“I’ll ask him after dinner,” Mom said, finishing her tea. “We haven’t done Thaumaturge Travel
together since you were three-months.” Mom kissed me on the head and went back to going through the
papers. I nodded and got up from the table and left her to her peace of mind.
Mom was right, the Courthouse was slipping away. They’ve waited 1600 years too late to fix our
system. The American System is screwed up and now us; I think it’d be better if we all just didn’t exist
anymore, that way, we wouldn’t have to worry about it.
My brothers Ethan and my cousins were watching a game that took place in Australia. It was a
combination of football and drag racing, Cole’s weakness. The drag racers sped around the football
stadium with stairs leading up into the football stadium. It looked like a heavenly designed architect with
complex skills that I’m sure even the architect didn’t know how to build. I sat beside Will who was on his
third can of Tainted Water, and shouting in a fake Australian accent at the TV. Theresa sat on the other
sofa with Frankie and Jenny. She didn’t look like herself but then again neither did Theresa and Leigh
Hannah.
“Who’s winning?” I asked, trying to put some ease on myself.
“The Kangaroos,” John said, popping a chip in his mouth. “Where’s the little ones?”
“I don’t know, I just woke up,” I said. John turned to me and back to the TV.
“Yeah, no kidding. You look like shit,” he said while drinking his beer.
“Well, at least I don’t smell like a brewery,” I said. He turned to me and went to speak but a
Ripping sound and a popping noise popped into my ears.
"Hay, Aunt Maria," a voice called out from the end of the kitchen. John and I turned to see Leigh
Hannah standing with a smile on her face, but Will and Mom jumped in the process. Her long silky black
hair curled and her eyes dark and black as charcoal.
"Everybody's on scare mode today," Leigh Hannah said and hugged my Mom and Dad, both
speechless. When we were children, Leigh Hannah had a penchant for hanging dead animals from trees.
"Tense hug, awkward smile, long lost grandchild reunited, someone's a little nervous," Leigh said.
I didn't say a word to my parents or to Leigh Hannah. We were never close, she was jealous because I
became a Full Caster when I turned seven and I doubt that she's still happy about me. My Claiming and
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

my wedding were the days that I broke the Bonding between the love of Mortals and Casters, which is a
total backfire for the Caster Courthouses.
“No one’s nervous,” Mom said, putting the stack of papers in the file cabinet in the living room.
“We’re all just trying to piece together Mr. Lee’s little breakdown.”
“Isn’t that Mrs. Lee’s job?” Leigh Hannah spoke.
“Yes, but she wanted a little help on a few thing and we all decided to pitch in,” Mom noted.
Leigh Hannah turned to me and smiled. “The dead have awakened.”
“And I’m refreshed,” I said. “What’s up, Leigh?”
“I’m just here for dinner,” Leigh spoke. “Where’s my little cousins?”
“I have no idea,” I said. “I literally just got up.”
“Oh, yeah, I forgot,” Leigh Hannah said. “Don’t worry, I just wanna talk to your Mom.”
“Why?” Mom said, grabbing a bag of saltine chips from the clear bin in the kitchen and took a
seat on the couch next to Cole.
“Mom wants to know if you’re making lunch today?” Mom looked at Leigh Hannah like she was
crazy.
“Do you know where we live now? I don’t gotta cook anymore. I barely cooked at all,” Mom said,
popping a potato chip in her mouth. “House magic is what I do best. Now, ask the Facility what’s for
dinner.”
“I did. It’s the Thanksgiving feast,” Leigh Hannah says and folded her arms across her torso.
“Well, there you go,” Mom said and turned to the TV. “Dinner should be ready after Lisa and
Connor are done.” Leigh Hannah turned to me and I backed away from her.
“I’m with my Mom on this,” I said and made a hasty exit. Leigh Hannah was already growing
impatient, but she always had bad patience, like her Mom. I made my way back to the Dech Hall and
made myself comfortable in a seat next to Ming. She was writing what seemed to be a list of names in
Niadic and only she knew how to speak the language, her and her parents. I guess it’s because Ming’s
their only child, they decided to teach her our second language.
“It would be more distant to change the course of Lee’s mental health state and see how it really
happened. He could’ve had it for decades and its finally come to shore,” Connor said, circling an object on
a piece of paper in front of him with a red marker.
Ming slid the paper across the table to Connor and mumbled an idea in Chinese. I snickered and
both her parents looked at the paper, before looking at her. They started to talk in Chinese and Connor and
Ming started to argue. Lisa tried to break it up, but it was no use. She turned to me for help, and I stood
from my chair and placed a hand on Connor’s arm. He stopped hollering at Ming and turned his full
attention to me.
“I think what Ming is trying to say is “she can go to Mr. Lee in person and maybe calm him
down. Ask why he’s really like this.” I think it’s a good idea, Connor, I really do.”
Lisa and Connor looked at me and then to Ming, who mouthed a “thank you” to me. Lisa opened
a file cabinet and all the papers made their way to the open drawer and neatly put themselves away.
“Mr. Lee won’t be upset because I’m the only Full Caster that has no siblings with half-breeds, or
really dated a Mortal,” Ming said. “Mom, Dad just think about it. I understand Korean like I understand
Chinese.”
“Everyone knows a Full Caster having a breakdown can’t function correctly. I mean look at what
he’s done these past couple of days. He murdered a pure-breed family without even noticing,” I said.
They gave me a crazy look.
“I do my research too. I’m not the only one not doing anything.”
“Okay, Ming, you go right after dinner,” Lisa spoke and turned to me. “And Maggie, you stay on
her with an invisibility spell. That way you can see around her.”
Nodding, Ming thanked her parents and hugged them before pulling me out of the room.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

I had promised to help Leigh Jane with a few spells to give to her sister Aurora since she lost to a
dare. Leigh Jane Chambers, a Evo–Dark Caster and she studied a book on the Natural Rituals of The
Black Forest. A book in Casteadstorian that only Casters know from the back of their hands. She's going
through a series of events with her boyfriend who has Dissociative Identity Disorder and her sister Aurora
keeps telling her to read between the lines. Aurora and Leigh Jane are my Dad's sister's two girls; Aunt
Khloe's a Full Caster but she's deceased, and the Chambers sister's have a place together in our facility. No
one knows what happened to their father.
We sat in her room on her bed and tried to sort out a spell that she wanted to use to get into a
Mortal Pub. She didn’t tell me why and I don’t really care about it. All I know is that I’m helping her get
into a university so she can impress her boy toy.
"Okay, so, how about I steal just a few words from chapters eight and nine and rewrite the rest in
my own words?" Leigh Jane asked me.
"Or you could copy and paste the damn thing and then write it in your own words," I said.
"That's stealing," Leigh Jane said, "that's plagiarism."
"To steal ideas from someone is plagiarism, to steal from many is research," I said. Leigh Jane
nodded and opened her mouth to say something but then closed it again.
"Cutting it close, again?" Leigh Jane asked.
"Not like you and Chris were," I said. Chris was Leigh Jane's addiction and they lasted for about a
year or two. Both Casters and both Dark, and I mean Dark Caster by dangerous to be around sometimes
and have more dark in them than anything.
"... I don't know what more Aurora wants me to do other than knock Chris on the head until he
comes?" Leigh Jane said.
"The dude has Dissociative Identity Disorder," I said. "Just put a Cast on him," I added.
"Maggie?" Leigh Jane whined to me, "it's not that piece of cake."
"What you see is what you get," I said. She threw her hands up with a gaped mouth.
"He's not my master, he doesn't get to say "jump" and have me ask how high," Leigh Jane said.
"You're going to college to impress him," I said.
"To get my degree," she corrected me. "I wanna get my degree."
"I'd slap you but that would be animal abuse," I said to her.
"And I'd mock you, but that'd be Angel-Caster abuse," Leigh Jane said to me. "Now my degree..."
"It's a crap piece of paper you have to drop thousands of dollars on and waste years of your life
over, to work in a miserable job that you're gonna end up hating," I said to her.
"How about we do a Cast and bring a Demon to this side?" Leigh Jane said smiling. She's fucking
crazy. Leigh Jane folded her fingers and leaned on me, still smiling. Her Italian lips were covered in red
lipstick.
"Why would you do that?" I asked her, "you can barely speak tongues."
"Speaking in tongues doesn't come with the Dark Caster package," Leigh Jane said.
"It does, you just have to learn how to speak it," I said. Leigh Jane smiled and placed the book
between us. We sat Indian style on the floor and grabbed each other's hands, clearing our minds.
From the light, to the dark, crumbling with hate," I started the cast.
From the day and to the night, rising slowly with death.
In the middle of the floor, a dark cloud began to swarm and wind started to kick off. Leigh Jane
looked at me and I just stared at the dark cloud and wind before us, still mind cleared.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

We vanquish our faith and open the doors.

To let the demons dwell and pleasure their pride.
A demon that appeared before us. The Demon is trapped between two crystalline-like stones. We
broke our grip and I leaned forward getting up close to it. The eyes dark as night, teeth sharp as razor
blades, drool spilling from its mouth. I looked at Leigh Jane and she smiled proud of her accomplishment.
Glaring at it with drool oozing from its mouth, I wrinkled my nose.
"You are an ugly little bugger," I said softly. Leigh Jane squealed and clapped her hands softly.
"Let's do it again," she said and looked at me. "This time, let's concur with three more."
"Nope," I said, pulling myself up from the floor. "I'm dealing with enough Demonic bullshit right
now. There's no way I’m doing another Cast for Demons with you. Especially not in this house with
Mortals below us."
"Maggie, are you scared to confront another Demon?" she asked me.
"No, but I am afraid of losing my mind," I looked at the Demon. "How are we gonna put him
back?" Leigh Jane looked at me and raised her eyebrows.
"You," she pointed to me; "you're the Full Caster both Light and Dark, you do it." I glared at my
younger cousin and wrinkled my nose again and the Demon disappeared before us and I walked
collecting the stones.
"See," she spoke perkily at me.
"We have to make sure that none of the McClaine's find out about us," I said.
"Are they even allowed to be in our presence?" Leigh Jane added flipping through the pages
again. I looked at her, "then why are we doing this and they're down stairs?"
"Because your little cousin who goes by Leigh Hannah Montana decided to show up and cause an
argument," I said. "She and Stephanie think that I shattered this family one too many times after Ashley
was born."
"Well, you have," Leigh Jane said. "No offense, but marrying Ian wasn't really a big deal because
your brothers married two Mortals and they were just regular Natural Casters. But you," she froze before
going on, "you're a Full Caster, honestly the strongest Angel that I know. You broke the moon between
love and hate and the Order for Casters and Mortals falling in love which was a big problem."
"I know that I broke the Orders and I didn't mean to," I said. "I didn't even know there was a
problem between Mortals and Casters."
"Well now you know," Leigh Jane said in a high pitched voice, Leigh Jane clapped her hands
together, "well, there's a first time for everything! And besides, you're the Caster Angel. You're the
Angelic one," she added. "You're the one who can pay bills in Casteadstoria with a Caster Token. I'm not
too sure what that even means." Yeah, neither do I.
"Not when you realize that a Mortal and Caster are prohibited, and last time I used a Caster
Token, was when our powers were off balanced," I said to her.
"Exactly, you're a Wayward. Margerate the Wayward," she said. My heart skipped a beat. My
father's grandmother was a Wayward and that makes me a Wayward daughter by blood.
"What're you playing at, Chambers?" I asked her.
"A Caster Token hasn't been played in for centuries," Leigh Jane said. "You know for a Full
Caster you do play kind of dull."
"If you're trying to get me killed, you could save a lot of time by taking care of it yourself,
Chambers," I used her last name. What she's trying to play at is that when the Waywards all passed, a
Genetelli stepped in replacing Blood Tokens with Caster Tokens which can only be touched by Casters
and just Casters alone. And that's when the Genetelli blood began to take over both sides of Casteadstoria;
good and bad and light and dark.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“I'm not trying to get you killed, I don't wanna get you killed, all I'm saying is with Wayward in
your, our blood. You can and you will get through every fight against both sides," Leigh said smiling.
"Okay, wait, so what about my parents and other Casters? Aren't they allowed to touch a CT?
"Only a Full Caster can, which by the way the Waywards were full of them," Leigh Jane said. "A
Wayward comes from Uncle Daryl's side, his mother."
I looked at my cousin and stared at the crystals in my hands. Leigh had stood up from the floor
and sat on Julia's love sofa, her bed was covered in her books and papers from school and that I didn’t
want to mess with. I stood up as well and put the rocks in their bag along with the Natural Rituals of the
Black Forest and set the bag in front of the tall glass mirror that hung on Leigh Jane’s two closet french
doors. Knowing that Leigh Jane and her sister Aurora both knew Casteadstoria better than me, I shrugged
off the Wayward thing and went back to last night's episode. I turned to Leigh Jane and she sat in the bed
texting and looked up when I looked at her.
"Do you think Uncle Daryl could understand Leigh Hannah's powers better than us?" I asked her.
She didn't say anything, and she couldn't let me in her mind. But then again, Leigh Jane is a Dark Caster, I
wouldn’t be surprised what Leigh Jane hides in that cold hard skull of hers.
"I don't think he even understands her, period," Leigh said. "He's compelled to play by some
ancient set of rules that only he understands. Humans walk the earth, oblivious and blind while magic
remains hidden."
"Like Witchcraft wise?" I said. "Or like Leigh Hannah wise?"
"No, not really, "but Leigh does have some real issues with her powers. Does she still think she's a
Full Caster?"
"Not how she was ten years ago," I said. "That's when I thought she belonged in an insane
asylum." Leigh Jane snickered and let a laugh out.
"Stephanie is as crazy as a coot as it is, like mother like daughter," Leigh Jane spoke and laughed
harder. She let out a laugh that sounded like she's been holding back for sometime now.
"Took the words from my mouth," I said.
The sound of voices caught my attention and the mirror on Leigh Jane’s closet door appeared an
illusionary opening. A portal. I slowly walked over to the door and opened it, seeing Leigh Jane’s clothes.
I closed the door and looked down at the bag and a stone was out on the floor. Leigh Jane walked over to
the mirror and a figure fell out dressed in black and grey, a black and dark purple smokey mist following
behind it like it was its tail.
Demon
I grabbed Leigh Jane pulling her back away from it as the demon stood up on his feet and looked
up at us, eyes black as night, teeth sharp as razor blades and drool oozing from its mouth. My heart caught
in my throat. I was staring at the demon that me and Leigh Jane concurred up several minutes before. The
demon stood tall, maybe eight feet or more.
Leigh Jane’s door swung open and Val and Aurora walked in laughing. Val closed the door and
turned to face us and Val yelped and backed up, hitting her head in the process and Aurora put a hand out
in front of Val protecting her.
"What is that?" Val spoke up the same time Aurora asked.
“Is that what I think it is?” Aurora pointed.
"A demon," I answered, grabbing the stone that fell from the bag and stuffed it inside and kicked
it away before pushing the demon back in the portal.
"A demon from another world," I added
"How did it get here?" Val wanted to know freaking out. "What does it want?"
"I don't know," I lied looking at them. "I don't know."
Val took a step towards me pointing, “Mom, if you and Leigh Jane are responsible for this; Mrs.
Lee is going to go head over heels.”
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

I turned to Leigh Jane, "not if she doesn’t find out. Do you guys have any rope?" Leigh Jane and
Aurora didn't say anything; they nodded and ran out of the room.
Leigh Jane’s suite was filled with Ming and Ryan, my nieces and my daughters and brothers in
just under fifteen minutes. Ming struggled with her grip on the rope and watched as Val argued for
speaking to Mrs. Lee, Samantha argued for calling the WSC, and Ashley began climbing up the closet
doors in search of the demon. John and Will and I fought about sending the demon back before Mrs. Lee
or the WSC finds out that there’s a demon in the facility. A humming sound crossed the room and I looked
at the mirror on the door before another spirit walked through. He spotted me and smiled, waved and
called my name.
Darth.
Me and Leigh Jane's eyes enlarged and the three mortals stopped arguing and looked at the spirit
in the mirror. Val screamed, Darth the demon screamed, Oakley screamed; then Val screamed and Ming
lost her grip on the rope and it slipped forwards and backwards, Aurora and Ashley tightened their hands
and while trying to stop the rope from slipping, I felt the nylon stinging my palms making me drop the
rope.
"Guys, calm down!" Val called out breaking up the argument. "Calm down, it's just a ghost."
"Just a ghost?" Leigh Jane repeated. "That whatever it was came through the mirror of my closet.
And then another peeks through and calls your name. Yeah, that's some ghost alright."
"He had fangs and black eyes and was over normal height," Val said.
"Margerate, whatever you're playing, I don't like this game," Ming said through a cracked voice
and terror in her words and on her face.
"Neither do we," Ashley and Val cried in unison.
"This isn't a game," Leigh Jane said. "We've never said anything about this being a game." I
rubbed my temples and looked at Leigh Jane as the room went back to arguing again, I pulled Leigh Jane
to the other side of the room.
"What're we gonna do?" I said to Leigh Jane.
"What's going on in here!?" A female voice said over the arguing and stopping me from talking to
Leigh. We turned to the doorway and there stood Mrs. Lee, dressed in her formal dark dress and heels and
perfectly manicured nails and her hair around her shoulders and falling down her back. Beside her was
another woman dressed in a purple suit with hazel eyes and grey hair. She didn’t look familiar. Me and
Leigh Jane both gulped. Mrs. Lee turned to us and walked over towards us, but her eyes on me.
"Mrs. Morteze and Ms. Chambers, what is going on?" she said to us. We looked at each other and
turned back to Hilary Lee.
"Mrs. Lee, we can explain," Leigh Jane said. "This was all Margerate's fault." My shoulders
dropped and I turned to her.
"Yeah, and your fault as well, Ms. Chambers," Mrs. Lee said. "What will your parents say if I
called them and told them your doings?"
"Hello?" Leigh Jane said.
Mrs. Lee's lips tightened and she took a breath.
“It’s good to see you again, Val,” Mrs. Lee said. A smile spread across Hilary’s face. “Valerie
Heart,” she hugged her. She turned to me. “Maggie, she’s here for not even a week and you’re already
doing your dirty work.”
“Same to you, Mrs. Lee,” Val said and her eyes dragged to the woman next to her.
“Hello, I’m Mistress Martha,” the woman in grey said. “Mrs. Lee’s cousin.”
“Pleasure to meet you,” Val said.
“Look, Hilary, I was just helping Leigh Jane with a spell and it just backfired,” I said. Hilary
broke her hug with Val and turned to the mirror. Darth stood there with a fierce look on his face.
“Why is Darth here?” Hilary pointed a thumb over her shoulder at him.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“Fuck Darth, there was a demon in there just now!” William said.
“Darth is the demon,” Hilary and I said in unison.
“What’re you doing here, Darth?” I asked.
“If you let me out, maybe I can answer that question for you,” Darth said. Once he was out of the
glass, the portal closed behind him Darth made himself comfortable on the couch at the foot of Leigh
Jane’s bed.
“Connie and Brokelsum’s sister put me in charge to keep a close eye on Val and Ashley,” he said.
“Nothing reckless. Plus I’m stuck here until her husband blows over.” Darth pointed to Hilary.
“Which could be a while,” Hilary said and turned to me and Leigh Jane. “I’ll be talking with your
parents and Connie.” And with that Hilary turned and left the room.
“I’m gonna go pick my room,” Darth said and Ripped himself into black smoke before flying out
the room and down the hallway.
John looked at me with a “what the fuck” look and opened the curtains and let the light from the
other side of the facility blind my eyes. I groaned and covered my eyes, protecting the light from my eyes
and gave John annoyed glare.
“Mom and Dad say it’s time for lunch, and don’t bring the stones,” John pointed to the stones by
Leigh Jane’s closet door before walking out.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

Chapter 10. Shapes of Evil in the Wind
When lunch came around, Mom made pizza which is just regular pizza. The only thing that was
different on it was the bread, it was hard as a rock. Caster pizza you eat inside the pizza rock and not the
pizza crust alone. Some people like my cousin Jenny and my brothers who can eat the rock and not have
broken or cracked teeth. Theresa ate a meat pot pie; she was barely here. It hasn’t even been a month
since we moved here and she’s becoming more distant from the family. Samantha or John will sit with her
when she refuses to come down to eat. She mostly talks to her parents and her brother Dylan and his
girlfriend Barbie on her phone or on Skype.
"Mom, Cole's gonna teach me how to fly the Caster Cranes," Ashley said, bringing me back to
reality. I gave her a smile and looked at my older cousin. Caster Cranes are large orange crystal balls that
are the size of London’s double decker buses. They are controlled by a smaller crystal that’s held in hand
by the driver or the controller. The ring rope has to be held with care and caution or it may just slip from
the controller's hand.
"It's not as hard as it looks," Cole said quickly. "Really."
"Oh, I know," I said.
"You know how to fly one?" Ashley asked me.
"Them," I corrected her, "I can fly them all."
“So, can I,” Val butt in. “Mrs. Mary taught me a few times when I was with her. It’s easier than it
looks.”
"How can I control it?" Ashley asked her sister, "is there a manual or something?"
"Nope," I said; "All you have to do is curl left, lean right, go left, curl right, lean left, go right,
curl down, go down. Got it?"
"Curl what, learn who, go where?—Just go slower," Ashley spoke.
"Can't go slower, if I go slower it's gonna sound twice as confusing as it already is when you say
it fast," Cole said. Ashley looked at me, and I nodded agreeing with Cole.
"Can I do a Cast that'll make me know the basics?" Ashley spoke to me and Cole.
"Only if you don't care about your life," Leigh Hannah said and snickered. "I learned to play the
Caster Cranes when I was about fourteen."
"Luis turned into one not long ago," Francesca said. "He taught me how to libel the crane in his
room when Mom was out."
"You what?!" Chloe called out to her son and daughter.
"Will I survive flying the Caster Cranes?" Ashley said ignoring Aunt Chloe, "or do a Cast?"
"Cole said he'll teach you, ask him," I said and smiled. My Mom looked like she wanted to shit
bricks and bitch slap Cole. Cole didn't pay my Mom any attention, and Selena gave my Mom a soothing
pat on the shoulder to calm her.
Mom turned to Selena, making her flinch; "Touch me again, I'll break your arm," Mom said to
her. Selena looked at all of us for confirmation. Selena's arm falls easily and quickly from my mother's
view.
"Jesus, take the wheel," Denise muttered under her breath. Aunt Gloria shook her head and turned
to Oakley. Gloria Maurice is my mom’s younger sister with hazel eyes, and brown hair. She's a Full
Caster, and her and my Dad don't get along, by the way.
I had changed into a green sundress and took my seat at the table next to Ian and Selena. John and
Heather were going on about what Leigh Hannah called Oakley’s hair. I wiped my hands off with a warm
hand towel when Oakley sat beside Selena. She had sad eyes and her hair started to curl in her own Caster
wind. Oakley does have weird hair. It's light brown hair, but towards the end it went a more golden color,
John said that Callum and Heather inherited from their Mom. It's like Oakley's hair couldn't decide what
color to be.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“What’re you Mom and Dad talking about?” I asked Oakley, pretending not to know a thing.
Oakley looked at her parents as she made her plate, filling it with steamed vegetables.
“Something about what Leigh Hannah said about my hair,” Oaks shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t
really care anymore. She says that I look like a freak with wild hair."
"Your hair is a bit interesting," Ethan said, picking up a strand of Oakley's hair examining it and
taking a seat next to her.
"That shit looks made up," Leigh Hannah chimed in.
"Are you done?" John says getting cocky, and turns to his daughter.
"No one likes me," Oakley went on. "I don't have one friend. It's like I have to be like everyone
else just to have one."
"Cry me a river, build me a bridge, and get over it," Leigh Hannah spoke up and snarled at
Oakley. Oakley's eyes shot up at Leigh Hannah. "It's a part of life," Leigh Hannah added.
"Telling someone who's depressed to just get over it, is like telling a blind person to look harder,"
Oakley said to Leigh Hannah. Everyone at the table turned to Oakley and then to Leigh Hannah. Oakley
speaks through her magic and her lips of poems like my Aunt Annabelle did.
"And crying over not having friends is better than crying over having friends at all," Leigh
Hannah said. "So do me a favor and lose your attitude and eat your heart out."
"My attitude will always be based on how you treat me, Snake." Oakley reported back to Leigh
Hannah.
“Amen,” Ming, Theresa and Ryan said in unison.
"Your Aunt Maggie’s the Snake, hun,” Stephanie called. I snared at my Aunt and before I knew it,
John and William’s arms were holding me back. It took a while before I realized what had happened. I
was holding Aunt Stephanie by the neck with my forearm.
"We both shattered this family," John said. "Maggie, wasn't the only one. Me and William married
Mortals as well, so it's better to shatter a family than to keep secrets."
"Exactly, our mother is what she is for a reason," Ashley butt in swinging her knife angrily at
Leigh Hannah the same time my Dad spoke.
“Don't start anything that you can't finish.”
Samantha had to dodge it to keep her eyeballs in her head instead of spearing through Ashley's knife she
was waving it so madly.
My Mom slammed her glass on the table so hard, I was sure she was gonna break it. "Stravao!"
she called out, rolling her tongue to the correct pronunciation.
Everyone grew quiet and turned to my Mom whose eyes were white. They faded out to her
hazel-brown color before she spoke. "Stephanie and Leigh Hannah, I don't mind throwing the both of you
away," Mom said. "But the both of you are to not accuse my children and grandchildren that they are the
Demons that they are anything. And Stephanie, keep in mind that my daughter can throw the both of you
into the Caster Sphere."
"Your daughter shattered us like glass," Leigh Hannah went on. My Dad stood up and so did
Uncle Daryl. Daryl looked at his wife and daughter.
"Stephanie and Leigh, it's time for us to go," he said and grabbed hold of both his wife and
daughter's arms, but they both snatched them from Daryl's grasp.
"No, now either I kill Maggie for my reward or I can concur an Argyle eye," Leigh Hannah
hollered, her eyes dark. I put a hand out towards her and a dark orb of mist appeared from her and I closed
my hand the orb burning out.
Leigh Hannah and Stephanie looked at me with black in their eyes, in my hand I held Leigh
Hannah's powers. It's not my fault; Mom said that sometimes Full Caster blood can skip generations.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

"You'll get these back when you've learned to be a little grateful for what you have," I said and
took my seat again. Leigh Hannah growled at me and Stephanie looked at me, wanting to bite my head
off. Daryl stood beside his wife and smiled at me, thanking me and took his seat again.
"Anything else you'd like to add to the piece, Aunt Steph?" I asked her. Stephanie slowly took her
seat, our eyes connected.
"I can Cast you out of this house if you say another word," Dad said, pointing his fork across the
table at Leigh Hannah and Stephanie.
"You can't Cast me out, George. You aren't that strong enough, not strong for that, anyways,"
Stephanie said. John choked on his fork.
"Don't overestimate your skills. No Dark Caster on Earth is powerful enough to enter Wayward
on their own. I bound the place myself. We all did," Mom said, putting her glass on the table in front of
her. "It's bad enough that you've started at the bottom... And it's been a downfall-downhill ever since."
The room shook, and Val and Ashley held onto the table while Connie and Del took in their
surroundings of the shaking dining room hall.
"Uncle George," Aurora called my Dad.
"Yeah?" Dad said, bringing his cup down from his lips.
"Is your ceiling about to fall on our heads?"
“Oh, good you see it too, I thought it was me,” Theresa said, laying her head in her hands.
Dad looked up at the ceiling and back to Aurora and smiled. The ceiling transformed into glass
and the moon stood over the dining area, the bright light swallowed the room.
"The moon, when she is fullest, is the farthest from the sun, Aurora. Talisman," Dad said. Oakley
smiled at Dad and Samantha looked at me and I looked at William who looked at Dad, who looked at
Mom, who looked at John.
I wanted to crash my head against the table. Leigh Jane and Leigh Hannah were going on about
who was staying in what room when everyone gets here. My Dad had to keep Leigh Hannah and Aurora
at a distance because one of them will jump in and start a fight.
“Does anyone need help in the kitchen?” Ian said without moving his lips.
“I don’t but let’s go see it to be nosy,” I said. Ian nodded and we left our seats and went to the area
where the kitchen sat out like a cruise ship kitchen instead. And the second we made it into the kitchen,
Leigh Hannah’s body was tossed across the room with force and Aurora was standing over her in an
instant and they were scratching and choking each other, and rolling around on the floor.
“Connie, do you need help with the food?” Ian asked, turning to the Irish descent woman dressed
in a red shirt with grey dress pants. Connie looked up at him and flinched at the sound of metal against
flesh.
“Now that you mention it, I do. Ian takes the dragon from the oven and sets it on the counter,”
Connie says, taking a sip of red wine.
“Dragon?” Ian repeated with a wrinkled nose and turned to me.
“I’ll do it,” I volunteered. “Connie, Ian doesn’t know how to defrost a dragon.”
“Well, he should since he’s a part of this family,” Connie spat. I rolled my eyes, opening the oven
and taking out the dragon. I placed it on the counter, poured the strawberry gravy over it and watched it
simmer to a crisp. I turned to Connie, but Ian’s wide eyes were on the head of the Heaven Dragon.
“It tastes better than it looks,” I said trying to lighten up Ian’s mood but I think that I made it
worse. “Trust me.” I added and walked out of the kitchen with the Dragon head in my hands.
“... the Caster Cranes were easy," Ashley said, talking to Cole.
"Yeah, and I don't know what you did, but thanks," Cole said cocky eyeballing me, but smiled at
Ashley.
"I didn't do anything," Ashley said. I sat the Heaven Dragon down and eyed Ashley.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

"Really? I was watching the soccer game the other day, and there was a ball that went up but
never came back down. You wanna tell me something about that?" Cole said arms crossed and eyebrows
furrowed and eyes glued to Ashley.
"Dude, why're you still here? They won! They got 'em all!" Ashley shouted before quickly taking
off up the stairs knocking pass my cousin Catherine. I was actually kind of shocked when Cole recorded
Ashley controlling the Caster Cranes. She actually got the hang of the Caster Cranes because last night,
explaining something to her is like trying to find a needle in a haystack, but not like it was trying to
explain something to Heidi which just feels as wrong as stripping in church on Christmas Eve.
Dad stood up at the very end of the table with a glass of red wine, and so did my Mom with her
glass of dark red wine. Coyote blood? What's the occasion?
“There is no occasion,” Will said. “Dad made this new fancy wine, and he wants to make it a
family tradition.”
“We have enough family traditions, don’t you think?” Will smiled ignoring me.
“I don’t know what is enough and what’s now in this family anymore,” he said.
“You’re right, I lost track after they decided to make the floors made of lava,” I agreed with him.
Brokeslum made himself a plate and tray of everything we had. A basket of french fries, 5 baskets
of chicken and three pork and beef hamburgers. Ethan and Jacob stared at Brokeslums tray.
“You eat like a pig,” Jacob said. Brokeslum shrugged his shoulders and took a bite.
“You try traveling 75,000 miles by horse with no food and water,” Brokeslum said with his mouth
full of another bite of his hamburger.
"Hey, Morons!" Ryan called out, "it's better to flip the script. Aunt Maria and Uncle George are
letting Brokeslum stay with us. He’s the only Demon that knows more about the WSC than anyone–no
offense Connie and Del, and he’s a walking computer and GPS.”
“Non taken,” Del said. “Why’d you think Chloe and Connie and myself picked him to keep an eye
on Mr. Lee? The guy’s a genius at what he does.”
“Thank you, Ms. Del,” Brokeslum said.
“No, thank you, Brokeslum,” Del said, smiling at him. Aunt Gloria, mom’s younger sister, took a
seat next to Brokeslum and Luis. I was about to greet her when her lips found Brokeslum and he kissed
her back. Matthew and I exchanged views and gagged while Jacob and Ethan looked like they were about
to loose it. I heard a groan and I turned to see Erica, my younger cousin who’s a Dark Caster reading the
16th book called Open yourself to the fullest. A book that she never puts down except to eat or sleep.
Gloria's daughter, Erica's an Illusionist, a Dark Caster.
“Too much math, I don't want it," Erica said sitting next to Frankie. Gloria's daughter, Erica's an
Illusionist, a Dark Caster.
"You need numbers, Erica Cane," Gloria called out to her redheaded daughter. Erica pouted her
lips and folded her arms like a baby, Gloria mocked her daughter back.
“Numbers are for Mortals who want to be nerds when they grow up,” Erica added.
“You can’t decide to be a nerd when you grow up, that shit just happens,” John said.
“You guys are just getting here?” I asked Gloria
“Yeah, your mother and Mrs. Lee gave me the directions,” Gloria said smiling.
I looked at my parents facing the other way when I leaned in and whispered. “Did they find out
who Mr. Lee killed?”
“Yeah, it was your cousin Issac and his mother Josephine,” Gloria said. “Mr. Lee and a few
people from WSC charged into their apartment in Belgium and slaughtered them.”
“How come I’ve never heard of them?” I said.
“Because they’re Gloria’s husband's first family,” Brokeslum chimed in. “They divorced 10 years
after Erica was born.” I raised my eyebrows at him.
“Told you,” Del added.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

"... You're a genius, Ashley, and this color is you," Samantha scoffed and her fingernails changed
from orange to blue. Ashley's arms fell, and her hands still held the gypsy soul red and black polish.
"I don't understand you sometimes," Ashley said. "Mom, did you know that Sam was this
demented?" Ashley turned to me and so did Samantha. Oakley walked over and sat between Ashley and
Sam and smiled, enjoying the two cousin's little feud.
"Don't try to understand everything, because sometimes it's not meant to be understood. But to be
accepted," Oakley chimed in with her smile on her face.
"Be nice, girls," William said and eyeballed Samantha. Sam smiled at her Dad and turned to
Oakley.
"Hay, she's okay," I said to Will. "Being nice to someone you dislike doesn't mean you're fake, but
the maturity level is more important. Otherwise nothing is really over until you stop trying." John and
Ashley smiled and Samantha quickly looked offended.
"Hay," Sam said, throwing her hands in the air, "I'm not fake. And I'm not immature."
"It just means that you're mature enough to tolerate your dislike towards them," I finished. "And
the word immature in my definition means boring people used to describe fun people."
"Oh, like you are?" John said and jerked his phone towards me. "I'm just pointing out what you
did growing up and what you still do now. Depending on you not even trying to be yourself." I rolled my
eyes at John and Oakley frowned at her father.
"They tell you to be yourself and then judge you," Oakley said, catching John and William and
Samantha's attention. "Unlike in school, I was a freak. I am a freak in school. Although, I remember way
too many small details about people so I have to act dumb sometimes so I don't freak them out."
"We're all freaks, granddaughter," Mom said standing in the entrance of the dining hall.
"But remember when people cut you down or talk about you behind your back, remember, they
took time out of their pathetic lives to think about you," Cassidy said smiling at Oakley.
"Y'all didn't think I'd be here as well, did you?" She looked from me to my parents. Mom's lips
were trembling with words that I knew weren't happy words. Dad grabbed Mom's shoulders softly and
Catherine entered through the illusionary portal through the fireplace.
"Hi Aunts and Uncles and Cousins," Catherine said smiling. We both caught sight and I found her
arms around my neck and chuckling in the crease of my neck.
"Hay, Maggie," she broke the hug and hugged Val and Sam and Ashley. "Hay, guys."
"I know I was expecting myself here too but Mom put me in charge of Cassation over there,"
Catherine pointed at Cassidy over her shoulder. Cassidy pursed her lips at her older sister and hugged
Sam, Ashley and Val.
"Do I say welcome to the family or just welcome?" Erica said. Gloria squeezed her daughter's
shoulders and smiled at her daughter and then to Cassidy and Catherine.
"Catherine, Cassidy, how are you girls? Make yourselves comfortable," Gloria said and hugged
them.
"We're good, Aunt G," Catherine said. Catherine turned to Ashley and Samantha and quickly
went to grab a handful of nail polish.
"Great," Gloria said, smiling. She turned to me and held onto John like a kid scared of Santa
Claus. John looked at me and turned to Oakley. Jacob and Matthew raised their eyebrows at them and
Jacob was already chewing. Luis went to grab a buttermilk biscuit from the basket in front of him across
from Cassidy and Chloe turned to him.
"Don't you lay a hand on my sweet buttered biscuits, LO," Chloe said, her blue piercing eyes
staring down at her son. Luis pulled his hand back and held his hand ps up.
"Just helping," he said, muffling , already chewing on a date of baked carrots. Francesca laughed
at her brother and dipped a carrot in the red cheese.
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"The only thing you can help me with is by keeping your Illusionary fingers to yourself," Chloe
said. She looked away from him and to Aunt Gloria. Please, don't kill each other. The words hung in the
air over my head. "Now, I need some space for my magic, and Delinda, I see you eating my mashed apple
putting." Del stopped crunching for a second.
"At least no one is trying to kill you or anyone," I heard my brother's words in my head just as
loud as I heard them in person. Now, you tell me? I looked over to Jonathan.
"Give them about 15 minutes, John," William said. "Chloe looks like she's going to break out into
the "Star-Spangled Banner", any second now." Matt looked around the room and looked from Chloe to
Gloria. The two sisters are definitely going to kill each other.
"That's why Dad puts whiskey in her tea. Both of their teas. So Gloria doesn't kill Chloe and Mom
doesn't really be there to witness it," I said to William, and looked at Samantha and Ashley.
"What about your Dad?" Frankie says her plate is already clean. John, William and I looked at her
before turning back to our plates.
"Dad just likes to tell Gloria off," we said in unison, which is nothing we do, but something we do
to annoy each other. But today, we’re on the same page, surprisingly. Francesca looked at Jacob and
Matthew and Ethan and they both nodded their heads. Even Connie and Chloe nodded their heads.
"I look forward to reading what's on your menu," Dad muttered into his plate, with his head
down. What Dad means is her obituary. Mom and me, my brothers and Selena and Cole choked on our
food and wine and caught themselves and turned to my Dad. Some of us around the table looked at them
and Mom quickly pulled Dad up from his chair and yanked him out of the room...with his plate in hand.
The rest of us looked at each other and John put his head down on his palm, covering his face, and
swearing in his colorful language that he picked up from Dad when he was away.
“Who's ready to get crowned bitches!" Some of us kept our heads still in our plates and glasses.
Jacob dropped his phone but caught it before it fell to the floor, Erica almost dropped what seems to me to
be her fifth plate, but caught it before it collided with the old grey carpet.
"Hello, Maria Beth!" a lady called out from the top of her lungs. We all turned to face her and she
wore a brown dress with wedged heels and had long dark hair in a French braid. Ravendove. A city
outside of Casteadstoria and a place where no Caster's are barely allowed to step foot in. Gloria turned to
Connie and she turned to Ethan. Ethan stared at Penelope and smiled at her.
"Don't go crazy," Catherine warned. Matthew twisted his neck and I could hear his bones
cracking a little as he flexed. Each bone made a sound that you could probably feel in your bones.
"Tell JS to get his ass over here," Matthew said. It wasn't long for JS to make his way back into
the dinner area with his red T-shirt that only he could understand.
"What does your shirt say?" John asked him. JS didn't look at John or his shirt. He just stared at
the Dark Caster before us.
"It says, 'girls are stupid. Throw rocks at them'," JS said and walked towards Penelope and Holly
Lee making her way around her bestie. Not a pleasant surprise. I found myself wondering. Penelope
smiled at JS and Holly wrapped her arm around Penelope's shoulders and smiled at us.
"Who invited the one in a half stooges?" Samantha said, referring to Holly. I could almost hear
Selena saying the exact same thing.
"Hay, Selena, Cole, Ethan, Erica and the rest," Holly said, smiling at us. Holly spotted me, went
to hug me but I stopped her by leaning back from her, before she could lay a boney finger on me.
"We're good. Please, don't touch me, girl," I said. She pulled her hand back and turned to John
and William but they even pulled themselves outta sight from the Dark Caster. Penelope Tonkin is not the
sharpest tack on the wall and not the brightest star in the sky neither.
"And who the hell are y'all?" Jacob spoke, making Cole snicker. Penelope smiled and placed her
hands on her hips.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

"Penelope Tonkin at your fingertips," Penelope introduced herself with pride, and turned to
Frankie. "Hey Frankie Dinkie," she started; "where's Chloendyl?" she spoke Aunt Chloe's birth name,
"around the bonfire?"
"Why? Looking for a bonfire so you can burn that dress?" Chloe poked out from behind the
pillars to the kitchen. "Dark Caster or Dark Matter." Please tell me she's joking. She's joking right?
"Sure, I guess you could say that, Chloendyl," Penelope said. "Dark Matter? Dark Fire? What is
this, the Big Bang for Casters? And I prefer Dark Loving Caster, Aunt C." Nope, she's not kidding, Aunt
Chloe is definitely not kidding.
"I'm not your Aunt. Never have, never will and I thanked the good Lord that I'm not," Chloe said.
Penelope and Holly sat at the dining area and grabbed a plate making themselves welcomed.
Although Erica wanted to attack the both of them so badly, Gloria held her back from doing so.
"Where're your mother’s?" Jacob asked Holly. Holly looked up from her plate and Penelope
before turning her full attention to Jacob.
"Mines are doing business and Penelope's are dead and weak," Holly said with a bright smile on
her face. Even Penelope didn't have a soft spot for her parents. Penny's mother's an Illusionist while her
Daddy's a Demon Caster which we all know what that means.
"Did your Daddy get caught in the Archlight or the Caster Sphere again?" Cole teased Penelope,
which he often did to her when they’re in the same room. Selena was the first to laugh.
“Or did Hilary and Justin pin them in it?" Selena added. Holly snared at Selena and Selena snared
back at her before scoffing.
I looked at Connie but Denise chimed in, "stop it," Denise spoke. "What're you two doing here?"
Penelope turned to my Dad's sister. Penny's golden olive skin glowing from the fire from the fireplace.
"It's Templars day," Penelope said and a bright smile appeared, her two deep dimples punching in.
"No it's not it's the third week of October—holy war it's Templars day," Chloe said and started to
bite on her nails. Both Penelope and Holly smiled and nodded at her. Denise quickly pushed pass Gloria
and looked over at the calendar that's written in Casteadstorian which is a Niadian, the old Caster
language that I'm surprised they still use. Denise ran her fingernails down the dried blood markings and
stopped at a specific date. She gulped, and turned to Holly and Penelope.
"Do we have to go?" Denise spoke, her voice sounding completely bored and drained. Holly and
Penelope both nodded happily at her. Denise groaned and let her head hit the calendar, her head was close
enough to being beheaded by the Drahgon teeth, which is how you really say Dragon in Casteadstoria.
Our world is so different from the Mortal realm that sometimes we have to be careful not to mention
anything in the Caster world.
"Get your belongings, family. I guess we're going to the Templars festival," Denise spoke in a
groaned tone, her face still pressed into the Casteadstorian calendar.
"Aw, hell naw!" John called out.
We arrived at the Templars Inn with a van full of us, the Inn was packed with trolley cars and
trucks, nothing compared to mortal vehicles. We stepped out of the car and made our way to the entrance
of the Inn. We entered the building and looked around the place and I held Ashley and Val close to me.
John held onto Oakley and Will held on to Samantha. Penelope and Holly danced past us and pranced
towards the center of the room. Connie, Del, Denise and Jenny left to meet with the High Creatures about
booking something to meet Ryan’s parents at the Drop Station so they could get here. Ming and Ryan
took their seats at the wide stand with Brokeslum and Matthew.
The Inn is more like a club than a courtroom, long benches from one end of the room to the other,
black polished marble floors that look slippery from my sight with the ceilings that were made of rock and
glass like one of those Asian buildings you see in Japan or Hong Kong. Part of the ceilings were even just
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plain glass and the moonlight rained through it although it's still daylight outside. That's the beauty of the
Caster world, Connie and Denise would always say.
I looked up and found Francesca and Jacob and Matthew looking at the room in Froome, an
Illusionist perspective. The Froome is what you'd call an illusionary entrance that lets you see both
worlds.
"Are we dead?" Sam asked William but he turned to me. I guess hoping that I'd answer her
question. My jaw clenched and I opened my mouth to speak but Ethan cut me to it, which I'm thankful
for.
"No, not yet," Ethan said looking around the place.
"Quit being a bully, Ethan," JS said. Selena sucked on a red lollipop that had me on edge and Cole
wondering if she's back in the Sweet Tooth Decay. Selena looked over at her brother.
"Free sugars at the front entrance," Selena said and sucked on her lollipop. Mom turned to the
entrance behind and turned back to Selena. Mom read her like a book before pursuing her lips.
"If Neancasu is here or his little buddy, he's dead," Mom spoke to her with venom in her words.
She looked at me for some reason and I knew what she was telling me to do. I sighed heavily the same
time Selena scoffed.
"Don't worry Aunt M, I'm fine. Cole's watching me," she said. Cole looked at her, with narrowed
brows and dark eyes. I'm not really good at reading Cole like I used to be, but that look either means
blood or death in two different ways.
"Last time I watched you, you ate Mom's birth control," Cole said to his little sister, making us
laugh at Selena. She scrawled at Cole and walked away leaving the group. I turned to Cole. "She'll be
back," Cole added. I pursed my lips at him and tightened my grip on Ashley and Val before gulping and
walking with the others to the middle of the Inn, still clenching my two.
We found a booth that could hold about ten of us and another beside it that could hold another set
of ten people. My parents sat across from each other, then there's the rest of the crowd. When we're
together it's like the Brady bunch, although Bian's parents make us look like the Brady bunch, with
powers and more problems than problems to count.
John and Oakley looked around and Oakley grabbed hold of John's forearm. Oakley clocked her
head to one side and looked up at her surroundings. I'm not really sure about what Oakley is but I know
for a fact that she's a Palimpsest. The Templars Inn always made me nervous. I don't know why and how, I
can't remember why.
"It's something about the priest here," Dad said out of the blue.
The food here is natural and nothing added, you can tell by just tasting it. The sweets are cool but
those are what's making me a bit nervous with Selena at this second. Samantha and Ashley made their
plates and stuffed their faces with food. Cole kept a close eye on his sister while she danced up against
Holly, Penelope and Penny's cousin Larkin. Connie kept her eyes on someone or something across the
room from our table. JS slid in the seat across from Matthew and Cole, and he held a tray of what looked
to be eggplant salad, a plain eggplant with saltwater sauce, tastes more like an actual salad.
"What's everybody looking at?" JS said and looked at the center of the room. No one answered,
and no one made eye contact with him. Luis froze in his tracks for a second before pushing Ethan over
and sitting himself between him and Del. The loud speakers shook and someone tapped the microphone
before speaking.
"Hello, ladies and gentlemen and thank you for coming out on this magical night," the woman in
purple said, smiling. Her eyes are sky blue and her hair blonde and purple. She was looking over the
crowd, like she was scanning the place until she met her eyes with mine. "Tonight we are Tanning a wire
for the love of Casters and Mortals breeding," she said. "I'm Meredith Cloawns, and I'm the Ministry of
Jorcrams." I heard Mom scoff and Dad squeeze her hands and kiss her on the head. "I'm looking for the
Heart family. William, Jonathan and Margerate Heart." William and I looked at each other, and John
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looked as confused as me and Will. Meredith kept her eyes on me and I pushed myself from my seat and
walked to the stage with John and William behind me.
"I'd like to introduce the sons and the daughter of Maria Cane and George Heart," Meredith said
smiling, holding her hand out to us. The room began to applaud and we gave a force. "I pronounce the
offsprings of George and Maria Heart!" she hollered again making the room applause again. I turned to
our table and looked at Selena who chewed on her nails. What's so special about being an offspring? I
wonder if it is because my Mom has more sisters that are Full Casters or is it just because my
grandparents had a past with Mortals and Casters together?
"What's so amazing about being the offspring?" John said, reading my mind. “Why, because you
three fell in love with and married Mortals." I thought Meredith was gonna say but didn’t.
“Because there’s more Casters being born with full magic in their blood,” Mary said.
"So," John said, shrugging his shoulders with a deadpan look on his face.
“So, why do you think your parents and Connie came to me when they found out that Mr. Lee
killed your step cousins?” She spoke.
“We knew nothing about them,” I said.
"That’s not the point, Mrs. Heart. You’re the mother of our Casterous Hopes, which aren't
supposed to come upon us yet. Not in a million years."
"Well, a million years must be here," I said with sarcasm. John and William both nudged me in
the arm giving me a "what the hell" look. Meredith snared at me and shook her head and looked over at
our table. Her eyes fell silent on someone.
"Don't get any ideas Mary Beth," I said, "you keep your little thoughts to yourself and your small
nickels you call eyeballs away from my family." The room awed while some snickered, and I heard my
Mom's laugh quietly but I know her laugh like I know myself.
"Margerate, I’m sorry but we may have to relocate your powers," Meredith said, "and I mean
"me", and for what you are, I'd say that your parents never really did the trick on locking your magic."
"Fewer people have tried doing that. I somehow managed to unlock them," I said. "Pardon my
French, Meredith but locking a new Full Caster at a young age is mainly the reason why a lot of us tend to
feed off of negative vibes."
"And your point is," Meredith said. Her hair blew in the Caster breeze and my hair did the same
but I could feel the vibe in the room that meant to be full of dread.
"No Caster gets left behind," I said using my Dad's favorite saying. The room started to murmur
and I could hear clapping from Selena, Ashley, my Dad and JS and Ethan. I happily pursed my lips at her
feeling John pull me out of her sight before she could replace my words with her own.
At our table, some eyes were on me, some belonged to our table and others from another. Cole
gave me a "what the hell" look and I gave him a smile and John and William gave Mom and Dad
mischievous grins.
They turned to me. "Why speak that language with her?" Mom spoke. "What on earth were you
thinking?" she added once I sat down in my seat. "Are you trying to put your life on the edge?" You have
no idea, Mom. She had her eyes on Ashley and Val. Mom rolled her eyes and pulled me close to her.
"Well try being a little less sensitive about your problems, Maggie. Meredith is one of those
strong Casters both Light and Dark," Mom said. I turned to her and pulled her from the others. I dragged
her to the far end of the room, with some eyes still on me and others just minded their business.
"I don't give a flying start who she is," I said. "Her eyes looked past me to someone in this family.
Mom I'm almost positively sure that Meredith is not who she thinks she is."
"Don't be ridiculous," she said. "Meredith is a Full Caster like you." I stared at her like she had
gone ballistic. Was she not listening to her blood? Mary Beth is not a good person. Even my brothers can
sense that Meredith is planning something that I know that I'm gonna gave to draw the line a bit thicker
than how I drew it last time. I think Jenny was right, that Mary probably will betray us under our noses.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

"You lost your marbles," I said. "Mom, she's not who she says she is and I can see that through
the truth." Mom cocked her head at a 20 degree angle and pursed her lips at me.
"Do you really believe that?" she asked me. I threw my arms up. Was she kidding? Of course I
believe it. The old hag looked right at my daughters. Squeezing my temples and taking in a breath, I
turned to my Mom, and forced a smile.
"I can play it back for you," I said, putting a hand up. Mom looked around, and eyes still stared at
us. Especially on me. I turned to Mom and her lips became a tight line.
"I'm gonna need you to tell me the rest of this page later," she said and walked back to her seat, I
turned and found Meredith's eyes on me.
"What the hell was she talking about?" Cole wanted to know. I looked at him and turned back to
Mary Beth and she was still staring at me. I turned to Cole and he smiled
"She hates me for me, I guess," I said. "Something tells me that I don't have to worry about a
thing." Cole raised an eyebrow and pulled out his sketchbook and flipped through at least a dozen pages
before pointing to a new one. A cracked moon under the sun. What does that mean? I looked at him and
he jerked his head towards Meredith. I looked at her now making herself comfortable at her own dinner
table with the other Caster Demons.
"I'm no Full Caster but even I think this is bad," Cole said referring to his work. "A cracked moon
during the day. I don't think that's even possible."
"Anything's possible in the Caster world," I said. "Even dragging a Mortal cop down here and
stealing his identity and going back to Mortal-Landia as that person is possible."
"Don't give Luis or anybody that idea," Cole said. "Please." he jerked his head towards Selena and
I shrugged my shoulders at him and turned to the crowd between our table and the center of the room.
Mom and Dad were whispering something to each and I could tell that they were both upset about this
event but more upset with me. As if I cared. I couldn't.
"Mom, I need to go to the gameroom," Ashley said. I looked at her and I walked her to the
restroom with Val behind me. Too many Casters and Demons started to stare at this point so I picked up
my pace and pushed Val and Ashley to move quicker. I'm halfway to the bathroom and I hear a voice that
I was not pleasurized to hear.
"Where are you going, Cuz?!" I heard a voice call me. I froze near the Demonblood bar and sigh
and turn to see one of my least favorite older cousins. Leigh Hannah. She smiles at me, wearing her red
and blue cloak dress with black heels and her long hair in a messy bun with two frog legs keeping it in its
place. I felt Ashley and Val tense at her presence.
"To the game room," I said.
“No one calls it the gameroom anymore,” she said. “It’s the twentieth century. And by the way my
dad wants you.”
"We'll be back," I pulled Val and Ashley to the hallway.
When I got to the door, Ashley ran into the first stall she saw and locked it. I walked in and closed
the door and Val and I sat in the waiting bench with red leather waiting for Ashley.
“Why was Ms. Mary so two faced?” Val asked me.
“I don’t know,” I said, shrugging my shoulders. “She’s your Gramma’s godmom, I’d ask her first.”
“She wasn’t like that when I was with her,” Val turned to me, pulling her legs up and sitting in a
pretzel style.
“She wasn’t?” Val shook her head, she had my attention. “She only talked about the mischiefs of
Mr. Lee’s actions and Mrs. Lee’s WSC management.”
“Has she ever had any plans or ideas about what she’s going to do to us?” Valerie looked at her
feet and looked at me before shaking her head.
“I spent my time mostly with Holly or Mrs. Vega,” she says.
“Who’s Mrs. Vega?”
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“She was my tutor in learning Glass Tongue,” Val said. “She’s related to Mr. M’s wife.”
“Mr. M?” I replied. “Who’s that?”
“I don’t quite know, I’m too sure anyways,” Val says thinking.
The toilet in a stall flushed and Ashley walked out with relief on her face.
"Whooph, I needed that relief," Ashley said. "Drinking water and orange juice was a bad mixture.
But when you gotta go, you gotta go, right?"
"Come on, let's get back to the tables before Mary Beth chimes in here," I said.
At the table Mom and Dad were still whispering to each other and Cole had his eyes on his little
sister and John talked to Oakley in her creative poems language and Samantha talked to William and
Frankie about the Caster world. Samantha doesn't really know a thing about the Caster world and neither
does Jacob.
"Why do I feel like my daughter loves to torture you?" Uncle Daryl said, pulling from my
thoughts. I looked at him and smiled.
"We all know the real answer to that, Uncle Daryl," I said. "She hates me. A lot my family does,
actually. Girls, do you mind?" Val and Ashley nodded before walking to Ming and Ryan. I took in my
surroundings to find Meredith but instead my eyes landed on Oakley and her eyes watched me. John
looked up at her to me and then back to his daughter. The room around me disappeared and Oakley was in
her seat with John one minute and then in front of me the next. She grabbed my hand and a few Caster
Demons shape shifted into snakes, and dragons. Oakley looked around taking in every detail of the place
and looked at me.
Open yourself to the fullest before others open themselves to the fullest. Oakley?
She can Telepath? Since when? I looked at her and her eyes were still on me. Her hair started to
blow in a Caster wind and her eyes became polychrome. No, she can't be. It couldn't really be possible.
She—she's a Full Caster. The hall came back to my vision and blinking my eyes, I looked up and Oakley
was gone. Everyone was still dancing and having fun, and Mary Beth was staring at me but her presence
was somewhere else. What the hell was going on?
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

Chapter 11. Invoking Presence of Crossing the Line
Del sighed and Gloria squealed like a rusted chain. We haven't been home for twenty minutes and
I'm already picking up on voices and thoughts from others in the room with me. I looked around on the
couch thinking how long I was out.
"This is going to be exciting," I heard Gloria speak, her cheeks pink and her teeth white and
sharp. Not Vampire like, but just happy sharp. Gloria has sharp teeth for a Full Caster but I do wonder if
she is a Vampire like Sarafine was. I looked at Gloria as she leaned forward towards me, this is gonna be
exciting.
"Why?" I whispered back to her.
“Because your father said that he wants a few people here from the Mortal realm and see if they
can survive in our world. It’s only for a month or two, so you can cook Ira alive from the inside out.” I
looked from my Aunt to my Dad who nodded smiling at me. I looked at Mom and she was looking at Dad
like a madwoman. Even Will and John found this a bit odd.
“You had me killing Ira alive,” I said. “But what is this really for?” I looked to dad.
“It’s just to see if the Casters don’t kill their Mortals, it’s just a few favors,” Dad said. “Plus, I’d
like to have some fun with them. He smiled. I looked at Mom and she made a hasty exit and threw her
hands up and shook her head. John pulled me down the hallway and I heard a sucking noise and John’s
house.
We stood in John's house in the kitchen and I walked into the living room smelling Sora before
she could enter the room. Sora is a Caster cat that John used to get information between both worlds.
She's a tiger-striped cat, who's Telepathic and Telekinetic. She guards John's office down the hallway, and
Heather appreciates her work but she was a bit curious about John before they got married. Sora meowed
at John and me before I picked her up. She's a kitten that barely grows an inch but eats like it's her job.
"Hay, Sora," I said, scratching behind her ears and John scratching her chin and walking into his
office. John doesn't do much FBI anymore and neither does William.
"What did Dad mean by a few others?" Will said, looking at me. I shrugged my shoulders at him
and looked at Sora. "Do you know anything about this, Sora?" William asked her. She stared at us and
John walked out with a book in his hands.
"She's a dumb cat," William said staring at Sora. She hissed at him and William hissed back at
her.
"You may not wanna do that," John said.
"She's a stupid, numbnut pussy cat," Will says pointing at Sora. Sora hissed again and William
pointed a finger. "I will drown you!" Will added; finally his eyes looked at John. "I don't know what Dad
meant by a few others, but I do know that he meant the people he called out."
"Do I call Bian and the rest?" I said, still scratching behind Sora's ears. John didn't say anything
and William just teased Sora by mocking her hissing at him.
"Will," John said, "common sense." William didn't look at John; but Sora reached out to smack
Will and he dodged it. "If she slaps the shit outta you don't say I didn't tell you so," John added and looked
at me. "Your twin sister, Heidi and Brittany and Tara, Ira's brother and Endora." I found my foot kicking
John's shin and a scratch appearing on John's neck.
John looked at me and Will and we shook our heads, "do you see three fingers on us?" William
said. Jonathan looked at me and I held Sora out to him. She meowed at him and John took her from my
hands. “I'm gonna have to grab something from the garage first, but it won't be easy, not even for me. I'm
gonna need a little help with taking down the raft on the garage ceiling and the one in our bedroom."
"A raft? Is that what's strapped to the roof of your garage?" I said pointing a finger in the direction
of the garage door. "And to your bedroom ceiling?"
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

John nodded, "uh-huh."

"Since when do you guys have a raft? Own a raft?" I added. "How can you guys have sex with
that thing swinging up there? That did not sound right." I said putting my finger down.
"Heather and Oakley like canoeing and that's Heather's raft," John says. "And it's easy just to
pretend it's not there. And I hate canoeing, y'all know what happened last time we canoed."
“You thought a fish was a shark and you tipped it over throwing you and Will and Dad
overboard," I said with deadpan-sarcasm.
"Go get your sisters and brothers," John said through clenched teeth and aggravation in his throat.
"And do it now, and quickly."
"Give me a minute, man. It's not like I can press a button," I said and rolled my eyes at him and
put a hand out, palm facing upwards, before turning back to John.
"And FYI, Charles and the Ira-mut clique are not my brothers and sisters," I turned to the other
side of the room. "Bring them here, bring them there, bring forth the ones I love for dare."
"I was thinking more of going to them in person," John said and pulled me out of the doorway to
the garage and John shoved me in the back seat while William climbed in the passenger seat and John
climbed in the driver's seat. John looked ahead of the garage door and it opened and John pulled his jeep
out into the cloudy skies of Tallahassee. John drove East instead of West going away from the side where
he lived. I snared at him, knowing he's going to the Antiguan's first. Why would he go to my least favorite
person's house, he knows how this is gonna annoy me? Does he want me to get pissed off? Because I'm
already there.
"Dad texted me who to pick up," William said. "The daughter he wish he had and her co-workers
and the Antiguan's, followed by one of the Angels' lovers, and my crazy ex." I smiled but threw up on the
inside. The Antiguan's. Why did it have to be them? Tara? I don't love and Ira and Charles I just don't like
at all, period. And Endora is fine because we’re over our differences, and Brittany and Heidi; I'm not
really ready to bring them here.
"Why in y'alls language?" I asked them. "I don't understand anything about you dwarfs'
language." Will turned to me and smiled. I crossed my arms around my torso and forced a smile at him.
"Your evil twin, and her co-workers with the other aliens," William said, smiling and turned back
to the front. I started to smack him with my thoughts, but John looked at me through the rear view mirror.
John texted on his phone, eyes still on the road and his fingers typing away on his cellphone. I looked at
Will who's now talking to someone in his thoughts. I'm hoping that we'd all survive if something horrible
happens and I'm the one that has to stop it before anything else happens with it.
I'm pulled outta my thoughts by John and Will calling my name. "Hurry back," John says and
gives me a cheeky smile.
"It would have been so much better if you'd just let me use a damn Cast," I said, opening my car
door and turning to them. "That way I'd really get a pretty good chance of bashing Ira's into the wall."
Will muttered "damn" before I closed my door.
"How can you be so evil to her?" John says, smiling at me.
"Last time I said that I was meeting you "face to face" genius," Will said, taking John's side. I
threw my arms up at him and he gave a toothy grin.
I turned to John, "how are we related?" I asked him.
"Funny, I asked Mom and Dad the same thing when he was born," John said and jerked his head
to William.
"Fuck a guppy," I hollered at him. I swear my brothers can be the most disturbing piece of
offspring ever in this void called, "Happy Family." Glaring at my brothers, I stepped out and walked up
the pathway of Ira's house. The multi-billion of high school. Nothing's changed since the party she threw
almost ten years ago. I turned to my brothers and John and Will smiled and waved at me. I climbed the
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

stairs and rang the doorbell and immediately the door opened, and Mrs. Antiguan appeared before me.
Was she expecting me? Her smile faded as soon as it disappeared and then it appeared again.
"Maggie," she pulled me in a hug. "How lovely to see you. How are the girls and the family?"
"They're good, thanks for asking. Is Ira and Charles home?" I smiled, cutting right to the chase.
Mrs. Antiguan nodded.
"Yeah, your father called and said that you guys are going to visit family in Casteadstoria," she
said. "I've never heard of that place." I guess she was expecting me. What else does she know or has Dad
told her about?
"Yeah, me and my brothers are here to pick them up," I said. "Casteadstoria is on the other side of
the world. I believe it’s near Switzerland." Marybella, Ira's mother smiled and turned to the door, opening
it for me to step in. Marybella has sandy blonde hair with brown eyes and looks like another Ira but Mrs.
Antiguan is more mature.
The house really never changed. The marble floors, the tan eggshell walls, the silver chandelier
and the marble grey fireplace. They're rich and famous for their construction of buildings downtown
Golden City. I turned to Marybella and she hollered up the stairs.
"Charlie! Ira! Margerate's here!" I turned to the stairs and Charles was the first to make it down,
two suitcases in his hands, one pink and fiery and a tan and black suitcase in the other.
"Since when was pink your color?" I asked him. Charles gave a tight smile and set the cases by
the front door.
"Never," he said. "The pink fiery one is your ex-nemesis." Mrs. Antiguan said nothing but she
turned to leave the room the minute Ira came down the stairs. We're not on best friend terms yet, but we're
not on friends terms, either. But let's just say that we are on good terms. She grew her hair out and looked
about as happy as she was when I got married, okay now that last part was a lie.
"Okay, Margie Demon, when do we take off to the island resort?" She smiles and pulls me in for a
hug that restrains me from breaking her neck.
"Okay, that distance from you is closer than my danger radar will allow," I said, Ira chuckling,
still holding a suitcase in her hand. Looking at her naked arms, I noticed that her arms weren't tattooed
anymore.
"Right after we pick up the others," I say, breaking the hug the second it happened. "What
happened to your tattoos?" Ira smiled but Charles gave me a mischievous grin.
"I got them removed," she said, smiling at me like I was some clown from a circus made of candy.
"Wow, you were screwed up in high school and you're still screwed up now," I said.
"Who else are coming?" she says grinning. "Are my little cousins gonna be there?" I stared at her
and looked at Charlie.
"Your two girls?" he said with a sick feeling on his face. I turned to Ira and nodded.
My girls are not your cousins. In fact they hate you.
Ira smiled and clapped her hands.
"We have a few more seats left so my Dad told me to bring in you guys, Tara, Brittany, Heidi, and
Bian," I said.
"I heard Bian," Ira said and grabbed her bags and took off out the door shouting bye Mom, bye
Dad. I looked at Charlie and he grabbed his suitcases and headed out the door shouting at Mom and Dad.
When we got to the car, John was already helping Ira with her bags. I stopped in my tracks, and I
noticed that the Jeep wasn't a Jeep anymore. It was a van, a fiddling mini van. Charlie walked ahead of me
and him and John and gave each other a fist pound before John helped him put his bags in beside his
sister. The two Antiguan's climbed in leaving me and John with the other bags.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“At least she packs light," John joked and closed the trunk door and walked to the driver's side. I
went around the side behind the driver's seat and opened the door, nearly jumping back an inch. Ryan, and
Ming sat in the back seat, they smiled and waved when they saw me.
"Hay, Maggie!" Ryan smiled. I looked at them and to Charles and Ira who sat in the back seats on
their phones I looked at John and then William. I rolled my eyes not even caring anymore.
"Alright, strap up, a few more stops and we're off," John said, starting the car and pulling off
Pineapple Drive and on the busy streets. "Maggie, Heidi said she's over Brittany's place with Bian."
"How'd you guys get here?" I asked Ryan and Ming to ignore my brother.
"A little bird told us that you guys went through the Portal to the Mortal Realm and we decided to
meet you guys here,” Ming said smiling.
“Ethan told you guys and y'all decided to show up by magic?" I translated it into English. Ryan
and Ming smiled nodding. Psychic Intelligence. Ryan looked at me.
"And then John told us to make the car bigger so we did magic," Ryan said and pointed a thumb
over her shoulder at Ming. "It was either being squished to death or having a bigger vehicle." I agreed
with her and looked at Ming, she eyeballed Ira and turned to me.
"Why is she here?" Ming said, her eyes looking at Ira, her hair blowing in the phantom wind.
Ming or Ryan aren't even on either terms with Ira. I turned to Ira and Charlie and they laughed and joked
with each other.
"Dad had new plans," I said. "There's this lady there at the Templar court, and she's against
Casters that have fallen for Mortals. Meredith Cloawns, the ministry of Jorcrams."
"So where do they come in?" Ryan spoke. I shrugged my shoulders at her and looked at Ira and
Charlie.
"Dad said that he wants Maggie to outsmart her," Will said, "I don't know why. Mom said that she
pissed her off when she told her off. Mary Beth got disgusted when she spoke on behalf of not caring and
my brothers as well as John replied with, “so” shrugging his shoulders which is a big no-no for her."
"So," Ryan said. I facepalmed myself on the face and looked at her. Am I the only normal person
in this circle? John made a left turn and turned on Firmer avenue and took the mini expressway to Tin
Port.
“I’m just kidding, I heard it all before,” Ryan joked.
John pulled outside of Brittany's apartment building and I climbed out with Ming and Ryan
behind me. I closed the door and went to John’s side. He cut the engine, smiling. "Why would you let
Ryan and Ming do magic on the car?" I asked him.
"Hay, it was Will's idea," John said in an Italian accent. "It could get crushed or be crushed." I
scowled at John.
"If this is one of those pranks you're trying to pull, Jonathan, you're as dead as Neancasu," I said.
"No pranks, but I am gonna be dead as Neancasu," John said.
I pushed myself away from the car and caught up with Ming and Ryan. We walked through the
class sliding glass doors and took the elevator to the second floor which played old French music and
bright lights. The three of us stood awkwardly side by side, like we didn't know one another and waiting
for the doors to open. When they did, we walked down the narrow hallway and listened to our footsteps
and the vibrations of each of the neighbors.
Ming knocked on Brittany's door and it swung open with her, Bian and Heidi beside her. Bian
wore a grey dress and purple heels, Brittany wore an orange v-neck shirt with dark pants and flats and
Heidi wore the green and gold one piece dress pants that she permanently borrowed from me. Honestly,
she looks better in it than I did. She's slimmer than me and taller by a few inches. I'm crazy super jealous
of her, but I love her too much to hate her.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“Now, before we leave, I just want to say, wasn't I supposed to come next week?” Bian’s head
poked out behind Brittany’s shoulder.
“Yeah, change of plans, I’ll explain on the way, but right now we’re on a tight schedule,” I said.
"So, what's this about your Dad dragging us into this world?" I looked at Heidi and repeated what
I told Ryan and what my Dad told me. By the time I had finished, we were leaving the apartment and
walking in the middle of the parking lot heading back to the car.
"Mary Beth's a real bitch, isn't she?" Bian said. I looked at her and opened the back of the car
door, now the van was an SUV for seats of twelve people. I turned to my brothers and immediately they
pointed to Ryan and Ming. I turned to them and climbed in, nearly pushing Heidi in the back seat. John
had already pulled off and headed towards the city to pick Tara up, it's gonna be awkward because she's
John's ex and Cole's new.
"Why is it that every time I leave and come back this sucker adds more and more seats?" I asked
Ming but Ryan laughed at me. Bian and Charlie sat beside each other, talking and laughing, Charlie talked
and it turns out that they both like drag racing, they should go racing with Cole and that Jessie girl.
"I wasn't gonna get squashed in this shit with my best friends and ex-nemesis," Ryan said. "It's
bad enough that they have to come with us to our private world."
"And Tara has to come too," Ming said. "It's bad enough that I have to deal with the bitch who
called me Mingy for years." John pulled out in front of a green lime house and Tara stood on the sidewalk
with her gym bag and a smile on her face. John helped Tara put her suitcase in the back and she climbed
in beside Charlie.
"They can't survive in our world John and you know that," I said. "I nearly lost my daughter and
I'm thankful that she even survived our world."
"That's because her mother's a Full Caster," Will said. "We couldn't even talk Dad out of it if our
life depended on it.”
“It does,” Ryan, me and Ming said in unison.
When we arrived at John's place, we made our way through the doors and stopped in the living
room. Ira and Charles looked around admiring John’s home. I walked to the fireplace where Sora sat
patiently.
“Sora, take us home,” I said. Sora looked at the Antiguan’s before opening a portal to the side.
The fireplace rumbled under our feet and the floor opened revealing my parents and the other in the family
room on the other side. I turned to Ira and Charles, uncomfortable faces made me snicker, and Brittany
and Heidi smiled. I walked through with Bian, Ryan and Ming behind me.
"Welcome to Casteadstoria," John said smiling and pulled Tara, Charlie and Ira into the portal.
Heidi and Brittany happily walked through the portal like it wasn't nothing to them. After we walked
through, the portal closed on its own. Ira and Charlie and Tara stood side by side and stared at the Casters
in the room. John and I bluffed at their reactions and went separate ways.
"Charlie Cake!" We heard a voice before I saw Selena jump on Charlie, her legs around his torso.
"Yay! you made it!" Brittany and Heidi looked at me and then to each other.
"Tara?" Cole said, walking in after his sister. "What're you doing here? What is she doing here?"
he turned to me and then to Tara. "I mean hi." Cole turned to me and I turned to both of my brothers. Why
does everyone expect me to answer questions when something odd happens? I'm not the prime suspect of
everything, not anymore, anyways.
"Cole. I had no idea you'd be here," Tara turned to me for confirmation. I gave a closed and
cheeky smile. "What am I doing here? No , let me rephrase that, what is going on?"
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

"Well, my Uncle and Aunt are against something that's not a good thing in this world. It’s hard to
explain," Cole said. "Tara, I know you're confused but this is us. What makes me, me. Part of who I am."
"What're you talking about, Anthony Mitchell," Tara said. Wow, even she calls him by his middle
name when she's upset. Cole rubbed his temples and sighed. And mumbled where's the Goddess of Mercy
when you need her?
"It's complicated and I can't explain it too. Not as much as Maggie can," Cole says. Cole, Ira,
Charlie, and Tara turned their eyes to me.
"Like I said. I'm not gonna explain nothing to you until you guys figure it out yourselves," I said.
"Heidi and Brittany, don't say a word to them." Ming and Ryan knew well not to speak to them about our
magic. Ethan, JS, and Luis made themselves comfortable on one of the long couches in the family room.
John stayed close to Oakley and she kept her hazel eyes on Tara. I felt my Dad's gaze on me and I turned
to see him staring at me. I walked towards him and he smiled that smile that only Mom could read all too
well.
"Nicely done," he said. "Did you tell anyone?" I looked over at the fresh Mortals.
"No, but did you tell anyone?" I asked him the second he smiled and nodded like a little kid who
stole money from their mother's purse.
"The Angels, and Bian who told Heidi and Brittany," he said. Dad nodded, "and I'm glad you
didn't bring Maaya or Endora otherwise they'd become a glue stain to each other. Especially with Ira
involved."
“That’s who we forgot!” Will shouted and snapped his fingers and looked at John, and dad
smacked his forehead with his hand.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, right, the Ira-clique," I said. "I changed my mind on that. I'm gonna torture Ira
for the whole time." I went to walk out but he caught me by the wrist.
"Ashley's with Denise in the Caster library," Dad said. I went to speak but Cole dragged me
through the living room wall, through other walls and finally in my room. He had a pissed look on his face
and at this moment I was really wishing that I wasn't a Full Caster at this second.
"I cannot believe that you actually brought Tara here," Cole said with disappointment in his voice.
"I can't believe that you would think that I wouldn't," I said. "Cole, she called you by her full
name which means that she wants answers now." Cole scowled at me and put his hands up in front of me
and grunted, outlining my face.
"I should murder you right now," he said. Smiling at him, I patted his shoulder and rubbed it.
"Why murder when you can just tell her," I said.
"Tell her what?" Cole said, now getting confused. “That this is all just a dream?”
"That you're a Caster," I said. "It shouldn't be that difficult. Besides, this is only temporary."
"That's not the point. Wait. This is temporary? How come you never told me that?" Cole said.
"I'm the baby, I forget things. Oh, look I’m married," I said jokingly, holding up my hand with my
wedding ring, and leaving a pissed off Cole behind.
Getting back to the room, Ryan introduced Brittany and Heidi to the other side of my family and
John and William were nowhere to be found. Oakley and Samantha left the room the minute they saw
Tara. No one likes Tara, she's like another Ira but except she's a natural blonde with a bigger mouth.
"So, we're on the other side of the world?" Ira says, "I've never even heard of that before."
"You've never heard of a lot of things," Bian said. "I'm surprised Dad invited you. Any other time
it'll be Mom who invited you and Dad who'll have your head on a stick." Ira turned to my parents.
"Mr. and Mrs. Heart, why am I here?" she asked but her sight on my Mom. "I was told there'd be
a fashion show and hot guys."
"We have hot guys on the other side," John pointed out the door.
"We've decided to take the Mortal lovebirds in this family to join this side of the family," Mom
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

said. "We were gonna invite Endora and Maaya but you were the only person who made fun of both of
my daughters."
"Daughters?" Ira repeated and looked around the room. Mom and Dad nodded.
"Yeah, Ming, Ryan, and Bian are Mr. and Mrs. Heart's daughters," William said. "And we're their
brothers."
Ira looked at Ming, “we never knew that Maggie’s brothers were your brothers.”
“That’s because Maggie’s family have been with me for years,” Ming said. “And your knot heads
are just temporary miscommunications.”
“Language, Ming,” William said. “Come on, let’s go meet the rest of the family.”
“The rest of the family? I don’t want to meet the rest of the family,” Ira said with fear in her eyes.
"You damn right you can't," Ryan said.
I sat on Ryan’s bed letting her get out her frustration. Ming and I stayed out her way while she
flipped tongues and swear words that would make a Christian priest faint.
"I went to visit Mary Beth and she is one hell of a bitch. She's relocating every Caster's powers."
She sat on the satin silk bed.
"You’re telling me. I can't even have a normal vacation without Caster governments up my ass,"
Ming said. "Logan and I were about to leave for Germany in three weeks and now I have to cancel."
"And why accuse me? My family is full of Full Casters breeding with Mortals."
"Yeah, no kidding," Ryan said. "My family makes your family look like the Brady bunch."
"That's because we are the Brady bunch. Every Caster governor blames me for everything. I know
my powers grew too young and I know that my brothers made a family with Mortals, but where do I come
in? How is any of this my fault?"
"It's not. It's all of ours," Ming said.
"Sure about that, Maggie?" Ryan said.
"No. I'm not sure about anything anymore," I said. "Is there anything that my family didn't tell
you?"
Both Ryan and Ming smiled at me. "My family gives this world a bad name."
"Is it possible for a Full Caster to get overheated from their magic?" I asked myself, but my
question was answered by Ming.
"It depends if they know how to change destinies in one pull. If they can, then they won't exhaust
themselves," Ming said, "which is a good thing cause usually those who do exhaust their powers fade
out." I felt my breath catch in my throat and I gulped. Turning to Ryan whose eyes were as big as saucers.
Ashley walked through the door of my bedroom with a stack of books floating behind her and sat
beside me.
"Connie and Del are teaching me to read Casteadstoria," Ashley said. "I'd do a Cast for it but I
don't know if I can hold on for a long time." She laid her head on my shoulder.
"You're a Full Caster's daughter, I think you'd be surprised," Ryan said smiling and sat beside her.
Ryan’s room, which was compared to Draconian and Dracula combined with red and black bed sheets and
red green ceiling boards. Ryan is like Connie, they could sleep an entire day away if they wanted to, but
that’s not the point.
“Aunt Connie wants you to meet her and Brokeslum in the East Wing Library,” Ashley says. “Her
niece has some pretty good ideas.”
I threw a pillow over my face and groaned into it before tossing it at Ming who caught it without
a problem and I threw myself from the bed and out the door.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

I took the elevator to the East side of the facility and walked myself to the grey door with a
sideways figure eight. I pushed the door open and gave a greeting smile to one of the witch doctors and
took a seat at the table. I sat at the sphere table with emeralds and carved stones on the ends while Connie
read a paper in Casteadstorian while we waited for Joanna ViKram’s niece Tsunami or Sunny.
Tsunami Tsumetaku is Joanna’s Joeward multiracial niece with a last name that throws almost
everybody off. When you hear her name you picture a Japanese girl with blue highlights and ribbons in
her hair, but when you see her you're like "are you sure that's her?" but long story short, she has more of
her mother's appearance–light brown eyes, dark curly hair, golden skin and high cheekbones with full
lips–instead of her father’s bright green eyes and crimson hair. Connie loves Sunny like her own but Ethan
can't stand her, they might as well be brother and sister but then they'd really kill each other. Sunny is
Connie’s daughter and my god cousin and sadly Ethan’s godsister.
"Hay, Aunt Connie," Sunny said, breaking me from my thoughts and hugging her, "I know I'm
late but my dad's been crazy busy and he needed my help with my mom and Aunt Meredith." My head
popped up, my stomach dropped and my breath caught in my throat.
"Aunt Meredith?" I stood up and rushed over to her. Half of Sunny's mouth is sideways. I know
her name is the same as the mega water wave thing, but the name was given to her by her Mom, which I
found odd.
"Yeah, not by blood. She’s dad’s BFF," Sunny said. I sighed, “And don't worry, I hate Mary as
much as you do. She Tanned and relocated my powers once but my Mom scared the living hell out of her
by making whatever she touched shoot fire. And I wasn't a Full Caster neither which made it pretty cool.
It was an accusation."
Tanning means to lock someone's powers and then Relocate which is throwing away their magic.
So, Tanning is to lock and Relocating is throwing away a Caster's magic. Which Mary Beth is planning on
doing to me.
"Oh, good cause your Aunt had plans with Relocating and Tanning my powers," I said giving her
air quotes on the Aunt part.
"I know that's why I'm here," Sunny said, smiling at me. "To prove to her that she can't just put
anyone in a Tanning situation when she feels like it." She turned to Connie. "Connie, give me a favor and
schedule an appointment with Meredith." Connie gave Sunny a look that would make a room grow dark
and Tsunami returned the smile to Connie, but she and Del didn't say a word to her. Del walked to a
bookcase and kept her eyes locked on Sunny.
"Does your parents know that you're here?" Connie asked. Sunny smiled nodding at her and
turned her attention to me and quickly shook her head before Connie turned back to her.
“So, Mr. Heart tells me that he had a better idea with getting every Caster and their lover in the
same room, than a group of Demons and spirits in the same space,” Sunny says smiling at m Connie.
“Took the words right out of my mouth,” Del said as Sunny sat beside me with a bluff on her face.
I don't really like Sunny and I'm not a fan of her neither, but I could tell you who does. No one. No one
likes Mary's little niece. She’s a spoiled brat but unlike her twin sister Autumn, who's the
crazy-outgoing-keeps-to-herself type of person and clearly the only one that we all love. We all love her
but Sunny and Autumn are both close to one another.
"So, how do you want to murder Meredith Cloawns?" This caught me off guard. Why would she
think that I want to kill Meredith Cloawns? I would kill a thousand Casters and Demons that don't agree
with Mary Beth on the mixed races and Mary Beth is not one of them. Sunny made herself comfortable in
her seat beside me with a glass of wine and a pink mini umbrella in her glass, and put her knees in the seat
and leaned forward.
"I'm not going to murder anyone," I corrected her. "I might murder a few of my cousins but other
than that, no one." Sunny ran a finger down my throat, and placed a thumb and forefinger on my chin. I
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

felt electricity run through me and I tensed up, the muscles in my back turning inside out while Sunny's
eyes.
"Why is it, Wayward? That when I look into your eyes, all I can see are theirs. You three are thick
as thieves, aren't you?" Sunny said. "You and—"
"Sunny!" Connie said, slapping her hand on the wall. Sunny looked up at Connie and took her
fingers from my face and sat in the seat correctly. I cracked the bones and muscles in my neck, snaring at
her. Looking at Sunny, she gave me one last smirk before moving back to her old seat. Connie sat beside
me.
"Tell me about the Wayward blood in this family," I said looking at her, Connie looked at her
white nails and turned back to me.
"There’s not really a lot to tell. Although there have been some rumors about Daryl’s blood. But,
the true story is it all started with your father’s mother, Avery. Her family had an issue with Mortals and
Casters as well," Connie said. "As the great man said, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice anywhere."
"Don't start talking about Harvard," Sunny snapped her umbrella shut. "Besides, I don't believe
Mei Louis went to Harvard."
Connie ignored Sunny.
"Avery’s mother was born a Light Caster but things became terribly P. O. R. T. E. N. D. E. D after
the WSC found out that she was pregnant," Connie continued. "They tried murdering her but she couldn't
die. Avery’s boyfriend Frederick married her and they had many children. Fred was a Mortal with Caster
blood in his veins from his mother, he died for Avery and her unborn child.
“So, who created the Caster Tokens?” I wanted to know, running through my family tree in my
head. Looking at all the unknown names and faces.
“Avery’s ancestors,” Sunny said, almost shouting. “Frederick’s Caster blood held some other type
of magic. It was tainted with Underworld blood. Although he was a mad scientist, basically the crazy
Albert Einstein of our generation. Therefore, it’s blood from vampires, demons, dragons, you name it. It’s
all there,” Sunny added snickering. “He called himself the Wayward because he could shapeshift into
anything without a spell or potion, and then he changed it legally to Wayward, the Caster Council not
knowing that he was doing it for a dangerous reason.”
“Because he did multiple things?” I said thinking out loud. Connie nodded. “And?” I added.
Connie went on, “Mr. Wayward was both a Full Caster and Wayward, who put a bind on Avery
and their children to be born Full Casters, and creating Caster Tokens, only be touched by Full Casters,
and Full Casters only.”
Is that what Leigh Jane meant about why only a Full Caster with Wayward blood could touch a
Caster Token and not burn their fingers off?
“What are these Caster Tokens, I mean Leigh Jane told me that they created them but nothing
important to make since,” I spoke.
“I’ll explain that part after Connie’s done,” Sunny spoke; our eyes met and she smiled at me.
Sunny’s pretty, don’t get me wrong, but when she opens her mouth, her voice is almost New York and
English combined, an odd combination.
Connie continued, "that's when the Alkane's became the Waywards. Avery’s oldest daughter
Annabelle's husband introduced her to black magic," Connie said. "They did a Cast that includes putting a
loved one in the Caster Sphere and binding each and every new member of the family to live longer, and
age less. Which made them more open to creating more Casters with full magic."
"Am I a Wayward?" I asked her.
"The only one on your father’s side. Yes," Connie said.
“And about the Caster Tokens,” Sunny added. “They were created so that the Caster world knows
not to mess with anyone who comes in contact with the coin and not get burned or set on fire. The coins
are the sign of royalty and mixed casters, like you and your girls.”
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“Are Valerie and Ashley Wayward’s as well?” I asked and turned to Connie.
She shook her head, “not that I know of; you’re the only Wayward in your family, that’s all I
know. Maybe Mary can tell you more about the Wayward blood.”
My cell rang the sametime Connie’s did. I slid the green button across Ian’s name without
leaving Connie’s eyes, her eyes looked at her phone. She excused herself before I put my phone to my ear.
"Hello, this is home BV, we are closed. You can call us on regular times from 9-5. May this be an
emergency call press 1 for yes, and 2 for no," I said. Ian chuckles and plays along by quickly pressing
one. "You have pressed an emergency call. Is it an urgent call? Press 1 for minor, and press 2 for life
threatening situations." Ashley and Jacob and Matthew snickers at my boredom and Ian quickly presses 3.
Taking my phone from my ear, and putting it on speaker.
"You've pressed life threatening situations, do you—?"
"Dammit, Margerate I would be dead by now," Ian complains.
"Aren't you?"
"Thanks, babe, I hate you too... Please come back soon or you'll have to hear me more often," Ian
said.
"You've gotta be kidding me?" I said.
“Nope, Mom wanted me to tell you that Theresa's in the hospital?"
"What happened?" I asked him.
"She's performing, what do you think?" Ian said. "She went in three hours ago. Will said that the
doctor's had to numb her because she nearly ripped the nurse in training's head off."
"Well I can't say I'm not surprised," I said. "She looked like she was about to explode. Your little
angel is flying the Caster Cranes."
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Ian says.
"The only thing I know that's not safe is Theresa being numbed," I said. "Tell Will that I said to
numb her himself. It's better if he numbs her by magic than by drugs." Ian didn't speak and neither did
Connie and Sunny.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Ian spoke.
"She's pregnant with a Caster baby, not a full Mortal. Tell William to give her the Nylon
treatment."
"Okay, if you say so. I'll talk to you later, love you, hun," Ian said. After we said our goodbyes, I
hung up and turned to Connie.
“I’m still listening,” I said.
"That’s the end of the story. You’re a Wayward and that’s all that matters.” Sunny laughed and
flipped a page of a book she’d gotten from the shelves during my phone call with Ian. Sunny’s reading a
book on Choices and Changes. A modern girl's guide to casting.
"I can call and tell Mary about the Waywards. I don't mind telling her off," I said.
"That's not a good idea. It's better to talk to her face to face," Connie said. "Now, I know that
Meredith can be a little scary at times, but she's very generous behind closed doors."
“She’s only that way for the WSC,” Sunny said. “Trust me, she basically helped Mrs. Lee build
this place.”
I turned my attention back to Connie. "She wants to Tan and Relocate my powers, Connie. You
were there when she said it." Connie nodded before placing a hand on my shoulders, this time with both
of her hands.
"But you don't know if she's really gonna do it, do you?" Connie spoke, "you never did." Looking
up at her, Connie smiled and walked away and snatched the book from Sunny. She turned to me.
“What was the point of you even coming here?” I asked her.
“Honestly, I don’t remember,” Sunny says smiling.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

An hour later, I arrived at the Riverside of the facility, which is almost like Tokyo and Paris
combined, with Connie and Sunny. I got a whiff of old paper and I knew we'd be stepping foot into
another Caster library at any moment. I haven't been in one since our magic breakdown a couple of years
back.
The vines and twigs of the entrance moved themselves to one side letting us pass, and one by one
flames started to ignite. Stopping in my tracks, I took in what looked to be more of a church than a library.
Sunny clapped her hands together and the vines parted. Sunny smiled at me with excitement while I
looked around like a deer in headlights.
"So, is this where I'm gonna be watching my daughters change Caster's and Demon's destinies?
Through a church?" I said and looked at Connie who nodded and Tsunami agreed with her and tapped her
fingers on a metal wall and the wall opened revealing a door that opened on its own revealing what looked
like a grand staircase.
"Haoh, what?!" I said in a whisper tone. The room suddenly felt unbalanced and I turned around
behind me and Mary Beth entered the room. "Haoh, gotta go," I said and took off, abandoning Sunny and
Connie, but Connie grabbed me by the arm, yanking me back. Mary Beth smiled at me, until another
woman appeared beside her. But isn't a woman. It was a girl.
"Marian Ashcroft," Connie says, and Tsunami's breath caught in her throat. Marian smiled and
turned to me, her sight perfectly glued to mine with Mary Beth's eyes.
"What're you doing here?" Sunny said, her fists clenching into knots.
"Meet your new Grey blood, Bloomclaire," Meredith says with a bloody smile on her face, ignoring
Sunny’s question. Mary Beth threw an arm around Marian’s shoulders.
"Maggie Lennon," I felt the word slip from my mouth like liquid. She's a Natural Joeward but she's
known for her name given from my dad's family as "Hurricane Lena," a name that I refuse to pick up on,
because I see more than a Hurricane.
“You’ve heard of her?” Sunny turned to me.
"You've heard about me?" Maggie said with a teasing smile.
"I've heard of you," I said, teasing back. "Why do you want to Tan my powers? If you have a
problem with me and the others, you have to go with me. You've insulted my family and friends but most
of all, you've insulted me."
"I've insulted many of your kind," Mary Beth says smiling at me.
"You're the only one of the worst bugs that I hate when it comes to you messing with my family,"
I added.
"Your family will die for you, which is a fantastic thing because the less Full Casters, the greater I
can destroy you," Meredith said.
“I trusted you, Mary. We all did. You moved us down here because of Mr. Lee. Why did you
really bring my family and friends down here?” I spat, now in front of her.
“I think you know the secret to that,” Mary says. “Maggie, Ms. Lennon is going to help Val and
Ashley on how to switch destinies.” A laugh escaped my lips and I found my forearm around Mary’s
neck. She wants to flatten me so if Mr. Lee attacks my family, I’ll be powerless. He wants me to suffer.
“I don’t mind switching your destiny with a dog,” I said. “You lay a hand on my daughters and
nieces and you’re dead. Now, tell me why you bought my family here?”
“What I told you is true, Mr. Lee really is going through some mental breakdowns and he really is
killing innocent people. And it’s not just your family. He’s gone after Vampires, Demons, Drahgon
breathers, and more. I bought you and your family here because he will go after you. He doesn't know that
you and your family are here. No one knows but Mrs. Lee.”
“Hilary will blab to her husband about anything,” Del said.
“Not, when there’s a Wayward involved,” Mary fiercely shook her head. “By WSC laws, and
when the current WSC chief in standing steps down, a Wayward with a powerful essence will step in and
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take over the throne. And that Wayward will rewrite any Caster law that they please,” Mary choked on the
blood from her bloody nose.
“What the hell are you getting at?” Sunny asked. I had forgotten she was here, and Maggie
Lennon.
“Maggie, you’re the only Wayward on both your father and mother’s side,” Mary said. “And
royalty on your father’s side.”
“We’re getting off topic. What about the rest of them? Are the Mortals safe?” Connie snapped at
Mary Beth.
“Heidi and Brittany are clean, they’re safe. They are all safe, Ira and Charles too,” Meredith
answered.
“Then why my family? Why me?”
“Look at your family, Maggie. Your sister-in-laws and their children. They’re not pure bloods.
Not like you and your brothers,” Mary strained under my grip. “Justin, threatened to put me in Galilee if I
didn’t do as he was told!”
“And you put the closest people to us in danger because of your selfish act?” Del snapped at the
Full Caster. “You betrayed us?”
“It was an accident. He was picking through my skull, I wish I could take it back,” Mary’s voice
stammered. “He was going to wipe you off the face of the earth!” Mary hollered, spit running down her
chin and on my forearm.
“He never had an issue with mutation. Why now?” Connie said.
“I don’t know,” she said. “I only know that Hilary is doing some slimy shit behind Holly and
Justin’s back. She built the facility on her own, she mapped out the plans and sets, I basically helped her. I
designed the technology and each room’s personality-theme.”
“How did he start? Having his breakdowns?” Connie said.
“It started when he caught Hilary making blueprints for some Caster facility in the WSC Western
wing,” Mary said, straining again. “They got into an argument and he started knocking books down and
he ended up hitting a personal stash that had family trees of Half-breeds. Casters, Mortals, Witches,
Demons and more.”
“And that’s how it started?” Del said. Mary nodded.
“And Ian’s sister and parents?” Connie spoke. “Where are his parents and sister?” Mary closed
her eyes and shook her head. Meredith opened her eyes and looked at her feet before turning to me. Her
eyes were sparkling, she licked her trembling lips and sighed.
“Dead. They’re all dead.”
My heart dropped and my throat went dry. I felt like I was being strangled.
“Don’t lie to me?” I growled.
“I’m not lying. That’s why I found you here. Ian’s sister and parents are dead. There was a fire,”
Mary’s sad eyes went to her feet. “It started at the neighbor’s house in the attic. Mortal media are putting
it as faulty wiring. Maria and her father died on their way to the hospital. I’m so sorry, Maggie.”
I broke my grip from Mary and screamed, tossing her across the room. She crashed into a cracked
shelf of books and fell to the floor.
“After Mary told me what had happened, I volunteered to help train Ashley and Val,” Maggie
Lennon said. “Maggie, he’s slipping and what he’s doing is crazy. He’s gone mad and you can stop him.”
“What do you mean that I can stop him?” I snapped my attention to Maggie.
“You’re a pure Wayward. Your nieces and your daughters are Joewards. Like Sunny.”
Sunny looked up from the mention of her name.
“I can teach them how to change the fate of those who are Dark and ill,” Maggie went on.
“Please, Mrs. Morteze, let me help them.”
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

I kicked a crate of books and it flew across the room. “Do my parents know? Do Ryan and Ming
know? Does Ian know?”
Meredith shook her head. “No. No one knows. Mrs. Lee is in the Mortal realm now trying to get
as much information as she can.”
“What do you mean trying? She’s Mr. Lee’s wife for crying out loud and she’s trying to get
information?” I hollered.
“She tried to keep him from attacking but it was too late. She fought the Dark Casters who
attacked them,” Mary dusted herself off. Connie pushed me out of her way and rushed to Mary and put
her in a headlock.
“Where’s Sofia?!” Connie hissed in Mary’s ear. “And don’t hold back.”
“Sofia died on the scene,” Meredith spoke and looked at Connie’s hazel eyes and turned to me.
“I’m sorry, Maggie. I truly am.” I frowned at Mary letting the tears fall from my eyes. My lips started to
quiver and my hands started to shake with anger.
“I will never forgive you,” I said. “I hope my mother realizes the bitch that she calls Godmother
Mary.” And with that I turned on my heel and walked out of the library not giving no one a glance.
My boots echoed against the marble floors and my voice held broken in my throat. I couldn’t
believe that my in-laws were gone. Demolished. Erased off the face of the earth. They never got the
chance to meet Val, they would’ve loved her, Maria would’ve enjoyed having another niece, now she’ll
never meet her.
I wiped the tears from my face and blew my nose on a napkin that appeared in my hand. My mind
was having constant flashbacks of Maria and Sofia and Robert. The time I taught Maria how to ride a
bike, the time I taught Ian’s Dad Robert that cooking oil was better and longer lasting in cars and the time
that Maria and her cousin Cameron designed my wedding. I sobbed in my napkin remembering the huge
smile on Maria, Robert and Sofia’s holding Ashley for the first time, minus Val being present. I wanted to
erase what I heard in my mind and locked all of the bits and pieces behind. My inner voice was asking
questions that I didn’t know how to answer.
What am I gonna tell Ian?
What am I gonna tell my parents? Ashley? And most importantly, Val.
What was I gonna tell the only child who has never met her grandparents?
Was Jenny right about Meredith?
Has she really betrayed us? Me? My family?
The questions went forever and the tears fell like my soul had been ripped apart from my
immortal body.
When I got to the door of my parents house, I could hear the laughter and excitement of my
family and friends on the other side. I put a hand on the knob and turned and gave a push. When the door
opened, I refused to look at the happy faces around me. I closed the door and pressed my back against it.
“Hay, Maggie, you’re back earlier than expected,” Ryan says, holding a glass of lemonade in her
hand. I still haven’t met her eyes, or anyone's eyes for that matter.
Ryan placed a hand on my shoulder. “Maggie, what’s wrong? What happened?” I shook my head
and sat on the couch. I could look at Ryan, for all I knew her Sybil abilities will tell my family the news
before I could. My eyes found a family photo of the Morteze’s and I finally broke down. Ryan quickly sat
her glass on the table in front of us and rubbed my shoulders and repeatedly asked me what was wrong?
My entire family circled us and started asking the same questions that Ryan asked me.
“God, no.” I wailed into Ryan’s shoulder. “She’s lying. She has to be.” I wanted to believe what
Mary told me was all a lie, but deep down I knew she spoke the truth.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“Margerate, what’s wrong?” my Mom shouted over the crowd. If I didn’t look at my Mom she’d
force me to and I didn’t want that. Building my courage, I took a deep breath and looked up at her hazel
eyes.
“Oh, God, no,” Samantha mumbled.
“Sofia, Robert and Maria are dead,” I said with a cracking voice. “They’re all dead. Justin sent
Dark Casters after them. Meredith said that she tried to fight them off but she was too late. The Mortal
media are putting it as faulty wiring. She said it’s not my family he’s assassinating. He’s doing it to all
half blood families. He’s giving Dark Casters missions and they’re doing his will. She betrayed us,
Meredith betrayed us.”
As the words poured from my mouth, Ian and Ashley left the room with red eyes. My Dad's
mouth guarded himself with his hand, and sat on the red chair across from us. His eyes were far away and
covered in tears. After repeating what Maggie, Mary and Sunny said back in the library, I wanted to break
down again, but I couldn’t, I was all cried out. I had cried for literally three hours straight before telling
them.
I buried myself under the green quilt of the bed set in my room and let the last of my remaining
tears fall. My tears were dry and so was my throat. I still don’t understand why Mr. Lee would just go
around murdering innocent half bloods? He was there for everything; every party and get together that my
parents threw. I can’t forgive him, he murdered my Mortal in laws just because Meredith wanted to save
her own skin. She’s my mom’s Godmother and yet she betrayed us. The only family in the world who we
let call us family. She was a godmom to me. Ian and Ashley are nowhere to be found and Val is just as
upset as I am and she never met her grandparents. I’m too scared to think who’ll be next in Mr. Lee’s
secret assassination, I don’t even want to use my Seer magic to try and see. There’s probably a whole list
of my family that he wants to murder. And I’ve still never told anyone about the nightmare of the fire, the
accident that still hasn’t come along yet and I’m praying that it doesn’t happen. But why would Justin
want to erase Jenny and the others from the family, if that will even his doing when the time comes; but
other than that no one is a Mortal or a Half-breed. Connie and Ethan are pure-breds, so is Jenny and Del
and Denise, I don’t know anyone else who was a Half-breed in the fire.
A knock woke me from my thoughts, and I pulled the covers from my face. My puffy red eyes
met Ian, Ashley, and Val. I tried to give them the strongest smile that I could find in me, but failed
miserably. Ian made the first move and sat on the bed beside me and pulled me against him, Val and
Ashley climbed in the tall bed with no struggle and laid on each side of us. Val sniffed into my head and
Ashley wailed into Ian’s chest. Ian took it hard. His aura was a mixture of pain and fury and so were the
twins.
“Mom, said it’s time for breakfast,” Ian said looking down at me. Sniffing and wiping my nose
with the blanket, I looked up into his dark eyes.
“Breakfast? We’ve already had breakfast earlier,” I said with my cracked throat. It hurt when I
spoke and it hurt to look at Ian. He had the strongest combination of his parents and his sister’s eyes. I
turned from him and looked at the green comforter.
“Mom, you’ve been in bed for three weeks now,” Val said, her head resting on my shoulder.
“You’ve been in bed since the accident,” Ashley added.
I sat up, looking at her, “what’s today?”
“Monday here, but Friday in the Mortal Realm,” Ashley says, wiping her nose with the back of
her hand.
“I’ve been in bed for three weeks?” I asked.
Ian nodded, “almost four. You’ve been locked up in here like a caged animal. Our room even
matches your emotions. Look.” I followed Ian’s gaze and he was right, our room had changed with my
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

emotions. The happy orange-yellow walls were now a deep seeking grey, with black words written on the
walls. The walls were written in poems. I had written to every member in my family that Lee may or may
not kill for fun.
I’m too scared to think who’ll be next in Mr. Lee’s secret assassination, I don’t even want to use
my Seer magic to try and see.
I can’t forgive him, he murdered my Mortal in laws just because Meredith wanted to save her own
skin.
I still don’t understand why Mr. Lee would just go around murdering innocent half bloods?
And I’ve still never told anyone about the nightmare of the fire with Connie, Denise, Jenny and
Del’s death, the accident that still hasn’t come along yet–hopefully not.
Jenny… Denise… Cassidy… Mom… John… Dad… Will… Jacob… Connie… Del… Catherine…
Ethan… Leigh Jane… Theresa… Dylan… Leigh Hannah… Heather… Stephanie...
The words were written over and over again, and they were what I’ve been thinking the past few
weeks. The words were my thoughts, the room had written my thoughts all over the walls of my bedroom.
Were all the rooms like this in the facility?
“Aunt Connie and Denise are gonna have an accident?” Ashley read the wall, her eyes not
meeting mine.
“Yeah, I keep having the same dream, that’s why I barely sleep,” I said. “I keep seeing their
burned bodies on the ground, I can still smell their bodies burning.” I looked up at her. Her eyes locked on
me.
“When will it happen so we can warn them?” Ian asked.
“I don’t know when and I honestly don’t know how. I just know that it had something to do with a
Caster Crane,” I spoke. “It felt so real. Jenny told me to make sure that Ashley keeps Val under her wing. I
don’t know what she meant by that. The dream was so complicated.” I sighed, squeezed the sides of my
head with my hands trying to get the black spots from my eyes.
“Where’s Jenny and the guys?” I added squeezing the bridge of my nose.
“Eating breakfast,” Val said. “And waiting for you.”
“What about the funeral?” I said.
“Two weeks ago,” Ian said. “You refused to get out of bed and since the room locked the door
every time I stepped out, I had to sleep in Ashley and Val’s room.”
“I’m sorry,” I muttered looking sideways at him.
“It’s cool. It was quite a funeral though. Meredith arranged it,” Ian said.
“I don’t want to hear her name, ever again,” I said. The words must’ve sounded in distress
because the room darkened. “I don’t have nothing to say to her.”
“I know,” Ian muttered before kissing me on the head. “I’m sure Maria and my parents understand
why you didn’t want to come. They know you have your reasons.”
Ian, Val and Ashley stared at me with sad eyes while I wiped my eyes and nose with my blanket
again and pushed myself to the foot of the bed. I leaned on my knees with my elbows and rubbed my eyes
and stood up from the bed. A plastic container of water and a white cloth appeared on the tall dresser in
front of the full king sized bed. Dipping the cloth in the warm water, I washed my face and neck. I almost
fell off my feet when I caught my reflection. My eyes were red and my irises were in the polychrome
state, my hair was dry and knotted and stringy-wired and my skin looked pale and my stomach felt like
anyone could see my lung cage and pelvic bone, my lips were cracked with dry blood from my cracked
lips. I still wore the pants and blouse with the dry combination of my snot and tears, Mary’s snot, blood,
sweat and tears. I looked like the walking dead.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“I’ll be down shortly, just give me a couple of minutes,” I started and washed my face again. “I’ll
freshen up and I’ll be there.” I looked at their reflections in the mirror. They all looked puffy-eyed with
pale skin. “Did you guys get any sleep?”
“Yeah, the girls slept with us,” Ian said. “I found myself fooled when the bed could hold all four
of us and still look like it could hold about three more.”
“Yeah, that’s the amazing world of gumballs,” I said, making a joke. I didn’t fail but I got a
snicker from them. “I’ll be back,” I said, tossing the cloth into the bowl on my dresser and making my
way to the feminine bathroom.
The glass french doors closed behind me, and the marvelous powder room stood before me. A
dark purple large 2-way walk-in glass shower to the right, a marble white jacuzzi-tub next to it with a
white laundry between. The topless toilet across the room with two walls protecting it with a tall metal
basket shelf that held four baskets that each held washing personals, such as towels, wash rags, and et
cetera. But what took up most of the room were the double sinks with a long and wide mirror with candle
bulbs attached to the wall. The floors were a cream marble with grey lightning bolts striking the mid-air.
The vent above my head hummed while blowing out cool air.
I turned to shower on full blast and unbuttoned my white blouse that was full of dry sweat, tears,
blood and snot from Meredith and my own dry snot and tears. I dropped my blouse into the white basket
between the shower and jacuzzi-tub. I stepped out of my pants and undergarments and stepped into the
rushing hot water. I soaked my body and hair with water before soaping myself. Vanilla and Lilac
shampoo relaxed my intensed muscles before the fragrance changed itself to peppermint and vanilla
conditioner. The conditioner left my hair shiny and silky against the touch. I washed my body again for
the second time and closed my eyes, letting the water wash all of my pain away. After 5-minutes with
resting my eyes, I opened them and looked up at the running water; the hot water changed from hot to
cold.
After washing myself with cold water, I dried off and stepped into my room. Ian and the twins
were gone, the bed was made and the old bed set that I currently slept in were gone; instead of the green
bed set, it was blue-green. On the foot of the bed laid out a pinkish-teal sundress with grey flats lying side
by side the dress. I went to the dresser and moisturized myself before stepping into fresh undergarments
and finally the sundress and shoes. I blow dried my hair and added moisture to it before applying eyeliner,
mascara and lipgloss. Once I was satisfied, I slipped on a silver heart-shaped necklace that Maria made me
for my last birthday.
I took a breath. “It’s a new day Maggie. Just be yourself, you have friends and family here to
support along with the nemesis to torture you.” I told myself and smiled and walked out the room.
When I got to the dining hall, my family ate in their natural state. They seemed to move on and
pretend that nothing ever happened. Smiling pictures of Sofia, Maria and Robert sat over the fireplace
with three candles lit. The kitchen table was packed with plates of food and my family. Ira and Tara ate in
almost complete silence. Bian and Oakley sat smiling and talking while Oakley chatted with Brittany and
Heidi. Theresa held her new daughter Josephine while feeding herself, and Heather and my brothers were
chatting up a storm. Charlie was helping my Mom with the food while Dad and Connie, Del and Denise
made their plates. Everyone who was eating, smiling, laughing and drinking didn’t seem to notice me, and
then as if the queue suddenly stopped, the room was quiet. I was curious about why until it hit me.
Everyone was staring at me.
“Well, the dead finally rise!” Ethan says smiling before being punched in the arm by Connie.
I smiled. “Don’t worry, I’m still myself. I just want to enjoy the future and forget the past.”
“They’d like that,” Ian says, smiling while sitting between Gloria and Jenny. I smiled and took my
seat next to Leigh Jane, Catherine, Cassidy and Leigh Hannah.
After making myself a plate, I sat at the table and placed a medium rare steak in my mouth the
sametime Ethan elbowed me in the arm, I almost bit off my tongue.
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“Hay, Mags, have you ever heard of a Corpeus Circle?” he asked me.
"I remember I read something about a Sanguinis Circle," I said looking at him. "Mentem
interficere."
"Evinco, contineo, colligo, Cast all the vincula you can," Ethan says nodding. "Bohemian
rhapsody." He reached over and I wanted him to make a concoction of half vinegar and half lemon juice in
a glass and put his head back and take the whole thing down.
He put the glass down and turned to me, "did you want a glass?" Shaking my head, he poured
himself another and took that down.
“Why’d you ask?” I said, taking a sip of my white wine.
"Erica was reading this book the other day and she asked me a hell of a good question. Have you
ever had the idea to think what it'd be like if some of the Dark Casters died in this family?" Ethan said.
Looking at the shelves of tiny black votive candles, I watched them ignite one by one in the pure darkness
that came over us.
"Once in a full moon, I guess," I said, turning my full attention to him. "I haven't really thought
about it."
“Is there something that you do give much thought about?” he says, leaning on the table with his
elbows.
“Yeah, I give the whole Caster government a lot of thought,” I said, taking another bite of my
steak. Ethan takes down another glass of vinegar and lemon juice without making a face.
“Hay, Maggie, I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind giving the girls and I a tour of the Caster
world?” Heidi says, giving me a pleading smile.
“Yeah, ok, and then I’ll just drop you off at the WSC and show Mr. Lee what’s up,” I said, giving
a toothy smile. “Nah, I’m just kidding, sure we can, just let me finish breakfast and we go on from there.
Brokeslum, do you mind tailing us while I give Heidi and the guys a tour of Casteadstoria?”
Brokeslum stopped chewing and looked at me from his plate. “In what position, Mrs. Morteze?”
“Just keep a distance from us in case shit hits the fan,” I said.
“Okay, I can deal with that. But don’t you think it’s best if one of your brothers tags along?”
“No,” I shook my head.
“Okay, but under the circumstances, there can only be two at a time,” he said.
“Okay, so how about Ryan and I take Ira and Tara?” Ming chimed in, taking her seat across from
me.
“No, I think I’ll take Ira and Tara,” I said with a smirk crossing my face. “I’d love to get them
back without worrying about the WSC on my back.”
“You have a point,” Ryan says into her wine glass.
“But what about Mr. Lee?” Ming spoke, “I mean wouldn’t he be a bit overdramatic?”
“All he knows is that my family disappeared off the face of the earth along with Bian and her
parents,” I said, taking down my wine.
“Speaking of which, when do my parents get here?” Bian said, throwing her hands up.
“They don’t know nothing about where we come from and it’s a good thing that they don’t, cause
if they did that would mean more evidence for Lee,” I said.
“Your parents only know that you moved with Maggie, like she promised she would after
graduation,” Ming added.
“Hay, shit happens and I completely forgot, plus, Bian was more into working at the TBBE and I
didn’t want her little criminals dropping by at my place. Especially, when there was a child involved,” I
said, referring to Ashley.
“Which is why we barely go out,” Brittany said. “And why did we leave? Bian didn’t tell you?
Maggie, we dropped out weeks ago.”
“You guys quit the TBBE? Since when?” Ashley said, taking the words from my mouth.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“We quit two days before you guys picked us up,” Bian said. “And since I moved in with Brittany,
I no longer have to wait for you.”
“You’re saying with me now in a facility under American soil, trust me, you’ve already moved in
with me,” I said, finishing my plate and taking it to the kitchen.
“But what about my parents?” Bian followed behind me. “What do I tell them?”
I sat my plate in the sink and turned to her, “that you moved in with me and my family in a secret
castle up in the Himalayan mountains,” I said.
“They’ll never believe that,” she said, folding her arms.
“Well, tell them something, talk to one of my cousins about lying to them, I don’t know,” I
laughed and walked past her walking back to the dining hall.
“I’ll ask Selena, I only know her more,” Bian said.
“Good for you, evil twin,” I said and walked to where Ira and Tara sat. “Hay, girls, why don’t we
go roam the halls? I can give you guys a tour of the facility and the Caster world.”
Cole’s eyes shot up at me.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Ira asked.
“Yeah, my cousin Brokeslum will be with us so no worries,” I said. “I couldn’t torture you guys if
I wanted to, he bound my powers to him,” I lied.
“Yeah, he does seem a but trustworthy. Ok, let’s go!” Tara said with a cheeky grin.
We walked the long hallway to the only door with a red wing carved into it and the door opened, I
turned to them and they walked in and stood at the foot of my bed.
“Sit anywhere the objects in the room don’t move,” John said. No one moved, John closed the
door behind him and sat on my bed beside me.
“Where’s Ira and Tara?” I asked John. Charles, Heidi, and Brittany shrugged their shoulders.
“Lost, I guess,” John spoke, turning to the humans. “And just so you know; you Mortals are dumb
enough to believe in anything.”
“There's not many of us loving a Mortal," Ming said, "but nothing really good comes from loving
us. So, don't piss us off, or we'll make you out of a coat."
"Do you believe in a higher power?" Charles asked me.
"Yes and no," I said. "I mean Full Casters are the second highest power."
"Do you ever try to believe in the "first" highest power?" Heidi asked, running her hands down a
dragon eye lamp.
"Once in a full blue moon," I said, "that's a real dragon's eye, by the way." Ira quickly snatched
her hand away from the lamp and looked at me. I got a knock at my door, my eyes catching Ira and Tara. I
patted the space between me on the bed. They didn't move, but a force did push them in the room. They
both turned to the door and then to me.
"Don't worry I'm not gonna turn your heads into a new bag," I said smiling at them, "and your
eyeballs into necklaces."
"You're not going to "fruit" me, are you?" Ira said. Tara looked at her like she was insane and
turned to me.
"Last time I "fruited" you, was when I had the idea to shove one of my Dad's pliers down your
throat," I said, "and I wish that I did that. What do you want?"
"Explain to us why this is happening to us. You're the only person who I—," Ira looked at Tara
and me, "—we trust to tell us what's really going on."
"Last time you said you trusted me to cut your hair without a pair of scissors, or without touching
you," I said. "So, I'm sure my Dad told you what you needed to know."
"Maggie," Ira said, "please."
I rolled my eyes at the both of them and pulled out a map of the tunnels under both Casteadstoria and the
Mortal world. "If you wanna survive our world —which I clearly doubt you will—try memorizing this
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

map. It's the only option I have for you to survive and go home undead." Tara took the map from me and
scanned it, her eyebrows furrowed and she and Ira looked up at me.
"There's tunnels under every house in Florida?" Tara said, looking up from the map.
"Every place in the world, even under water,” John said.
"Even in the country?" Ira added. Nodding, I stood up turning the map towards me and like magic
that it was, the torches on the map started to glow. Ira, Charles, Brittany and Heidi and Tara's eyes grew
and they looked at me.
"Are you seeing this?" Ira asked Tara..
"I'm seeing a lot of things right now, shut up," Tara said. Moving my hand slowly over the old
paper. "Each tunnel wall leads to a different house."
"What, do you come up for tea at Mrs. Himezes house? Make a left and drop a book off to Aunt
Connie's in the next town? Tunnel to the right for a chat with John?" Tara said.
"She's not your Aunt," I said, correcting Tara. "Don't even think about calling her Aunt. She's
been my Aunt, and I've known her way before I've known you, so back off." Tara's mouth dropped and her
eyes enlarged.
“Come on Charlie, let’s go find Selena,” Ming said. “Follow us; y’all too, Brittany and Heidi.”
Ming pulled two out the room and Ryan pulled another.
"But, she is my Aunt, right?" Tara added. Eyeballing her, a vase sitting on the credenza at the end
of the hall. As if pulled by a string, the vase followed my eyes to the wall, flying across the room and
smashing against the wall. Tara and Ira jumped and looked at me. I gave them a peaceful smile and
cocked my brows.
"Does that answer your question?" I asked her. Tara nodded. "Good, cause I wasn't gonna give
you any more hints."
"Maggie, what do you know about Caster Cranes?" Tara asked me. I raised a brow at them and
cocked my head to one side. Seriously, is there something that my Dad hasn't told them?
"What do you know about that word?" I asked her. Tara started to pick at her nails, and Ira looked
disowned by the way, I crooked a finger at her and Tara slid across the floor, her feet planted, but moved
on my call. Tara and Ira inhaled as I did this which freaked her and Ira out to the core, which amused me.
Stopping in front of me, I leaned up towards her and grabbed the hem of her shirt by her neck area. "What
do you know about that word, Tara?" I repeated my words. Tara's lips started to quiver and Ira was too
stuck to move.
"I read it in Maaya's latest book," Tara spoke bluntly at me. "She said that it's a boat made from
metal, glass and paper that the Casters used to travel the world from place to place."
"Wow," I said under my breath, "that's not even close to what it really means." Letting go of her
shirt, she slid back next to Ira. "Your rooms are next door to mine. The house is big enough for all of us. If
you wish to have a bigger or smaller bed or maybe if you're hungry and want a snack, just think or say
House, cookies or whatever and they'll appear."
"What if I wanted to think of home?" Ira added. "Do I just say "House or home?" "I shook my
head at her.
"You can't go home until it's time," I said. "The amount of time that you're here, you have to stay
here and wait until your time is up."
"Is this just torture?" Tara asked me. Ira looked at her; she looked horrified. Ira was never a type
of person to take torture a good way. Reading Ira's mind was just the best amusement that I got out of her.
Why would you say that?! Don't give her any ideas, I read Ira's mind, I scoffed at her thoughts, and shook
my head.
"No," I said, still scoffing. They both sighed in relief and rubbed their faces. "And Tara didn't give
me any ideas, Ira." They looked at me. "Caster," I pointed to myself. "Don't worry. I'm a good Caster...for
now." Tara bit on her bottom lip, and Ira started to pick at her nails.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

I smelled a Seer and I heard a meow before I could look up. Sora sat at my bedroom door. Tara
and Ira looked at her and then to me. "She's pretty," Ira said.
"Door." I spoke without looking up. My bedroom door slammed shut and Ira and Tara looked at
me and I looked at them and raised my brows at them. Sora meowed on the other side and started to hiss
like the tiger-stripped breed that she was. "What do you want, Sora?" I asked her. She meowed again and
walked through my door making Tara and Ira scream and jump back on my bed. Sora cocked her head to
one side at them and then turned to me, fixing her head. She meowed again and let me translate. I got
bored at home so I decided to come here. Raising my brows at the little fur ball, I patted my bed beside
me and between Tara and Ira and they moved from the other side of the bed.
"Guys, this is Sora, a Caster cat," I said. "She's a regular cat, but with Telepathy and Telekinesis."
Sora sniffed Ira and then Tara who put a hand over to pet her but she backed away, as if to say "we're
good. Please don't touch me, girl." I shook my head at her and slowly pushed her hand back. "Don't do
that," I said. "She'll sniff you to take in your scent but don't pet her. Never pet her unless she pets you."
They both nodded and understood and kept their hands to themselves. John petted Sora who leapt on his
lap and purred into his shirt.
I turned back to Sora and her eyes turned green, "Sora you don't usually come into the Tunnels or
even the Caves unless there's something abnormal, our abnormal," I said to Sora who blinked her eyes and
meowed to the Mortals in the room. I couldn't read her, and the sight she gave me clearly said, "don't give
your hopes up," and that was a pretty good sign for not giving the new Mortals a tour of our home.
"You can understand her?" Ira asked me, Tara looked at her like she was insane and so did Sora
who laughed at her.
I turned back to Sora, "don't worry I won't. Trust me, I think they're gonna like it here," I said. For a
second it looked like Sora cocked a brow at me before hopping off my bed and out the door, which
opened on its own. The Mortals turned to me and gulped.
"You guys wanna go search the Tunnels or just sit there looking like a bag of chips?" I asked
them.
"If it's for our lives, then yeah," Tara said. Ira had no choice but to agree. It was either her life in
jeopardy or going home in a coffin.
Grabbing the map to the Tunnels, Tara and Ira stayed behind me and we took the stairs meeting
Cole walking out from the kitchen. He smiled at Ira and Tara, but the smile faded when he saw me. I don't
know how he missed me when I'm clearly the only one in front of him. Am I that disappointed in him that
he can't even keep a smile on his face for his little cousin? My Dad walked in with Denise and Samantha
who sucked on a frozen yogurt stick and smiled at me but faded when she spotted Ira and Tara.
"I thought there was no Traveling," Denise said, "you're not staying for dinner?" she was actually
asking Tara and Ira which she wanted to desperately get rid of and not by them going home alive. Which
is a pretty bad thing I hate to admit.
"I made coca-cola cake and fried chicken; if we don't get in there soon, that chicken will have a
mind to find its way home," Connie said chewing on an actual chicken bone and her wooden spoon
twisting in her hand. Tara and Ira looked at my Dad with a "is she serious?" which I'm pretty sure that she
was. When I was a kid, Connie used to chase John and Will around the house with it if they sassed her,
even though she'd never actually hit them with it. They ducked, to play along.
"I can't, I'm going out," I said.
"Why? Your Aunt and Uncle Stephanie and Daryl are coming over," Dad spoke but caught his
tongue. Although he doesn't get along or even like his wife's sister, he's still there for her and her husband
and daughter, but I don't think that they'll ever be on good terms. Not ever.
"And you just answered your own question," I said. "I'm gonna go show Tara and Ira around
Casteadstoria." This got my Dad and Cole's attention.
"Have fun," Dad said. Opening the door to Casteadstoria, I felt Cole yank me by the arm.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

"Bring them back alive," he said, his words making me laugh inside.
"If I can," I said deadpan and closed the door behind me and opened the map of the Tunnels
which glowed in my hands. "Just play cool and you'll survive. Bian's been down here many times and
she's still here."
"Yeah, I know she's been leaving through a door that looks like a never ending abyss," Ira said. I
smiled at her and walked ahead of them. The torches on the map glowed the same time the torches on the
wall ignited making Tara and Ira jump.
"Calm down, you'll survive," I said and looked over at them. "At least you haven't noticed we
don't use light bulbs here, so we're gonna be walking back and forth in the dark so get used to it."
The look on their faces told me that they weren't gonna get used to that until it was their death
toll. I'd love to torture them, but this is a matter of life and death and if something were to happen to Tara,
Cole will never forgive me and honestly, I don't think that I could forgive myself neither. She may be a
bitch and skank and my one through ten nemesis but she's still a human being and I don't like hurting
people. I never did, it was always just a reason for me to do that. Ira might end up dating one of my
cousins later for all I know, or she probably already is and not popping the bubble.
Tara was loved by both of my parents, but it was pretty cruel when she sucked all of the juice out
of Theresa's Mom's tomatoes with just a straw. My Mom used to grow carrots, tomatoes, and celery, but
Tara stopped when we stopped growing tomatoes. Theresa's folks would go down the South to visit others
at the DAR—Daughters of the American Revolution—and that's when things really got messy. Spanish
speaking swearing, and Italian starring both my mother and father's side. Not a pretty thing by the way,
but pretty entertaining if you know what's going on.
"I'm gonna take you guys to the Caster Cranes first," I said, "which are community of planes by
the way." I turned to Ira. Opening a door and automatically appearing in the supply section of the library.
The illusionary entrance before us closed out and I took the first steps. Walking through the library we
came to another door, which opened on its own and a dark alleyway behind it. A dim light over us but
nothing to help us see beyond it.
"So, the Caster library has more books than us?" Tara said, "great, no wonder they're so good at
their life." Agreeing with her was a total shock for myself.
"A lot of the Casters here like Mortals, especially if it's just for fun," I said. "Some may even have
unfinished business." Walking to the other side of the Tunnels, I could hear what sounded like howling
and smearing, like nails against metal. Ignoring the sounds, I pushed the girls through a doorway that
opened and revealed a bar.
"And this is Blood Dragon. It's a bar that usually you won't even survive if you asked them for
directions to a place," I said, picking at the dry paint from the walls and turning to them, "it's a Seer bar.
The ability to persuade others, even Mortals."
"Ira would like to have some unfinished business with that," Ira said putting herself in first person.
"I'm sure they'd love that," I said, "give them time to plant your death." I mumbled. But these
people are just very super sin stars, or as Denise would call them the SSS.
"The guy's here are hotter than the guy's back at home," Ira said. "That guy is cute." She pointed
to a guy behind a counter, slicing off the head of a pup. "I'd like to have some unfinished business with
him."
"I'm sure he'd love that," I said.
"Maybe even marry him," Ira added, "Mrs. Irabelle Hot-Guy. I'd let him control me whenever he
wants."
"I'm sure he'd like that, too. He'd have you jumping off of a roof in no time," I scanned the room.
"Do you really think so?" Ira added and turned to me and smiled. Tara looked like she wanted to
slap the hell out of her for her even to ask a question like that. I sighed and turned to face her. "Don't take
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

this the wrong way, Ira but when they say "some babies were dropped on their heads as babies?" You
were clearly thrown at a wall."
"I have no idea what that even meant," Ira said and me and Tara rolled our eyes and I could tell
that Tara looked like Ira wouldn't be offended if she slapped her on the forehead. Shit, I'd do it. Just at the
right second.
"These types of people would have you jumping off of something for their own amusement," I
said, "trust me Ira, they would love to have you." I walked ahead of her ignoring the rest of her psychotic
questions that I refuse to answer. Ira was always the smart-dump type but was never one of those
dumb-blonde stereotypes, because let me be honest with you guys, she is a smart ass. She has a high IQ
but not anywhere near as high as me, Ryan and Ming's IQ's, plus my brothers who are shockingly bright
at their goals.
Great. Another door. Once it opened. On its own, we finally arrived at the Caster Cranes Hall. Ira
and Tara's mouths were in awe and Ira took a step away and touched its bow. Running her hands across
the cold metal she squealed like a little girl and turned to me. I don't think she's ever been on an actual
plane before. So much for I've been everywhere.
"So this is what Caster Cranes are?" she turned to me. "Maaya made them sound more like boats
that can travel on land and sea and outer space."
"Well tell her I said she's quite right," I said. "These bad boys have been here since Christ himself
and I think maybe even before that time. I'm not too sure, only Connie, Del and Chloe can tell you that.”
"All these years of hating you and this is what I found out?" Ira said. "I feel like a complete
Stinkbutt. This is a free country. I have the freedom of speech."
"You also have the right to remain silent," I said, telling her about another free country item.
"There are over a million years of fighting and names of Casteadstoria. There's Landonerin, Casteadstoria,
Ravendevil, Caste, Demonspit, Castletip—which is where the Demons of Casteadstoria dwell—then
there's Blackdove, Blackblood, Ravendove, Ravendemon and many other more."
"Is there an exact number?" Tara asked me. Turning to her, she knew it'd be more than the
millions of islands that we have on Earth together by nodding and looking around the Hall. "This is insane
and like some crazy shit, like psychopath wise," Tara added.
"No, this is crazy awesome," Ira said. "Has Endora ever been here?" I shook my head at her
which made me somehow regret letting Endy cross the friendship bridge. Tara broke the group and leaned
forward at the metal band on the Crane and ran a finger down the surface, Ira backed away.
"What the hell is that?" Taking her place I could see a misty fog cloud up behind us, it was a
metamorphosis of grey, black and white. I turned to see nothing and went back to the Crane, where the
mist was still there. A Dephonor, a Demon—Dragon breed. Gotta go.
"You guys wanna go to a bar?" I asked them. Tara was the first to agree and then Ira wasn't so
sure at first. I grabbed them by their shirts and pulled them out of the Hall.
"Uh, yeah I guess," Ira's words bounced off the walls of the Hall. The door closed behind us and I
put a force field over Ira and Tara and made my way to the further bar at the end of the street. Getting
swallowed by the body's of Casters, Mortals, Demons, and Vexes.
We arrived at Tony and Toy's Bar, a bar for Casters and Mortals who come to visit, or just them
needing a drink. When we arrived a waiter instantly took our seats but he looked freaked out by me. I
must be known very well on this side of town. He sat us at a booth for four and I took three menus out
from the menu holder on my left.
"How do rich people sit?" Ira said, looking around, grabbing herself a menu and opening it and
flipping through the plastic covered pages. Tara scowled at her and opened her menu. Something tells me
that these girls may not get along for the next five hours.
"Five hours?!" they called out. Oops. I guess I said that out loud. "I'm not walking the Tunnels for
five hours," Tara said and Ira agreed with her.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

"Five hours is gonna go by faster than you think. When it's 12PM in the Mortals world, it's going
on at 10:30 at night in the Caster world," I said. Their shoulders relaxed and they looked happy but didn't
show it. "I'll just be getting the usual," I said, putting my menu back before I could even open it.
"You've been here before?" Tara asked me, "never mind. Caster and Mortal bar. What's your
usual?" If I told her my usual she'd think how come I'm never fat or obese.
"Pancakes, with mini marshmallows, and Hershey's pieces inside the pancakes topped with
caramel, fudge, crumbled Heath bar and butter fingers, powdered sugar, chocolate whipped cream, and
butterscotch syrup, and toffee," I said, giving them a tight smile. They looked at me like I was insane and
flipped through their menus before closing and putting them back in the holder.
"You're gonna get diabetes, you know that?" Tara says. Shrugging my shoulders at her, I tapped a
finger on the table and my usual appeared. Usually Tara was the smart one out of all John's girlfriends but
she's not as smart as Heather is. Tara and Ira looked at each other and tapped the table in front of the table
and their food did appear. They looked at me.
"Casters don't get diseases," I said, "they barely get sick. That's another reason why a lot of
Casters and Mortals get together. You guys aren't gonna eat?" I asked them. They looked at me and then
to each other. I rolled my eyes at them and took a bite from my usual. "Just think or say what you want
and it'll appear." They looked at each other and Tara took a breath before a hotdog appeared in front of
her. Ira looked at her and then at me.
"Girl, get real," I said, chewing. Tara looked at her hotdog, and a plate of fries and her hotdog
turned into a chicken cheesesteak with everything on it and a coke on the side. "Now, you're thinking," I
said smiling at her and looked to Ira, "now you, Ira-mut." Rolling her eyes at me, a plate of pepperoni
pizza appeared with a glass of wine.
"That'll do," I said, "but I was looking more for a bowl of cereal or something." Ira didn't look up
from her cereal but she did look annoyed. "Your brother's dating my cousin and if you guys were to get
married, you'd be dealing with me." Ira picked at her plate and Tara chewed her steak and she was
enjoying it.
"This food is insane," Tara said. Ira agreed with her chewing her plate.
"Yeah, there's a few things about our world," I said. "We have very few Mortals and Casters that
are a bit cuckoo." None of them looked like they weren't listening. Tara looked at Ira and then to me and
then to her half done plate of cheese steak and fries.
"Get used to it if you ladies are gonna be my future cousins.” I repeated my words before taking a
sip of my drink. Tara gave me raised brows thanking me. I pray that Cole doesn't marry Tara or Selena
says "no" when or if Charlie proposes to her.
"Hay, waiter, do you mind if someone cleans our table?" I called out to the first waiter that I saw
at the waiting stand with the manager.
"Mmm... No, no I think we'll just play it safe and stick with our registers..." Rolling my eyes at
them, I turned to Ira and Tara. "You guys wanna go to the park? We can play paintball rounds. Which are
super fun than Mortal paintballs." Tara's eyes lit up and Ira's stomach twisted. Smiling at her, I cleared the
table by tapping it and putting our food in glass containers and walked out of the bar with the bag of our
food.
"Paintballs, huh?" Tara said with a mischievous grin, catching up to me. "Sounds like fun."
"Sounds painful," Ira scowls. "And last time we played, someone liked to put a weapon in
Maggie's hands and someone almost lost their life." Is she really bringing up the time that my parents
decided to take us paintballing and I almost murdered Ira by my rifle smacking her in the face? I said I
was sorry and she's still holding a grudge on that? Over 12 years ago? and I'm the one who's stuck in
time?
"I said that I was sorry," I said. "I should've held that one with my mind open," I mumbled. I
turned on my heel and walked out of the bar with Tara and Ira behind me.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

"I almost died!" Ira called out after me with terror on her face and horror in her voice.
"Yeah, and you should've!" I called out to her and kept walking. "Would've made my life easier." I
heard Tara gasp and Ira scowl under her breath.
"Well that's harsh," Ira said and ran up to my side. "I wish I've been to a lot of games and
paintball but I had no idea that you felt that way about me." I turned to her and scoffed, and Tara stopped
next to me.
"I've felt that way for as long as I can remember," I said. "You've lied, cheated, and have been
dying to take Ian away from me. I deserve to murder you."
"That's harsh," Tara butt in. "Maggie I've known you since you were in middle school and I've
never heard you use that language before."
"Well, welcome to my world," I said. "I have a lot of things that's better to do. Like showing my
nemesis/good terms friend how I live in a world of magic." I turned on my heel and walked ahead of them
and Tara and Ira looked at each other before running to catch up with me.
"Are we still going paintball fighting?" Tara called out the same time I hollered "no" and kept
walking. I stopped in my steps and turned to them, they looked up from each other and stopped as well.
"You know what? let's go paint balling," I said smiling and grabbed both of their hands and pulled them
the opposite direction from where we were heading. I pulled them into a dark alleyway and opened a door
which light had burned its way through the crack of the door.
Music played and Tara and Ira tensed up in my grip and looked at each other. Paintballs hit the
walls and disappeared and a woman in green walked up and placed a hand over us taking down our
information. Tara and Ira flinched at the woman and she raised her brows and then looked at me. "Table
11," she said, "just grab a gun and your paint shots and go kill each other." The lady walked away from us
and Tara and Ira's eyes enlarged and looked at me.
"It means to have fun," I translated to them. "Don't worry, just follow the rules and play the
game." I walked off and grabbed a rifle and filled it with black, and red paint with a combination of blood.
Yes, the blood is real, it's human blood from Mortals who came here and died trying to leave.
"Okay is it any different than any regular paint ball game?" Ira asked me to hold up her rifle gun
and examine it. "Or do I have some rules to follow?" I didn't have to answer her, all I had to do was pull
the trigger and kill her. Shrugging my shoulders at her, I fired at her. Ira gasped and froze in her spot and
looked at me and then to Tara and then back to me. I laughed and fired more at her, thinking about all the
times that she humiliated me, and spreading horrible rumors about me and Ian and Ming and Ryan.
Payback's a bitch, isn't it?
"The lady gave us instructions on the way in, just kill each other," I called out and fired again.
Tara freaked out and Ira freaked out and started shooting at people who weren't even on our team. At this
point, now I'm wishing that Ming and Ryan were here, they'd love this.
"Fire at us, not them, Tara, us," I said and shot at her. Ira shot at the ground, I guess test shooting
it and when the paint disappeared from the ground, that's when she freaked out.
"The paint disappears?!" she called out and looked at me. "It disappears, it disappears. The damn
thing disappeared. Why does it disappear? Since when does it disappear?" Tara looked at me, pink paint
dripping from her rifle gun. If I had known that Ira gets this freaked out over magic, I would have invited
her here a long time ago.
"You wanna go swimming instead?" I asked her and Tara nodded the same time Ira shook her
head no. I guess I'll just take them home then, something tells me that even a swim in regular water won't
cure her.
I dragged Ira to Spirits Pier where it was crowded with Casters, Demons, and Mortals. I guess
other Casters and Demons are also having their Barbie Outing as well. I smiled getting excited about the
crazy hard rock and metal music with super crazy loud people. This is why I love coming to
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

Casteadstoria, you meet new people and their magic and go crazy without the Blues ever coming to crash
the party. A path of trees blocked our way.
"I hear music, but where's the party?" Ira asked me, "is it through the woods?"
"Something, like that," I said, "Tara and Ira, can you hold this rope for me." Tara and Ira both
grabbed the rope and looked down into the dark abyss below us.
"Do you expect me to jump?" Tara asked, turning back to me, hands still wrapped firmly around
the tail of the rope.
"No, Tara, it's a rope that opens curtains," I said with sarcasm.
"What's that supposed to mean―?!" Ira said and before she could finish I pushed them, hearing
their screams in the distance. The pathway of the trees opened, breaking out our way and clearly showing
the party before us. Landing on the sand, Tara and Ira looked scared, and held on to each other like ropes,
and looked around the party. I walked up to them, and Tara's eyes darkened at me, the same time that Ira's
face hardened.
"Whoa-hoo! Better get your dancing shoes ladies cause we're about to dance our lives away," I
said walking down the sandy stairs, when a familiar grip grabbed my wrist. Ira.
"Don't you mean "dance the night away"?" Ira said. She gave me a mischievous grin, and Tara
was growing impatient like I was. But her impatience was to get the hell out of here, while mine was to
party like a rockstar.
"Certain parts of Casteadstoria don't have daylight," I said. "We're on the black as night part of the
world." Ira's eyes hardened and loosened her grip on my wrist and my arm dropped. "Don't worry, Mortals
are allowed." I walked ahead and Tara was already down the stairs, running like a little girl meeting her
parents for the first time. I’m gonna be pissed off if I find out Cole's here. This is supposed to be my fun
game on Ira and Tara.
"Hay, Maggie! Madeleine, Margerate," I turned to a male voice and saw Jacob coming at me with
a smile on his face followed by Matthew, Luis and Frankie, dressed in black. Ira stumbled grabbing my
arm, and I yanked away the second she grabbed me.
"What're you guys doing here?" I asked them and Matt's eyes caught Ira and Tara ignoring my
question.
"We never miss Barbie Outing," Luis said, pointing a thumb over at his sister. Frankie smiled,
shaking her head and chewing on a goat's leg. "Once House and everyone else finished dinner we made a
move for the Tunnels."
"And Connie and your parents didn't say anything once they saw Frankie carrying her Club Oasis
purse outta the door," Jacob said referring to Francesca's grey beat up shoulder purse. "Well, House
almost blew it, but then realized that you were out here somewhere, and that you'd show up eventually like
you always do." Damn you, House.
"Well, I was just showing Ira and Tara around some parts of Casteadstoria," I said. They looked at
Ira and Tara and then looked around the beach house in awe.
"Does Cole or Charles or even Del or Denise know?" Jacob asked me and I instantly shook my
head "no" at him. "How about Patient Zero?"
"Well, my Dad and Cole know," I said, and they gave me silence. "See you guys later, come on,
girls," I called out and pulled them towards the bar at the end of the Barbie Outing beach house. All
Casters, and Demons have B.O. every Summer. "Guys, put a smile on your face, pretend you belong here,
and after this we're going Dragon Diving."
"Great," they said in unison.
"Hay, bartender, can I get three Long Islands?" I said and Ira and Tara looked at me. When the
bartender guy forcefully slid the three glasses down the aisle not spilling a single drop, and stopping
before us. Grabbing my glass and taking a sip, I smiled on the inside as the hot, sweet, sour, and spicy
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

liquid fell down my throat. Ira and Tara took a sip and choked on it, coughing and covering their mouth
with the back of their hands.
"Mortal loved ones welcome," I said with my straw in my mouth. They looked at each other and a
guy in a green tuxedo shirt slid his way down the bar line at me and then to Tara and Ira. An Incubus.
Haven't seen one of those things in a while.
"Hay, ladies," he smiled, "I'm Dhiloh, pronounced Die-loh, and your names are?"
"Ira," Ira spoke, chewing on her straw.
"Tara," Tara spoke, wiping her mouth with a napkin. He turned to me, and smiled giving raised
brows.
"Maggie, what's up?" Dhiloh smiled at me for a long time and then to Ira and Tara.
"So, what're you three hot rods doing here?" he said and I glared at him giving off my raspberry
and lemon scent and he took a step forward towards me instead of away from me.
"We're waiting for our brothers and sister," I said. He looked over at Tara and pushed himself
from the bar and moved towards her.
"Mortals engraved," he said, and looked over at me and their eyebrows raised. "Aren't you three a
couple of refreshments?" His eyes turned a faint dark yellow and I pushed myself from my chair and
stood between him and Ira and Tara.
"It's time for you to go," I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. He smiled and licked his lips.
"I'll go when I want too," he said, his breath of blood hitting my face. He moved my hand from
his shoulder, eyes still engraved on me. "Don't tell me what to do." I growled under my breath and found
my liquor being poured on his head and my foot kicking him in the groin. He let out a piercing holler
before I realized what I had just done.
"What happened to just going swimming?" Tara asked me, I looked at her, she looked at me,
"maybe later?" Tara added, which was more of a question than an option. But it was more of a question
than a demand.
When we got back home, the place was quiet, and I could smell the mixture of copper and mud
which meant that everyone was asleep and so was House, and Caster homes hate to be disturbed when
they're sleeping. Ira and Tara walked in behind me. I've always known I'd smack someone other than Ira
or Tara or just someone in general. After successfully smacking poor Dhiloh, I grabbed Ira and Tara and
made a run for it without saying bye to my cousins.
"The house feels weird," Tara said. "Does every house feel this weird at night"
"Only at night," I said, "keep quiet and the House won't attack you in its sleep." They looked at
each other and then to me. "Yes, a house can do that." We took the stairs and they both ran up behind me
and Tara stopped in front of me.
"How am I supposed to sleep knowing there's a house that sleeps?" Tara asked me, "I don't know
how you expect me to—"
"Close your eyes and dream," I said, cutting her off, and pushed past her, getting annoyed.
"Breakfast will be served extra early, so unless you wanna be at the Barbie Outing I suggest that the both
of you get a good night's sleep."
"You're not gonna be kicking people in their groins, are you?" Ira asked me. I turned to face her,
and glared. "I know he was an Incubus, but that was a fine ass Incubus."
"Not all Incubuses are sweet and sexy, that Incubus will beat you into a pulp," I said and raised
my hand at her, "Caster's honor, g'night ladies." I took the stairs to my room and closed the door behind
me. I turned and found Ashley and Val huddled in my bed, Ashley's arm wrapped around Ashley's tiny
waistline. I smiled inside and took a quick PTA and went to bed beside them.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

"I guess Sora just found out that Ashley's another magic baby," Cole said smiling at me and
Selena laughed at the same time Chloe hit them on their heads with something that sounded like a frying
pan.
The front door to the guest rooms opened and within seconds Tara and Ira walked down stairs
rubbing their eyes still dressed in the clothes they had on yesterday.
"So, how was your day?" Cole asked her. Tara looked at him.
"How was my day?" she repeats, "HOW WAS MY DAY?" Cole smiled nodding at her, like a little
kid telling Santa what he wanted for Christmas.
"Well, first an evil side of Maggie Heart scares me, then she shot a random guy in the groin,
before she dumped her wine on him, she made me drink Caster alcohol that should be illegal, then made
me and Ira jump off of a bridge by rope...."
"Glad you had fun," Cole commented and looked over at me, "thanks for not killing her."
"I tried not to," I said with a deadpan face. I turned to Ira and Tara and gave a fake smile. Ethan
looked at his pretend watch and made a hasty exit for the next room over. It wasn't long when the sky
grew dark and fire appeared in the sky and a burning fireball fell through the roof in front of Tara and Ira,
causing a hole in the floor. They looked around and the sky grew darker and thunder rumbled followed by
a strike of lightning. Tara and Ira looked at us and Ashley and Val whistled at them.
"You're lucky, I didn't make it hit you," I said with a snare. "No matter what, I still hate you."
"I don't think that Aunt Maggie is gonna ever like those Aliens again," Oakley said and Samantha
nodded, agreeing with her.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

Chapter 12. 10-Hours Until the Great Reveal
I don't think that Mom and Dad will ever believe how fun and torturous it was that I had to spend
half a day with them, It was bad enough that I went to the same school with Ira and almost spent the rest
of my life with Tara when her and John were together. I almost killed myself when John asked her to
marry him and she said "yes!" which made Will and I grab hold of one of Dad's Caster swords, and aim
for our own necks.
Sitting at the dining hall, a slow gust of wind blew between us and food and drinks appeared. Ira
and Tara looked like they were gonna pass out, Heidi and Brittany looked over excited. I was hoping that
none of them wouldn't pull a Charlie horse somewhere. Ryan and William sat across from each other and
Ming sat close to me, and Catherine and Cassidy sat next to each other eye bugging Ira and Tara. The two
of them dislike Ira and Tara to the core but not as much as I do.
"Well, well, well," Catherine says, smiling at Tara and Ira. I swear these two should've been twins,
their names sound so much alike. "Isn't this a surprise? Cassie, what do we have here? I guess Uncle
George wasn't kidding about bringing five Mortals here." Cassidy shook her head and placed her
manicured grey nails on the table in front of her.
"Well, Bian you're no longer counted as one of them now," Cassidy added, "or us and I know it
is," Cassidy pressed her fingers against the table making the surface under her fingertips turn a bright
turquoise. "And we just love surprises."
Ethan said, bringing his glass to his lips and muttering into it, "you guys sure do."
"Yeah, and I like surprises too," Ira says smiling at them and Charles looked at her and both Dad
and Selena grabbed hold of the Antiguan's wrists.
"You didn't like it when your Mom surprised you with your step-Dad!" I called out to her and
Charles pointed a finger at me and looking at it, it bent back by itself, he squealed before he had control of
his finger again.
"Don't point at Maggie if the subject has nothing to do with Maggie," John warned him.
"Exactly," Cole said. Charlie looked at me and then face palmed himself. Jackass, he thought.
"You sure are one," Cole said. How can Charles not get that joke? That's one of John's best jokes ever
that'll probably leave a room full of snakes laughing. Half of the family started to stuff their faces while all
I could do was look at Ashley, the spitting image of me and Ian combined. I'm thankful that Connie and
Del would do something like that, but not to put their own lives on the balance for Ashley. But there was a
Cast that was created making all Casters, or Demons or any other magic creature to skip childhood and
live the age that they dreamt to be, but the Full Caster who did the Cast would die during the circle. Or
later.
"You know what I can help you with?" Catherine says looking down at her plate and up at me.
"Finding out if Ashley and Val are what Ryan said. Casterous Hopes."
"How?" I asked her, "I already have enough people after them." Catherine put a hand over mine
and looked at me.
"You're always worried about what everyone says and thinks. What about what you think?"
Catherine said. She was right, I have to worry about how I feel about my daughters being reblooded with
Caster Hope. I can't take what they have and what they're born with away from them. That'd be like taking
their favorite object or their favorite hobby away from them.
"Tell me what you know," I found the words leaving my mouth. Catherine smiled and nodded and
squeezed my hand and turned back to her dinner plate. One look at Catherine and I just knew that what
this family has come to, won't last very long. Someone's gonna have to leave the circle and I'm not just
talking about the new future circle, I'm talking about this circle. A sacrifice.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

"Maggie, you're thinking awfully hard over there," Gloria asked me. "You've been quiet since
dinner laid out." I looked up at her and gave a smile.
"I'm ok, Gloria," I said, "I'm just overwhelmed in a different way about the Templar's meeting.
For some reason, I get the sense that there's a spirit bound or a spirit board in this."
"Don't be worried," Gloria said. "You're too smart to worry about anything. You may be feeling
spirit bound between you and Ashley and Val and the spirit board in yourself." Dad looked at Gloria and
to my Mom who eyeballed her. There's always something with this family, either there's bad blood
involved or bitter blood, there's always something new to this generation.
"Mom, are you speaking in riddles again?" Erica asked her Mom looking up from her plate.
Gloria shook her head; Ashley looked up from her plate to Val and then to me.
"Nope, I'm just putting it out there," Gloria said. "But I can help you with finding out about
Ashley and Val."
"Already did that, Gloria," Catherine said, smirking at her. Gloria looked at me and then to
Catherine and put her head to her plate. Erica held her fork in her mouth glaring at her mother.
"Well, I was gonna say "good luck with that" but I can see that you have this all under control,"
Erica butt in looking at me. Ashley looked at Val and then looked at me. John was too eye locked on
Cassidy, Oakley made a face at Samantha and John cleared his throat, looking at her. Oakley's hair began
to blow in the Caster wind, and Catherine laughed at Oakley's response which was the air-head blow with
her index finger. Mom looked at Dad, and Dad looked at John who looked at me.
"I know that my two are horrible but what do you expect?" I said, throwing my hands up at them.
"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."
Catherine slid a paper towards me, I looked up at her, and she smiled at me. I have to know why
Ashley and Val are so special to the world? Catherine smiled at me and tapped her fingers on the paper
and the area where her finger tips touched glowed a sky light blue color in the dark. I looked down at the
paper and names appeared one by one. Names appeared and the names that caught my attention were
Ashley and Val. Is this what Ryan was talking about? About Ashley and Val being the Casterous Hopes?
"Is this why Meredith wants Ashley and Val dead?" I asked her. "Because they're the daughters of
a Full Caster?" Catherine nodded and a pen appeared in the air between us and she grabbed it and drew a
circle around just my name and Ashley and Val. "You really can't change what Ashley and Val are."
"That's not what Meredith believes," Catherine says. "She says that you're the reason that you
married a Mortal and gave birth to two children that became Full Casters at a young age. She wants to
break the bond between Mortals and Caster breeding."
"Do you have any reason why she keeps on trying to do this to us?" I asked her. "Didn't I break
the bond when I was little?"
"Yeah, but not this bond," Catherine said pointing to the paper in front of me. "Margerate has it
ever occurred to you that some things aren't what they seem? Think about it, you changed Leigh-Hannah's
faith and her mother’s. You changed them without an issue. Nothing is what it seems to be."
"Catherine, all I know is that Meredith wants to Relocate my daughter's magic before they can
even hit puberty and probably do the same to Sam, Oakley, and Josephine before they hit puberty," I said.
"But she doesn't know how to," Cassidy said, "Meredith wants to Relocate Ashley and Val's
magic without you in the room and do the same to you without no one to notice or stop her.”
"If we were to prevent her from doing this to people that're close and distant to you will die," she
said. "To Meredith it's a win-win scenario. Our world is a twisted masquerade to Meredith. It ain't all
light, it ain't all dark, and it ain't all ours."
"What people?" I asked her, "like blood or something? What does this have to do with Ashley and
Val?"
"I don't know, Maggie, I really don't know. I'm a Dark Caster, not a Light one. I'm only telling you
this because you deserve to know as a mother and daughter, and most importantly; a relative." Catherine
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

grabbed the paper from me and pulled me out of the room only to write down a word that looked like
something from word search or crossword puzzles. She slid the paper to me and pointed to it.
Diputseromneve.
"Oakley wanted me to give you this. Diputseromneve may look ridiculous, but backwards it's
even more stupid." I stared at her when she walked over to the bookshelf near the window, she looked up
at it and in an instant, a book floated down and she placed her hands out and the book landed on an open
page. Catherine walked back to me and sat down and placed the book on the table and the pen and paper
floated over and landed on the open book and the pen started to write down something in
Casteadstorian-Latin and only Catherine and Cassidy and probably only my parents could understand.
"You know a Cast like this," she pointed it out at me. "I know that you do. What Mr. Lee and
Meredith are doing is madness. You can't let them get through with this," Catherine spoke. "As your
cousin, and as your Dark blood going Light for you, I'm begging you not to let her get Cruella de Vil on
this plan."
"When my families involved, you know I'm not gonna let that hussy anywhere near you guys," I
said. Catherine smiled and nodded at me. She pulled me in for a hug and broke it.
"I know you'll do the right thing, Maggie. You always do," Catherine said.
After dinner I walked down the stairs and Cole and Tara and Ira and her brother sat on the couch
watching a movie and Ming and Ryan stared at them, studying them, and Oakley and Cassidy studied
Ryan and Ming. I guess that neither of them don't attack Ira, or Tara. Ashley led me to the library where
my parents were seated with Chloe, Gloria and Erica.
"Maggie, sweetie. Meredith wants to talk to you and Mrs. Lee wants to speak to you, as well," my
Mom said. She didn't look nervous or at least a bit concerned. She looked like herself, just not tapping her
nails against the mahogany table in the study.
"You don't look too nervous," I said to her and looked at my Dad. "Why doesn't she look so
nervous?"
"Should I be nervous?" she said, looking at me. I nodded, "well, I'm not, I just know that whatever
they want to talk to you about, you will eventually talk some sense into Meredith."
"You've destroyed this problem once, and you can do it again," Chloe says. "Ashley and Val are
the reason why she wants to end this. Ashley and Val, our Casterous Hopes, weren't meant to be until a
million years from now."
"And we're talking about a million years before you breathed air into this world," Gloria said.
"Now, Maggie, I may be your mother's sister, and your Aunt, but first and always, Gloria Maurice, is a
Cane."
"What are you getting at?" I asked her. "Are you telling me that I can become president of the
United States?" She looked at me and so did my Mom and Dad and Chloe. That wasn't a joke. I was dead
serious with that. Telling me to stop Mary Beth and Mrs. Lee with just a blink of an eye? It's not that easy.
Meredith wants to Relocate and Tan me and my daughter's powers.
"Finish her," Gloria said. They're seriously not trying to tell me to murder Mary Beth. I could
barely murder my own cousin. What makes them think I can do the same for them?
I looked at my Mom, "yes, she is serious," she says.
"I would rather just go to see her when she calls the entire family," I said. "She's already planning
deathbeds for the Mortals in this family, it's not like she won't do the same with us."
"Don't go speaking riddles at me Demetria," Gloria said. "Meredith will do anything to stop this
generation from mating with other creatures other than our kind."
"Creatures?" I repeated, "mating? Gloria we're not just creatures, we're also just people," I said to
her. "Now, I'll be able to talk some sense into her, but that doesn't mean that she'll rethink her ideas."
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

"You were there when she said "you took after your brothers" and "she will be Tanning and
Relocating you and Ashley and Val's magic” all because they're our Casterous Hopes," Chloe said. "The
Mortals that your father brought out here, will practically be family before you know it."
"Tara isn't family, no one likes Ira, I only tolerate Brittany and Heidi, and Luis and Charlie are just
a bunch of rice crispy treats," I said counting them with my fingers.
Erica spoke, "and to think that I was the feisty one."
"Well, your father and I were thinking how you could talk to her but then again you might be able
to Tan and Relocate her magic before she does the same for you," Mom said.
"You had me at Tan and Relocation," I said happily to her and rushed out of the room. "See y'all
at the Templar office!" I called out over my shoulder running out of the room.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

Chapter 13. Outsiders are the Miracle Leaders
Standing at the Confession Stand, nothing similar to a Confession Stand at a Church, but similar
to a Kissing booth, if that's how I can put it, I wondered why my parents would even let me meet Ian and
marry him, without even telling me that Mortals and Casters can be together. Lisa, Connie, JS, Del, Jenny,
and Denise left for the Crane Station early three hours ago and are on their way back. It takes three days
to get from Tallahassee to Casteadstoria by any traveling destination, and it's longer each way. It’s quicker
with Teleportation but Ryan’s Mom hates it.
Mom would give me the best idea to Tan and Relocate Meredith's magic before she got the
audacity to Tan and Relocate myself and my daughter's magic. You don't kill or torture someone just
because they weren't meant to exist until centuries from now, that's just wrong.
The stand where Meredith was so supposed to stand was completely empty. Cole stood at the
front of the Templar room with Selena, Ryan, and Ming. John stood next to Selena and between Will.
Will's been excited since Septar which is Casteadstorian for Thursday. Theresa finally giving birth to
Josephine was a breath of fresh air for all of us, including Theresa and William. All five of my parents'
grandchildren are born. In the mortal stand Ira stood with Tara, Brittany, and Charles, Heidi and Bian.
Bian’s been coming here since we were little.
Cole looked at me and gave me one of those alternative "what the hell" looks and gave him a
"calm down" motion with their hands. Cole shook his head and sucked his teeth and Selena snickered at
her brother and looked down at Charlie who looked like a mixture of confusion and terror. What the hell
am I gonna do when she walks out with Mrs. Lee? I'm not gonna Tan or Relocate, that would definitely
give Mary Beth the damn perfect time to Tan and Relocate my magic; me, Ashley and Val's magic to be
perhaps.
"And to think that you were my favorite cousin, I take that back," Cole said and looked at me.
"I'd feel the same way for you but you're one of my Mom's favorite nephews so looks like I'm not
gonna be knotting your hair," I said and turned to the front of the courtroom watching the Jury and grand
Jury take their seats followed by fewer people taking their seats behind my parents.
"I’d rather smack your brothers for introducing you to Ian," Cole said, pointing a finger at me and
Ming barely hoped from her spot but Ryan and Selena held her back. John and Will looked at each other
and cracked their necks and knuckles, close to rearranging Cole's face.
The sound of metal hitting a wooden object followed by the Bailiff. "All rise!" a voice called out
from the far end of the courtroom and the Jury, audience and grand Jury took their stand and as for us,
who were standing the second we got here, and by this time; our feet are killing us. "Jorcrams Templar
Casteadstoria Courthouse is now in session, the Honorable Hilary Lee now presiding." Cole, my brothers
and Ming and Ryan either sucked their teeth, mumbling "goddammit" or "shot" or "you've gotta be
kidding me," and other words followed by people who gave a sigh, a groan and a grunt.
"Juvenile court hearings are closed hearings," Hilary said. "The only persons allowed in the
courtroom are people directly involved in the case. If there is anyone in the courtroom who is not directly
involved in this case, you will have to leave at this time. If you are not a Jorcrams Templar Court member,
a defendant, or his/her guardian, you will have to leave at this time."
No one moved, not even the supporters in the room. Hilary looked around again and turned to her
husband Justin and then back to the Jury.
"Everything that goes on in Jorcrams Templar Court is confidential. We will take an oath of
confidentiality. If everyone will please raise their right hand and repeat after me: I solemnly swear that I
will not divulge, Either by words or signs. Any information which comes to my knowledge, In the course
of a Jorcrams Templar Court session, and that I will keep secret all said proceedings; Which may be held
in my presence. Please be seated."
"Bailiff, please, call the first case," Hilary says, taking a sip of her dark water.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

"Templar court docket number 3, entitled Margerate Heart vs. Meredith Cloawns now comes for a
hearing," Bailiff says.
"Would the defendant please rise?" Hilary spoke and on instinct, I rose to meet. "Are you the
defendant in this case?" She's kidding me, right? Hilary knows me, she knows my family, she's literally
playing dumb-donuts with me? Meredith made herself comfortable in her chair in the Jury section with
distaste in her eyes.
"Yes," I said.
"And what is your name and age?" she added, taking another sip of her water.
"Margerate Morteze, early twenties," I said, placing my age. Hilary looked up at me. "Age: 28."
"You are charged with illegal children born and possession False identity of Joeward. How do you
plead?" Hilary says, spinning the water in her glass with her finger.
"Not guilty," I said and looked over at Mary Beth.
"Thank you Mrs. Morteze," Hilary said and looked at Meredith. "Is the parent or guardian of the
defendant present?"
Mom and Dad stood up. "Your names, please?"
"Maria and George Heart," Dad said.
"Thank you for being here tonight. Will the Prosecuting Attorney please state his/her name for the
record?"
"Thank you Mrs. Lee," John mumbled and looked at me. I looked at Hilary and she was looking
down at the papers on her desk. One look that caused Hilary sighing and looking at me.
"Okay, Margerate Heart I see here that your Lawyer is running a bit late and she says to proceed
without her," Hilary looks at me. That second the door to the courtroom opened on its own and a girl, a
very young girl, walked in with black hair, brown eyes, and nerdy glasses.
"I'm sorry that I'm late for your Honor but that election was not the best way to go out."
"And you are?" Hilary said.
"Tsunami Tsumetaku, your Honor, aka Sunny," she said, smiling at me. My brothers, Jacob,
Matthew and Ethan's eyes enlarged and they looked at each other. Tsunami smiled at Hilary and walked
over towards me and leaned in to get close to me.
"What are you doing here?" I asked her through clenched teeth and her eyes.
"Saving your ass," she says and turns to Hilary and put on another smile at her. "Your Honor, my
client denies that Mrs. Cloawns should not Tan or Relocate her and her daughters powers."
"Ms. Tsumetaku, I'm told that Mrs. Cloawns disrespects your client's wishes," Hilary said.
"Yes, your Honor, my client and her daughters come from a line of Mortals and Casters. Mrs.
Cloawns has ideas to Tan and Relocate my client and her daughters magic, all because her daughters are
our Casterous Hopes, which they weren't born until a million years from now. Mrs. Cloawns has no right
to Relocate or Tan any Caster's powers just because they're born a million years too early," Tsunami said
and crooked a finger at the table between me and a paper floated in the air and landed swiftly in front of
Hilary.
“I’ve been going over my client’s family tree and it turns out that she’s the descendant of
Margerate Elizabeth Genetelli, the last princess of Nueva Collida. As you can see, your honor, history can
have multiple written mistakes,” Sunny said.
"Please tell me what I’m looking at. Is this some sort of sick joke?" Hilary said.
“That is the paper of the written names and complaints about the families that Mr. Lee has cold
bloodedly killed because of half-breeding. 30% of the deceased were half-breeds, 10% were just innocent
mortals, 5% were just Grays who have nothing to do with my client. Almost everyone knows that Mr.
Lee’s breakdown is just an excuse to wipe half-breeds off the face of the earth. And almost 17% of the
half-breeds were children, your honor.”
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

The crowd gasped and murmurs screamed through the courtroom. Mrs. Lee and Meredith moved
uncomfortably in their seats.
"Mrs. Morteze," Hilary said. "You do know that I can Tan and Relocate both you and your
daughters powers just for your actions?"
I went to answer her, but my Mom stood up from her chair. "For once in your life, Hilary, tell the
girl the truth," Mom called out from the front of the crowd.
Everyone turned to her and Dad slowly pulled her back down in her seat. I looked at Dad, and
John and Will looked at him; Dad gave them a quizzical expression; "what do you expect me to do?" look.
"Pardon my tongue, Hilary, but we all know that I broke the balance between Mortals and Casters
years ago, and I split the moon and universes when I got married," I said. "You have a lot of nerve,
Meredith and so do you, Your Honor," I said doing air quotes with my fingers in Hilary’s direction.
"Hilary you know me like I know you, your husband and daughter, and this is just nonsense."
"If my grandmother was here," John said, "she'd have your life on a thread by now." Hilary gave
John a smile and looked at the Tsunami.
"Your client is my responsibility," Hilary said to Tsunami with venom ''. "Now, what is this that I
hear about Mortals staying with you?" Hilary added. Mary Beth rolled her eyes and scoffed. Hilary was
talking in riddles. The rest of the courthouse sat in silence waiting for Hilary to finish her sentence.
“It’s just for a few days,” I said. “I know that’s a pin in the yarn ball but it’s only temporary,
believe me.”
“And what about the hidden Love Strings?” A Jury woman spoke sitting next to Hilary. She had
dark eyes, pale skin and orange hair that glowed in the light. My heart dropped in my chest, and my eyes
went to my brothers and cousins and they were doing the same to the rest of the relatives.
"I don't know, it's the end of the world," Cole said, "me and John's ex Tara are dating."
"Me and Ira's brother Charles are dating," Selena says, "Ryan Little and Luis Martinez dated
years ago so that doesn’t count."
"You all know about me and John," William said, "Maggie and Ian, Ming and Logan Justin–they
ended years ago by the way." Will looked at me and smiled. I am so dead, I'm not getting off this thing
alive.
"Ethan and Maaya Willards," Ethan said, putting himself in first person and smiling happily at
Hilary and Meredith. Tsunami smiled, nodding at him. "Your Highest," Ethan bowed to her, "I'd like to
declare each and every Caster and Mortal in this house, not guilty."
"You don't run this courtroom, Mr. Young," Meredith said.
"No, but my father does," Ethan added, "Jorcrams is named after my great grandparents, but you
folktales added Templar after Jorcrams and rewrote the law of magic."
The courtroom and the grand Jury took a second of silence before one female stood up. Tension
rises that only John and Will seem to feel the air in the room thicken. I looked around and Ryan grabbed
hold of my arm, the air suddenly became thick making it hard for me and I'm pretty sure everyone else
was breathing. I waved Tsunami towards me and when she got in front of me, I pulled her to my nose, our
noses barely touching. "Why do I get the feeling that you're only here to tickle me?"
Tsunami smiled and flipped her hair and smiled, "I'm not. But I am here to support you, so you're
welcome." Tsunami went away but I still had a hold of her shirt.
"You better get me off of this, Tsunami or I'll have your head bobble head," I said with hard eyes.
"The man in grey over there is crawling under my skin."
"Oh, honey, I know, I've been sitting there, wanting to throw my briefcase at him, but I can't."
Tsunami sounds too happy. She’s even dressed to it. I tightened my grip on her and her eyes lit up. "Okay,
sheesh. Take your paws off my shirt, this is an expensive fabric," Tsunami said, pulling from my grasp.
"Your Honor, I have to get something through my head. Margerate, my client, has been made into
this world of different strokes. And, she and her husband have been in love since the beginning of puberty
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

and that is not an issue for the Mortal realm." What was she doing? She's not gonna get me off of this
alive. Can someone please throw a league at her.
“Casters have been falling in love with Mortals for decades. It’s not her fault that she loves a
Mortal. We all know of her ancestor Margerate Elizabeth Genetelli, the first Caster born a Full Caster and
fell in love with a Mortal and gave birth to half-breeds.” Sunny spoke, glaring at the woman with the
orange hair.
“No Caster should be punished for being different, or for falling in love with Mortals. We’re all
human, we’re all people. We have magic and Mortals have just pure-hearted souls. Some,” Sunny added.
“We all fall in love with people we’re forbidden to fall in love with. Shit happens.”
Murmurs and whispers were spread out all throughout the room and a combination of laughter
and scattered clapping filled in the empty spaces–that came from half the jury and my family.
Two hours of painless and headache torture went by when things finally started to blow out.
Silence in the courtroom was a good and bad thing and that meant that I'm not gonna be a Full Caster
anymore. "Have the ladies and gentlemen of their Jury reached their decision?" Hilary said.
"Yes, we have, Your Honor," says a lady in pink.
"On the charge of administering a substance with intent to commit Caster crime offenses, how do
you find the defendant?" Hilary said.
"We declare the actions and work of the Casters and Mortals relationship. Not guilty," she said.
"On the charge of possession of an indecent act of magic, how do you find the defendant?"
"Not guilty," the jury said in perfect unison.
"On the charge of magic abuse of position of trust, causing or forcing upon or with a child to
engage in illegal magic activity, how do you find the defendant?"
"Not guilty," they said in unison.
I flinched and a tear fell. Not a tear of happiness or even joy. A tear of pain. In the vision, there
was a piece of a grey object that changed from grey to black with dark smoke and fire. And then a hand
with a chipped nail with blood all over it. The burned object looked like ash from a volcano but I could
hear screaming followed by another explosion. A sword with dripping blood and the sound of plastic
against metal. The smell of toxic waste and blood, the words Joeward and suicide appearing for some
reason in my head and the words escaping my mouth. And then I felt the sharp pain of what felt like the
blade of a knife entering me through my back and out of my torso. A full moon hung over me in the
balance and the dark sky and stars staring back at me as if mocking me. Tears burning my eyes but only to
find out that they're not tears. But blood. Blood tears. Looking at my hands, blood stared back but it
wasn't my blood. It was someone else's. Looking over my body to see that I was clean, not a drop of blood
in sight, not even a hole that replaced the sword, it was just my body. Who's blood is on my hands?
Awakening from the vision, I fell to the floor and the windows in the room blew inwards followed
by my sobs and tears. I held myself and screamed on the inside. Everyone in the room stopped and looked
at me. Everyone focused on me. My parents crowded me instantly, followed by Ryan and Ming and the
jury.
"Maggie, what's the matter?" Ryan asked me, the same time my parents rushed over asking me
the same question. I couldn't answer, we've lost more souls.
"Connie. Del. Denise..." I covered my mouth with my hand, and shook my head letting the tears
fall. I don't how and I don't know why, but I somehow already knew. My eyes found Ming. "Your mother.
They're dead." No one said a thing or moved a muscle. Ming’s eyes darkened and she fell in her seat
sobbing in her hands. I looked at Ethan and his expression changed. The wind started to blow out of
control, and Ethan growled and looked at Meredith and Hilary.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

"You murdered my mother," Ethan said pointing a finger at her. The Jury grew quiet. And the
only word appeared in my head the same time that I remembered the words that Connie, Chloe and Del
said when Ashley and Val were born.
“When they finally reunite, a dark decision must be made. Sacrifice. You have to give.” The words
echoed in my skull and my heart pumped in my head like someone was constantly knocking on it with a
hammer or their fist.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

Chapter 14. Hearts are Broken, but Nothing Fixes
Not too many people would actually look at me as the Heart daughter or Morteze in law or wife
but not only many of them would look at me as a person at all. Theresa looks at me the same but she has
her emotional bombs. She's the Mortal who married a Caster and gave birth to two girls that're
Caster-Mortal breed. There's always that simple problem between Casters and Mortals loving and falling
for each other.
It's been well over almost three months since Denise, Del, Lisa, Connie, JS, Alice and Bennett,
and Jenny's funeral. We had the funeral in the Mortal Realm so Mortal friends like the McClaine’s, Bian’s
sister, Brittany and Heidi’s parents. The funeral was closed caskets but it was beautiful. Lavender marble
caskets with their name and birth and death date carved into them with magenta silk ribbons.
Connie’s favorite roses, Jenny’s favorite book on soul burning, Connor laid roses that were at his
and Lisa’s wedding on her casket. Denise and Del were white roses and sunflower seeds to keep away
negative activity and for Ryan’s parents Alice and Bennett, Ryan and her brothers and sister made a
collage of all the family photos and sat it above their heads. Kris and Scott kept their distance from us in
the process of our mourning times.
Ethan is definitely not himself, he's taking it harder because his father died before he was born
and now his mother is dead, and not only that his former crush Jenny, we are basically in a new one of
those spiral torn jets. In fact, a lot of us are mourning and grieving in our own different ways. I'm angry,
upset, depressed and all in between. I lost two women who helped me practice my magic, and the Aunt
that helped me better understand myself and my cousins, my best friend’s parents and a Mother.
I’m in the living room reading a novel on psychology with a glass of lemon water with a grape at
the bottom of the glass. I had come back to the Mortal Realm to have time to think. I decided to stay at the
McClaine’s house for a few days. I baby sat them as usual and was practically a nanny to them, I just
didn’t wipe their asses. Val and Ashley stayed with me and so did Cole and Selena. Cole only came
because he never really met the McClaine’s and Selena only came because Ashley and Val.
The front door opened and Trevor’s voice broke my daydream. "Good luck waiting for Prince
Charming," Trevor says, walking through the front door looking at Julia and looking at Ashley and Val
with a confused face, and looked at me and kept walking. Mindfucked.
"Stop waiting for Prince Charming, the poor thing might be stuck up in a tree somewhere or
something," Adam said, sitting beside me and hugging me. "Hay, Maggie," he spoke.
"Hay, Adam," I said and turned to him. "What're they going to do about this time?" Adam
shrugged before I could finish my sentence.
"Heck if I knew," he says watching his brother and sister argue back and forth in their little
made-up Native language.
"...if he only wants your legs, breasts and thighs, send him to KFC," Trevor says to his
blonde-headed sister, "your relationships are much like algebra. Have you ever looked at your X and then
wondered Y?"
"X, Y, and Z," Julia says, smiling at him. "And besides, you're the Cupid in the family, you tell
me."
"I can't," Trevor said, "I only speak English and Sarcasm," Trevor speaks with his Sarcastic
language.
"At least, my ex was a French doctor in study," Julia says with envy and lust in her words.
"What do you call a fake noodle, again? An in-pasta, right?" Trevor says this with a frowned look
in his eyes.
"Yeah, and you're a dumb blonde," Julia called out to him.
"You and me both, you big-headed—!"
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

I cut Trevor off before he was gonna say something that he was gonna regret. "Hay, guys!" I
called out, "language, Trevor," I spoke. "So, guys, what's up?" Both of them looked at me and then to each
other. No one said a thing, just stared at me like I was wearing just my underwear and bra. I gave them a
"go ahead" look and they looked at each other before turning to Adam.
"I was enjoying the little tantrum between the both of you. I don't why y'all stopped," Adam went
on, just looking at them. I turned from Adam and his older brother and sister.
"Maggie, tell this little-nutcase that I have for a sister that drag racing is for boys and boys only,"
Trevor says.
"It's a game for both boys and girls," I said and Julia shouted "HA!" loud across the room. "And
Julia, are you thinking about joining drag racing?"
"Heck no," she said, "I don't like racing hair." Cole took his bunny ears off and looked back and
forth between us. "But I do like that racing hair," she looked over smiling at Cole.
"Hi Julia," Cole spoke with a smile on his face. Julia looked over at me and smiled.
"He knows my name," Julia spoke and turned back to him. Julia has a crush on Cole and he
ignores the obvious. Julia met Cole at the funeral and she's been trying to mug him ever since. She met
Tara on that day but that didn't stop her from trying to talk to him. "Of course I know your name. We met
at my Aunt and cousin's funeral," Cole said. "You almost got your face burned from my sister."
"I know, but we're pretty cool."
"No, we ain't," Selena said walking out from the kitchen. "You're obsessed with my brother and
his girlfriend still hates your guts."
"I know, but I sort of thought that he was your boyfriend," Julia spoke.
"We have the same blood, but different lifestyles. Trust me, we're not," Selena looked like she was
about to stop time and beat the crap out of Julia, her brothers watching.
"I know that now," Julia said, "I met a lady named Julia Cane. She said that you guys were "her
children?" We looked at her and Julia stared at them with fear in her eyes. Selena was the first to push past
Cole and Trevor and sit between me and Julia.
"Our Mom was there?" Selena said, looking at her with hope in her eyes. Julia hesitated before
nodding slowly at her. Cole and Selena looked at each other and then to me. I furrowed my eyes and
looked at Ashley who was being dragged from the house by Samantha and Oakley. Ashley was the next to
leave the room and she moved faster than they did.
"You guys didn't see her?" Julia said. "A man was too, by the name of Steven. He looked a lot like
Cole but with shorter hair."
"Dad was too?" This time both of them were on their toes. Julia looked at me and so did Cole and
Selena, Ethan stood on the porch balcony looking over at Ashley and the others running around.
Selena who was in tears, "we haven't seen our parents in years. We thought they were dead."
Selena sat up, her voice cracking, her tears soaking her face with her makeup retreating. Cole left the
room to calm Selena down and Julia was just as confused as her brothers were. Selena never shed a tear,
only when she thinks of her parents and when someone speaks of them. Selena was a Mommy's girl and
still is.
When Julia spoke of a woman by the name of Julia, Selena broke down. I’ve seen Selena break
down. Cole walked out to the front porch and sat on the swing bench staring off into the distance. The sun
was just setting and green, pink, purple, orange, red, yellow, and blue appeared in the sky above us. Cole's
hair started to blow and a tear fell from his eyes.
"Do you know how long it's been since me and Selena saw our parents?" Cole spoke, not looking
at me. "Ages. We haven't seen our parents in ages. Almost 26 years, and I'm not counting me or Selena's
age." Cole finally looked at me, "do you know what my Mom and Dad were doing at the funeral?"
"No," I said. "I just visualized the Crane crash and that was it." I couldn't tell them about the
screaming and the bloody hand that I saw. Cole would automatically assume that Hilary and Meredith
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

killed Connie and the others. Looking at him, he pulled a book out from the vined coffee table and set it
between us on the table and on instinct it opened on its own to an old grey or dusty sand page.
Cole pointed to names with lies attached to it. "Me and Selena's mother, your aunt, died of a
broken heart three years after Selena was born. And my Dad has been missing for years. I don't even
remember how it disappeared." The name Julia Cane glowed like a highlighter and dimmed. I looked at
Cole and he was still staring at me.
"Do you think that Julia and your Dad never died?" I asked him. "Like, do you think that they just
left for good reasons?"
"Not for almost twenty-some years," Cole said. "Maggie, if your little Mortal friends know
something or see the other side, I expect you to tell them how this all began." Cole looked furious and
upset at the same time. Everyone’s grieving stance is on edge, even Ryan was in a grieving point, but her
tears come and go and now no one has seen her. Bian said that "she's with her sister Bailey in Miami" but
we all know that's a lie.
The front door to the house slammed shut. The tension in the room tensed and Cole's eyes
beamed red eyes and I could smell his X-Me cologne which is really rare. I placed a hand on Cole's
shoulder and he kept his glare on me.
"Your parents didn't abandon you, Cole," I said, "they loved you and Selena. I know that for a
fact."
"Can you ask them where they met me and Selena's parents?" Cole wanted answers and so did
Selena and I can tell that both of them wanted answers the second Julia spoke of them. I looked down at
the page and the name of my uncle caught my sight and I couldn't stop looking at it, tracing each letter
with my eyes.
Nodding, I smiled at them, "yeah," I said. The door to the front porch opened and Julia walked
out with her mini tablet. She pulled her hair in pigtails and braided into French braids. Cole's eyes looked
like they darkened by three centimeters but Julia's eyes were on mine.
"Cole I just want to say that I'm sorry if I angered you and Selena but I just have you show you
this video," Julia said showing us inside of her tablet. Cole took the tablet from her and taped the 'play'
button.
“That’s not a good idea,” I said.
“No, it’s fine,” Cole said looking at his mother’s red eyes.
"We are so sorry for Connie," Julia said with red eyes, crying red eyes and her green eyes hidden
behind them. Julia looked so much like my mother that it was scary. But my mom's eyes are hazel. Julia
has red hair like my mom and green eyes like granddad Napoleon. Julia wore grey pants, and white
blouse; the clothes she died in.
"When we got the message we couldn't get here fast enough," Julia spoke. Her hair in messy
strands and strands falling to her shoulders and outlining her jawline. Julia always made my Mom look
small even though she was the oldest.
"We really can't stand these types of things," Steven said, "your mother was sick at the words and
she's not doing any better now." Julia wiped her eyes with a cloth before looking into the camera lens.
"We love both of you so very much and we'll be around to see you," Julia said, "we promise." Cole
looked at me and I looked at him and turned quickly to Aunt Julia's face. Cole looked like he was gonna
be sick.
"Margerate," Julia took a step to the camera, blocking Steven. "Whatever Connie, Del, and Chloe
did, it's going to affect your husband." My heart dropped and I started to feel sick to my stomach.
"He's a Mortal and what he is will affect the magic," Steven said. Even though he still looked the
same. He cut in front of his wife, "we can help you. A Favi Cast."
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The video went blank and Julia pulled her tablet slowly away from him, Cole's eyes staring
blankly at the screen. Julia looked at Cole and then looked at me. "My tablet died after that," Julia says,
"I'll send it to you Mrs. M." I nodded giving her permission and turned to Cole who was looking down at
the book with his parents names; he ran a hand through his long dark hair and left the porch leaving me
and Julia standing across from each other.
"Was I not supposed to do that?" Julia asked me. I didn't answer her and she didn't repeat the
question. I looked at her and I could hear her heart beating.
"You didn't do anything wrong," I said to her, "I'll be right back." I smiled at her and walked back
into the house. What's going on here? Why are Cole and Selena's parents suddenly alive when they were
dead for more than fifteen years? I looked past the stairwell and I could feel his conscience tensing the
room and he wasn't even in the room. I took the stairs to his room and the door opened on its own and
Cole looked up holding Selena in his arms like a baby. Her long dark hair spread about her body like a
flower and her makeup smeared across her face.
"Selena, Cole," the words formed in my mouth. "I don't really know how to explain this, but
Selena do you know a Favi Cast?" Selena's eyes lit an inch to me. She looked happy and upset at the same
time. Cole's eyes were red and puffy; Sora, our Caster cat, sat at the bottom of the bed.
"Do you know how long it's been since I last did a Favi Cast?" Selena asked me, I didn't answer
her question, if it even was a question. "Forever. But I will not do a Favi Cast. Not from what happened
last time."
"What happened last time?" I asked her. Selena's eyes darkened and the resemblance of her
brother appeared before me. They look nothing alike but they share the exact same blood, which my Mom
calls "odd blood."
"I almost lost my brother," Selena said. Her eyes began to tear up and I felt the weight of Selena's
conscience come over me. Her Angel mist perfume came over me and her arms wrapped around me.
Selena was hugging me without even touching me. I let my conscience hug her back and then I felt the
weight of her head on the breast of my shoulder. Even Selena grew stronger after the accident. I looked up
at Cole, with my actual head, and he was still holding on to Selena and looking at me at the same time. "I
promised myself that I'd never do it again," Selena spoke with broken words.
Caster Hunter: Collision...

Sunshine's State of Delirium...
Seven Must Dye…
Stone Games & Death Stars...
Haunting of a White Stag...
The Invoking Presence...
The Stupid & The Stuck…
Those were the books being pulled from the shelf on the wall by Selena. She wasn't in tears like
she was just seconds ago, but she was happy to help me as usual. Her dark makeup smothered with her
pink and red made her look ugly and beautiful at the same time. She pulled a book out and turned to me
and gave a weak smile. She sat the book on the bed and Sora hopped towards it and the book opened on
instinct to a page that I couldn't understand.
"While Cole was away with Ashley in Casteadstoria last year, he and Ashley studied Niadic and I
picked up on some of it." Selena's eyes were dark like Cole's were the second she heard he and Selena's
parents' voices. She pointed to a word without looking down at the page. "Kentideckahecko; is a Cast to
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silence someone and read/or control them without them knowing. It's like being a Sybil, but this is way
more different." I looked at Selena and then turned to Cole, who kept his eyes on Selena.
"It sounds complicated," I said. Although it wasn't meant to be a joke, Selena gave a weak smile.
"I know," she said. "Kentideckahecko has been ripped from every book in the Caster world. Even
from the Il Libro Degli Incantesimi Italiani."
"Why the Italian book of Spells? Is it too dangerous that even a Full Caster can't possess it?"
Cole nodded, "I guess so, but Erica said that she may know someone who can do the Cast or just
tell you the story behind it."
"I'll take the story," I said the same time Selena and Cole said "you'll take the story."
"I'm going to Gloria's," I said before walking out from the room.
"Erica's not there," Selena said, making me stop and turn to her. "She's with friends and their
families somewhere in Canada."
"Do you know when she'll be back?"
"Beats me," Selena said. "Three weeks tops or so." Giving an agitated sigh, I turned and walked
out of the room, the door opening and shutting behind me. Leaving the room, I turned to see Jacob and
Matthew standing side by side. Both wearing grey v-neck shirts, dark shorts and jogging sneakers.
Coming from their workout, which me and Chloe like to call "deer fighting" and which they can come
back bloody or just have a combination of blood and sweat or just the bloody deer head and they’re as
clean as the hour they left.
"I'd ask what you want, but then that would be very unmannerly of me," I said. Matthew smiled
and looked at Jacob who had a smile on his face and looked at me.
"We're going on a scavenger hunt," Jacob said. "Would you like to come with us?" It was an
order, not a question. As long as I've been connected to them, I've learned how to read them.
"I'd be honored to, but I have a meeting that I need to attend too," I said and squeezed past them
but both of them grabbed me by the arm and pulled me back to face them. I glared at them, getting pissed
off. I hate it when people grab me by the arm.
"It involves Casteadstoria," Matthew said.
"I'll be at the door," I said, making a quick exit.
"You're not gonna ask where we're going?" Jacob called out to me. I turned on my heels.
"Where're we going?"
"Brokeslum," Matt spoke for Jacob, cutting him off. I Ripped in front of them.
"Good, cause I wanna kill the bastard for what he put me through," I said.
"Don't we all?" Jacob said, "but I don't think that Connie and Del would be happy about that." I
gave the two of them a grin and walked off heading for the stairs.
"Come on boys, I have other things to do," I called out over my shoulder.
"Like what?" I heard Jacob whisper to Matthew.
"Meeting a family member somewhere," I called out again. It was seconds later that I could hear
their footsteps behind me. I appeared at a door in the den hall and the door opened to downtown
Casteadstoria. I went to take a step and I felt a girl's hand fall on my shoulder. I turned to see Brittany
smiling at me.
"Bian said that I can take her place and go with you and Jacob and Matthew," Brittany said. Long
hair falling down her shoulders and long eyelashes falling on her cheeks. I looked at her and Jacob and
Matthew stood beside me. "I wanna see more of Casteadstoria," Brittany said, still smiling at me. I looked
at my two cousins and walked through the portal with Matt, Jacob and Britt behind me and the portal door
closing behind us.
Brittany squealed like Heidi does and Matt opened to a page to a book and I heard a Rip; I turned
around to see Ashley and Val standing side by side smiling at me.
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"What about us?" Ashley said, smiling at me. I looked at Britt and Jacob and Matt and turned
back to the redhead and brunette. I sharply sighed and jerked my head forward for them to follow me.
"Where're we going?" Ashley asked me, and looked at the book Matt was reading.
"Is that the Deckahollows?" Matt looked down at the redhead and curled a brow at her.
"No," he said, "this is the book of Hoes."
"Matt," me, and Brittany called out to him. Jacob blushed at Matt's call back and covered his mouth with
this hand and walked ahead with Brittany behind him. Ashley and Val followed behind Matt and Jacob
and Brittany.
"Is that a map?" I asked Matthew who froze and looked at me. Jacob and Brittany looked at me,
but Jacob and Matthew looked flushed.
"Yes," Matthew dragged the word from his mouth. "Your mother insisted that I take it with us.
The Governor built a gate to the Incubus and Demon Bars. Mortals first." Matt looked at the map and
walked ahead, "stay close."
"How long is this Demon bar?" Ashley asked Matthew and Jacob but was asking me the question.
I looked at Matthew and he looked at Jacob.
"Couldn't be too far," Jacob said, still looking down at the book in Matt's hand. "Uncle George
said to find the plate above the gate."
"The what above the what?" Brittany spoke but Jacob and Matt ignored her and walked ahead. "Is
that a riddle?"
"Yup," Matt said, "A riddle to be solved." Silence swallowed us and the Lubbers started to hum
and beep in the distance. Lubbers were black, with an angry slash of yellow running down their backs. A
pink and white star fell across the sky and Brittany and Ashley gasped in awe and Brittany stumbled over
and fell onto a rock that looked like a blob of wet dirt and grass.
"Found the plate," Ashley called from a distance. Jacob walked over and looked at the map and
looked down at the fallen Australian.
"Thanks, Ashley," Jacob said and moved the rock to one side and the ground underneath us
seized, and I heard the asphalt spitting, and the grass began to crumble and move apart from each other.
When the opening appeared, an illusionary door moved to one side and we stood over it looking down
into the pitch blackness.
"Is there a light or something?" Brittany asked.
"Nope, just a staircase," Ashley said, "me and Cole took this way one too many times." Matthew
looked down the darkness again and back to Ashley. "The chips are weird."
"I'm looking at an invisible stairwell, and you're telling me the chips are weird?" Brittany said,
looking at Matt.
One by one we stepped down the stairs, the only light we had was the light from the opening.
When we stood side by side in the darkness, the opening closed itself up and Brittany held onto my arm,
digging her nails in my skin. "Why's it so dark?" Brittany hissed in a whispered tone, still clinging onto
my arm.
"I'll tell you, if you get your nails out of my skin," I said with my eyes closed and pouted lips.
Brittany took her nails from my arms and I put a palm upwards and whispered the words to myself.
"Ignis." A warm yellow flame flickered from the center of my palm. Brittany's eyes enlarged and she
looked at me, ignoring her glance I kept forward.
The path ended at a green rusted gate with metal rhinestones stuck between the bars. On the other
side; pure darkness. Even darker than this side. "How do we get on the other side?" Val asked Ashley.
"It's a Mortal gate," Ashley said, "I'd go over it, but I don't feel like it."
"I'll do it," Brittany said and walked over to the fence. "I was a Snake back in Australia."
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

"Well, have fun," Ashley said, smiling and mocking Brittany's Australian accent. Brittany smiled
at Ashley and pulled herself up. She hadn't gotten very far when she stopped and didn't move for another
minute.
"I could use a little help here," she said from the top of the iron metal gate.
"I thought you were a Snake," Ashley used Brittany's words against her.
"Ha ha, very funny," Brittany said. "I'm serious, this gate is nothing like the gates I have back at
home."
"You can't pull yourself up?" Matt asked her.
"What do you think I'm trying to do here, play a video game?!" Brittany called out. "Help me.
Matty!"
"Now for you to call me that, nope," Matt said, and took a step back. Brittany rolled her eyes and
looked down at me, I looked at Jacob who grabbed hold of one of Brittany's feet and struggled to push her
up. Brittany managed to step on every part of Matthew's face, kick Jacob in the neck, and wrench her
sneakers deep into Matthew's shoulder blade before they shoved all six pounds of Brittany over the gate.
Brittany lost her balance at the top and landed with a thump.
"I'm fine. No worries," Brittany called out from the other side.
"Sounds like Brittany landed on her face," Val says, Ashley agreed.
Finally arriving at the Taskt 'E Bar, the door opened and the place was empty. Neancasu sat at the
bar on one of the dragon head bar stools, and Brokeslum stood behind the bar cleaning glasses. "I'm glad
you're here," Brokeslum said and smiled looking up at me.
"I'm glad I'm here," I tell Brokeslum. "I'm very glad. Because since I'm here, I can do this."
Before Brokeslum can say anything or snap away, I quickly leaned forward and slapped Brokeslum across
the face; shocking Brittany, Jacob, Matt and Ashley and Val,
"Monkey-stain," Ashley said.
"Stink-butt," Val added and laughed Neancasu, Brokeslum’s demon friend didn't say a thing.
"Come on to the back," Neancasu spoke and looked at me. "Or Gamma Gamma Bust?"
Gamma Gamma or Bust? Sounds like a bad Porno.
"What the fuck does that mean?" Jacob said and looked at me, and read my mind. I shrugged my
shoulders at him and stepped ahead. Matthew looked just as confused as I did. Neancasu was never really
the soft and happy Demon, he hasn't really been since the accident. He enjoyed the funeral like the rest of
the Demons, Incubuses, and Dark Casters did. Brittany looked like she wanted to Rip herself out of here.
"Was that supposed to be a name or the name of a song?" Brittany asked. Jacob snatched the map
from Matthew and followed Neancasu and Brokeslum to the darkest part of the room. Brokeslum's dark
hair fell long down his back and curled in the wind. His red eyes glowing and looking foggier by the
minute.
"It's not rare that Full Casters and Joewards come forth to a Demon," Neancasu said, turning to
me and gave a sharp tooth smile. Val or Ashley didn't show emotion, they stared at each other like I stare
at Mortals. "Your mother is one strong mother," he tells Ashley and Val.
"We've been told that more than one million times," Ashley spoke and Brokeslum looked up from
her to me.
"She has your temper, too," Brokeslum said.
"Margerate, what you did at the Courthouse was very generous of you," Neancasu said, "your
Aunts and cousins would've been very pleased. You've given a New Order for this World to live and love
like Mortals. I wouldn't have had the balls to do what you did."
"I've changed my daughter's lives forever," I said, "but if it wasn't for my Aunts for what they did,
I probably wouldn't be here today."
"And you wouldn't be here," Neancasu said, "but your daughter's wouldn't be here neither." I
looked at the red eyes of the demon and the sharp white teeth. Neancasu now stood leaning on his dragon
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

shaped fireplace with the collection of his old Demon and Caster books. Neancasu's room had really
changed over the years. Last time I came here was when Selena had a candy problem that took its time to
cure itself.
"The Mortal world is in a state of Beautiful Chaos and destruction." Neancasu looked over at me
from the dragon carved fireplace. "A Montana Sky saying," he added and turned to Brokeslum.
"Sometimes a discovery of witches can leave a forbidden family in a bewitched Rose with a million
feelings and a hundred seconds."
"English," Brittany said.
"Fortune teller twins," Neancasu translated. "There's a book called "My Sister's Keeper" it's based
on a fallen Caster. Tells the story of how she changed her destiny from a Full Caster to a Joeward. Not a
Light or Dark Caster. Not even a Demon."
"Your daughter's are powerful and so are your nieces. When you're gone Margerate they will take
over the Caster World, both Light and Dark," Brokeslum said and sat at the smooth table beside Ashley
and Brittany.
"Is it a good or bad thing?" Brittany asked Brokeslum who looked at her for hunger.
"It's whatever you want it to be," Neancasu said. "But usually at a time like this, there's drama
between the two worlds. Both Mortal and Caster."
"But my Mom's a criminal for her actions?" Ashley said. Neancasu and Brokeslum, the two
demons looked at Ashley.
"She was and still is," Neancasu said, "but what your mother is hasn't stopped her from loving
you and your sister. Your mother has put her life on the line more than once for this family and she's
continued to do so until this day."
"Can someone tell me why I'm here?" I said, "other than me or my daughter's lives." Jacob looked
up from his book and Matthew was already eyeballing the two Demons.
"Well, a Mortal met a few Casters at a crossing where that Mortal wasn't meant to meet those
Casters," Brokeslum said.
"You know about Julia?" I asked him, the words came out more harshly than they were in my
head. The two Demons looked at each other and swiftly nodded at me.
"We know a lot about the Mortal," Brokeslum said, "Julia Easter Delilah McClaine, age 16, the
first born to Catherine and Joseph McClaine in 1997. The Second granddaughter of Daniel and Cecelia
Anderson."
"Heidi Anderson?" Brittany and I said unison. Brokeslum and Neancasu looked at each other and
turned to me.
"The Heidi that we know, that you somehow know is related to Julia McClaine?" I said, "I babysit
her and her brothers."
"Julia can see the other side," Brokeslum said, "and who she saw at the funeral, she was not
meant to see."
"Julia's gift was passed on from her mother's side and Heidi is one of them who was given the gift
of Perspective," Neancasu said. "She doesn't quite use it very often but she does have it. And when she
does, you have to move Heidi into Heart mansion because there's only a matter of time before the Council
discovers that a Mortal has been talking with "deceased" Casters. The Council can't enter through Heart
Manor without you or your parents’ permission."
"John's home?" I said thinking out loud, only to be spoken to by Brokeslum.
"Margerate, your parents' house has been in lockdown since time itself and since you're John and
William's only sister, and your parents’ only daughter, they're giving John, Heart mansion," Brokeslum
said. "Heart Manor was never meant to go to you or William, or your cousins. It belongs to John."
"Actually, Heart mansion belongs to my cousin Margerate, Uncle Brokeslum," Jacob said using
sarcasm. "Since they gave it to Maggie in the first place, and blew off the rest of us." Neancasu and
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

Brokeslum were in deep thought at Jacob's words and Val and Ashley were just as deep in thought as they
were.
"Whatever floats your boat," Neancasu said, rubbing the hair on his chin. Matthew stood staring
at the Demons while Ashley and Val kept their sights on Brittany, just in case one or the other Demon
might want to try something sneaky on her.
"You're a joke," I mumbled to myself. But Neancasu looked over at me; offended.
"Are you calling me a liar?"
"Well, I'm definitely not calling you a truther," I said with venom in my words.
"Okay, that's a rookie mistake," Matthew said, cutting in between us, "rookie move, Maggie. Bad
move." He turned to Neancasu. But, I didn't care. That moron has the audacity to flip the steak on me and
put words in my parent's mouth. My parents never said a thing about giving me Heart Manor, and if they
did, I'd probably still be living there.
"No offense, but shut the hell up," Matt said, pointing a finger at Neancasu.
"Your cousin is the limp Caster," Neancasu said and Brokeslum's face palmed himself in my
peripheral vision. I glared at Neancasu and I did nothing but twitched a finger in the direction of
Brokeslum's fireplace grating. Flames lurched up from the logs, hooting more than ten feet up to the
ceiling. Neancasu flinched at the sparks of fire and Ashley and Val raised their eyebrows at me. He's lucky
it wasn't Holy water or he'd be a big puddle of soup right now.
Brokeslum looked at Val and Ashley, "do your grandparents know that she likes to hurt people?"
Val and Ashley looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders at him.
"What a marble-brain," I heard Ashley say under her breath.
"You brought us here for a scavenger hunt and now we're here," Matt said, "what's the hunt?"
Brokeslum was shocked by the tone that Matthew had gave him. Matt gripped Brokeslum by his shirt,
pulling him off of his feet. "And don't try anything," Matt added.
"I need you to take a book to Ms. Emmaline," Brokeslum said, still being smothered by Matthew's
hand. "Emmaline is an Empath. She wanted to talk to you and Jacob about Margerate and the Court. But
since Margerate's here, I'm sure she'd be happy to see you."
"I came all this way to meet with a 1600 year old woman?" I said, "I thought that I came here to
do a scavenger hunt with two marble-brains, not to meet a hundred year old lady."
"Emmaline is a blind lady," Neancasu said, "she'd be happy to finally meet the Full Caster with
two Joewards."
"Is she more than just an Empath?" I asked Neancasu, "because I'm getting a feeling that there's
more to this story." Neancasu thought for a second; and Brokeslum was still in Matt's grip.
"Not that I know of," Neancasu said and Brokeslum looked at Neancasu with an expression of
horrific anxiety on his face. "You can let him go now, Matthew," Neancasu said, "I'm sure that he got the
message." Matthew pushed Brokeslum from his grip like my Dad would do if you got on his bad side.
"Just look at the map," Neancasu said, "follow the red path with green leaves and you'll come to
the Stone Age passageway."
"Another riddle that only Oakley could translate," I said under my breath. "Come on." I pulled my
two out of the room with me, my cousins and Brittany behind.
"Does that mean that I have to rub myself in blood?" Brittany asked, looking around the black
door once it closed on its own.
"If you wanna have lunch to an Blood Incubus, go right ahead," Jacob said. Matt and I punched
him in the arm making him stumble a few feet back and sending him into the black wall surrounding us,
and the fire torch that automatically lit itself, causing Brittany to leap backwards into Matthew and a wall.
Jacob and Matt were looking over the map and speaking in Glass Tongue making Brittany uncomfortable.
On the map, we had to make up a riddle to remember Neancasu's riddle. The map was more of a
crumpled piece of paper hanging for dear life in the book that Matthew carried in his forearm. Ashley and
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

Val were ahead of us and just leading the way instead of understanding the riddle that Neancasu gave to
us. Brittany stayed beside Jacob and Matthew, leaving me with my aura.
Follow the red path with green leaves, and you'll come to the stone age passageway.
What did he mean? Red path and green leaves. I played with the metal sting of my necklace
thinking to myself about what it meant. Why would he give us, not me, a riddle when I can even
understand the one that I was born with. I'm not even sure about this Emmaline lady, she seems sweet but
my Magic Senses are tingling, which means that something's wrong here.
I could hear the squawking of the black crows above our heads, and a song too familiar in the
distance but this time words had changed.
Calling hate, calling fate.
There's too many holes called fierce.
Black for dark and White for Light.
Three hundred years ago, the coast was clear.
Is the coast clear? What coast? What does that even mean? I know Black is Dark and White is
Light but who or what is calling hate and fate? And why? Ashley and Val looked at me, searching for a
question. Still, I could barely think to myself because we were entering a hazard zone and all I could hear
were the sounds of clinking metal rubbing and hitting against each other. The sky grew dark over us and
the smell of rain grew stronger in the air. I looked up before the rain started to pour on us. Ashley and Val
put their heads back and smiled, loving the rain hitting their faces. The pages began to get wet and
Matthew's hands were glowing green and the pages immediately became dry.
"How'd you do that?" I asked Matthew. Matthew ran his fingers down the pages and looked up at
me.
"I'm a Full Caster now, Maggie," he said, "when you talked to Leigh Hannah and Sarafine. I went
to the Near Keep. I did something that only a Demon could do."
"What'd you do?" I grabbed him by the arm. He stopped with me, and looked for something in
my eyes that he couldn't find, so he gave up. Jacob and the others walked ahead, leaving me and Matthew
behind. Matthew took a breath and couldn't look me in the eye. He started to form tears and he grabbed
me by the arm softly.
"I made a pack to sacrifice to keep our powers," Matthew said. Without hesitation, Matthew flew
backwards and hit a tree, with vines and branches covering him. Jacob and the girls ran to my side and
stared at the stuck Dark Caster.
"I will have your head on a stick," I said. "Why would you do something so sinister? You selfish
brat. You killed your own blood to keep your powers?"
"No, hell no. The Keepers were gonna kill every Full Caster in this family. I couldn't let that
happen. That means you would've been dead, all of the Joewards, my cousins would be dead; and Ryan
and Ming, you name them." Matthew was just upset as I am. "We all would be dead. If it weren't for me.
Connie said that when Val and Ashley reunite, they will change our destinies and give all the Light and
Dark Casters and make them into Full Casters."
"And we'd all be Turned because of you," I said. "I'd do something a lot more responsible than
what you did." Matthew bit on his lower lip and looked at his feet.
"I know, you're mad with me, but I'd be too," Matt said. "Whatever happens, Maggie, I'd put
myself first to save you and our family. I'm not just some Dark Caster who Zaps people for a living. I'm
more than that, I'm your blood."
"Yeah, and I'm the one that killed one of our closest cousins, put my life on the line for this
family. Being blamed for deaths, and you're the one that didn't have a choice? I'm the one who's had better
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

choices. I chose to free the rest of my family of the Caster Sphere. If I wanted to, I could've left y'all there
to die but I didn't. Because I don't worry about myself."
“Maggie, you’re missing the entire point,” Matt said. “Your daughters and nieces changed our
destiny, everyone’s a Full Caster now, even Aunt Chloe and your parents.”
“What about Connie and the others?” I said. Matt drew his lips in a tight line.
“No, it’s just us,” he said. My eyes darkened and I understood and walked off leaving Matthew in
the tree, I have no emotion at this second and I'm pretty sure that Ashley and Val know just that.
"Are you just going to leave him there?" Brittany said, coming up to my side.
"I wouldn't ask her that type of question," Jacob said, quickly grabbing Brittany by her wrist but
she snatched her arm out of Jack's grasp. "We have to be at Emmaline's within a few minutes. Neancasu
said that she doesn't have the patience to wait very long."
"Well, she's gonna have to grow a pair of balls to grow some patience," I said with venom in my
mouth. "Who did you contact?" I spoke with lightning in my hands. Matthew muttered before murmuring
under his breath.
"Margerate, I—"
"Who did you contact?" I repeated growing impatient. The orb in my hand grew brighter as it
grew bigger from the energy the more impatient I got.
"Margerate, I only—" the vines tightened around his neck torso and Matthew choked under the
pressure. For me, I don't care what happens to him. He's done something that only Leigh Hannah would
do, and what he just did will have him pay for his life. By me.
Jacob laid on hand on my shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze, "do your work later," he whispered
in my ear. "We have better things to do." He took his hand off me before my eyes found his dark ones. I
turned to Matthew and walked away heading towards Ashley and Val letting the vines unravel and
Matthew fall from the tree. He landed with a "thump" and a "groan" before Jacob helped him up.
"No one tell your father what you've just witnessed," I said.
"Why tell, when we can just erase our own mind?" Ashley said.
"Yeah, we’ll just tell ourselves that it was Jacob's work. Or a Demon?" Val said snickering behind
Ashley’s back.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

Chapter 15. Emmaline “The Empath” Genetelli
Emmaline waited for us on an old rusted balcony with a black crow eating out of the palm of her
tiny hands. Emmaline was maybe about 4-feet in height but she looked about as younger than she looked.
Dry knotted hair, pale white eyes and skin and dry cracked red skin for lips. Ashley and Val and Brittany
stopped in their tracks, taken back from the sight of the woman. Jacob and Matthew weren't far behind us,
before they stopped too.
The lady looked up from her post and so did the bird and watched us. The rest from the patio had
to be a house with the lighthouse on a cliff. And I'm pretty sure once you look over, an invisible force just
pushes you off into what looked like to be an abyss of darkness and water. I could smell seawater and mud
in the air, but I wasn't too sure if the house really was on a cliff in the water. It looked like the house was
underwater and so were we because the black water below us was splashing to the sky.
"A paper cut in a dream," she said to herself before brushing off her hands. "On the first day, there
was Dark matter. On the second, an Abyss from which, on the third day, the Dark Fire rose. On the fourth
day, from the smoke and flame, all power was born. On the fifth day, the Lilum, the Demon Queen, was
spun from the ash. And on the sixth came the order, to balance an energy that knew no bounds. On the
seventh, there was a book." Emmaline got up from her seat on the canopy swing and the crow moved into
her spot while she grabbed what seemed to be a red olive from a bowl on the wooden banister and popped
one in her mouth. Opening her mouth, she had white teeth that looked normal but they sure as hell didn't
look real at all.
"Brokeslum said you'd be here on time," Emmaline said, grabbing a handful of red olives and
looking at her crow and then looking up to me. "I am addressing the living." My heart stopped and I took
a step towards her.
"Emmaline. Brokeslum sent us," I said.
"I know," she said. She looked at me and her eyes were a misty grey, or were they a misty white?
Either way, they looked lost someplace far away. "He told me that you took the long way instead of the
Tunnels. But Dee Dee here told me to wait on the porch." She took a deep breath and exhaled and closed
her eyes. "Joeward eyes, and powerful cries." She looked at me and smiled.
"Shaming your family is what you do best," Emmaline said. She fanned us to follow her into the
house which seemed to have a tombstone for a door instead of an actual door. I followed her into the
small narrow steps leading to the lighthouse of a home. The door had the markings of words in Niadic, the
old language of Casters and Demons.
Emmaline "the Empath" Genetelli
Great-great-great-great grandmother of Margerate E. Genetelli.
Loving mother and sister
"You're a relative of MEG?" She turned to me and smiled.
“We both are," she said. "Everyone take a seat." We took a seat anywhere on the old brown sofa
in the living room which had no TV or telephone. Jacob gave her the book and she took it happily and set
it on the small table beside her. Her crow, Dee Dee, sat beside her on its wood stand.
"Okay, Dee Dee, I can't see anything, so just yowl if I sit on you." We nervously watched the
hundred year old lady struggling to take her seat.
"...Hiss!" Dee Dee hissed at its owner.
"...Or do that. Sorry, buddy." Emmaline smoothed her dress out with her fingers and looked up at
us, like she could see us. She probably could.
"Is Dee Dee a boy or girl?" Jacob asked. Emmaline smiled and petted her crow on the head.
"Whatever you want it to be," Emmaline said. "Thank you for returning my book. Brokeslum was
supposed to return it, but I see why he sent Jacob and Matthew. Because their baby cousins are with
them."
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"I'm not a bahi," I said, "I'm a grown woman." Emmaline smiled at me and dragged her tiny
fingers through my hair.
"When I look into your eyes, all I see is the little girl who was Claimed before puberty,"
Emmaline says. "Shattered like everything else."
"The only thing that's shattered; is the world," Jacob said. "Pardon my French, Miss. Emmaline,
but Leigh Hannah told us the same thing. And the only thing that's Shattered is the universe." Emmaline
smiled at Jacob and took her hand from my hair and kept her smile on her face.
"This entire family is Shattered," Emmaline stated. "But by many people and not just Margerate
alone," Emmaline spoke. "Margerate I have something that I was supposed to give to you the day of the
funeral but I couldn't bring myself to give it to you." She reached behind her chair and pulled out what
looked to be an old photo album.
"If that's some new Caster book or some Book of Moons, please get that thing away from me. I
don't want any more drama on my hands than I already have now," I said.
"What drama?" Jacob asked, turning from a picture on the lamp post.
"I don't know, but there's bound to be drama coming up a path and waiting for me somewhere," I
said.
"It's a Message Book. Something that my father gave to me when I was about your daughter's
age," Emmaline said, "but this old book tells you whether or not who's true to their words."
"Like Oakley?" Ashley spoke for me. We looked at her. She ignored our glares and leaned
forward in her chair. "Oakley's good at riddles."
"The only person who understands Oakley is John," I said.
"Then bring John and Oakley here," Emmaline says, "it doesn't matter how or when, just bring
them here. And Margerate bring that book with you too."
"How about I just leave it here?" I said getting an uncomfortable feeling come over me like a dark
cloak.
"No." Emmaline shook her head, "take the book home, go over it with yourself and with Oakley
and then bring her here with her father." Jacob rubbed his eyes, getting agitated and exhaled deeply;
making a loopy sign around his ear area and rolling his eyes. I nodded and thanked her before leaving and
I couldn't stop staring at the tombstone door.
"Old people man, what the fuck!" Matthew hollers out. We gave Matt a look and I pulled Ashley
and Val away from him. He gave us an apologetic look and walked off.
"If we stay any longer, I'm gonna get my period," Ashley said. Jacob laughed into the grey book
in his hands before being pin slapped by Matthew. Neancasu had given us a riddle that even I didn't and I
couldn't translate; even I just stared at the words in my head. Brittany was starting to ask too many
questions involved with the Caster World. We had gone through a series of buildings leading up to what
looked like a dead end but was a doorway to another location. I could still smell the rain in the air mixed
with seawater; even back in the Mortal Realm. Ever since Ian’s sister Maria and his parents passed, a lot
of us have been taking things hard. Especially Ian and the twins. My parents and I went back to Ian’s
house to collect what survived the “accidental” fire. The house was in the middle of renovation. Holly
wanted to fix the place up but Mrs. Lee thought against it. She said because it was the Mortal Realm, the
Mortals wouldn’t take a house being put back together by magic as normal.
Even though the house was in the middle, the construction workers left in a formation. One man
left after Sora decided to make him suddenly allergic to her. I stared up at the half built glass roof of Sofia
and Robert's unfinished veranda. Sofia happily added his large battery-operated lantern and clipboard to a
box she was filling with all the things that people who give estimates leave behind. Tape measures. A few
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levels, a voltage meter... One guy had even left a very nice grey sky blue fleece jacket. Was Sofia's house
so awful that people didn't even want to come back and claim their belongings? The house was just a
normal house, a normal house current as Mary-Kate Olsen–Sofia's niece. She hadn't been home for a long
time, and she wasn't about to start bonding with her family now.
Mary-Kate’s house was similar to the Morteze’s, but minus the chipping off of the yellow paint
and fire marks. Mary-Kate took her Aunt’s death horribly,
"Let's go," Ashley added. Val and Ashley walked in the house past Mary-Kate. A red-lipped
Italian with thick black locks of hair, skinny and beautiful, eats like it's her job and fights like a master.
"Suh-weet!" Ashley called out from the house.
"For Pete's sake, it's just a cone of ice cream!" Ashley called out after Val running into the house.
I looked at Mary-Kate who blushed from the house and looked at me.
"You're not giving them ice cream, are you?" I asked her. It took Mary-Kate some time to speak.
Which is deliberately a shock to me because she never stops talking.
“How'd she know—?"
"Ashley has the nose of a canine," I said. "Now, are you giving them ice cream?"
"Ice cream cake yeah, but other than that. Ian's told me well about them," she says, folding her
arms. I eyeballed her in the face, making her uncomfortable taking her in. As a Full Caster, you possess
every power from Light to Dark. And right now, I'm Sybil. Sybils could read your face, and see your past,
your present, and sometimes even bits and pieces of your future.
"I'll see you inside," I said and walked passed. I’m excited and shocked that my parents let the
Morteze’s live with us; because their last house has always been my least favorite Mortal house. First time
my parents stepped foot in here, they never stepped foot in here again. Something about Mortals and tea
bags. Which me and John and Will didn't understand and now that we're older we still don't understand a
damn thing.
I sat on the couch and watched Ashley and Val eat ice cream and cake with Mary-Kate’s step
cousin Cali who made a cake and ice cream sandwich with leftover cookie dough and homemade cookies.
Cali is like Ashley, always looked like she was gonna get diabetes or just become obese one day but she
never gets diagnosed. She got Ashley hooked on ice cream and cake before she could even talk and
Ashley was on her first two months on earth. So, nothing weird there. Sarcasm.
"Your girls really love ice cream cake," Mary-Kate said, turning from the girls to me playing with
a Heliotrope from her Mom’s garden.
"Yeah, well they're Dad's ice cream and cake eaters," I said. Mary-Kate gapped her lips apart to
speak. "They'd do anything if there's cake and ice cream involved."
"So, how are you hanging? I know it’s been almost a month since the funeral. But still, how are
you holding up?" I looked at Mary-Kate and gave her a side smile. Mary-Kate laughed and covered his
mouth with her hand. Mary-Kate looked at me like I was insane and she was the insane little fruit loop
that I promised her to be.
“I’m holding up pretty good, I guess. How about you? You’ve kept the house up family-friendly. I
thought you said you were gonna paint it a lime green, like you and your other half?”
"The last boyfriend was a stick in the mud. He didn't want love when I wanted it and I didn't want
love when he needed it, so it was kind of a lose-lose scenario." Mary-Kate said and twisted a finger
around her dark hair and smiled at me.
"So, where's my cousin?" Mary-Kate added.
"I thought he'd be here, I guess I was pretty gone with that idea," I said. "He said he'd be here but
he didn't give me time."
"So much like him," Mom said smiling and sat next to me. Ashley and Val were on their second
bowl, Cali laughed, twisting her spoon between her fingers and sucked on it before turning it to her bowl.
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"Has he been talking with your Mom?" I asked Mary-Kate who bit on her bottom lip. Ian and his
Aunt Minnie had a little misunderstanding about something and they haven't talked much since then. Only
a "hi" and "bye" but other than that, it's been quite a very awkward situation for them. Even Mary-Kate
thought things were getting pretty strange between the two ancestors.
"I gave up trying to keep them in the same room for more than a few minutes," Mary-Kate said.
"And I think if I tried again one of them is bound to make a bomb and blow themselves away.”
"Not even a "hay Aunt Minnie, let's go to dinner or a game?" I said; Mary-Kate and Mom's head
shaking miraculously. "Not even a simple endearment?" they shook their heads. I bit on my lower lip and
started to play with a strand of my hair, but instead my hair started to curl in a wind that wasn't there. A
Caster wind, my Caster wind, which meant I was thinking up on something that involves magic. I smiled
to myself.
"They must really distaste for each other," I added but thought out loud. Mary-Kate's head looked
up from her magazine and quickly nodded her head. "I don't know how they can argue with each other.
They're practically the same person, just without the skill to kill."
"You sound like Mom," Val said. "Those two may be Mortals, but they're pretty crazy when things
don't go their own way." Mary-Kate stared at her cousin before walking out of the room with her
magazine in hand.
"My Dad can be more than a crab jack," Ashley said, "no offense," she turned to me.
"Non taken," I said, "I've witnessed worse." Now, I just have to go to the Hamwoods.
I heard a Ripping sound and Matthew was lying on his back, caught in the bushes outside of the
window. "Man, this Traveling thing takes some serious practice." Matt climbed out of the bushes and
brushed himself off, and Ripped in the house and surprisingly landed on his stomach. "Where are we
headed?"
"Hamwoods cemetery," I said.
"You don't—we don't know anybody in—" Matt shook his head. "Dude, why does it always have
to be graveyards and crypts with you? Can't we hang out somewhere that isn't full of dead bodies? Like a
pool? Or the mall?"
"I haven't been up with cemeteries since the passing," I said.
"Then, let's go," Matt said. I felt the familiar humming and vibration in my head and my Dad's
voice appeared: Your mother said to tell you that dinner's ready. And bring the girls with you.
"Later," I said, and turned to Matt. "First, I have a few fish to fry. Girls, come on. Gramma and
grandpa said dinner's ready."
"But what about our ice cream?" Ashley said. "We can't survive without our ice cream cakes."
"Take them with you," I said and walked them to the kitchen.
"I'll meet you there," Matt said and Ripped.
When I got to the kitchen, everyone were already eating and setting their plates, the only person
that wasn't here to freeload was Bian. Last time she came to freeload was at the crossing. I've seen her and
heard her thoughts here and there but I've mostly been hearing my nieces and daughters ideas. Which I
don't want to tell my parents about yet.
"Canned casters and no more teams with blooming blood. Usually when you're late, you'd bring
Bian with you," Mom said, wiggling a finger above her head and the lights flickered before turning the
room into pure darkness. "Instead you have Matt with you."
"Matt Ripped from Morteze's old place so, why not?" I said, and as if on queue, Matthew Ripped
in the room, landing on the living room table, shattering my gramma's vase. The vase that had been
broken and fixed on and off after a Training Session went wrong.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

"I'm growing tired of this Ripping thing gone wrong," Matt said getting up. "But I did find an
easier way with Ripping and Teleporting."
"Ripping and Teleporting are the same thing, but with different meanings," Oakley said looking
up from her plate of sardine soup. A dish from the Caster World that's mostly devoured by the Demons
and Incubuses of the world.
"Oakley, please don't start with any of your little language, you know no one can't understand a
word you say," Jacob says, stabbing his fork into his casserole. Oakley frowned at him and her eyes
glowed a bright red. Jacob's plate raised from the table and it titled making his food fall onto his lap.
Jacob trembled in his chair and stood up.
"Oakley!" Jacob called at her.
“Questions?” she smiled at him.
"Oakley," John repeated, looking down at his plate.
"Oakley," Heather said, looking over at her daughter.
"Oakley," Oakley repeated her own name with deadpan and looked at Jacob. "Don't disappoint my
language, Jacky," Oakley says, "you're a book of discomfort."
"Someone tell me what the hell she just said," Jacob said, looking around the table for someone to
answer. No one said a word. Not even me, my brother or Heather.
"Anyone?"
"I could translate but then that wouldn't be so nice now would it?" I said, pouring myself a glass
of wine and my plate making its own. Ashley and Val made their plates while Jacob snared at me and had
to stop himself from throwing a fork at me.
"Watch where you throw that fork, Jacob," Chloe said, making her way out of the kitchen. "Luis,
you and your sister help me with Kitchen." Chloe set down a tray of dandelion soup, which tastes way
better than what it sounds like. Luis and Francesca left the table and went to the kitchen.
I walked towards my Dad who stood at the end of the table with my Mom with a lit cigar in his
hand. Dad wore his silky dark green robe that you would see in one of those real rich guy movies. Dad
took his seat next to Mom and the cigar vanished between his fingers. So many strange and strange things
have happened since the funeral. My nieces became Full Casters and so have my parents. Dad flipped a
coin, and Ashley and Val watched carefully, I realized her curls were twisting, as if in the wind. Ashley
and Selena pulled a cotton candy lollipop from the air and before she could get it in her mouth, Cole
grabbed her and hoisted her over his massive shoulders, carrying her up the steps of the back porch as she
kicked him with her platform boots. Ashley sucked on her cavity on a stick before the coin finally landed
in my Dad's hand.
"Let's," Ethan said, holding open the screen door to the backyard. Ethan knew that Selena or
himself didn't want to be present in the room with Ashley and Val.
"Tails," Dad said, and looked at Ashley. "Looks like you're doing the dishes with gramma Maria."
The lollipop fell from Ashley's hand and hit the marble floors and as soon as it hit the ground. The second
Ashley's lollipop hit the wood, lightning struck the tree outside the kitchen window—right where Mom
and Connie used to hang their old spirit bottles for protection—and the windows rattled.
The rain began to pour.
Ethan smiled to himself.
"Why is this all sounding so familiar?" Ashley cocked her head to the side, and another lollipop
appeared in her hand again. Another cotton candy pop.
"Don't be such a stiff, Demi," Val said looking at her sister like she was a snack waiting to be
devoured. She rolled her eyes at her sister and turned to my Dad.
"I'm not stiff, Ayesha," Ashley said. "I did the dishes last week. I know you don't care about me,
so mouth it."
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Ashley's face turned red. "We all care, you little idiot."
"Whatever, I'm not doing the dishes this week," Ashley said, folding her arms around her torso.
She let go of the lollipop and let it fall to the floor. It was then that William walked in and stepped on it,
crunching it into a million pieces.
"The one who denied it, supplied it," Ashley says, shrugging her shoulders at her sister. Ashley
snared at her sister and the energy in the room felt different and the pile of ground sugar powder and the
white paper stem—the remnants of the lollipop Will had crushed beneath his boot—streamed back up
through the air to her fingers, re-forming again into the cotton candy lollipop it once was. She popped it
into her mouth. "Now, where were we?"
Everyone stared.
That was new.
Bolivia or Liv, Catherine’s friend looked at my Dad with concerned eyes; and as if on queue
Selena walked in. “I forgot you were here,” John said, Selena smiled at him and turned to Erica.
“I’m going to Zane’s place, I’ll call you when I get there.” And with that she walked out the room.
We waited silently until the front door closed when my Dad turned to Ethan. Sometimes I think that I was
born into a Russian Roulette game.
“What the fuck did I just walk into?” I asked, looking around the dining hall. “Did I just walk into
a Russian Roulette?”
“No, you just walked in on the new Heart addition,” Matt said, throwing an arm around my
shoulders. “Remember when you asked me how I became a Full Caster and I told you I made a deal?” I
looked up at my cousin. “I made a deal with Holly and Brokeslum for your parents and us to be Full
Casters. It was Emmaline’s idea and it was too good to be true.”
“What did you do to make this deal?” I spat.
“I took a strand of your parent’s blood and hair and did the same to Oakley, Sam and
Josephine–although she’s a baby, Theresa, John and Will and your Mom and Dad agreed to do the Vox
spell.”
“I thought that spell was forbidden?” I said, turning my full attention to Matt. “I just got off of
court for being a patterned imposter, why would you do this?”
“Everyone knows that Emmaline is good at what she does, even the Council,” Matt said. “Plus,
Holly may have pulled some strings with her Dad and Emmaline. Did you give what Emmaline told you
to give to Oakley?”
“I will after dinner,” I said and made my way to a chair.
After dinner, I walked into the theater room finding Oakley reading a pink booklet, and Cassidy
watching the third round of the game in Australia. I sat next to Oakley on the beanbag and watched her
eyes move from side to side. Sometimes, I wonder if Oakley was close enough or born to be a deaf-mute?
"Oakley, do you know what the word Joeward means?" I asked her. Oakley looked at me, hazel
eyes sparkling, and blonde hair curling in the wind.
"A Joeward is a combination of Full Caster, Light, Dark and Demon Caster. It can be dangerous,"
Oakley says, "but not if there's Mortal blood in someone’s essence." She looked at me, "like me, Sam and
Jo, and Ashley and Val."
I couldn't barely stand what Oakley was saying about the Joewards. My daughters. Joewards.
There had to be some miscommunication or some misunderstanding. I can't possibly have children who
are able to carry that type of magic in their blood. I gave Oakley what Emmaline gave me and Oakley's
eyes were dark and the room suddenly went cold. Oakley ran her fingers down the ivory spine of the book
and closed her eyes. Her lips started to move but nothing was coming out. Oakley's hair began to curl up
in knots and when she opened her eyes she was looking at me.
"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming
dreams no Mortal ever dared to dream before..." The images flashed and floated on the periphery of my
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mind. The words Fight or Flight appeared and reappeared like a blinking light and vanished. I could hear
Oakley's voice in the distance but I could see her and her scent of roses and peppermint and vanilla spice
surrounded me and the wind grew stronger and the darkness around me grew colder.
"From blood, ash and sorrow. For the Demons imprisoned below to avenge them. And to serve."
Oakley's voice became deep and she repeated the words in Niadic, the old Caster language. "Non losht,
crao iz hyprizulo. Ize cin Demones icrizone helio op grovon slime. Iz op not." Oakley snapped from her
trance pulling me out with her, I looked at me, her sight fully aware of me. Jacob, Cassidy sat across from
me and Oakley; Jacob smells like vanilla and spice instead of caramel dutch. Can I go into a trance and
pick up on other people's scent without noticing? I rubbed my eyes and looked at Jacob and Oakley.
"If you think I'm keeping this a secret, you two are crazier than my sister. This is so over the line,"
Cassidy said; and looked from me to Jacob. "Are you suggesting that the Keepers are in collusion with the
Dark World? Because that is so wrong, on so many levels."
"That's why I was hoping that you would want to come with us to an old friend's house?" Jacob
says. “She’s actually been wanting to talk to you and your Dad.”
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

Chapter 16. Inner, Bitter, Beautiful Demons
Emmaline pulled Oakley into a hug and then hugged John. She was strong for an old lady. Oakley
looked at me before scratching her head and looking at Ryan who begged me and John to come with us.
And plus, it turns out that Ryan knows more about the Message book than we do.
"Thank you for giving yourself time to make it here," Emmaline says, and walking to her seat, she
knocked a few things down and pushed her weight on DeeDee’s wing making her squawk. "And I wasn't
expecting Ryan too." Emmaline picked up a stack of books and slowly revived them into their homes on
the shelves.
"We couldn't leave her home," I said. "And even if I tried to, she knows how to rip, which I find
getting annoying." Emmaline smiled, laughing and picked up a book in Niadic and another old Greek and
Gaelic the old Irish and another book, Il Lib... maybe something in the old Caster harmony. Emmaline
took a seat next to John and she looked a little too excited to have Oakley here.
"You have a lot of books, Ms. Emmaline," Ryan said, looking around and touching a book with
the cover of a flower.
"Wish I knew the Cast for reshelving books without actually having to pick them all up,"
Emmaline said. A vein in John's neck started to slither up into his neck before the books in the room
started to float and land in random spaces on the shelves. Some moved to new places. Books and books of
names I've never even heard of.
The angry queen
The unbalanced scale
The scale of darkness
The child of darkness
The storm
The sacrifice
The split twins
The bleeding blade
The fractured soul
Sulla, the Prophet
Yep, never heard of those before. The final books took their place and finally the smell of dust on
old papers left the air. A door caught my attention to the far left of the room, and I could see a green light
around the cracks of it. I looked at John and Ryan and Oakley and no one paid no attention to me or the
door. Could they even see the light? Or the door? Could they see anything about what I was seeing? I felt
my body change its course from my chair to the doorway. I ran my fingers down the rough texture and my
fingers found familiar raking so of a Crescent. An outer door to the Caster Tunnels. I turned my brother
and Emmaline and they were talking, everyone didn’t look up at me. My chair was foggy with a black
mist and I looked at my fingers. They were gelatin like, as if they were in water. I put both of my hands on
the door and instead of the door opening, it slid up locking once it hit the top.
I flinched and looked behind me and my brother, Ryan, and Oakley and Emmaline, they were
gone, just a black wall behind me, Caster Tunnels going in every direction. I gulped and felt the force of
the door pull me in. Before I could even push away, I was standing in a room with passed on Spirits. My
Mom’s parents Heather and Napoleon Cane, my Dad’s parents Avery and Frederick Heart followed by my
great grandparents on both sides. My ancestor Margerate E. Genetelli or MEG, Cole and Selena's parents
Julia and Steven Gonzalez and the little sister that was never born; a little boy, Aiden; Josephine's twin
brother but didn't make it. Vanessa and Evelyn, John and Heather’s miscarried twins, and Ryan's Mom
and Dad. JS, Connie, Jenny and Del sat watching a TV show and having a conversation with another
woman dressed in grey and silver and gold. On the walls of the place, we're just written words of Niadic
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and something else in gibberish. An all too familiar symbol stood out between them all. Two horizontal
slanted lines with a Z running through them.
"A Crucible." I knew how to read and write in Niadic and Gaelic Irish, and the word Lilum
appeared on the wall of the place. A Lilum is the female creature from Demonspit, another city in
Casteadstoria, and it's either Latin or Gaelic or gibberish for "Demon" and who possessed neither Light
nor Dark she was the absence of both. My Dad and Connie would always tutor me and my brothers
about how our world has Light and Dark Casters, Succubuses, and Sirens, Sybils and Diviners. I never
understood because I was so little at the time that she told me about this. Another word "Joeward" and
"Wayward" we're both written in English, Latin, Gaelic, and Casteadstorian Creyl, the new Caster
language.
Joeward. The combination of Light, Dark, and Demon.
Not good for a Caster with Mortal blood. Ashley, Val, Samantha, Jo, and Oakley; all
Mortal-Casters. I remember learning something about Joeward's that are being born in both worlds.
Earthquakes in Paraguay. In London. In Prague, Peru, Madrid, Istanbul, Cairo; there's nothing but bad
weather happening everywhere.
I looked at the circle of my family and they were smiling and laughing. I reached out to Jenny and
I felt a strong gust of cold wind pull me out of the room, the door closing and pulled me back in the room
with my brother and Emmaline. I felt my body pull myself back into my chair waking me up and the
windows in the room blowing outwards.
John, Ryan and Oakley and Emmaline covered themselves and the feeling of nausea and dizziness
washed over me. I take in a breath, opening my eyes. I could see my niece, brother and best friend on the
floor; Emmaline in her chair as if it happens a lot. My brother Oakley and Ryan looked up from their safe
haven and looked at Emmaline and me. They turned to me; I turned to them. Oakley strongly held on to
John, Ryan's eyes were in the polychrome state. Ryan's been in-between antisocial since her parents died
in the Caster Crane accident. Emmaline's eyes were on me like she could see me, see what I've done, see
what I did, see what happened.
"Margerate," Emmaline said. "Why do you get the sense that you weren't here for my
announcement? That you weren’t here for five minutes."
"What announcement?" I said, rubbing my eyes, and squeezing the pain from my head. Emmaline
and Ryan and John looked at me like I was crazy.
"The Messages book," Emmaline says and turns to John, Ryan and Oakley. I don't think that I was
supposed to go through that door. "This book represents the words and last messages of the fallen Casters
and Demons and Mortals. Each message is either in English, Niadic, or in Creyl. I can speak the language
that I wish to see, and the message that I wish to see will change into that language."
"How about my parents' last words?" Ryan said, the room appearing in a dark orange color, the
color of grieve. Emmaline looked around her room and DeeDee squawked into the air. I will never
understand or know how Ryan can change the emotions of a room by letting her feelings go. Even my
parents don't know how that happened. I think that it had something to do with her parents' death and her
brothers who became Dark Casters.
Emmaline flipped through the pages and stopped when the pages started to turn on their own.
"Your mother's last words were, "Margerate, don't tell Ryan about her sister." And your father's were, "put
an end to the WSC." Emmaline looked up from the book and Ryan's eyes were black and streaked with
tears and her whole demeanor changed.
"What's wrong with my sister?" Ryan spat the words and her hair started to curl; "what about my
sister?" Emmaline went to speak but the glass in the room blew in the same second that Ryan screamed in
pain; her veins showing like she was being restrained, and Oakley hollered. Ryan's eyes opened and she
stood up from her chair. Her eyes were dark, her teeth were pointed and her nails started to scrape against
the grey pants that's now a dress. Oakley's nails started to draw blood from gripping onto John's shirt.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

Emmaline stared at Ryan with disbelief and DeeDee hissed and squawked at the Full Caster
before us. "The Seine is drying up." Her words were a message; a riddle. I looked at Oakley who was in
terror and her hair started to curl; she was trying to read between the riddle. Oakley's eyes were grey and
blood started to ooze from her eyes, like she was crying blood.
"Who are you?" I said. "I command you to tell me your name!" Ryan's eyes looked at me before
her head turned to me. She smiled at me. She opened her mouth to speak but the words that were left
weren't in Ryan's voice. The voice was deep, menacing and piercing.
"I am Lilum. Time. Truth. Honesty. Passion. Sanctuary. Comfort to the world. Destiny. The
Endless River. The Wheel of Fate. You do not command me, Mrs. Morteze." Emmaline's eyes started to
run in tears and her tiny old fingers started to curl up around the book. She shook her head in mercy.
"Lilum," Emmaline spoke in a shaky voice, "I've been trying to contact you for some time."
"Yes, I know," the Lilum spoke. "And I've been trying to ignore you for sometime." She looked at
me. "Margerate, you have a lot of issues about this family and you have even more nerve to draw a
Crucible on the line of the doorway." Ryan shot a smile at me and her teeth were sharp. "You know
Margerate, I've always knew that you'd be a handful, even before you took your first breath. So many
creatures have been wanting to put an end to you."
"Because I have Genetelli in my blood?" I said. "Margerate died from her father."
"Exactly," the Lilum said, smiling at me. Her eyes were white, like she had a disease that took her sight.
"That's exactly why her father killed her. From destroying the Paths again and burning the Nueva Collida
castle."
"I thought she died from a broken heart?" John mumbled. Lilum shook her head.
"That's what every legend says," Lilum spoke. "Margerate, you're not even close to protecting
your daughters. They couldn't even protect themselves or you if they had the chance. They're Joewards,
with Full Caster in their blood. Joewards are dangerous; I'm sure you've noticed that once Connie and Del
and your cousins gave them the ability to transform into little eight year olds."
I found myself snaring at the Demon possessing my best friend's body. I wondered if Ryan was
fighting for her life, or she just didn't know what was going on; or if she was aware that it was even
happening. My poor sister and best friend. "I am very protective of my daughters," I said, "my daughters
are more responsible than you."
"Margerate," Emmaline called my name. "Never swear on the Lilum."
"Well, I just did," I said, eyeballing the possessed Full Caster. "Not all Lilums are the truth. They
could put a lie in someone's head that sounds so truthful that it stings. And you Miss. Lilum, are a truthful
lie of stings." The possessed Ryan hissed at me and pointed a skinny finger at me.
"Only your grandparents could allow the Light to give your parents a daughter with grey," she
said. "May your grandparents forever be in your care, my Child." Ryan's eyes closed as her body lost
balance and John swept to his feet and caught her before she hit the ground. Holding her on his lap on the
floor, Ryan's face was wet, she started burning up.
My eyes started to fog in and out and Ryan, I stared at Ryan’s close eyes before blackness took
over me. I was coming too and I could feel the familiar protection of John hovering over me. Emmaline
was over me and the dark hair of Ryan covered most of my surroundings. I laid on a small metal bed with
gossamer curtains and diamonds attached to the bottom. What happened? Who's Lilum? Is Ryan the
Lilum? The words left my lips the second I looked up at the three Casters. I rubbed my eyes and temples
before I squeezed the feeling of pins and needles from my head.
"You know, for a sister you sure are a heavy sleeper," John said leaning over me. He pulled me up
from the pillows and made me lean on the headboard. "Now, I see why Mom and Dad got you an alarm
clock for Christmas." I rubbed my eyes and gave my brother a frown.
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"What happened?" I mumbled under my breath. "What the hell happened?" John, Ryan and
Emmaline frowned at me. Oakley sat beside me and laid her head on my shoulder.
"You fainted," John said, "you were in some kind of trance and then you fell out of your chair." Ryan
rubbed the sides of her forehead. "You weren't out for long, you just dropped for about 15 minutes or so."
I looked at Ryan and she was a bit sweaty on the forehead but she never looked up at me. She didn't even
sit beside me like she used to.
"Ryan, are you okay?" I asked her. She looked at me and nodded. "Did you faint?"
"No, but I do remember blacking out," she said. "I remember listening to Emmaline about books
that needed to be put up and then everything went black. When I came too, you were on the floor." Ryan
scratched her head. I looked at John and he was trying to read me.
I looked at Emmaline, "What's Lilum?" Emmaline picked at the dangly string from her sweater
vest before looking up at me. Although she's a blind lady, I swear she can see right through me. Like she's
not blind at all.
"The Lilum is what we call the Demon Queen. She's neither Light nor Dark–she was the absence
of both," Emmaline said. I'm pretty sure this Lilum is the reason that I'm wanted for being born.
"What does she want from me?" I asked her.
"The magic that you possess is none other than your past ancestors," Emmaline spoke. "Your
grandparents and great-great-great-great grandmother." If Emmaline was telling me that I can do all of
those things because of a great ancestor, then that means that I'm more than just a Full Caster. I'm a
Wayward, a true Wayward, just like my daughters and nieces. So, it’s official; I’m royalty.
In my peripheral I saw a gust of wind and looking to my left there was the outline of a figure.
First the feet, then the legs, the torso and finally the top. The face came into view and my breath caught in
my throat. The eyes were dark, the long dark hair was black and curly. I was looking at someone; I was
looking at me.
"I'm here," she said. She put a hand out and her fingers were misty and solid at the same time. I
put my hand out to reach her; before I could touch her, she evaporated into a metamorphosis form. Pulling
my hand slowly back from the area where the ghostly me stood, John and Ryan and Oakley looked at me
like I was crazy.
"There was another me in that corner right there," I pointed to the corner by the shelf of books.
My brother and niece and best friend looked where I pointed and turned back to me.
"There's no one there, Maggie," John said. Ryan stared at the area and Oakley was just staring at
me and the shelf. I looked at him and then to Oakley and Ryan.
"You might be seeing your inner self," Emmaline says, feeling for me. I put my hands out and she
grabbed the sides of my jawline instead. "Your other soul. Half of your soul." John, Oakley, and Ryan
turned their attention to Emmaline and then turned to me.
“What? Half of my soul," I said. Emmaline nodded and ran her thumb across my cheek
"Half of your soul is with the living and half is with the dead. You left it behind... In the
otherworld. When you die."
"I never died, Emmaline." Emmaline sat beside me, squeezing past John, she kept her hand on my
face.
"When your heart stopped when you were born, you died," Emmaline says, "that's why you can
see and hear things that aren't there. Especially your grandmother."
"How'd you know that my heart stopped when I was born?" I asked her.
"Because I was there," Emmaline says, "you weren't born in a Mortal hospital, but in a
Laboratory. A Caster Laboratory. A room in the deepest parts of this Tunnel."
The deepest parts of the Tunnels are in Deathvon and Cassandae Memoriael. A Laboratory where
Dad used to take me and my brothers when we were kids. I got a flashback of a door with a sign that says
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Helchro Obex. Caster Laboratory. Coming back to reality, I tried to pull back from Emmaline but her
grasp was too strong for me.
"Are you saying that I was born in a Caster Laboratory? Like some supernatural test-tube baby?"
Emmaline's eyes became sad and she nodded. "Your brothers were the only two born in a Caster hospital.
That's why your brothers can be assigned as Mortals. The Caster Council members have John and William
down as Mortals because they're born in the Mortal world."
"What about me?" I said, "the members at the WSC." The Whitedove System of Casteadstoria are
a combination of the Caster Council. A place where we went for the trial of Tanning and Relocating my
powers.
"You are down as a Caster in the Caster hospital," Emmaline said. "That's why when you do
something the Mortal way, Mrs. Lee or the Caster Council, they have to clean up your mess and do a lot
of paperwork."
"Because I'm down as a Caster in this world?" Emmaline nodded, pulling her hands from me.
"But why put me down as a Caster in this world where I spent my entire life as a Mortal in the Mortal
world?"
"Because your grandmother's spirit came to you as a baby, making your heart beat again, your
heart stopped when you were with your mother," Emmaline said. "You were dead and alive for almost
your entire mother's pregnancy."
"That's when you were born and your heart stopped in the ER," John said. "The doctor's didn't
know what to do."
"That's when your gramma came," Emmaline said. "She couldn't beat your heart until you were
fully born, but that took some time."
"Why not make me breathe in the womb?" I asked Emmaline.
"If you come back too fast, the soul can be fractured. Divided. One part of the soul goes back
with the living and the other half stays with the dead. Caught between this world and the other. Bound to
the missing half––until they're brought back together." Emmaline was making no sense to me. The only
person understanding was John, Oakley and Ryan. Me. I didn't get nothing at all.
"So, I'm a Sensitive?" I said.
"A Perspective, yes, but other than that, you're just a Wayward just like your daughters,"
Emmaline says, getting up from the bed and walking over to the doorway with DeeDee behind her.
Emmaline stopped and turned to me. "Trade is a serious matter. Balance is a key principle within the
Order of things." She turned and walked down the hallway, DeeDee squawked at us and flew down the
hall to her owner and the bedroom door closed behind her.
I turned to my brother and he was hunched over on the bed, his elbows on his knees. Ryan sat
with her arms wrapped around her torso and was tapping her fingers on her forearm, a thing she does for
Casting her own Casts. Oakley's eyes were dark and water splashed at us, I closed my eyes but nothing hit
me but air. The water was more air than water.
Opening my eyes, we were in John's living room, with Oakley beside her Dad. Heather's not
home which is a shock. Heather's usually over her parent's house or over the Olive's with Theresa. The
two sisters speak perfect Spanish and that means that neither of their daughters—my nieces—speak
Spanish as good as Theresa and Heather.
"I had no idea that I was born in a Caster Laboratory," I said. John rubbed his jaw line before
turning to me. The fact I had no clue that I was born in a Caster Laboratory, no wonder why I know the
Caster world like the back of my hand, I was born in a Caster laboratory.
"We both didn't know. Me and Will," John said. "We always knew that you'd be the Unborn Child
of Mom and Dad. Especially the WSC. I had no freaking idea." Ryan and Oakley sat on the couch
looking between me and John. Sora pranced in from the room that John uses for his office. Sora Travels
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between the Mortal and Caster Realm using just herself. She can pass for any type of cat because now she
can Shapeshift into almost anything possible.
"I feel like I don't even belong here," I said looking down at the grey carpet. I walked over and sat
down on the peach couch and John sat beside me.
"You do belong here," John said. "You belong anywhere you please. You're just different and the
world hates different but you can't help that. This whole family is different. Every creature, every side.
Just because we're not from the Mortal Realm, doesn't make us dumber."
"It makes us smarter," Oakley cut in. John spent so much time with Oakley that he's starting to
talk like her. The Riddled-Language which is Oakley and Oakley's only. I smiled at my niece and turned
to John.
"But what about you and Will? Born in a Mortal hospital in the Mortal Realm?" I said. "Shouldn't
the WSC be on y'alls tail and not mine?"
"Maggie, you're born in the Caster Laboratory because to them you are a test-tube baby," Ryan
butt in. "That's why with you anywhere in the Caster world, they come after you." Looking at my best
friend, all I could see was the possessed creature in black. Looking at Ryan, her eyes were dark brown,
her skin was bronze-olive and her hair was just her long dark, silky, wavy hair. She was dressed in her
grey pants and pink shirt that didn't have a trace of the black dress when she appeared to me.
"I can make a visit to the Whitedove System of Casteadstoria, and ask them what makes you so
important?" Ryan said. Now, there goes my best friend. John looked at her like she was crazy.
"How about I just move in with Gloria and Tan with my own powers," I said, "wouldn't that do
any good? I mean whatever I did, it's gonna be affecting other Casters outside of my family. Everyone's
powers are gonna be misfiring like mine was last year."
"I don't even think that you'd get away with that," John said looking between me and Ryan.
Oakley picked at the sleeve of her jean jacket and started to say something but closed her mouth. She
called Kitchen in her thoughts and a notebook and pen appeared with a bowl of Jello. Oakley grabbed the
bowl and started to poke at the Red gelain, before putting it on the table and pulling up her sleeve and
messing with dial tones on her Selenometer—a watch looking device that Dad gave her.
Oakley looked up from her Selenometer at Ryan, "You act like you've never seen a Selenometer
before."
"Dude, I didn't even know that they still made them," Ryan said. I looked at Ryan's and John was
already eyeballing her. They don't. Ryan thought.
John looked at Ryan; "they do, but only in the Caster World," John corrected her. John looked at
Oakley who smiled a "thank you" smile and went back to her spinning the Selenometer and writing
numbers, letters, and symbols down on paper. Only John could understand his daughter.
Mom and Dad and I stood in the glass room with Ethan, and Selena. When Matthew did, he gave
every Caster the opportunity to change their Destiny. Cole became a Full Caster and due to Emmaline's
Empathy, she told me why our close loved ones left us. Because too many Half-blood Casters were being
born in the two worlds, and that was gonna lead towards another unbalanced side, which occurred almost
seven years ago. A lot of Casters died, more and more on both my Mom and Dad's side. Ian lost his
cousin Cameron who was at the funeral just last month and Bian's Aunt Theresa or Tiny died in a car
accident on the way to the hospital for a Cancer treatment. Shit is bad. Mom and Dad decided to have the
girls homeschooled with Chloe and Gloria.
John pulled Mom to one side of the room the second we walked through the door. I looked at
Oakley who was in the den with Sam. Ming walked down the stairs in a grey robe with her hair in a damp
bun.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

"Your Mom said that lunch is ready and Ryan, your brothers want you," Ming said. "They're
upstairs in the library and Maggie, Cole needs your help with something. He's in your room."
"Of course he does," I mumbled and took the stairs. But I was caught by Mom.
"Margerate, a word, please," she crooked a finger at me. I sighed and turned to her.
"One minute, I have something else to do that involves my other persona," I said and climbed the
stars. Opening the door to my room, Cole sat on the desk chair with Selena plopped up on the pink king
size bed. She sucked on a purple lollipop and it made a "plopping" noise as she pulled it from her lips.
"Hay, cuz, what's new?" she smiled. Cole turned from the laptop and threw his hands up at me
and got up from the desk chair. He looked annoyed, I couldn't tell if the sun was in his eyes or his Full
Caster eyes were blocking the sun's ray. "Cole is pissed," Selena laughed, twirling the lollipop between
her fingers. Cole scrolled at his sister and turned to me.
"What is with your little friend Julia and this Traveling thing?" he asked me, "is she trying to get
us caught by the WSC?" I looked at Selena who sucked on her lollipop and raised her brows at me.
"I don't know, Cole, I'm just coming from Emmaline's." Selena's eyes enlarged and she levitated
off of my bed towards me.
"Who's she planning on Blinding now?" Selena said. Cole started to mumble in bright words to
himself before he realized he was talking to himself again.
"He's talking to himself again," I noted.
"He doesn't realize how his voice is too annoying to tune out," Selena says, and right away Cole
stopped mumbling and looked at his sister.
"I'll give Julia a call," I turned to leave, but stopped and turned to Cole and Selena, "after lunch."
Cole looked at Selena and pushed one another out the door.
Mom sat at the table with her plate full of a little bit of everything. Mom made pancakes with
breakfast sandwiches. Mom had one pancake and no sandwich on her plate but a glass full of
Go-Go-Wine, a Caster drink; and she was starting to look pale. Ming and Ryan were the most silent ones
at the table; but only Mom and Ming sat at the table with enough food to feed the neighborhood. Dad and
Ethan made themselves so many plates that it looked like they had to be having a competition. Cole and
Selena picked at their plates and Cole twirled his wine with one finger above the glass. I stared at him,
remembering the time that Connie's spirit came to me and I knew they were dead. The day she left was
the day that the Light and Dark Casters in the family became Full Casters. My brothers, my parents, my
Aunts and my nieces. I barely understand how that even happened. Was there always magic, that type of
Full Caster magic in my siblings?
Mom looked over at Samantha who typed on Dad's computer. "Why are you always on that
computer?"
"Well, you're always on my nerves, but you don't hear me complaining." Samantha said and
looked up at my Mom. Mom's eyes furrowed at her.
"Ignore her, Mom. She's not bothering anyone," John said sitting Indian style on the ceiling in the
living room. We looked over and up at the marble ceiling and John smiled and waved, Dad waved slowly
at him and looked at Mom.
"Since when could you do that?" Selena asked him.
"Since we were Claimed Light and Dark," Will said crawling on the ceiling also and sat beside his
brother Indian style. Mom looked at me and I looked at Dad and Mom. "If it weren't for our sister, we
wouldn't be able to do all of this."
"I'm not happy that my children are Full Casters, but yet, I can't do nothing about it. It is what it
is. And my daughter speaks the ignis," Mom said, taking a sip of wine. Dad moved a glass across the
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

table. We looked at him and he looked at my brothers, but kept a glance at Cole since he's the only one
with his back facing my brothers.
"Mom, you're speaking Riddle's again," I said and looked up at her. Mom shook her head and she
looked up at me and then to Dad.
I felt the room go dark and grow intense, like the air in the room was beige and being sucked out
of it. My Mom looked up from her plate and her eyes were white, a bright misty-milky white. Dad
touched her hand and she pulled away. Dad looked at me for a second before the lights started to flicker.
"Cole, can you still Project?" she asked him. It was an order, not a question. Cole must've known
it himself, because he had already left the table and was heading to Dad's library. He came back out with a
book that happened to have blank pages. Cole looked at my Mom and she had her head in her plate again.
Cole started to sketch and his hand was moving with speed and his hands were already black and grey
from the dark edges from it.
The picture was a face with dark eyes, hair and makeup with a dark dress or gown. Although the
picture was just a sketch it still looked creepy. My Dad looked at his wife and Samantha who chewed
looking, the Casters in the room looked for an explanation on my Mom's sudden change of persona. They
looked at me like I had the question on my forehead. Cole used a finger and smeared it up and down and
across, barely all over the picture. Mom squeezed her eyes shut and opened them, revealing her light hazel
eyes. Both Dad and John and Will reached out to touch her but she grabbed Dad and John's hand stopping
them. Cole slid the booklet over to Mom's direction and she placed her hands on the corners like it was an
infection. Looking over the book, the sketch was a silhouette with dark eyes, hair and clothing. She had
the tongue of a snake and the mouth that stopped at the tip of her chest; like a demon. Was that a demon?
"That's Lilum," Samantha said, jumping up from her chair and racing around the table to meet my
Mom's gaze. My heart dropped and my stomach twisted and I felt sick. John looked at me and went back
to the sketch. I kept my head down and I was trying hard not to look Samantha in the eye or she'd read
me.
"The Demon Queen?" Mom said, eyes wide. Sam and Cole and Selena nodded. "The Lilum hasn't
been seen in years. How can I see these visions of her?"
"You can only attract visions of someone that powerful if you or someone close to you has
experienced the Lilum in person," Dad said, Samantha and Will nodded.
"That's not the actual Queen," John said looking at the picture. "That's..."
Ryan walked over and stopped in her tracks, gulping. "That's me." Ryan said, looking around the
room at us. "I'm Lilum?"
"No, how's that possible?" Sam asked, and I looked up at the wrong time. Samantha had looked
right at me. "Maggie, you met Lilum face to face. And you not only met her, you Traveled through time.
The Other Realm? You saw JS and Connie and Mr. and Mrs. Little."
Now, everyone was looking at me. "I may have and didn't really notice until I came back to this
side," I said.
"You saw my Mom?" Ethan said, at the same time Ryan said "my parents." I opened my mouth to
speak but nothing came out. I think it's my time to die too.
"Margerate, you can Travel?" Dad said, cupping my face in his hands and kissing me on the head.
He turned to Mom. "She can Travel to two different realms, just like my grandmother could." I looked
with hard eyes at Dad and Mom was out of her chair and on the floor, and Ming was out of her chair and I
was out of my chair leaving the room.
No way. I'm not this Traveler. I don't wanna be a Traveler. That wasn't in the brochure of
becoming a Full Caster. I'm not gonna be Traveling from realm to realm with wings and a halo. I'm a Full
Caster for crying out loud. I have a light and dark side. I'm not doing this, I have to talk to Emmaline.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

Emmaline!" I called after her, rushing through her door. "Emmaline!" The living room is still
clean from the time that John was here. I could see DeeDee or Emmaline in sight. I have to talk to
Emmaline and ask how and why I can Travel and not even know that I can Travel. I called her again and I
never got an answer. I called her again. "Emmaline!"
"Emmaline, I need to ask you a question. I need to know how I can Travel."
"Usually, a Full Caster that Travels is a bad sign," Emmaline said, making her way from the
dining area. The table is full of books and a potion stand. "But what do I know? I'm just a blind lady."
Emmaline wasn't really all that blind if you ask me. She had her ways for a hundred and something year
old blind lady.
"I know that I have to know why I can Travel?" I said growing impatient. Emmaline smiled and
placed her hands on my cheeks.
"You can Travel because Connie gave them to you," Emmaline says. "When Connie died, Del and
the others came together to make a power that was so strong that even the Great and Powerful Casters
couldn't break a crack for it. The spirits must have something special in mind for you."
"So, I can Travel because Connie and Del—"
"Had a talk with the Gods to give you that power to Travel," Emmaline said, "you see, honey, it's
a good and bad thing that a Caster can Travel because the government will burn the tree." Emmaline
grabbed my hands and looked me in the eyes; although she was blind it felt like she could see right
through me.
"But why give me this Traveling power? I mean I don't want to travel." I said. Emmaline's hands
on my face were warm and I felt her fingers run down my cheekbones.
"It's too late," she said, "they've already chosen you to carry the power."
"Teach me how to use them," I said looking at the whiteness in her eyes. Emmaline smiled and
grabbed my hands and led me to the small room near the dining hall. DeeDee flew in squawking after me
and Emmaline.
The room she led me to, was small and dark with yellow paint that's on its way to a chipping
adventure. The room smelled like dry paint, and old paint and Emmaline and DeeDee led me down the
room that smelled even worse, it smelled like an old barn but with dead animals and a bad paint job.
Emmaline stopped, making me walk into her. She smiled and waved a hand in the direction, and DeeDee
squawked and Emmaline placed my hand on the wall. The wall formed and a pathway came into view.
"I need you to place your hands upon the doorframe and say Soy nigi grave. This wall will open
and behind it is the pathway to another dimension." Emmaline said. I looked at her and went back to the
pathway.
"That's a pathway," I looked at her, "you don't see the pathway?" Emmaline looked at the
doorway and shook her head. I looked at DeeDee who disappeared down the hall into the darkness of the
path. I looked at Emmaline wondering if she saw that but I forgot she's blind. I looked at the path and took
in a breath; then I felt the familiar buzz that started in my fingers spread through my body like a charge of
electricity.
"I'm gonna send DeeDee with you," Emmaline said. "A Delcrow is what DeeDee is and she's a
Crosser. Take this with you." She gave me a plastic bag of tobacco and a bottle of liquor.
"DeeDee eats tobacco and drinks liquor," Emmaline says, smiling at me.
"Your bird drinks whiskey and eats tobacco?" I asked Emmaline and looked at the black crow that
now rested on her master's shoulders.
"The crow is also the only bird that can cross between the worlds—the veils between life and
death, and places far worse. That old heap of feathers is a powerful ally, and a better teacher, Maggie.
DeeDee can do a lot of things but the only place that birds can't go is underwater. And that's cause I never
taught him how to swim."
"Him."
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

"Remember DeeDee can be anything you want," Emmaline said. "Shit, she can even transform if
she wants to."
"How about a stunt double for Meredith Cloawns?" I said.
Emmaline turned to me, "that could work. Now, close your eyes." Closing my eyes, I could feel
the vibrations of Emmaline's magic running through her. My Caster wind started to blow my hair in curls
and the smell of Christmas in Spring flooded my nose. I heard the sound of gushing wind before feeling it
blow me back almost off my feet. "Open them."
I opened my eyes, and everything was clear. "When you look at the door, you see a door, right?"
Emmaline nodded
I looked at Emmaline. "I see a path."
"Find the Kalfu and place both your hands on it and say Ad Auxilium Concitatio." I turned to
Emmaline with a sour taste in my mouth.
"That's a Caster SOS," I said, "why do I need an AAC?"
"Because those don't really work for me," she said. "Now, go on before I change my mind."
"You're not coming with?" Emmaline shook her head, grey curls covering her face. "Then how
will I know where the Kalfu is or what it looks like?"
"Trust me when the time comes you'll know," Emmaline said and pushed me through the
pathway. I turned around and Emmaline was gone, nothing but darkness behind me. I could feel the cold
and the sounds of water rushing in the distance.
DeeDee squawked in the distance. I held out my hand and spoke the words. "Ignis." A warm fire
orb formed in my hand and lightened up my surroundings. DeeDee squawked louder in the distance, the
fire in the palm of my hand faced to the wind howling. DeeDee got my attention and things felt like they
were starting to get a little bushy in the distance for starters.
I placed my hands on the walls and they were warm, or was it just my hands that were warm. I
could feel my breath and the flame in my hand blew out the second I came to an opening and I stepped
out and I was surrounded by cobblestone buildings and signs with candles and gargoyles in the windows.
I stepped foot into another world. DeeDee squawked above me, turning in circles.
"Just remember who has your drugs, eh!" I called out at her and she squawked again and seemed
to dive lower but dive up higher. Rolling my eyes at her, I could feel the ground shake under my feet
which wasn't a wall to pick at. The ground crumbled beneath my feet with every step and I was afraid to
take another and even if I did I'm pretty sure that I'd fall straight through. The only word that stayed in my
head was Kalfu. Kalfu. What the fuck is a Kalfu? Is that some kind of drug or book or something.
Emmaline said to just place my hands upon it and speak the words Ad Auxilium Concitatio. That's
something like a Caster SOS sign but I'm not sure about doing this or what this has to do with me
Traveling. Especially with me Traveling.
"You seem lost," a raspy voice caught my attention. I turned around and 6-feet away from me
stood an old man in black, a black cloak. The symbol of an Incubus or Demon, I could never tell them
apart. I couldn't see his face but his eyes were glowing a faint yellow.
Incubus.
"No, I'm not," I said. "I'm just out with my pet DeeDee. I lost her in the tunnels a while back but I
found her." I pointed up at the sky at the flying and squawking crow. "So, you can go back to your man
cave."
"Now, there's no way to treat an old man," he said and put a hand out. A dirty hand with long
dirty nails that were chipped and yellow "My name is Verree, or Rhawn. But I'm pretty sure that you
know that."
"You're Maria and George Heart's daughter." I felt him smile below the cloak.
"No, but I do know George and Maria," I said.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

"Don't play stupid with me," Verree said. "You're the daughter of Maria and George Heart. Don't
play games with me."
"Last time I played games was when I helped your parents place a Cast on their little girl to
provoke her from doing harm or damage to others but that was over twenty years ago." Verree laughed
and rubbed his crusty hands together.
"I do remember my parents telling me that. Multiple others helped them lock my powers, but I
still found a way..."
"That was because around that time your great grandma died and she was pretty hard to handle.
And she still is," Verree looked at DeeDee and squawked and instantly DeeDee flew down landing on
Verree's boney arm.
"But don't worry, you stayed locked in for a good while," Verree said, smiling at DeeDee. DeeDee
hissed and took a bite out of Verree's arm. His grey skin hanging and the sight made me sick. His inner
skin has moving insects and worms moving around and falling from the womb.
I put my arm out. "DeeDee. Come," I commanded her and she flew from Verree's arm and landed
on my arm. Verree smiled, his pointed teeth yellow and stared at me.
"Finally. The daughter of two Sirens and Telepathy and Healer has finally returned home." Verree smiled,
licking his yellow teeth.
"It's about time." A row of voices called out making me jump, and DeeDee squawked. The smell
of burning flesh made me gag and a figure in black with a top hat appeared. He gave me a toothy smile.
"She's finally returned," he said, smiling at me like a Dark Caster would look at a Light Caster or a Mortal
for food. "The last born of a first born." He hissed at me and his snake was like a snake's tongue.
"Do you know how long we've waited for the daughter of two Sirens and the best parts Healer and
Telepathy," Verree spoke, hissing with every "S."
"If you lay a hand on my niece there's gonna be dust on this ground." The demons stepped back
and a woman in a pink and black cloak pulled down the hook of her cloak and long dark hair and blue
eyes appeared.
Chloe
The demons hissed at her and Chloe reached into her cloak and pulled out crystals, and bones and
stones and glass in a jar. They hissed louder and Chloe threw the glass jar on the ground and once the jar
hit the ground the demons scattered like roaches which was pretty funny to me but with the terror I was in,
I didn't want to let out a chuckle. Sand and fire erupted from the ground and exploded making the demons
screech and scream and moved to two sides.
I heard a hissing scream and covering my ears I noticed it was Chloe. She was hollering in the
Demonspit language, their tongues. The sky grew darker and thunder rumbled and tornado like wind blew
while the lightning struck the tips of buildings traveling down to the poles of phone wires. The demons
around us turned into a metamorphosis of smoke and ashes before disappearing off the ground. Chloe
stopped hollering and looked over at me. I took my hands from my ears looking at the areas of dust and
dirt. I looked at Chloe and she wrapped a hand around my shoulders.
"You know better than not to come out here without another Caster attendant," she said. "Where's
your brothers?"
"I don't know, I just came from Emmaline's," I said, "I came there alone."
"No one told you that you have to come out here with more than one Full Caster?" I shook my
head. Even I wasn't as smart about the Caster world. "No one told you nothing? Not even Mrs.
Emmaline?"
"Not even Mrs. Emmaline. Chloe, she's a hundred something year old blind lady." Chloe looked
at the glass of sand and dirt and crystals and they blew up and collected themselves and landed into
Chloe's open hand. Every grain of sand, and crystal and diamond in its place. The storm became distant
after the demons perished but the lightning and the wind became frequent which meant that Chloe wasn't
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

done for nothing. The smell of death and burning flesh still made me want to hurl but I guess that won't be
so good for me nor Chloe.
"A thousand..." Chloe said, bringing me to reality.
I looked at her.
"Huh."
"She's one-thousand-fifteen," Chloe said and looked over at me. "Why are you holding tobacco
and liquor?" I looked down, almost dropping it. I forgot I had them in my hand.
"DeeDee," I said, "Emmaline's crow." Chloe looked up and I looked up with her. DeeDee was
nowhere in sight.
"You wouldn't happen to know a Cast for squawking do you?" I asked Chloe. She looked at me
and lifted an eyebrow. She looked like my Mom which was creepy to me. But her eyes are brighter and
lighter than my Mom's eyes.
“If I loose DeeDee, Emmaline with kill me," I said. Chloe straightened her face and turned her
full attention to me.
"You're not gonna loose her," she said. "She's a crow, not a puppy. She picks up on a million
scents than an actual dog and cat can." Chloe took the first step and walked ahead of me.
"I need to find a Kalfu," I said. "Emmaline said that I have to place my hands upon it and give an
AAC."
"What do you need a Caster SOS for?" Chloe stopped turning to me. "A Caster Sois or Sis would
be much easier."
"She didn't say. She just pushed me into a door that I saw as a pathway." Chloe stopped and
shoved me into an alleyway. My back hit the cold wall and the walls were covered in oil or slime. It was
beige which smelt like mucus, was it mucus?
"Did she say anything specific about this Kalfu?"
"Just when the time comes, I'll know what it looks like," I said. "But Kalfu can mean and be
anything and anyone. Especially in this world." Chloe shook her head and placed a finger on the back of
my neck and pressed.
"The only thing that means anything in this world are the demons. They will kill any new creature
that steps foot in their lovely world. Why'd you think they were this close to ripping that nice head of
yours off your shoulders?" Chloe gave me a smile and walked ahead of me and I could hear DeeDee up in
the distance but I couldn't for my sake see her. I followed my aunt out of the alleyway and DeeDee
squawked again and this time she flew down from what looked like black clouds in the sky.
"How'd you know that I was here, anyways?" I stopped pulling her aside. She turned to me and
put her hood over her head before walking ahead of me.
"How'd you know that your mother could see what the Traveler's can see?" DeeDee squawked
again and thunder rumbled.
I lifted an eyebrow. "Can my Mom preach to a preacher?"
"Exactly," she said. "I'm supposed to meet Melbourne at Devil's Creek because of a card that
William pulled from the Tarot deck about a Siren and people jumping to their deaths from a window."
Chloe was never a Tarot reader and I guess today was the day that she became one. Luis and
Frankie don't mess with anything that has "Tarot" or "Card" in it. I don't know if they mess with Tarot
cards period, but my parents sure do. But any card with people falling out of windows probably wasn't a
good sign.
"Now, when I go to see her I need you to stay hidden. She's very attracted to young souls. Kind of
like a pervie but she's very well preserved." I stopped looking at her. I couldn't believe my aunt one bit.
Every Caster in my family's a Full Caster now, and the ones who weren't before Connie and Del's death, a
lot of things are quite weird. My brothers are Full Casters and so are my parents but I already knew for a
fact that they were gonna be Full Casters later on in life.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

"Seriously?"
She stopped, "why would I joke around with something like that? I'm not John."
"You're not William, neither," I said.
"Exactly." Chloe stopped by the opening of a new cave opening and placed two fingers together
on the doorframe and spoke in Niadic. Words written in Junic , the old Demon language appeared in front
of me. Cremolti Liumportal non so Juonjini loboriona. Ancient Macedonian and the magnificent
obsession.
"Lick num Far'breum liquish na zar." The stone walls around us started to vibrate and crumble to
one side, opening like two sliding doors. Chloe put an arm out over me and wind and growling swept over
us as the doors opened.
The Devil's doorway opened for me.
Why would my aunt be chatting with the devil? After the doors finally opened, Chloe led me in
and the doors closed behind us and of course when I turned around, there was nothing but an ocean of
fire.
The place looked like an office, a long aisle of desks with soul orbs floating on the top left hand
side of the desk on the left hand side of the room; and soul orbs on the right hand side on the right hand
side of the room. The devil's facing us looked up and stared at me for more than a half second and licked
their lips in unison. Chloe pulled me behind her and keo her eyes on the devil that looked more interested
in making me his lunch.
Soul orbs are the souls of Casters and Mortals who died doing a mission or doing what they love
the most. Torturing others. Each S.O. has their own demon which is the one at their desks and the demons
and devils can torture their enslaved souls for as long as they please. I could hear the screams of the fallen
souls so loudly and clearly that their screams made my head burn.
"Whatever happens, keep that tongue of yours in your throat and make sure that you don't make
eye contact with any of them." Chloe says still holding me behind her, although I'm taller than her, it
looked like I should've been the one hiding her.
"Too late," I mumbled under my breath and looked practically down at her. She looked at me and
turned back to the devils and demons. "Were you talking to me or them?" I jerked my head in their
direction.
"I'm gonna be behind the wall when we get there and no matter what, don't move or say
anything?"
"Do I look like I wanna say anything at all?" I asked her. "When you said "Devil's doorway open
for me" I wanted to get the hell outta here. Are you having contact with the devil? Our devil?"
“No, but even our devil couldn't stand me," Chloe said. "And besides," she pulled me away from
the front and down a longer dark aisle with dark entities swimming around in picture frames.
"And you don't want me to talk? Yeah, that seems fair," I said. Chloe nodded and led me to the far
back where I couldn't see the entrance where we entered. I turned to Chloe and we came to another
doorway. The same door was made of rock and she did the same thing she did when we got here but the
words were different.
"Shushk nim sole, dong iz." The words made my heart drop and my stomach turned. The feeling
of nausea splashed over me. What is my aunt getting me into? What's she gotten herself into? I turned to
her and her eyes were turning in a light milky yellow, the eyes of an Incubus. The doors were made of
burning rock and lava. Once she said the words, the lava stopped falling and the door opened but the door
had to lock itself before being opened. Some doors in Casteadstoria have to be locked before they can be
opened, and some are just unlocked to be opened. The door made a loud clicking sound with metal being
scraped across the floors and ceiling before being opened.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

Once the door opened, we were standing in front of a room that looked like a room for a
courtyard. Chloe pushed me into a corner and put a finger to her lips to say "shh."
"Remember. Don't say anything. Don't even Kelt with me. Just listen in and if you feel like
something's not right. Do something. Anything that only I can hear."
"I only know Kelting," I spoke before her hand found my mouth.
"Try Illuminating."
"What's that?"
"It's like Kelting but more advanced. It's like you're standing in the room but only I know you're
there. Just say Lilika vivica."
"Just one quick question. How can I manage that if I can't speak or Kelt?" Chloe looked at me
with soft eyes. Thinking. Still thinking.
"A demon's mind book feels like a burning sensation. You can feel their presence. The feeling of
being watched. If you can't feel that then that means you're in the clear; other than that, you better run for
it."
"I can't feel anything now."
"Because I haven't opened the door yet."
She didn't say anything when she kissed me on the head and opened the door and she closed the
door disappearing. I looked through a crack in the wall. The hole was dark but I managed to use a Sight
Cast to help me see through solid objects. A demon in a black cloak looked up and slowly stood from its
chair and gave her a smirk.
"You know Chloe. Usually a Full Caster never lets her nephews play with Tarot Cards," the
demon said, putting a hand out at her.
"Trust me, I wanted to bash their faces in with a metal object," Chloe said taking her hand and an
electric shock ran through me and I could hear both of their thoughts. The demon smiled and retreated his
hand and sat down.
"So, Chloe. How's your family? And I mean your niece." My heart dropped and my eyes froze
and my fingertips started to twitch.
"She's fine actually. Her little ones just turned 8 so, she's healthy, I guess," Chloe said sitting
down in the chair in front of the demon's desk which also had its own Lost Soul.
"What about the others?"
"Melbourne Realm. No one's been together since Del and Connie's death," Chloe said.
"Everyone's vanished from the family portraits. Ethan has been all over the Caster and Demon world.
Some say that he's befriended an Incubus."
"He has," Melbourne said. "With many of them." He gave her a list. "These are the clubs and the names
of the demons that he's been going to."
Chloe threw down the paper, "I don't care about Ethan. The boy's been a nervous wreck since
birth," she looked up, "no offense, Connie." I'm pretty sure that Connie couldn't agree more. When we
were little he and my brothers were playing a game with Caster mosquitos and to get rid of them with a
Cast or medicine like my brothers did, Ethan tasered the bite and ended up with a broken leg and baby
mosquitoes nesting in his legs. A very bad bad sight.
"Then what are you here for?" Melbourne asked my aunt before lifting the paper up with one
finger. It floated over to a pile of papers and landed.
"I need your help," Chloe said. "I need you to help me with the Tarot cards." She pulled out a
handful of Tarot cards and placed them on the desk. Melbourne frowned at her.
"There's a problem with the Mortal world. The government has found the Casters and Demons
amongst us." What?! Since when did all of this happen? Do my parents or my brothers know about this?
Especially my brother.
"And you need my help?"
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

"Of course. Melbourne you're the only person that I know who can talk with Hilary," Chloe said.
"I can't help you with that. Chloe, your niece could help you with more than what I can do,"
Melbourne spoke.
"Someone is gonna die if you don't help me."
"And someone will die if I do." Chloe rolled her eyes and rubbed her temples.
I felt a vibration in my head and the feeling of being burned. I opened my mouth to scream but
nothing came out but a hissing noise. I held my hands on my head squeezing and holding in the screams
that threatened to come out of my throat. I placed my hands on my throat trying to breathe but I felt like I
could do a Cast but we all knew that wouldn't end well. A crashing sound and a loud hissing scream
plunged through the room and in my head. I closed my eyes and found Chloe's hand grabbing me by the
arm and pulled down the dark alleyway and out of the lobby where the demons and Soul Orbs were and
the demons turned their full attention to us this time. The sound of hollering and screaming buried our
ears and Chloe picked her up, I felt like she was dragging me instead of pulling me.
"What happened?" I called her.
"They know I'm not alone," she said. "I can't let them see you. They'll kill you."
When we got to the tunnel, we came to an opening to what seemed to be the mouth of a cave. I
looked at Chloe in the dark and she pulled me through, her tight grip around my arm. If she pulled any
tighter, I may not have an arm later on.
"Ignis!" she called out and a light fire slowly dimmed in the palm of her hand. She pulled me down an
alleyway and through a door with Wanted posters on it. The hollering and the screaming of the demons
grew closer. "Hyperinte!" she called out and pulled me through a door. A cast that can make you see and
walk through solid objects.
We arrived in another part of the Caster world and Chloe looked up in the sky and lightning struck
the opening of a doorway making the contents fall and locking the door. The alleyway behind us was now
a grey library with gargoyles on the end of them. We walked up the stairs and Chloe pushed the doors
open revealing aisles of books. In the distance the bookshelves grew darker and darker. She pulled me
down one of the aisles to a door; opening it; stood a room that was all too familiar. Table in the center of
the room with books piled on the shelves from corner to corner and ceiling to ceiling. A crystal ball in the
center of the marble table and the candles that ignited when Full Casters entered a room.
We're in the Cottage Room at the end of the tunnel, the room where I learned about Ashley when
she Turned. I almost turned around and walked back out. Chloe had to grab the strap on my shirt. Chloe
let go of me and walked over to the table and grabbed a book from the temple section on the shelves and
sat it down. I sat at the table and Chloe sat across from me. She placed a hand on the crystal and looked at
me. I placed my hands on the crystal and Chloe closed her eyes. I looked around the room and everything
was the same. The black leather couches, the crystal chandelier dangling over the black marble table that
shined and smelled of hazelnut.
"I can't even get through," Chloe said and opened her eyes and breathed out. I got the feeling of
being pulled into a portal or a vision and I looked at the picture of my grandparents; Chloe stood from the
table and put the book back on the shelf. I looked at grandpa dressed in his evening robe with sparkles and
rhinestones printed on it, grandma Heather in her evening gown with her dark Oracle locket— I grabbed
Chloe.
"Since when was gramma Heather wearing an Oracle locket in the family painting?" I asked
Chloe.
"She never wore a locket in any of the family portraits." I looked at Chloe and pointed at the
oversized pictures, she saw it and froze. "It wasn't there before. That painting has been hanging there
since I was a child. I've walked by it a thousand times. She was never wearing a necklace." We exchanged
views and Chloe had the look of terror on her face.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

"Let's get to your parents' house before they notice I'm gone," Chloe said.
"They don't know you're gone?" She looked at me and pointed with a finger.
"Not with you," she said. "I only came out here to chat, then I walked into you."
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

Chapter 17. Advanced Placement for Forbidden Casters
When we got to my parents' place, opening the door, everyone turned to me and Chloe. Ian smiled
at me and Ashley and Val looked at each other before they could read me. Ashley opened her mouth to
speak but John placed a hand over her mouth stopping her.
"Why was my daughter in Deaton?" my Mom asked Chloe. Chloe locked her lips shut and bit on
her bottom lip. Heidi and Bian looked up from the island in the kitchen and they both exchanged from one
another. My Dad looked at his sister-in-law before placing a hand on my Mom's shoulder. She was
seconds away from attacking her little sister. Frankie and Luis quickly rushed to their mother's side
quickly putting a force field around her.
I guess I'm not important anymore.
Dad curled a finger at me. I sighed muttering under my breath, "I am so dead," and made my way
to him. He pulled me by the arm and placed a hand on my shoulder. His grip tightened on my shoulder
and kissed me on the head.
"I had to meet an old friend of mine," Chloe said. "I needed to have a chat with him about
William's little Tarot card pick."
"I said I didn't mean to pick that card, I was just trying to see what was new with the Tarot
readings," Will said, throwing his hands up in self defense.
"You picked up a card that meant death for two," Chloe said.
"It was a vard-card, Chloe, not a gun," John said.
"Yeah, I mean you act like it was a big deal," Cole said. "Unlike the time Selena ate Mary-Jane
cupcakes, that was a big deal for the both of us." Cole gave his sister a smirk, and Selena snared at Cole
and a bright light, maybe yellow, came out of Selena's chest and hit Cole, knocking Cole off his feet. The
light was a single yellow ring itself and it looked dangerous. Especially the way it knocked Cole off his
feet.
"Again, I was five, I didn't know any better," Selena said pointing at him, and a string of lightning
shot from her finger tip electrocuting Cole. He let out a shriek before snaring at her.
"Enough, both of you," Mom said and looked at Chloe and then at my brothers. "Why was your
niece in Deaton?"
I grunted, "are we still on this? Just be happy that I'm alive." My parents looked at me and raised
their brows at me. "Or just be happy that I can feel a demons presence in my head."
Everyone turned to me, including Chloe and her eyes narrowed at me. Ashley and Val looked at
each other before making a hasty step back towards Frankie and behind John and Will, like they could
block them from Chloe's snare.
"You can feel what?!" Mom hollered from the top of her lungs and lightning struck across the sky,
followed by thunder making the lights flicker. She looked at Chloe. "What did you do to my daughter?"
"I didn't do anything," Chloe said. "I was in Deaton for a meeting until I felt a familiar vibe that a
relative was with me." She looked my way.
"I had a bird to kill and Chloe June here decided to show up unannounced."
"You were getting attacked by my vampire demons, Maggie, I'm pretty sure they all would've
killed you if I hadn't shown up on time." I rolled my eyes at my Mom's sister. And walked to the kitchen
and grabbed a soda from the fridge before my arm was being tugged by Matthew and Jacob.
"Congrats, cuz, you're wanted for demon trespassing," Matt said, crossing his arms across his
chest. Jacob smiled holding a Communication in Casteadstoria; caster newspaper in his hand. My eyes
ran across the first paragraph.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

The title: Unwanted Casters spotted in Deaton, Casteadstoria in black bold letters. I read the
paragraph taking in every word. I looked at my smiling cousins and looked at the grey and yellow mixed
paper.
Four hours ago at the Pew and Melbourne Realm. The vampire demon Melbourne says that he
had an appointment with a Full Caster until he sensed an unwanted presence in the area trying to read
his mind. (Page 23) Photo of the two unknown females.
I slammed my can soda on the counter and grabbed the paper from my cousins. I flipped through
the pages to page twenty-three and there was a picture of two females running down an alleyway before
one looking back and disappearing through a wall. I snatched the paper from my face looking up at their
smirking faces.
"Who has and who hasn't seen this?" I looked at them; they looked at each other with smirked
faces before turning to me. I raised my eyebrows at them, squeezing the newspaper between my
fingertips, letting the paper catch fire in my grip. Matthew chuckled at the burning paper.
"Just us," Jacob said, shrugging his shoulders with his hands in his pockets. "And Frankie," he
went on, "and Luis, and Ryan and Ming, and John and Cole."
"Followed by Selena, your daughters and your nieces," Matt added, with a smile on his face.
"Scott and Kris―"
" and me," Ethan sang standing by the entrance of the backyard french doors. He leaned on the
doorframe smiling like an idiot. Jacob almost lost his balance, making Matt catch him in the process. This
time the paper literally burned and turned to ash in my hand, the fragments hitting the ground.
"Almost everybody saw the papers," he pushed himself off the doorframe and made himself
comfortable on the kitchen island. "Well, almost everybody. I can't wait to see the look on your parent's
faces when they read the paper." Ethan chuckled and his entire body was pushed off the island. Matt and
Jacob stole Ethan's chuckle before a string of the burned pages of the newspaper streamed back up in the
air and landed in my hands. Each line of paper perfectly moved in its place. I looked at Matt and Jacob
and they both gave me a cheeky smile.
"At the funeral, we practiced a lot of magic?" Matt said with a deadpan face. I looked at the bean
heads that I call cousins and turned to Ethan who gave me a cheeky grin.
I turned to Ethan, "you're lucky my parents still look after you as their own," I pointed a finger at
him. "Ever since your mother died, you've been nothing but a slimy blobfish and I'm surprised that they
still let you step foot in this house."
"Take one to know one," Ethan said.
"What do you want Ethan?" I asked him the words leaving my mouth. I crossed my arms below
my chest and felt my body give way and I was in front of the blonde haired boy. Our noses almost touch
and out breaths collide.
"Now, that's no way to speak to your best friend," he said, his breath rubbing against my face and
his fingers running down my face. "The friend that made you what you are today." I pushed his hand away
and scowled at him.
"You didn't make me anywhere," I said. "What do you want Ethan?"
"A family friend can't come and visit his best?" he was starting to annoy me and the room
suddenly went dense and Matt and Jacob surrounded us.
"She asked you a question, Ethan," Matt said standing tall. His 6'0 foot frame standing over me
and Jacob and Ethan. Casting a shadow over us. "What do you want? And what are you doing here?"
Ethan turned to me and smiled one of his flirty smiles that often worked on almost all the girls
he'd hit on. "You're needed at the courthouses in Whitedove tomorrow. But right now, Mrs. Lee wants to
meet with you at the Pub-club."
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

"Courthouses?" I repeated, "as in plural?" Ethan nodded, smiling and looked at Matt and Jacob.
"You two can tag along if you want but Mrs. Joanna wants to see Maggie in private-person." I couldn't tell
whether he was lying or not. My senses were not on point at this second. I looked at my cousins and they
kept their glares at our family friend.
"How did you get in the house in the first place? The doors are locked before dinner."
"I'm an Incubus," he said deadpan.
"I’m an Incubus too, so what's that supposed to mean?" Ethan sighed and rolled his eyes and
looked at Jacob and Matt. "How are you guys related?"
"How are you and your face related?" Jacob muttered under his breath.
"My Mom is your parent's best friend," Ethan said, "you're one of my best friends," he pointed to
me.
"Friends? As in plural?" Matt said, pulling me from Ethan's space and putting a force field around
me.
"No, friends as in fucking plural," Ethan repeated with a cocky grin. He looked at Matt and Jacob.
"And she's the Full Caster of your family? More like no Caster of the family. Last time I checked, you
almost took Ashley's powers from her before she even realized she was a Caster." My cousins looked at
me and I jumped at Ethan, Matt and Jacob holding me back. Ethan laughed, pointing a finger.
"Run. Run fast and far," Jacob says struggling to keep me in his grasp. Ethan never moved a
muscle, he stood there letting me struggle to break loose from Jacob's grip.
"No, let her go, I wanna see what she's gonna do," Ethan said to Jacob and fanned me.
"I'm gonna cut off your balls and feed them to Sora," I growled, pulling myself from Jack's grip.
Once I felt myself loosen up, I teleported from Jacob's arms and launched myself at Ethan, slamming him
against the walk-in freezer. My arm pressed against his windpipe.
"What does the WSC want with me?" I scowled at Ethan. Ethan laughed under the weight of my
arm on his neck. “What does Hilary want with me?”
"Only to have a little chat with the best Full Caster there is," he said. "We can leave now or you
can wait until Mrs. Lee flicks through the door."
"Do you want to get punched in the face?" I said. Ethan snickered, blushing at me. I tightened my
arm on his neck and kicked him in the shin, sending him to the ground and groaning. Matt and Jacob
sucked air through their teeth.
"What does Hilary Lee want with me?"
"Come with me and you'll find out." I snared at him and turned to Jacob and Matt. They scowled
at Ethan. I turned to Ethan and he gave me the smile that usually lets every girl melt in his hands.
"Take me to Hilary and if she has a boner to pick with me then she can go suck a boner," I said.
"Way to make an impression," Jacob said. Turning to my cousin, he gave me a fan of his. "Just be
back by dinner."
"Hope you don't die," Matt said.
I turned to the both of them and looked at Ethan, and I felt my ears pop and the familiar sensation
of my body vibrating, meaning Ethan had Ripped or used teleportation. The ear popping is no biggie but
Ian hates it and so does Heidi and Brittany. Bian’s used to it since she’s been popping in and out with us to
the Caster world since we met in pre-K.
Something dripped on my arm causing me to look up and before I could Ethan pulled me away. I
took a quick glance at Ethan and used Inner-Vision causing me to look in my surroundings without doing
so. It's a trick my Dad showed to me and it was starting to pay off. In my mind's vision all I could see was
darkness and looking up was water, grey and red water, not side by side but mixed in together. Tracing
from my mind's eye we were under water, in a water cave. And not just any water cave, we were walking
on water, even the walls were water. I looked up through the water ceiling and I could see DeeDee cawing
in the distance. I could call her, but I don't know what Ethan is.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

Where the hell were we?

Where the hell am I?
Ethan led me to a door with shimmering crystals around but even I know that this is an illusion.
Ethan knocked on the door and looked at me in disbelief and grabbed my hand and knocked on the door.
The door opened to a tall man maybe seven feet with bat wings and arms like a tree trunk and built like a
walking abandoned building.
"Mike, my man, how are you?" Ethan said, smiling and walking in. I got a pin-like feeling in my
head and the Inner-Vision disappeared. I looked up at Mike and he was at least 7-foot but his face threw
me off. He had a regular face. Long hair, grey eyes and pale skin. He stared at me like I was a snack. If we
were in the Mortal Realm, he would probably be a bouncer at a biker bar or pool hall where people were
dragged out for breaking bottles over one another's head and he'd be a good one too. The place was
packed, it was definitely a bar or some kind of pub-club. Three candles in the four corners of the room
give off no light at all; I'm surprised that I can even see in here. A long table in the center with other
demons and spirit energy sitting around it with a mortal lying in the center, arms to their side. I couldn't
see the face because it was covered with a cloth, but the demon had drinks, cards and weapons around
them. Fewer poured their drinks and stabbed or pricked their mortal with their weapons. Seriously, where
the hell am I?
"You don't want to face that thing in an alleyway at night." I turned to Ethan and he was staring
straight ahead. Looking back at Mike, Ethan grabbed my jawline and turned it forward. Even his grip
grew strong. What did the Demons here do to him? He's not talk-a-lot or know-it-all Ethan anymore, he's
just...something or someone else.
"Make any eye contact with him and he'll think you're a Full Caster," Ethan said.
"But I am," I said.
"Yeah, but don't let him or anyone else here know that, cause these are more than just demons.
These are Demsters."
"Demons that can suck the magic from a FC and leave them powerless or even turned into a
Mortal?" I said almost tripping over my own two feet. "Why am I here? You said we were going to
Hilary."
"Yup, and then either eat them or keep them captive," Ethan added. "So, don't play superheroes
cause they can pick up on a FC scent like a tiger can pick up a kitten scent."
I wasn't gonna ask how no one in here can pick up on me, and I didn't want to know. Knowing
Ethan he probably had me on lockdown or told the demons not to attack me until we leave this place.
Either way, it was bad. I looked at the demons and I couldn't use my magic, I'm in a holding cell. A
torture cell. Ethan knocked three times and opened the door and revealed a courtroom, the courtroom
where I got off innocent and that unfaithful night when Connie and my family died leaving Port Lord to
Casteadstoria.
We walked straight back past the crowded courtroom through a door that led to Hilary's room.
Ethan pulled me in the seat next to him. Hilary wasn't behind her desk. I couldn't sense her or feel her
pulling at the insides of my brain like she always did before she spoke or haunted me.
"They say the proudest spirit will reach a peak for no end," I heard a voice and looked up seeing
Hilary on the ceiling of her office, dressed in a black lace dress with boots and hair relaxed falling down
her shoulders. The dress didn't hang from the ceiling, it clung. Ethan smiled at her and shook his head.
"Good morning to you too, Aunt Hilary." I looked at Ethan with torture in my eyes. He caught my
glance and turned to me. "Yes, Hilary is my Aunt. Godmother Aunt; and she’s your dad’s godmom."
"Well, this day just keeps getting better and better," I said. Hilary smiled, now sitting at her desk. I
didn't even see her sit down, let alone walk to her desk.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

"I'm pretty sure you know why you're here?"

"To apologize for killing my Aunts and cousins," I said, "and my best friend's parents?"
"No, and I didn't kill them," she said, "I only kill the ones who disobey me."
"Yeah, Connie and Del from pushing Ashley and Val’s magic into the deep end," I scowled at her.
Ethan and Hilary shook their heads in disbelief and took a breath.
"No, Jason and I fixed that, thanks to your parents and Ryan and Ming."
"Ming and Ryan?!" I hollered. "No wonder I haven't seen them, they went behind my back to kill
innocent people. But my parents were in on it."
"No, they showed us what really happened and how and why you put the blame on yourself,"
Hilary said, "my sister Maryland agreed and accepted their responses. And she's usually really hard to get
an acceptance invitation to."
"So, I'm a suspect?"
"No, you're a legal suspect, you're a free girl." Hilary's humor was even odd today, last time I
checked she was as sour as a krimpet in a freezer. "When the plane went down, and the fire was put out,
they found a file and a book. A book that I think only you know like the back of your hand." Hilary
reached in the drawer of her desk and pulled out a book with a file sticking out in the pages. I took the
book from her and the cover to both objects were smooth, not a scratch or burn in sight. The book cover
had no writing and niether did the file.
"How'd it survive the fire?" I asked looking up at her and opening the book and flipping through
the pages, even though there was no writing in that, I opened the file, nothing on that that niether.
"No one knows," Hilary said, "but we do know that when a book this powerful survives means
that there's a price of death in the way."
"The investigator said that it belongs to the daughter of Maria and George Heart, and that
daughter is you," Ethan said pointing a needle at me. "We don't know how she did it but she did." I looked
at the two Casters and they smiled with pride. Seriously, why does everything have to fall in my arms?
“How can I activate the book to see the writing?” I looked up from the book and file. Hilary
looked at me.
“Go to the White witch in the White Forest, you’ll know her when you see her. Only she can help
you–help us fully understand the book’s purpose.” Hilary says plopping her feet on her desk with a glazed
donut in her hand. I looked at Ethan and he gave me a snicker and gave me a pat on the shoulder. I stood
up from my chair and Ethan walked to the front door and the second the doors closed, he turned to me.
“I’d take the solid stone ledged doorway, the long way will just have your toes frozen. Good luck
and bring me back an ice globe.”
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

Chapter 18. Awakening the White Witch in the White Forest
The trees here are Snow white and the homes are white too. After I left the pub-club, Hilary gave
me instructions to go to Holly’s home. The forest was so white you would think it was snow. Looking up
at the white and crystal castle, I was expecting the place to be dark and depressing like the rest of
Casteadstoria but Holly’s home is breathtaking, literally. The wind was blowing making it hard for me to
breathe. I put my hands on the sides of my face and pulled away making an air bubble for me to catch my
breath. Hilary said that Holly may be a scab in the fire but she can help me out, just find the white house
in the white forest and you’ll find her, just say “Awakening the White Witch in the White Forest,” turns
out Holly’s the white witch in the White Forest. Shit just got interesting.
Climbing the marble stairs, the wind cooled and the air bubble on my head vanished. I put a hand
up to knock but the door swung open. Holly stood before me my height with a frown on her face. Holly
wore a white dress, a few inches too short above the knee and her hair was white instead of black. She
wore white heels instead of black heels. Her nails painted white and the snake tattoo on her higher jawline
and the tip of her neck was gone. I fought the laughter that threatened to leave my throat.
“Mommy and Daddy put you on White Witch duty?” I said with laughter in my words. Holly
snared at me, stepping aside letting me pass. The living room was blindly white and that made my eyes
crawl with pain. Holly looked at me and gave a smirk.
“So, how long have you been in Mommy and Daddy duty?” I asked the annoyed Korean. Holly’s
dress swayed in the caster breeze and folded her arms across her torso.
“Since your aunties died in that crash,” she said, “they think it was my fault because I wasn’t at
the opening.”
I was hoping she’d say something along the lines of “sorry about your loss” but that would make
me desperate to accept their deaths. So, instead I left it alone.
I turned to her from the glass fireplace, “you weren’t there?”
“No, my stunt double,” Holly spoke and collapsed on the white water sofa with a plop from the
water. “I hate going to courtrooms and I hate court. Last time I was there I almost lost my magic. Thanks
to your parents. Especially your Mom. She’s a real charmer.”
“Tell me something that I don’t know,” I said. “So, your Mom gave me this book,” I held it up to
her. “She said that it survived the fire.”
“Yeah, because it belonged to you. Only something that’s in the possession of a Full Caster can
survive anything as powerful as fire.”
“I’ve never even seen this book before,” I tossed the book on the near mantlepiece. “It has no
writing, no pictures and no personality.”
“Not all books are supposed to have a personality, Maggie.”
I looked at her, she cracked her neck and got up from the sofa and walked over to the book. She
aimed a finger at it and the book floated from the fireplace and stood a couple of inches from Holly’s face.
She scowled at the book and it flew at me with force. I caught it with one hand and stared at Holly.
“Follow me,” she said and took the marble stairs of frozen ice to the hallway over the entire
house. The railing stretched from the living room to the other rooms up and down the house.
I took the first step on the stairs and around my foot glowed the colors of the world. The color
band as I call it and the showing colors of a Full Caster. Holly scowled at me and walked faster up the
stairwell. It’s not my fault that I’m a Full Caster. I’ve been telling her that for decades now. I followed
Holly into one of the white rooms and inside there were stands and shelves of books and potions. A
chandelier made of fire dragons hanging from the high ceiling over our heads, glass windows made from
thin ice.
Holly cleared her throat making me look her way. She stood behind a book stand and gave a
quick glance at the book. I put the book on the bookstand and it swung open to the first page. Nothing
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appeared on the pages at first until about a few seconds, black writing spread across the pages. In the
black writings were symbols of words written in white that I didn’t know. I looked up at Holly and she
was gone. I looked back at the book and the white writings moved together and combined as one long
white line and moved through the black words and through the other white symbols and as they moved,
the pages moved with. What was this book?
The symbols relaxed on a blank page, and started to split up and write themselves out. A picture
of a circle with four squares collided in the center of the shape. Below it, words appeared in a dark
writing. I drew myself in closer to read the symbolic writing. The writing’s in Latin. The words were new
to me and I only knew fewer words for the language; it’s Seberyln, one of the old caster languages.
“Libera di von’chia,” I spoke the words and a book and pen appeared over my head. The pen
started to move, writing Libera di von’chia; I looked at the pen and book and nothing was appearing on
the paper. I went to reach for the pen and it hit me on the finger.
Personal much.
I turned to the book and more symbolic words appeared. The writings Jip um und appeared and
the pen started to write faster this time. The Latin words started to highlight themselves one by one and
then all at the same time.
Lilia Prilium
Jorge crow
Lilium bor shal
Lam tam uv a ni
Aniti a vol a meie
Crumbre lo crumbre
The entire words were in Seberyln, one of the few current caster languages today. I’ve heard of
them before but I just don’t know the translation for it in English. Not like Ryan could, and not like Cole
or my parents could.
The pen above my head was writing and as it did the pages started to change formation. The
pages looked crumbled, like they were hidden for ages and then they looked like they were on fire, caught
just in time on fire. The pen started to write insanely and then it burned out and so did the paper. I looked
down and the book started to shake, the windows blews in and the chandelier above my head began to
shake violently. I put my hand out to grab the book and before my fingers could touch it, lightning struck
my fingers. I groaned in pain, grabbing my hand and pulling it back from view of the book before it could
cause any more damage than it already did. I looked at the book, it still shook violently on the book stand.
I could hear loud whispering that sounded like voices coming from out of the book. I wasn’t gonna touch
the book or go investigate it like Nancy Drew would, instead I ran out the room and slammed myself into
the balcony overlooking the living room.
“Holly, there’s a situation up here,” I called out to her. She sat on the couch facing the TV, the
right side of her face facing me, her hair blocking her eyes, all you could see was her nose. “Holly?” I
called her name again and she did a heavy sigh before pushing herself up from the couch and walking
towards the stairs. Once she made it on the last stair I grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her to the
room. Once we reached the doorway of the room, the book still shook violently, I looked at Holly and she
just stared at the shaking book with no emotion written on her face.
“Place both your hands on the book, and push down,” she said. I looked at her like she was
insane, which she is at this second. Holly was born insane, she's crazier than I am or than any of the other
girls in my family.
“No, it shocked me before I could touch it.” Holly’s face grew annoyed and she looked at me with
dark eyes. Her dark hair curling in the caster breeze and shaping her round face.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“Put your hands on the book and push down or you will be shocked about what I can do.” Holly
gave me a glare and I found myself placing my hands on the book and pushing down, putting all my
strength on the book and the second the book hit the pack of the book stand, the rumbling stopped and
when I looked up at Holly, she stared eyes wide and smiled.
“Enjoy the book, Heart.” She said before walking out of the room and leaving me again. I turned
to the book and it vibrated under my hands. The palms of my hands glowed a bright blue. I took my hands
from the book, stepping back, and I could feel the pull the book gave off. I looked at my hands. They were
glowing the blue light from when I touched the book.
I walked over to the book and it pulled me close to it, forcing me to plant my hands on the book
once more. The light from my hands and the book made it hard for me to pull away.
Words appeared in three columns, one in English another in Roman and written in Niadic Latin.
Three sayings in three different languages on the same page. The words were written like a paragraph,
even in Niadic and English.
“What are you?” I muttered to the book. I leaned forward, reading the small black letters and
symbols. The words started to form, to crystallize into something that looked more sinister than anything
I've seen before. The Latin looked familiar, it was the Roman that threw me off. Names and addresses and
birthdates appeared with words underlined in Latin. The Latin in the columns started to move around and
make themselves more clear.
Vikram ornot shu est.

Librium librum cron.
Lik buck tune embookk.
Hillo nice vikram slote.
Cruz cru nialac yello.
Victoria onp.
Solote sim ciry citey.
The words fell off my tongue like I knew them by heart. My palms started to glow a bright gold
with diamonds and crystals. I looked at them, and turned to the book.
Lilum jo onp babbae.

Nico is sim.
Illusion Roses.
They started to shake again and the pages erased themselves and the book closed itself and threw
itself at me, pushing me against the wall. I stared at the book and watched it transform into a messenger
bag attaching itself to my shoulder. I stood up and took it off and held it in my hand when the strap
wrapped around my wrist. I held in a scream, the strap moved along my shoulder and wrapped itself
around it. I glared at it and quickly left the room and ran down the stairs with a horrid look on my face.
Holly glared at me and her eyes traced to the bag around my shoulder.
“Why is the book a bag?” she asked me.
“I don’t know, it just latched on to me,” I told her. When I told Holly how the book transformed,
she looked like she didn’t believe me, and I honestly didn’t wanna believe it myself. After I was done, a
smile crossed Holly’s face and she grabbed my arm and pulled me across the living room and down a
flight of cobblestone stairs and opened a door with a carving that only John could read, since he had
symbol classes in high school and college.
Opening the door, she led me in the room that had computer monitors all around the walls and on
tables and desks. Holly sat at the only pink desk in the middle of the room that looked clean and only had
one monitor, Holly fanned me to come sit next to her. I was frozen to my feet but I forced myself to move.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

I sat next to her and she was already typing on the glass keyboard. Come to think of it, all the computers
were glass, so was Holly’s desk, pink glass.
“Are you spying on me?” I asked, looking at the monitors on the walls. Holly slid her finger
across her screen and shook her head.
“No, I’m spying on my father,” she said. “After the accident, I felt bad. Your cousins and Aunts
made me feel like family, the family I never had.” Her eyes met mine. Her bottom lip trembled and her
eyes sparkled.
“You’re messing with me, right?” I asked her. Holly shook her head and turned back to the
monitor.
“I’m an only child Maggie, I have no siblings. My cousins and I barely get along, and my parents
think I’m invisible. That’s why I was always with your family, cause I feel a part of it.”
“Okay, so answer me this. What does Ming and Ryan have to do with the accident?” I said, and
crossed my arms around my torso.
“My father believed that you were just telling everyone that you’re a Wayward to get attention, an
imposter, and apparently how you made Del and Connie to push Ashley and Val’s magic forward so
they’d become Joewards. Ryan and Ming explained to my Aunt Maryland that you had nothing to do with
any of this and that you’re a true Wayward from your ancestors. My Dad’s lost his senses, but I did a little
research about how your daughters and nieces are Joewards. It’s because of Margerate Genetelli’s
daughter, Aurora, she married a Joeward, Issac the Third.”
“Okay, so what about the book?” I said placing it on the glass desk.
“The book is the hidden Tapestry,” Holly said. “Denise, told my Mom to give this to you when
S-day came. Sacrifice Day. She told me–and I’m pretty sure my Mom told you too–that you’re gonna take
over the Courthouses and rewrite all the laws.”
“Yeah, because of your Dad’s breakdowns,” I said. “But what does that have to do with me?”
Holly’s fingers typed on the keyboard again and a glass monitor appeared over our heads. It was a
chapter from the spells of ancient Italy, a book that Connie kept locked away because it was too powerful
and I was drawn to it.
“This is the Wayland chapter. It tells how your ancestor Aurora Genetelli Romanov, married a
Joeward and why. It’s pretty simple, because she wanted her future ancestors to have the power to rewrite
history and the law,” Holly said, showing me a picture of Aurora. She looked just like me; she wore a lime
green silk dress, with her dark curls around her shoulders and piled on her head. She had my eyes, my
smile and my birthmark on my right shoulder.
I turned to Holly.
“That’s why my Dad is freaking out. Her husband Isaac, had mixed breeds in his family including
demons, vampires, goblins and Oracles. And only half of them were Mortal–listen to this'' Holly pointed
to the screen. “Aurora created a law that only she knew would happen. The third child who’s Claimed
before their 8th birthday or after their birth no matter what sex, that child will give birth to a Joeward or
what they called “Casterous Hope.” The mother of the child will become the first Wayward to live in the
next 1600 years.”
Holly turned to me. “Maggie, you can take down my father, you can restore balance in the Caster
world. Just try to talk to him.”
I took the book from the glass desk and held it up in front of her. “Holly, your Dad will never let
me talk to him,” I said. “He’ll probably send one of his little guards after me just for just trying to talk to
him. Your mother sent me here because she said only you could understand the book’s purpose.”
“My father can only highlight the tales of this society,” Holly said. “He can’t read a Niadic book,
therefore speak it. Only you and your little Joewards can.”
“My daughters and nieces don’t speak therefore understand Niadic,” I bit my tongue, refusing not
to go too far with what I wanted to add.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“Both of you and the girls come from ancestor Issac the Third’s ball sack, trust me, they
understand the language,” Holly spoke. Was Holly really trying to convince me to let my daughters and
nieces help me translate the book? Not a snowball’s chance in hell. Was she losing her senses too?
“He’s a Full Caster like you, but he doesn’t have Wayward in his blood. It’s just a name your
ancestors gave you, it’s not an actual last name. You, your daughters and nieces can change other
creatures' destinies,” Holly said and smiled. “Trust me. When you step up, the Casters and half-breeds will
look up to you. Just read the book and hopefully you’ll understand where you come from.”
“Holly, you are literally out of your mind. If I even step foot in your daddy’s chambers, he’ll have
my head over a fireplace–and not just for show.” Holly flopped back against the chair, and took the book
from me and placed it on the desk. Holly flipped the book open and grabbed scissors from a glass jar
before placing it on a plain page and dragging the metal utensil across the page.
“Have you ever spoken a language you never learned so clearly that it freaked you out?” I said
opening the shoulder book to one of the pages I read.
“The written language in the book is Keltic and Glass Tongue,” Holly said. “Only Joewards and
Waywards can understand the language. You can read and write it out perfectly without any mistakes.
Read the book and put it together in your head and when you’ve understood it, come and see me and we’ll
talk.”
“Come with me to see your dad,” I said. Holly gave me a dumb look and shook her head.
“I have a show to finish watching.”
And with that Holly left the room, leaving me to my thoughts. My eyes found the photo of Aurora
on the glass monitor. I looked at the shoulder book on the desk and grabbed it and left the room. Walking
up the cobblestone stairs, Holly sat Indian style on her couch, watching TV. I eyed her and took a seat
beside her, giving me a sideways glance.
“I’m not leaving until you come with me to talk to your dad,” I said. “He can’t say no to you and
for once in your life will you help me with something that could put our species to war.”
“We’re already at war,” Holly turned to me. “Don’t you get it? Look around you. The murders of
innocent mixed-breed families, Ashley and Val coming together, the new location my mother and your
Aunts built together, the accident, burning book that survived and the accident of Ian’s parents and his
sister. Maggie, we’ve been at war since we last saw each other.”
“The day of the party at my parent’s house.” It wasn’t a question, it was a statement. Holly
nodded and turned to the TV. “But how come no one told me?”
“Nobody didn’t tell me. I was at the Ropopo festival in Hamburg, the audience told me,” Holly
spoke. I rolled my eyes at her and glanced at the TV.
“All I’m saying is that maybe, just maybe, my dad might let you get a point across,” Holly added.
“My dad loves you like a second daughter.”
I turned to her, staring at her. “I can’t tell if you’re messing with me or not?”
“You have three Mortals at the facility, take them with you,” she smiled.
“How’d you know about–?”
Holly threw a hand up in front of me. “Do you know who I am? Who is my mother? She gave
your dad the idea to let them stay with you. He wants to let them see what it’s like to be different and to
date our kind. Bring a few with you and I’ll meet you at Rat Eye’s peak tomorrow, and bring a sandwich.”
I didn’t ask what she needed a sandwich for, so I just left her at that. I thanked her and walked out
the door with an air bubble intact around my head.
The cold wind had subdued but I wasn’t taking any chances to remove my air bubble. I didn’t
trust Holly’s magic very often. But for some reason I was anxious to read the Prophecy Book around my
shoulder. As I walked along the white forest, I could feel the cold wind pick up. I honestly was expecting
Holly to tell me to take the shortcut by Fireplace to get back to the facility, but this is Holly Lee, I’m
talking about. The girl is as cold as ice and as stone-headed than the rest of her family. The snow became
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

thicker and fog started to grow ahead, it was so thick that I couldn’t see through, when I usually can. My
air bubble started to crack, the cold was too brittle and the bubble was too thin for it. The white leaves
crumbled under my feet, and I felt a sadness come over me. I don’t know where it came from, but I
wanted to let out a piercing scream for my random pain. I turned to Holly’s white house and a faint grey
glow surrounded it. I wasn’t a House breather like Ryan’s cousin, but even I could tell the house was in
pain. Probably Holly’s been mistreating the house property or so.
I turned on my heel and made my way down the snow hill and made my way back where I
started. The solid ledge door.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

Chapter 19. Melted Rock for Drinking
Closing the solid door behind me, I turned finding Catherine and Chloe resting on the bar stand.
They both looked relieved to see me. How long was I gone, exactly? Catherine’s eyes brightened and she
wrapped her arms around me, almost knocking me over in the process. I gave Chloe an uncomfortable
look when she broke our hug.
“Finally, you’re back,” Chloe said. “We’ve been waiting for three and a half hours.”
“Three and a half–I was only gone for like an hour,” I said.
“An hour in the White forest gives you three hours in the real world,” Catherine said. “The White
Forest is just an illusion for dimwits like Mr. Lee who can’t trace footsteps.” Chloe and I gave Catherine
odd stares.
“What?! Holly’s my best friend,” Catherine said. Chloe ignored Catherine and turned back to me.
The room was empty and honestly I was hoping to see Ethan and Mrs. Lee when I got back but I guess
they had other fish to fry.
“Your mother wanted us to meet you here because of the demons outside the door,” Chloe said.
“And we refused to argue with her.”
Nodding, I pushed the shoulder book slowly behind my back, biting my bottom lip. Catherine’s
eyes spotted it and looked at Chloe in her peripheral vision, Chloe didn’t see a thing cause she was too
busy spinning a pile of dust in her hand and her eyes were buried in it.
“Let me guess. You’re a Full Caster too?” I pointed to the wind in Chloe’s hands.
“Yup, I don’t know how and why, but I finally can do things that I’ve always wanted to do,” Chloe
said and smiled at me.
“Before we got here, we went to Emmaline’s, she said that with Val and Ashley together,
Matthew made a deal–”
I cut her off, “yeah, I know about the deal. I tied him up to a tree bark.”
“Anyway,” Catherine started, “Emmaline said that with the Joewards, they can put our world back
into balance and you can take down Lee.”
“That’s what Holly told me,” I said. “But I doubt I can save the colony.”
“Margerate, think about it–”
“Aunt Chloe, I don’t want to be the new Council, I can't, I’m not cut out for it, I’m not cut out for
a lot of things, hell I’m not even cut out to be a Full Caster,” I snapped at my aunt and before I knew it, I
was crying into Catherine’s shoulder. Chloe sat on the desk and watched me.
“Mr. Lee won’t even let me talk to him, I know he won’t,” I said into Catherine’s shoulder. “Holly
says I can defeat him, Connie, Del and now you. What makes you guys think I can do this?”
Catherine pulled away from me, “because you’re a Wayward. Nothing compared to a Full Caster
or any species. If something happens to us, you and my Little Bunnies are taken care of with the Wayward
blood.”
Something about Catherine’s words put hope in me. I smiled and she wiped a tear from my face
and hugged me, and this time, she whispered.
“Draw your blood on the book to find what you’re looking for. Now, come on, your parents want
you home.”
“I can’t Mrs. Joanna wants to see me at the Whitedove Courthouse,” I said, heading to the door.
Catherine pulled me back from me and smiled. I gave her a thank you smile.
“Yeah, but not until you let your parents see that you’re back in one piece,” Chloe said. I didn’t
know what to say. She had the door leading to the pub-bar open and a portal open that only we could see.
Catherine led me out of the room and put me between her and Chloe. I kept my head down, ignoring the
stares from the Demsters in the room. Chloe shoved me forward while Catherine pulled me across the
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

room. We made it to the portal without a lick of death and I was thankful that no Demster could see
through me.
The brick wall behind us slammed shut and my parents waited for us on the couch. Mom wore
her silk green robe with her hair in a bun on her head, and dad wore his silk pastel robe with his blonde
hair combed back showing his round face and the hazel eyes that I never got. The room was completely
empty and the only thing you could hear was the ticking of the Caster and Mortal Realm clocks.
“Good you’re back, finally.” Mom said, jumping up from the couch and wrapping her arms
around me. “I was getting worried.” She kissed me on the head and broke the hug. Dad sat patiently on
the couch before placing a kiss on my head.
“You don’t trust us?” Chloe said, sitting on the couch and taking her shoes off.
“We only trust fewer people with our daughter,” mom said. “And we trust the both of you, it's just
the Pub-club we don’t trust. Too many demons, and witch doctors in that place. They feed on Full Caster
magic. Now that the rest of us are becoming Full Casters, we have to be very careful where we go outside
the facility.”
“That’s why Connie put Darth incharge,” I said. “To keep a close eye on me. But now that you’re
all Full Casters now, I don’t know what to think.”
“Yeah, which makes me uncomfortable,” dad said. “We only met Darth a few times, but that
doesn’t mean that he should look after our daughter. But Connie does know best–at times, God bless her
soul–but I won’t have him look after a soul in this family. We trust Brokeslum with our lives, and until
this day forward, he and only he will watch over our daughter.”
Dad was starting to sound like a high priestess, but he had a good point. We’ve only known Darth
for almost two months and Connie and Maggie put him in charge a week before the accident. Dad stood
with pride behind Mom and placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Tomorrow, Brokeslum will look after Maggie,” Dad says. “He’ll be your bodyguard.”
“I have Ming and Ryan for that,” I said. Mom looked at dad and drew a tight line with her lips.
Chloe and Catherine looked at each other. I didn't want to tell them about the conversation I had with
Holly. Catherine pulled the book behind my back and moved in front of me.
“Look it’s just until Mr. Lee cools off,” Mom said. “I don’t want him coming here just to bite my
daughter’s head off.”
My hands flew to my head. “Graphic,” I said and took them down. “Mom, I don’t know why you
guys have so much faith in me–and don’t tell me because I’m a Wayward. I already know that I have to
beat Justin’s ass for murdering innocent families.”
“And step up to the WSC,” Dad added. I wanted to throw something at his head. So, is this
serious? This is real, I have to take over the Caster Realm.
“Why do I have to take over the WSC? And I want straight answers this time. No more of my
Wayward blood and the Joewards,” I said.
“Maggie, your Wayward blood is from your father’s side,” mom said. “Wayward blood–your
blood can balance both our worlds. That’s why we all trust you to step up. Only a true Wayward can pick
up on the rights and wrongs of the Caster world. You picked up on things too early in your life. Like when
you were little your brothers caught Mr. Lee trying to take your powers from you. You weren’t Claimed
yet, but he knew already that you’d be the first Full Caster born and who survived three days after their
Claiming.”
Dad took two wine glasses from the foyer tray and poured himself and mom a glass before taking
a seat on a couch next to her. She was already in deep thought. Dad rubbed her leg before turning to me.
“After their Claiming?” I repeated. Dad and Mom nodded. “What happened?”
“You gave straight answers,” Catherine said.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“I know what I said, what happened?” I cut Catherine off, and walked over and sat with mom.
Mom went on. “We were blessed that your brothers came in just in time before he could do real
damage. Afterwards we were terrified with who could come in contact with you. Then, Mrs. Lee started to
come around to keep close contact with you. We were skeptical at first but then that’s when she told us the
story why. More than 15 thousand children who were Claimed early, died not even within a week after
their birthday. It soon got so bad that the WSC had to keep the children separated from their families.”
“Why’d they wait so long to do something about it?” Catherine says, peeking from behind a
magazine. “Although that happened centuries ago,” she added. Chloe took a seat next to me.
“Yeah, ancestor Margerate wasn’t even dead for no more than 20 years,” Chloe said, crossing her
legs and arms.
“That’s because her daughter Aurora had already married,” mom said. “Her husband Isaac asked
his ancestors to put a Holding Spell on every third child born in the next following generations in
Aurora’s bloodline–but MEG had already started the war because of her husband.”
“When the war started Isaac believed that the more Full Casters, Waywards and Joeward bloods
in a family, the WSC could stop the attack on young children,” Chloe spoke.
“They only attacked children who come from mixed breed families,” Catherine said. “Somehow,
both Aurora and Isaac knew that someone dark will come to the dangers of wiping off every mixed breed
off the face of the earth.”
“Justin Lee.” I found my words.
They nodded.
“Hilary had her ways to keep Justin away from you around the time of your first day of school.
She later came in contact with Connor and Lisa Chin and Alice and Bennett Little, and they felt the same
way about their children as we did.”
“That’s when I met them,” I said. “You brought us together?”
“No, you three were connected since the day y’all were born. You’re destined to be together,”
mom said. “Magic doesn’t have anything to do with you three being so attached.”
“Okay, so can my Wayward blood destroy Justin or does it take over me?” I asked, thinking
whether or not I could take him down.
“It hasn’t been verified that it could, but it’s a special kind of blood. Twisted, but special,” dad
said finishing his glass. “You fight Mr. Lee and accept your new life, and you get to choose what species is
appropriate.”
“All species are appropriate, dad, it’s just what their mentality and physical being is all that
matters,” I said.
“Yeah, but do you think Mr. Lee’s in his right mind?” Dad added. I shook my head. “Alright then,
you crush his face in.”
“I can’t crush what’s already been crushed,” I said. Catherine snickered behind her magazine.
I stood up from the couch. “Is that all you guys wanted to talk to me about? Because Mrs. Joanna
wants to talk with me.” Mom and dad didn’t answer. After I hugged and kissed them goodnight, I went to
my hallroom. I closed the door behind me and walked down the long corridor to my hallroom.
When my door came into view I was relieved to be in familiar territory, not that my parents house
wasn't familiar territory, it is of course but I mean my own home familiar territory. Opening the door to the
walkway, warm air hit me, cooling me off. I didn't realize I was freezing until I could feel the heat of the
heat wave hitting my body. I locked the door and peaked in the living room, to find it empty, not a soul in
sight. The fireplace warmed the room and soothing opera music played in the foreground. I walked over to
the couch and sat the shoulder book on the couch and made myself comfortable in front of the fireplace. I
took my shoes off and placed them on the cement in front of the fireplace. I outreached my hands and fire
spread up my arms and body and disappeared into my skin, warming me immediately. The smell of
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

perfume that matches my mood seemed to fill me. Everything was so quiet in the house and I was grateful
to come home to peace and quiet, from Ian of course. Ian has made me very annoyed every now and then
asking about my journey. Sometimes I'm not in the mood to tell everything, so to give him a simple
answer, I'd say something along the lines of “it was good, nothing I can really handle. Just a book in my
tongue” and he'd leave it at that. Ashley knew better than to ask me until a few hours or days later, Val
doesn't know very much because she's still getting used to the family but I think Ashley told her about my
mood swings when I have to go into the Caster Realm. Ian knows how I am and he doesn't give a flying
fuck—sometimes. I pulled my knees to my chest and buried my forehead into them. I took a few breaths
and grabbed the shoulder book from the couch. The straps on the book vanished in my hand and only the
book remained. I glared at the book and set it on the floor in front of me.
“Okay, I know you have something to do with me and my nieces and daughters, now tell me. Talk
to me. Tell me why you survived the accident?” I whispered to the book. It didn't answer me, I flipped
open the book and on the first page read in an unfamiliar language.
Mick sho a nian ut af rin.
I didn't understand what it meant. I was about to flip a page when the words started to change,
rearranging themselves like they did back in the White Forest. The words landed. My eyes started to make
them out in English.
Handle with care and trust.
The words were in Niadic Latin. My eyes widened and I was starting to think if this book really
was my responsibility. I rubbed my eyes and looked at the page again, the words still read in English.
“What can you tell me about the WSC? Why do I have to take down Mr. Lee?”
The book hummed and a bright blue light stood up in front of me. The light burned my eyes and
the sound of voices whispering came from it. A figure appeared and transformed into a woman in a white
fur coat. I thought it was Holly at first until the face came in.
“Good to see you, Maggie,” the woman said, smiling at me. She didn't look familiar to me or
sound familiar. Her smile was bright and it wasn't helping with the blue light in my eyes. The hologram
beamed in my face and I cursed the woman in front of me. If she wanted to talk to me she could’ve atleast
called me.
“My name is Joanna ViKram and I'm the Headmaster of the WSC. I've been meaning to speak
with you but something came up unexpectedly. I was looking forward to seeing you today, but Hilary
snatched you up before I could. It’s something she's very good at. Margerate, this book is called a Vortex,
it’s your personal diary, it was created by your late ancestors MEG included. With this book you can ask it
anything and it’ll tell you what you want to know, but you have to accept your new fate, no matter what,
things will only get worse if you don't kill Mr. Lee.”
She smiled at me. “Maggie, I trust you and only you alone to keep this book in your possession.
The book can show you how you can take down Mr. Lee and take his place and when you do, you will be
looked upon as the New World Order. I look forward with seeing your actions. Come to the North Wing
for supper.”
And with that, the hologram disappeared. I groaned and forcibly rubbed my eyes. If the light was
even brighter, I’m pretty sure I’d be blind as a bat. I closed the book and tossed it on the couch.
So, it’s official, I have to kill Mr. Lee for the sake of the world, for the sake of the family. I can’t
deny this new fate I have. Justin will only keep wiping innocent families off the face of the earth, Caster
or not if I don’t. Why does everything have to mess up my hands? I was already once a victim of being a
Wayward impostor when I clearly wish I did. If I do this, I will be stepping up and taking over his place,
including the WSC and becoming a model idol, becoming someone to look up to.
I pulled my knees to my chest, rested my head and closed my eyes. I played my dreams and
visions of the accident and Morteze's accident over and over in my head like a movie in my head. I could
hear the screams and smell the fire of burning flesh, blood and metal and the hissing of the screeching
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

demons. The screams and sobs of all the families who died because of Justin Lee were calling and
praising a soul that never came.
Opening my eyes, the voices in my head stopped, and the fire blew out and quietly mocked the
room. Starting tomorrow, I’m facing Mr. Lee no matter if he wants to see me or not. I’m putting an end to
his treachery.
Dark clouds and smoke filled the form around me. I could smell copper in the air, the smell of
blood. I couldn't take in my surroundings but I could tell that I was back in the facility. An unfamiliar part
of the building. The sounds of screaming and crying drew my attention to the West wing of the facility, I
could smell the different types of Caster scents and I couldn't make out neither one of them, the blood was
too strong. Burning flesh and blood and urine filled the air. A male's voice called my name, I looked
around and found myself being pulled by a man's arm, a crashing sound came behind me followed by
hissing screeches. The cologne was too familiar and with that I already knew who it was.
Cole.
My mind couldn't connect with everything that was happening so fast. We ran through a corridor
that was blocked by a fallen pillar. Cole was covered in blood that seemed to be a mixture of his and
someone else's. His hair was knotted and soaked with dirt, grim, blood and smoke. His clothes were torn
and ripped off and he looked like he hadn't slept in weeks.
“Cole, what's going on?!” I called after him. He ignored me. “What happened?!”
“Justin's attacking the facility, we already lost half the family,” he said, kicking down a door and
pulling me through.
“The family? Where's Ashley and Val? Where's the little ones?” My voice broke out in a panic
and started to crack.
“They're safe. Bian and Sasuki have them, Chloe locked them in the basement of the facility. Ming
and Ryan are out fighting the Dark Demons.”
Cole opened a door and we jogged down three flights of stairs before taking an open elevator.
One of the women Caster Scientists in white led us into it. She shoved us in and pressed a button leaving
us. Once the doors closed, I looked at Cole’s dark eyes.
“What about everyone else? Where’s mom and dad? Where’s my brothers and Matt? Cole talked
to me damn it!”
Cole cursed under his breath.
“Cole?!”
“Matthew and Jacob are dead. Theresa and Heather didn't make it, either. They died in the
Caster ER, trauma to a major artery. John and Will are with Selena and your parents. We didn't lose a lot
of people, thank God,” Cole said. “Everyone else I'm unsure of.”
We stepped off the elevator and stopped at a black hallway and Cole closed his eyes and pressed
his fingers to the wall, it hummed, a growling came from behind us and I was expecting to see a demon
but it wasn't, it was a hooded figure in black, but transparent.
“Nala, I need you to look after Maggie and take her to the Joeward's in the grey room, don't stop
whatever happens, make sure you take her to the girls,” Cole shouted over the screaming and the sound of
metal against flesh.
The hooded figure—Nala hisses and was standing in front of me within a second. I looked at Cole
unsure and he nodded. Nala put a hand out and I took it with no hesitation and Nala pulled me into the
black wall in front of me and Cole and I found myself being yanked down a hallway that was made of
glass diamonds and crystals. Nala moaned and groaned softly in my ear. Cole's CG initials were written
into Nala’s cloak, she was his creation alright.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

Our panicked feet screamed across the diamond floors and the room bent into a new one, a lime
red and green room with family portraits hanging from the ceiling by old worn out shoe laces. I had no
time to stop and admire them and see what else my family has to offer but that would only waste time.
Nala led me to a door and when she opened it, the only light was a lightbulb hanging by a thread in the
center of the room. Ashley, Bian, Sasuki, Val, Sam, Oakley and Josephine sat in the corner of the room.
“Mom, what’s going on?” Val said running up and throwing her arms around me. Ashley hugged
me and pulled away. Ian wrapped his arms around me and passionately kissed me.
“Thank God you’re still breathing,” he said breathless after breaking the kiss.
“I don’t know, I don’t remember anything,” I said. “Where are the Mortals?”
“Mrs. Lee and Meredith took them home,” Bian said. “The second Mr. Lee showed up, Meredith
had already taken them home. Mrs. Lee knew when he was gonna strike, she was just unsure when.”
“Where’s my father?” I asked, looking around the room horrified. “Where’s your granddad?” Val
shook her head and so did Ashley. Bian and Sasuki.
“He’s fighting,” Oakley said. “They’re all fighting. But Aunt Maggie you have to get out there,
because Mr. Lee will find you and when he does, we’ll all be in danger and not just Uncle Ian, Aunt Bian
and Sasuki, but us as well.”
She was referring to her cousins. Oakley had a good point. If Mr. Lee finds them or lays eyes on
the Mortals he'll know where Val and the girls are hiding and kill them all. I couldn't let them get killed, I
couldn't let Mr. Lee lay a hand on my daughter's or the Joeward's, they are me, Ryan and Ming's
responsibility if anything happens to them or to my brothers.
“Maggie, before we got here, your dad told me to tell you that for you to kill Mr. Lee you have to
block all your thoughts and feelings from him and yourself,” Ian said, reaching for my shoulder.
“Keep him away from your mind, period,” Sam said, holding Josephine in her arms. Sasuki
looked around the room looking for a way out.
“Maggie, would you mind giving me some circulation? I hate when my hair sticks to my
forehead,” Sasuki said, fanning herself with her hands.
“Can't. Lord Voldemort broke the entire air and heating system,” Bian said, trying to make a joke
but failed miserably. She didn't break a laugh or a chuckle, she really was looking heated and not furious.
I looked at my two nieces. “You guys couldn't help with oxygen?”
“Aunt Chloe said we can’t use magic at the moment because Mr. Lee or his demon bodyguards
will know where we are,” Sam said. “And promised my parents I’d look after them, after us.”
“What about leaving oxygen in the room?” I said. “Nevermind, I’ll do it. As long as they can
sense my presence, I can be anywhere. I’m gonna do a protection spell over the room. Ashley, Val, help
me.” I didn’t wait for their response, they were already using the Prox spell. I turned to Sam.
“Samantha, you do know about your mom and Aunt Heather, don’t you?” I said, bending to her
level.
Sam nodded. “I knew it was bound to happen. He’s killing our kind too, not just Mortals.”
“Aunt Chloe and Mrs. Lee are hoping to get out of this alive. She wants to do something that’s not
original,” Ashley said looking up at me before a mini fan appeared in the center of the room and cold air
blew from it. Bian and Sasuki sighed and Samantha and Oakley thanked us and the facility.
“Where do I go from here?” I found myself saying. No one spoke; Sam looked at Oakley. She had
a pained look on her face and she started to speak but almost thought against it when she saw my face.
Oakley rubbed the sweat from her forehead.
“Nala, take Maggie to Mr. Lee, she has to face him alone and alone only,” Oakley said, hugging
her knees. I went to speak, but a dizzy spell came over me.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

I woke up to the smell of bacon and pancakes, although I thought I was having one of my half
dream memories but my stomach growled at the correct confirmation. The half dream memories are what
I have during a nightmare and sweet dreams. I can’t always tell them apart or pinpoint when I go into one
of them, but I do get a knot in my stomach before they happen. Dad taught me how to pinpoint them
eventually when they got more and more frequent.
I sat up and realized I wasn’t in the living room anymore, I had fallen asleep in the living room on
the floor and I somehow ended up in bed. The dark green sheets hugged me and filled my senses with the
smell of lavender. I patted Ian’s side of the bed–he was gone. I got out and walked to the bathroom and
ran in the warm water. My towel and other scented oils laid across the side of the double sink, my side of
the sink. I stripped down to my bare skin and walked into the warm water without testing it. I smiled at
myself and ran my hands down my damp hair. Washing my hair, I enjoyed the scent of raspberry and
lemon shampoo and conditioned my hair and soaked my body in scented oils. After washing off, I dressed
in a white button down shirt with dark blue jeans and tied my everyday black leather boots.
I left the room and headed to the kitchen. I walked in and Ashley and Val sat at the kitchen island
while Ian sat on the couch watching the news from the Mortal realm.
Val and Ashley looked up and smiled, “morning, mom,” Val said.
“Good morning,” Ashley said, taking a drink of her orange juice. Ian looked up and got off the
couch and hugged me.
“Good morning to you all,” I said, breaking the hug. “Did I fall asleep in the living room last
night?” Everyone looked at me with raised brows. I gave them all a look.
“No, when I woke up you were already in bed,” Ian said. “Unless the House can transport you
from one place to the next.” He chuckled.
“A Caster House could do that so don’t tempt it, especially a Caster Facility.” I turned to the
twins. I took a spoonful of Val’s pancakes and a sip from Ashley’s glass.
“I’ll be back in fifteen minutes, I’m going to the North Wing for a bit,” I said and kissed the girls
and Ian bye and left out the door.
I took the elevator to the North Wing and found myself aweing at the decor. The walls were
painted yellow with a grey stripe leading sideways, the grey stripe turned out to be a saying written in
what appeared to be Crylic or Russian. The floors were brown marble with glass white lights in the ceiling
and tiny words appeared and disappeared before me. I have never been to this part of the facility before;
but the way the floors hummed under the touch of my feet, I automatically knew that this was Val’s
design, cause she did say on our first dinner here at the Caster Facility that she did help design the place. I
went to the end of the hallway and a man in grey stood at the end waiting for me. I have seen all the
Caster scientists but never once saw him. I slowed my pace and kept my eyes on his dark purple ones. I
tried hard not to make eye contact with him as I walked past him into a room.
The room that I found made me trip over my feet. The walls were painted grey with black
symbols written across them. My boots squeaked along the floor, my eyes took in every detail of the
room. I was hoping to see a room full of books but what I saw was something a little unorthodox, I’ll
admit. Smoothe wooden tables sat on the sides of the room and a long counter stood almost 10-feet high
above me, it looked like a courtroom. It looked a lot like my dad’s courtroom when I had to work for him
back in high school.
The sound of wings flapping broke the silence in the room; a woman in grey stood at the long
counter, black wings flapping behind her. Long white hair and white milky eyes started back at me. She
wore the white fur coat that I distinctly remember last night in the hologram.
I was staring at the face of Joanna ViKram, the Headmaster of WSC.
She smiled and stood up from the long island and expanded her wings and I felt my body being
pulled forward, towards her. She was standing outside the island when I reached her, she wrapped her
arms around my torso.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“Did you get my message?” She spoke, breaking the hug. “I felt your presence open the book of
Secrets.”
I nodded. “I now know why I have to take down Mr. Lee. It’s because I’m next in line.”
“Maggie, Mr. Lee is getting out of control, the bastard just burned one of his assistants alive who
happened to be a descendant of the Cohler family–half Mortal and Gargoyles,” Joanna said, leading me to
the island before us. I sat beside her and a hologram appeared in front of us. Joanna typed at the computer
and almost alien-like languages appeared. The words seemed to be rearranging themselves into English.
The words were working like a fluent tongue in my head as I read out all the words, letters,
numbers and symbols.
“Why am I reading and understanding the symbols on the screen?” I looked up at the white haired
lady.
“Because of your Wayward blood, I’m pretty sure Holly Lee told you that,” Joanna spoke and
looked at me still typing on the hologram screen. She smiled at me and turned back to the screen. My
mouth agape as the memory came back to me.
“Margerate, I know how much you’re still confused with this, I am as well, but since you’re the
only Wayward from your father’s side, Mr. Lee knows that you can kill him and he realized that.” Joanna
turned to me and a piece of paper appeared in front of me.
“Write down the dream you had last night.”
I went to write and froze. I looked at Joanna. “How’d you know about my dream?” Joanna turned
her head aside.
“The Headmaster of WSC knows all but hides in the blinks. I know that you were born with
different colored hair like Oakley but you keep in a Charm spell, your heart stopped multiple times at
birth, six times in fact, you hate your brothers but you adore your brother Jonathan, but look up to William
more, you hated the idea of giving up Val at birth but you knew it was the only thing to keep the family
safe, when you were Claimed you had plans to torture Irabella, Endora and Maaya but instead you’d cut
yourself but heal quickly, you can’t stand your parents but pretend to love them, you look at Ming, Bian
and Ryan as your sisters and not your best friends, like you looked at Maria Morteze as your daughter and
her parents as your parents and you love Ian and would give up your life for him, but would never do the
same for your parents–”
“Okay, stop,” I said, meeting her eyes. “I get it, you know every little thing about me.”
“Everything. I know everything about you,” Joanna said smiling.
“Why did you really summon me here?” I said, flipping the pen with my fingers. Joanna gave a
deep exhale and her milky white eyes met mine. “Other than writing down my dream journal.”
“A friend of mine wants to train your daughters and nieces for a practice complex. Just in case
Mr. Lee has any ideas,” Joanna said typing on the hologram keyboard.
“I remember Connie and Del and I went somewhere in the facility. Meredith was there and
Maggie Lennon,” I said. “Something about training them to change destinies.”
“Yes, and it’s a good thing that we have Joewards, that Joewards are in the family,” Joanna said.
“And to have a Joeward with a Wayward mother is even better when you’re gone they can take over the
facility, the WSC, they’ll be like the Power Rangers, but only without the armor.”
“Yeah, I know they’d be unstoppable,” I said. “So, what do I write on this paper, I mean my
dream was very scrambled and I can’t really see what happens other than fire and smoke.”
“Okay, so write that down, whatever you remember to put it down and I’ll see if I can find
anything in the Dream catalog–it’s not an actual catalog it’s just the name for a dream book that the
facility has on memories and dreams.”
Nodding, I didn’t press on further so I wrote down whatever I could remember from my dream,
and while remembering, I found that I had taken up six sheets of paper. Joanna was staring at me like a
mental patient on a bus. And as I was writing, I kept having flashbacks of blood, the smell of it, the taste
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

and the sounds of screaming and petrifying growls and moans. The dream of Connie and Del’s accident
appeared in my head, then the dreams of giving up both Ashley and Val at birth, then losing them, the
nightmares of Cole’s accident when he was sixteen and he and some friends drove out to the Hills and the
car ran off the highway on the way back. So many memories came flooding in and it felt good letting
them out, and I could tell Joanna was too because she was taking notes on some pieces. After I was
finished, Joanna studied the papers and she seemed intrigued about the way my handwriting grew sloppier
the more I wrote.
“Your handwriting is very small and you put a lot of thought into your words I see,” Joanna was
biting on a banana peel.
“You eat banana peels?” I said looking at the chewed up peel. Joanna nodded, tearing a piece
from it.
“Yup, like your husbands people eat the inside and not the whole thing. Anyway, I’m seeing a lot
of blood and shadows in your dreams and memories. Did you suffer from Ghost memoirs when you were
little?”
“What the hell is that?” I asked, scrambling my mind for the word. It sounded familiar but I
couldn’t quite find a word. Joanna tossed her peel over her shoulder.
“It’s a disorder that some people have when they feel either left out or misunderstood in the
world, when in their mind they feel weak so they create a shell to harden themselves, or in other words
depression.” I looked at the white headed woman and wasn’t sure what to say. There’s no such thing as
Ghost memoirs, it sounds like something from an animation show.
“That sounds like the symptoms of depression,” I said. “Do we call depression Ghost memoirs
here?”
“It sounds better than depression, The word sounds depressing,” Joanna said, picking at her teeth
with a sharp fingernail. “So, I’m gonna give you some homework to do...”
My heart dropped. “No, I’ve been doing homework for the past years of my life, I need a break.”
“You are the most complicated Full Caster that I’ve ever worked with,” Joanna muttered to
herself. “You’re gonna be doing homework when you beat Justin’s ass for the post, so I suggest you get
used to it. Your homework is gonna be on your Vortex, I want you to learn about your Ghost memoirs.
Now, let’s go to dinner.”
“It’s early in the morning?” I said being pulled from my seat by her nails.
“Please, Mortals eat breakfast in the middle of the night and dinner early in the morning,” Joanna
said smiling and pulled me out of the room; tall steel doors swung open and Joanna led me through, she
was basically pulling me. Her grip felt like the time I was fighting Sarafine Underworld–Matt’s
godmother.
“Gunther, get dinner ready, my favorite Caster’s here!” Joanna called out in Niadic that I found
myself translating to myself easily without wondering what meant what.
We arrived in a white room with a glass chandelier hanging too big, and too low above our heads.
Joanna pushed me into a chair and she sat in front of me. A buffet of food mapped the table and soft
music began to play.
“Is this a date, Ms. ViKram?”
“No, I just like to eat in peace. You know, slow music in the background and food in the front,”
Joanna said, biting into a burger with green sauce. “Cauliflower with weed killer and rubbery lettuce.” She
must’ve seen my face because she laughed.
“Okay, so my Vortex book, you said that it only speaks to me and me only?” Joanna agreed. “So,
will the book tell me about Justin’s breakdowns? I mean everyone’s telling me different stories.”
“His ancestors killed the last of the Waywards so they could have the bloodline to take over the
WSC but they missed one. Aurora’s great great great granddaughter, your grandmother Heather.”
“She was Wayward?” I said choking on my breath. Joanna nodded. “Did my mom know?”
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“Of course not, no one but your Aunt Chloe and Stephanie knew,” Joanna says finishing her wine.
“But her mother had some dirty tricks up her sleeve like so, she hid it from the world along with her lover
Napoleon. Locked her powers, and told the Council she disappeared.”
“No one could track her?” Joanna shook her head.
“Not even the WSC or the Mortal government?” I took a sip of the wine that actually tasted
sweeter than it looked.
“Nope, it was like she disappeared. It wasn’t until after your mother was born and Mrs. Lee and
Meredith Cloawns found Marble blood in her veins when she was little, they knew that your mother or
one of her children will be born with the gift of Wayward blood. She married your father, had your
brothers and then came to you. Margerate, your bloodline goes back 50 generations, maybe more. But
when you were born and found Wayward in your blood like they found in your mother’s, they welcomed a
new beginning and end. The beginning of a new order and the end of torture and innocent blood.”
“So, my mom, she already knew that I could change the world–the Caster world?” I spoke trying
to digest this new information.
Joanna nodded. “And another little note on your Waywardness, your mother has Wayward blood
in her as well.”
I took a bite of the grape salad in front of me. “Why didn’t Connie or Del tell me? Why didn’t my
mom say anything? How come they didn’t tell me anything? Why is everyone leaving me in the dark on
this stuff?” I asked her, savoring the sweet and sour taste. “I mean why wait this long for me to find out?
I’m pretty sure she wanted to tell me about this at some point in my life.”
“And she did, yes, but you were so young at the time and when you became of age and became
friends with Ryan and Ming and fell in love with your husband, she couldn’t bring herself to tell you. That
would mean you couldn’t really be yourself. And your father on the other hand, he just didn’t feel
comfortable telling his only daughter that the fate of her world is in her hands. Plus if they did, you would
have to leave school, Ian, and your Mortal friends and your mother and father didn’t want that so they just
left it,” Joanna went on. “We all blame Mr. Lee’s ancestors for doing this, and when we found out what
you were capable of we finally relaxed.”
“Okay, so hold on. Does every magical creature know about me being the next in line for the
throne?” I scratched my head with my fingers before looking into her emotionless eyes. She took a sip of
her melted rock liquor. I’ve rated the drink before and it burns my throat, chest, face and somehow my
stomach and lower abdomen. It’s like drinking melted hot candy.
“Nope, no one but half the members in the WSC and the Casteadstoria Courthouses,” Joanna said.
“And let’s keep it that way. The less they know about you, the better. Now…. Would you mind bringing
the Joewards here for training? Starting tomorrow, of course, but in the meantime it was good to finally
meet you.”
“Sure, I’ll ask them and see what they think,” I said.
Thanking Joanna for dinner, I turned on my heel and led myself to the door where I had come in
earlier. The man I once saw stood outside the doorway with a grim look on his face and eyes baring into
my soul. I gave a smile and quickened my pace to get the hell away from him. I was thankful once I made
it out the door and made my way to familiar territory. The second I stepped foot into the house, Ian’s
voice called out from the kitchen hallway.
“You’re just in time for lunch, we’re having baked macaroni and cheese with green bean
casserole.”
I groaned under my breath and headed for the stairs instead of the kitchen down the hall. The
smelt delicious but it made my stomach turn and I felt like I was gonna hurl. Bian walked out from the
kitchen hallway, she had her hair in a messy bun and wore her silk violet pajamas with the pink silk
slippers.
“You’re not eating lunch?”
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I shook my head turning to her, “I just came from the WSC Headmaster’s place in the North Wing
for supper and if I eat another bite I’m gonna barf.”
“You never miss lunch, or anything,” Bian said. “I’ll tell House to make your plate.”
I thanked my sister and headed for my bedroom, finding the Vortex in the middle of the made bed.
“Let’s see what you can tell me,” I said, grabbing it and making myself comfortable in the center of the
silver silk bedspread.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

Chapter 20. Knight and Shining Joewards
I closed the book shut, setting it on my nightstand, and got out of bed. I left my room and made
my way to the girls’ room. I walked into Val’s room and leaped with a shriek placing a hand over my
chest. Ashley laid across the ceiling with her arms spread out and her hair spread out as well. Val sat on
the wall over her bed facing downward. The room was painted pink and silver with pink and magenta
bedspread and a light pink dresser set with black silk curtains and marble pink floor that hummed with
heat at every step taken. Val said that it was her idea and at the time I was starting to think that it was a
little too much but now that I’ve actually taken in their rooms, I’ve found it pretty relaxing. No wonder
Bian sleeps in their rooms instead of her own. Ashley and Val looked up at me and smiled before waving.
I gave a shy wave back.
“Since when could you do that?” I pointed at them. Val chuckled before making her way up on
the ceiling with her sister on her hands and knees.
“We don’t know,” Ashley said. “Ever since we got here, we’ve been having the nerve to do almost
anything. Val and I can speak in Glasstongue somehow, and we can shapeshift.”
Ashley shapeshifted into me. I yelped again. She turned into herself.
“We can do a lot of crazy shit,” Val said smiling. I watched my daughters with wide eyes and
gaped jaws. Ashley nodded. I couldn’t really believe that they could climb on the walls. That’s not what I
had in mind especially Ashley, she didn't know how to unless Val taught her of course. Shaking my head,
I kicked myself back into reality.
“Okay, guys, I just came back from the North Wing from seeing Ms. ViKram and she wants me to
bring you guys and your cousins for a little get together,” I said.
“Anything to kill that bastard,” Val spoke up and fell to the floor with a thump.
“You may need to work on that landing,” I said, crouching to her level.
“I have a lot of things to work on. Starting with that landing cause that shit hurt,” Val said,
rubbing her head. Ignoring the eight year olds swear word, I nodded, thanking myself and jerked my head
forward.
“What do you guys want for dinner?” Ashley and Val followed after me down the long corridor.
“House was thinking about making pizza, the Mortal way and our way, but we couldn’t choose so
that’s why we were gonna ask you but we got tied up on the ceiling,” Val said. I turned to Valerie who
clung her arm between her sisters.
“You guys can read the House?”
“Mom, we’re Joewards, we can kick Mr. Lee’s ass in our sleep,” Ashley smiled.
“I’m starting to regret letting you guys swear,” I said as we made our way into the kitchen
hallway. “Where’s your Aunt?”
“Sasuki and Bian should be in the kitchen with dad; at least that’s where we last saw them,” Val
said.
The door to the kitchen opened in my presence and we walked in and sure enough Ian and my
twin and her sister were in the kitchen–with my brothers and parents. Dad and Ian stood over the stove
burning what seemed to be charcoal, at least that’s what I thought it was, it had the scent. Mom sat at the
table with William and Sasuki mixing herbs and spices, Bian and John sat across from them chopping up
bad vegetables and picking apart red olives. I was hoping to see Oakley and Samantha come running out
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from some place in the house, but they didn’t. John turned to me and Bian patted the seat next to her
without glancing at me.
“What the hell did I just walk into?” I said pulling a chair out at the end of the table and taking a
seat. Val sniffed the air and picked up the burning pot on the stove and then picked up the crushed herbs
on the table before turning to me.
“They’re making a Healing potion?” Ashley asked her sister. Val nodded; I turned to my parents.
“Healing potion for what?” I said taking an already done herb vial from the table. Dad looked up
and so did Ian.
“Your Mom had one of her Seering things and dragged dad and your brothers here to create
something called a Healing potion,” Ian said pouring hot liquid into a vial.
“Mom, Mortals aren’t allowed to make potions in a Caster presence,” I said putting the vial back.
“And my granddaughters aren’t allowed to be Joewards but there’s nothing I can do about that can
I?” Mom said, looking up at me. What she meant to say was “her granddaughters are Joewards and I’m
too hell of excited to care what happens as long as they take Justin Lee down,” at least that’s what I think
she meant.
Ignoring my mother’s sharp response, I turned to my brothers. “Joanna ViKram wants the girls as
soon as possible. She and Maggie want to train them how to use their powers–Joeward powers.”
Everything went quiet.
Mom and dad eyed me with dark eyes.
“She could’ve had the audacity to come and say hi to us,” Dad called out.
“I’m confused, you know, Ms. ViKram?” I said. My parents laughed at me like I was a freak in
the crowd.
“Of course we do,” Mom said. “She’s the reason why we’re all Full Casters. Matt did some crazy
things in his life, but telling her what could happen when Lee strikes it helped us a lot. He gave up half his
soul to make us Full Casters. And helping your two changing destinies is a blessing.”
“He’s training you?” I turned my head to Val and Ashley. “How?”
“It’s only the basics like switching auras and learning to manifest into something they care about,”
Ashley said. “Ms. ViKram didn’t tell you?”
“No, I’m afraid she forgot that little detail,” I said, turning to my dad.
“Well, Joanna has a lot on her plate, take Ashley and Val’s first birthday for instance, she was
supposed to come but didn’t. She mixed up Will with John when they were little and bought them toys for
girls when you were a baby, trust me that lady isn’t right in her head.” Mom laughed.
“So, what time did she say that?” Dad added, looking at me.
“She didn’t say. All she said was tomorrow they’ll be starting their training,” I said. John and Will
looked at me with cold eyes, but John’s eyes smiled. He was in.
“That’s not a bad idea,” John spoke. “Oakley has been talking a lot lately, and I mean a lot so
much that Heather’s asking her to be quiet.”
“Are you nuts?!” Will turned to him, “It’s bad enough that Sam’s climbing on walls and Jojo’s
floating when she’s upset.”
“Jojo’s floating?” Mom and Dad said in unison.
“Sam’s climbing walls too?” Ashley, Val and I said with crazy smiled on their faces.
“Okay, everyone stop what you’re doing,” Mom said. “We’re going to pay my little friend Joanna
a visit.”
“Oh thank God, I thought you were gonna say little sister or something,” John said relaxing in his
chair.
“Me, too,” I said; everyone in the room said.
“Why would I say that?” Mom wanted to know. “Me and my little sisters are doing just great with
each other.”
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

And with that mom turned on her heel and walked out of the kitchen. We looked at each other and
rushed out the kitchen behind her before she had the chance to smite us all.
The door to Joanna’s chamber hall swung open and she stood before us in a white silk robe with
her hair in a bun and white eyes staring down at us. Everyone looked agitated. Sam and Theresa looked
irked to be up, because they hate being awoken at any time of night for any reason, which reminds me
why Theresa had another baby when she hates being woken up all hours of the night. Although we do
have Caster homes that can help us at times like that so maybe that’s why. Oakley leaned against the white
wall, sleeping against it with Jojo in her stoller who happily slept through the loud echoing knocks we
were giving to Joanna‘s door.
The frown on Joanna's face disappeared when she saw me. “I thought I said tomorrow?”
“At least someone's enjoying their rest,” I mumbled looking at the sleeping 2 month old. I turned
to Joanna.
“To answer your question, you did. But my mom wants you and Maggie to start training them
now. Both of the girls were climbing the walls in the place. My two were on the walls and ceiling when I
came in earlier. Will said that Josephine floats in the air when she's upset,” I finished.
“Now, I may not be a Caster but even I know that's not a good thing,” Theresa said with dark cold
eyes.
Joanna looked at everyone in the room before sighing to herself. She looked past us and gave a
slight nod. My brothers looked over their shoulders and back to her. Joanna jerked her head for us to
follow her. Mom took the first step and we followed. Joanna led us to an empty white hall and placed a
hand on the only light in the room; the light changed from white to red. I watched the room transform into
what looked to be a replica of Borrem Forest, our training ground back home in Florida. A place where
my entire family was trained growing up. Heather and Theresa looked in amazement and Val looked
almost completely insane and Sasuki on the other hand just wanted to scream.
“I know the Mortals are still tired so the red light should soothe their brain waves unless they're
used to the sounds of metal and screeching.” Joanna looked at Theresa, Ian, Bian, Sasuki and Heather.
They snared at Joanna and made themselves comfortable on the long purple couch and rested their
eyes—Theresa and Heather.
“Are Ming and Ryan coming too or are they just as tired as these creatures?”
I shook my head. “I don't know, I haven't seen them since the accident. Especially Ming. She lost
her dad.”
Joanna's words were dark and straight forward. She had no emotion or sympathy. My parents
were just eye murdering her over and over again until dad cleared his throat.
Joanna looked at him. “I didn't miss you and Maria, George don't worry. How are you guys doing
lately? I hope you like your new home.” Joanna took a seat on a wooden box near the purple couch with
the sleeping girls.
Mom and dad looked at each other before speaking.
“We're good thanks for asking,” dad said. “When Maggie told us that she was here we felt like a
fish out of water.”
“Yes. I know I'm completely sorry about that. I've been trying to clear my schedule ever since Val
arrived and let's just say, it's not gonna happen,” Joanna said smiling. Mom and dad didn't return the smile.
Joanna took a breath. “Okay, will everyone excuse me while I make myself presentable and then
call Maggie?”
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Bian nodded, answering for everyone. Mom mumbled something to dad and he gave her one of
his “shut up, Maria” looks.
“So, is this where you guys come to train?” Sasuki wanted to know by looking at me. “In a room
that transforms into places?”
“No, it's a replica of Borrem Forest that we have back at home. It's the real thing but no matter
what you do you always end up back in this circle,” I said answering. “Joanna only did this because back
at home is too dangerous. If Justin or his men find us, we'd be dead.”
Sasuki looked at me with wide eyes.
“You asked the question, I answered,” I added. “None of us can go back home, not even you and
Bian. She's been in this since we were little and she already knows too much. And Sasuki you're in this
because you witnessed the birth of Samantha and her powers.”
“You couldn't have erased my mind?”
“Yeah, but I know how much you can't stand your parents and granny so I bought you here with
me instead. You're welcome,” I smiled. Sasuki looked up at her sister.
“Yes, she is serious,” Bian added, reading her face.
“Okay, so what about Cole and his girlfriend? And your nemesis from high school?” Sasuki went
on.
I cleared my throat with the sound of her name on my tongue.
“Tara and Ira-mut’s only here because my dad wants to use them as human bait for when I battle
Mr. Lee,” John said.
“No one was supposed to know that,” dad said looking at his son. Bian laughed at the way dad’s
head popped up from his lap.
“Only I know that,” John said. “And now so does everyone else,” he pointed to everyone in the
room. Dad and mom looked at Heather and the sleeping queens. Mom rolled her eyes and crossed her
arms and legs.
“It was your father’s idea and I actually agreed with him,” mom said.
“Where are those assholes anyway?” Bian asked, picking at the cotton balls outlining the couch.
“Ira and her brother are back in their chambers, and that goes for Brittany, and Heidi,” mom
spoke. “Last night Ryan gave Ira a monkey’s tail.” She smiled. Sasuki and Will chuckled and high-fived
each other.
“It was our idea,” Sasuki said. Mom smiled, thanking her when the glass door opened causing
everyone to look up. Joanna stood before us in a white silk dress that dragged on the dirt ground and her
hair around her shoulders and half pinned up. Maggie Lennon stood beside her wearing a grey silk dress
with her hair in tight curls and wedged black heels.
“You have a bad habit of waking me up at the wrong time, Anne,” Maggie spoke, frowning at
Joanna. She didn’t care, she looked at the Joeward with hazy eyes.
“Hurricane Lena, you run into us once again,” dad said, getting up from the table and giving her a
hug.
“Don’t be so watery, George, I love you and your family so much that I feel like I’m related to
you.”
Dad broke the hug, “don’t get ahead of yourself. You’re only a half friend because my daughter
needs you.”
Maggie turned to me and I stood up to greet her.
“I want you to start training the Joewards. I don’t care what nobody says, but you have to. I want
you to. As the new member of the council, I demand you.” The room grew quiet and everyone turned to
me.
“Are you accepting your role as the new council member, Maggie?” Ian asked, placing a warm
hand on my lower back. I looked at him and nodded.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

“I want to end this,” I said in the quiet room. “He’s gone too far. The flame in my soul flickered
last night. I saw him raiding the facility. I don’t know how and I don’t know when, but my dreams are
never wrong.”
“You can’t be serious, are you serious?” Theresa said, standing next to me. I nodded and looked at
her. Her medium tall frame stood beside me.
“Theresa, I have to do this. I can’t sit around and watch him kill more innocent families. All this
because our kind is mixing with your kind,” I said. “Who knows when he gets here or if we’re next? I
want my daughters and nieces trained and I want to pay Justin Lee a little visit.”
“If you go there, he’ll kill you?” Maggie said. I turned to her and back to Theresa. She looked
pained and wanted to shed the tears that were making their way to her eyes.
“He can’t lay a hand on the girl unless I give him access,” I said.
“Who said that?” Ian asked.
“I did. He knows that he can’t touch a Wayward because my touch could kill or injure him,” I
said. “I’m hoping the first option could be of good use. I won’t be long.”
And with that I turned on my heel and made my way out of the room. A guard stood next to it,
guarding it. He scowled before cracking his jawline.
“Call Brokeslum, Dorth and Condor, and tell them that Mrs. Morteze orders them to guard the
Joewards. If anything happens, put them in the lower basement of the facility with all the mortals.”
The guard's face relaxed and he bowed his head for approval.
Walking away, I let my feet carry me to a closed wall. Placing a hand against the cold wall, the
warmth from my hand hummed and the walls separated. Darkness stood before me and as if on queue fire
lit and spread along the walls; and taking a step forward, I knew there was no turning back.
Mr. Lee turned to the mention of my presence. He looked ill, he looked like he had a lot on his
mind. His pale skin was paler than usual, his hair was thinner than usual, he had black and blue circles
around his eyes and his eyeballs were bloodshot. He sat on his black couch facing the fireplace, back
facing me, head turned. The room was dark and the fire was the only light. Justin wore his Council
uniform that looked worn out and it looked like he and the uniform hadn't been washed in forever. The
room smelled of vile and urine. Two guards stood by the entrance of the only way in and out, they were
about seven or eight foot tall, maybe they were related to Hagrid from Harry Potter. This is the Caster
realm, you never know you may even walk into a guy that resembles Hagrid.
“You’ve turned my family against me,” he said in a low, raspy voice. His lips dry and cracked
from constant dehydration. “My wife and daughter won’t even step foot in here to see me. They won’t
even follow my orders, especially my beloved wife.”
He turned all his attention to me. “Why have you turned them against me, Maggie?”
I caught myself from tripping over my feet. Justin’s face looked pained and at the same time
angry. Angry with me, probably.
“You turned them against yourself. Not me. Mr. Lee, you did this,” I said. He shook his head
furiously and pointed a finger at me.
“You've turned the love of my life and my own flesh and blood against me. You broke the balance
of the world, you broke the cosmic balance. Your parents should be proud.” He stood up and was in front
of me in an instant. His breath was foul and so was his body odor. He cracked a bone in his face and went
on.
“You've put innocent families at risk and caused their deaths. You gave me no choice but to wipe
them from the world. You and your daughters,” Mr. Lee spat to me.
“My daughter's have nothing to do with you. And neither does my family,” I said. “You only
started to kill innocent people because you knew that someone in their family was a Wayward. So, you
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

killed whatever family you could. You killed my in-laws for what? Pleasure? They weren't Casters, they
weren't magical beings. They know nothing of my Wayward blood.”
Lee looked at me with dark wide eyes and cracked another mysterious bone in his face. In his
eyes, he already knew I was right. He growled under his breath and spit what looked to be acid from his
mouth.
“Your parents must’ve told you a lot about that blood,” he smiled a dark smile. “Did your Aunts
pay them to tell you that story?”
“Did your father pay you to take over my stand?” I cut back. “Mr. Lee, you knew from the start
that I’m next to rule this kingdom. I know how you tried and to take my powers for yourself. Why did you
kill my ancestors for their experimental blood? You’ve been killing half of my ancestors and innocent
families for decades, but you missed one. My grandmothers.”
“Your grannies were just a swarm of mixed nonsense with cheap knock off fortune telling. Your
mother was just the same, although I have to say that I was a bit shocked to see Wayward blood in your
father’s mother and not him,” he smiled at me. “But I’m sure you know that?”
“I know a lot of things. I know that my grandmother was a Wayward like her mother before her
and she knew that a child from my mother would have the gift, did you know that? Justin, you’re
outnumbered. You could’ve had this a different way but you’re so stubborn you lack the idea to draw a
line. Your twisted like your parents and your daughter.” No offense, Holly.
A black swarm of dust came at me and when it came to my space, it hit a force field surrounding
me, it screamed a piercing screech before it bounced off the shield. Mr. Lee looked just as confused as I
was. He tried again and this time I felt my feet move and my arm slam into Justin's neck. He choked and
gasped for air and I found my feet moving to a side swipe position and Justin fell over my feet. He landed
with a crash and pushed himself back to his feet within seconds. He swung at me and failed. He
screeched, grabbing a sword from the fireplace and swung in my direction. I dunked in time from the
decapitation that would've been in my head seconds before. I caught Justin by his arm that had the sword,
twisting it behind his back, hollering. I shoved him forward and went falling into the marble statues by the
mantle piece. I stepped in front of him and placed a boot on his shoulder, pressing my weight, I stooped to
his level.
“You tried and you failed to take over the Council and guess what? I’m next, and I’m fixing this
twisted system that you call “a well-oiled machinery” and this time, I’ll take pride in my work and accept
the responsibilities that come with this job.”
“You’re not mentally prepared. You’re own grandmother wasn’t prepared to raise children with
Wayward blood in them,” Justin spat at me.
“Well, they made it this far, they must’ve,” I said, gripping him by the collar and lifting him up off
the ground, his feet included.
“You come near my family again, and it’ll be your last breath, got it, Mr. Lee?” I smiled at him. I
tossed him over my shoulder, not waiting for an answer. I turned on my heel and made my way back to
the door I came from. I turned to the guard that let me in.
“You should be ashamed of yourself. Working with a man that will kill his own people for more
power.”
“That’s why I’m working for him. So he doesn’t come after my family. We’re Mortals with
Vampire essence, but he doesn’t know,” the guard said, his dark eyes glaring at me.
“If you want your family to survive, work until your last breath with Mr. Lee, but you’ll be a free
guard once the rightful owner of the Council takes place.” I placed a hand on his shoulder, although he
was taller than me. “Keep him away from them, Jono.” I turned to the other guard and left, leaving
without a second glance.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

When I returned to the Borrem Forest room-replica, I had caught my instant breath. The fight
power that I felt just a second ago had vanished from my shoulders. I stared at the dirt ground, ignoring
the sounds of training around me. Jono. His name was too familiar, his face was an image I’d seen so
many times in my dreams as a kid that I somehow found trusting.
Jono was War-Star, a Mortal with Vampire essence, he comes from a family of warriors,
discipline and murder. They’ll do anything to protect their families and themselves. I had read about them
when John was my trainer in elementary school. He said that coming in contact with them during a crisis
means that they’re calling for help just as you are.
I looked around the training ground and the Joewards were getting the hang of it all. I smiled to
myself and took a seat between Sasuki, Theresa and Heather.
“Mr. Lee looks like shit,” I said, crossing my legs on the couch. “The bastard looks like your
granddad at my weduation, no offense,” I said, quickly turning to Theresa.
“I don’t care, I’m looking forward to seeing his obituary,” Theresa spoke and turned to me with a
straight face.
“Yeah, William was right, you really have grown cold since Jo was born,” Sasuki said, eyeing the
mother of two. Theresa shrugged.
“How bad does he look?” Theresa turned to me.
“He smelled of urine, dust, and like he hasn’t bathed in weeks, and the room was dark, smelly and
you know the rest,” I said, resting a hand on my head. Theresa nodded and a smile plastered on her face.
“So, how are they?” I eyed Samantha and Val guarding themselves from the force fields that
Maggie Lennon threw at them. Dad and Chloe taught them how to inhale the force fields with their hands
instead of dodging them.
“Well, your two are naturals of course, it’s Oakley and Sam I’m worried about,” Theresa says,
eyeing the two kins. They fought and tripped the training guards while John and William looked a bit over
excited.
“Try not to pull a hernia muscle, John,” Heather said, holding Jo in her arms. John eye-murdered
his wife before turning back to the training. Theresa and I laughed and John's eyes darkened when he
looked at me. I shrugged my shoulders at him.
We watched the girls train for what felt like hours on end. Mom and dad taught Val how to hold a
fire sword which is pretty light and very deadly. Mom surprisingly knew well how to hold and block the
fire sword's death wrath when it came to its attachment. Chloe trained with a training guard to show
Ashley and Oakley how the leather sword worked, Chloe having a brain that's basically a computer
climbed the tree behind her and jumped off from the top and landed on the training guards back and took
him backwards with her. Maggie and Joanna admired the attack from Chloe, but then again I couldn't
count all the admirable things that Chloe’s done in her life, as a mother, sister and wife. Sometimes, I’d
wonder what Chloe was really meant to be as a Dark Caster, she can pretend to be a Light Caster, but
what is she really.
Chloe stood up with a few drops of the trainer’s blood on her shirt and pants, but she didn’t have a
scratch on her. The trainer guard stood up, and congratulated my aunt as the open wounds on his body
healed themselves. Bian and Sasuki watched the Joewards attack and get attacked by their training guards
and for a moment I thought I saw Oakley flip a guard over the bird. I looked at her mother and my best
friends and husband to make sure that they saw what I think I saw, but no one said a word. I turned to
Oakley who was literally beating a trainer into a pulp.
“And I thought my two were dangerous,” I said, holding my face with my hands.
“And you just got the other half of your kid back and yet, Ashley’s still dangerous,” Bian said.
“She’s beating the Green Giant into a pulp.”
“That’s my kid,” Heather corrected her.
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“No,” Bian said sarcastically. Ian elbowed her, to shut her up, and for once, he succeeded. Any
other time, Ian would’ve kept to himself, but I guess since both of our kids are Joewards, he’s not making
any mess. Bian ignored Ian, looking at Heather.
A humming sound filled the room; I looked at my surroundings hoping to see my family look up
to the sound as well. No one moved or followed my gaze. The sound filled my ears making them pop. The
sounds of training and confident hollers echoed in my ears and the humming grew louder. I didn’t know
what was going on or whether I’m the only one hearing the humming and everyone was just ignoring it.
Ryan and Ming helped Oakley with blocking a poisoned sword. They must’ve felt my discomfort because
they stopped and looked up at me. Ryan and Ming rushed over to me, leaving Oakley a bit shocked. Her
eyes contacted mine and she made her way towards John. I had no time to react; Ming and Ryan circled
me.
“What’s wrong? What do you see?” Ryan asked, crouched down to my level on the ground. I kept
my ears on the humming sound in the room.
“It’s not what I saw; it’s what I’m hearing. I can hear a humming noise in my head. I think it’s in
my head, but it’s screaming in my ear,” I said, finally looking at Ryan and Ming. “Do you guys hear it?”
They shook their heads. So, if they can’t hear it and I’m the only one that means one thing. Mr. Lee’s
coming and he’s at his final break point. But just to make sure, I have to ask a professional.
“Guys, if you can’t hear it, then that only means one thing. Something bad is about to happen,” I
said, jumping up, turning to Ian, Bian and Sasuki.
“Guys, whatever happens stay calm,” I looked behind them to Josephine in Theresa’s arms. “Keep
your mother, sister and cousins close to you.” I Ripped across the illusion room to Maggie and Joanna.
“Guys. Ms. ViKram, what does it mean when someone can hear a humming sound in their ear but
no one around them can’t?” Joanna’s eyes widened and she shook her head, with tears in her white eyes.
“Maggie, what did you do? He’s not meant to come this early, what did you say to him?” Maggie
looked at Ming and Ryan beside me. Before Joanna or Maggie could answer, the room started to shake,
thunder screamed over us and lightning struck around us hitting the floor. Mom and dad pulled the
Joewards close to them, John and William hurried across the room with Heather, Theresa and Jo in their
arms. Chloe put a shield over herself and Ian and Bian and Sasuki. The illusion room transformed back
into the white room it was before I turned to Joanna and Maggie.
“I told him what he needed to hear. I told him about everything, including my grandmother being
Waywards!” I hollered over the howling wind and thunder. The dirt covered our feet, the trees blew in all
directions, and the security guards stood guard ready to attack about what was soon to happen.
“Maggie, you’ll get yourself killed. Don’t you know that you’ve forced Justin’s breaking point to
the edge?” Joanna called out to me. “He’ll try to wipe your family off the face of the earth.”
“Exactly,” I said smiling. “Tonight’s the Green moon, we’re both at our highest peak.” I turned to
the entrance of the door with a hand up at the same time the doors blew open, flying off the hinges and
Justin stormed in, feet off the ground and floating towards me. His hand up as well and a force field up
slamming into my force field. Our shields broke and silence grew around us.
“Mom, dad get everyone out here. This is just between me and Lee,” I said. Chloe didn’t argue,
she pushed everyone out of the room, literally, leaving just me and Joanna and Justin and Maggie. The
facility guards filled the room surrounding us and Justin’s followers.
I turned to Maggie and Joanna. “Go, I can handle him.” They shook their heads. Ming and Ryan
pulled through the guards and stood their ground.
“No, Maggie, I told you, we’re with you, no matter what,” Ryan said. But it wasn’t her voice at
all, it was someone else’s. It was Lilum, the entity that came through Ryan two months ago when we were
at Emmaline’s. Maggie, Joanna and Justin’s eyes widened at Lilum's voice.
“Lilium. You’ve been hiding out this whole time? In this body?” Justin spoke. “Inside this body.”
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“No, I’ve been watching. Justin, you will step down from the council. You have disgraced me and
murdering innocent families is as low as you can get,” Lilum said.
“I will never step down,” Justin spat. “The council belongs to me.”
“It belongs to Mrs. Morteze, and has always belonged to her.” The Lilum jumped forward towards
Justin and attacked him. He slammed to the ground, and disintegrated before our eyes. Justin reappeared
behind her and tossed her across the room into a pillar. A council guard grabbed me and Joanna and we
fought off the iron grip. A guard with green eyes pulled his sword from its holder and swung towards me.
Pulling my necklace from my neck, it transformed into a sword with an 18 inch silver blade. I swung and
blocked the are which would’ve been my head, a ring broke through the room and the force from my
sword and the guard’s roared in my ears. I smiled and transported behind him and drew my sword and slid
his neck. His body fell with a lump and more guards attacked me.
Ming drew two swords from thin air and swung them. She started to spin and slice every council
guard that came in her path. Joanna and Maggie fought three guards while Ryan fought a guard, before I
felt a presence behind me. I turned around and was face to face with Justin. His breath smelt of ranchet
breath and his body odor was the scent of death. He growled and dived at me with his bloody hands and
they wrapped around my neck and hair. My back hit the wall behind me and a piercing scream escaped
my lungs.
“I should’ve killed you the day you took your first breath. You’re the reason our world is so
twisted. You’ve broken laws that should’ve killed you, you’ve married a mortal. Your ancestor has ruined
the balance. Killing you is the only way to fix it,” Justin spat black saliva at me.
“What’s this really about, Mr. Lee? The fact that you turned your own family against you? Or the
fact that you’ve realized that my mother had Wayward blood in her veins like my dad’s mom?” I smiled
and was thrown into the glass marble water fountain. My head hit the outer wall and the screaming pain
ran through me.
Ignoring it, I stood up. I hit him with the end of my palm and his head bobbed like a bubble head.
I held in my laughter.
“You know Justin, I think that you only want to wipe innocent families off the face of the earth
just to be happy. You want our world to have one breed and one breed only. But you know that’s not
gonna happen, because there’s too many of them–of us.”
I blocked a red lightning bolt he threw at me from his fingertips.
“Holly was right, you are weak when you want something so bad. Look at you, you’re trying to
murder the granddaughter of two Waywards. God only knows that this shit won’t end well.. For you.”
I blocked a blow from him and he blocked one from me; I turned on my heel before stopping with
my sword against his bare neck.
“And you only want to end my life so you can get to my family. You will never lay a hand on the
Joewards. History is about to be rewritten.”
Justin screeched and shoved me away from him, and grabbed my neck, slamming me into the
wall behind me. His nails dung in my skin and my neck started to burn. I screamed and the glass around
us shattered and the demons and guards covered their ears, screaming. I grabbed a hold of Justin’s,
burning them, cracking and breaking bones in his hand.
I laughed and swung my blade at him and sliced a deep line down the side of his leg, he hissed
and tossed me across the room with a sharp arm. I slammed into a dead body. I turned to see whose body
and my heart dropped in my throat and tears poured down my face. Joanna and Maggie Lennon’s body
lay beside each other, covered in blood and teeth marks.
These bastards were killing and eating people. I looked at all the dead bodies of the facility
scientists and guards, the sight almost made me hurl. I leaned my head against Maggie’s dead body and
fought back the scream that threatened to leave my body. The stench of blood and fire burned my lungs
and the smell of flowers and warmth covered my body. I opened my eyes and realized that I was face to
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face with Maggie. I wanted to cry at the sight of her but she shook my head. Her face was beautiful, clear
from the blood, dirt and ashes.
“He will try to weaken you, you mustn't let him. Remember who you are and where you stand.
Only you can defeat him and restore balance to our world. You have to defeat him before the next sunrise,
or he’ll be too strong to stop, even for you.” Maggie placed a hand on my cheek and her hand was warm
and soft. I felt something unlock in me and before I knew it, I was staring at Maggie’s dead body again.
I used my strength and pushed myself up from the floor. Successfully standing on my feet, our
eyes locked and Justin snared and ate me. Sharp yellow teeth covered in blood and black ooze. The
feeling of warm water washed over me and my feet seemed to move on their own.
I ran towards him at top speed and punched and kicked and swung my sword in the air, collecting
blood from Justin and the guards. The facility guards were already fighting for their lives but more than I
could count laid dead on the floor. Justin kicked me in the back of the leg and I fell, my head smacking
against the bloody marble floor. He swung his sword at me and I dodged it in time when it smacked the
floor. I threw my hands above my head, using my weight and jumped up from the floor, landing on my
feet, the same time Ryan and Ming elbowed him in the back of the head. His head slammed to the floor,
and Ryan yanked me from his body. More and more council guards appeared through the door, blocking
us in.
“We have to find the others!” Ming shouted and turned to one of the facility guards. “Dutchess,
hold them off any many as you can. We’re going to find the others!” The guard in the masked cloak
nodded at Ming and she pulled me and Ryan out the door. We slaughtered our way through thee crowd
and fought off the demons that attacked the caster guards and scientists. Ming kicked down the door that
led to the main floor. Blood and bodies everywhere, too many to count. Tears poured down Ryan’s eyes.
Ming wiped the blood from her sword and stuck it in its holster. She walked ahead of us and we followed
after her; we kicked and stepped over bodies trying to make our way towards the entrance where the
elevator’s broken doors laid broken off its hinges.
“You can’t rewrite history if it’s already been laid out.”
Justin’s voice hollered from behind us. We turned and he stood at the open door of the illusion
room. Blood and dust covering his face and clothing. He had a broken blood vessel in his right eye from
when I hit him with the end of my palm.
“Look who’s talking,” Ryan spat at him. “You’ve been trying to rewrite history for centuries.
You’re only pissed that you can’t take down us without an actual full moon.”
“Zip your mouth, little girl,” Justin said pointing at Ryan. “This is between me and Maggie.”
“It's basically between us too,” Ming said. “You're welcome to come at our throats too.”
Justin looked at the floor and back to Ming and Ryan and launched himself at them, pushing me
out of the way. I slammed into the cold bloody floor. I looked up at Ryan and Ming who kicked and
elbowed Justin in the head and neck and back. I grabbed my sword and was next to Justin in an instant. I
turned and kicked Justin in his chest and he dodged the kick, grabbing my leg and tossing me across the
room. I was back on my feet, with a limp, I inhaled and ran up the wall and threw myself over Justin and
pulled him away from Ming and Ryan.
“Come on and fight me like a man, Justin!” I called out to him. “Or are you becoming a bitch
now?” Justin slammed a hand on the ground and more council guards stormed their way into the room.
Ryan and Ming came up behind me and a force field covered us the sametime a blow threatened to blow
away the room. Ming Ripped from the shield and threw black fire at them, only to burn herself in the
process when orange water blew it out. Behind the fire, stood a man in grey with dark hair. Ming’s breath
caught in her throat. The man turned to her over his shoulder and his face came into view.
Connor.
Ming looked like she wanted to fall on her knees and cry at the sight of her father, but now
wouldn’t be the time and I think she knew that. Connor placed a hand on the protective shield and a
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ripping noise popped in the air and we found ourselves in the West corridor of the facility. Chloe and my
brothers were fighting for their lives, as my parents stabbed and blew possessed caster scientists and
guards to pieces with fire guns. I looked around for Ian, and Bian and Sasuki and the Joewards, but was
unfortunate to see and hear through the clouds of smoke, ash, blood and the sounds of metal and flesh
clashing and the sounds of screaming for dear mercy. Ryan’s brothers Kris and Scott fought with pain in
their eyes but their body movements showed something utterly otherworldly.
Connor broke the shield with his hands and turned to me, “you have to try to find the Joewards,
Chloe and Brokeslum hid them somewhere in the facility. Find Cole and he’ll show you. Maggie, please
end this, the sonovabitch is gonna kill everybody,” Connor said and disappeared into the feud between us.
I turned to Ming and Ryan. “Guys, it’s time to put our souls in one. I’m ending Voltermolt once
and for all and no matter what happens, don’t come after me. I’m gonna kill Justin with his own hand.”
My sword appeared in my hand and I went to leave when a hand grabbed my arm.
“How’re you gonna do that?” Ming asked, her hand on my arm. “Maggie, he’s stronger than you,
than all of us. How many of our people must die at the hands of history?”
“They won’t die,” I said, taking my arm back. “He’s not as strong as I am on the Green moon.
Remember, I’m the true descendant from Aurora Wayward, and the true orval of our world. He can’t
survive. Not when the next sunrise comes.” I turned on my heel and made my way through the bodies of
the dead and alive. I drew my sword and turned, slicing a council caster’s head off in mid air and sliced
through the air for another one.
They were coming out of nowhere, and I barely had time to catch my breath. The more I stabbed
and put them on fire the more they kept coming, my hair stuck to my forehead and sweat and blood
covered my face and body, and the humming in my ear grew intensely loud. I broke a follower’s neck
before, standing still in my spot. I was gasping for air, and blocked the sounds of pain, torture, and the
smell of blood from my mind. I looked at my sword, watching the drops of innocent demons, mortal and
caster blood fall to the floor. Cuts and infected wounds on my body from battle healed themselves slowly
and painlessly, while voices in my head screamed at me to keep fighting.
Maggie’s words echoed in my head, Connie throwing herself in front of me everytime Justin came
in contact with us physically. Feeling the caster crane accident as it happened, feeling Ian’s heartbreak of
his parents and little sister and my in-laws, sensing their accident before it happened, seeing Maggie and
Joanna’s bodies lie on the marble floor of Joanna’s chambers. The sight of holding two babies in my arms,
eight years ago only to give one away, and learning that I’m an ancestor with Wayward blood, and that my
children and nieces are Joewards, a combination of light, dark, and nothing, and that they can change the
destiny and powers of others. It was all starting to get extremely overwhelming.
After being in thought for awhile, I looked up at my surroundings and let out a piercing scream; a
scream that I never knew I had. The scream wasn’t a cast but it did give me the energy to clear my mind.
A strong force, maybe the wind bounced off the walls and blew my hair backwards. The battle stopped for
a moment while demons and casters covered their ears and tightly locked their eyes shut, the windows
cracked and the lights fluttered and popped and strokes of lightning struck the glass and metal in the room.
I broke my siren screech and took in my surroundings. Everyone’s eyes were on me, thunder
crackling in the distance. I couldn’t see Justin but I could feel him near. My feet moved on their own and a
blade swung where my head was seconds ago; I stopped on my heel and my eyes found contact with
Justin’s bloody eyes and sharp teeth.
“For some reason, I’m not that surprised that you found your way up here,” I said. “Let’s get this
over with. You want me, you’re gonna have to catch me first.”
I took off away from Justin, and as dumb as he was he took off after me. I had to get him as far
away as possible from the others if I was gonna finish this. I took a left down the western corridor with
Justin in the distance, and climbed up the wall waiting for a moment to strike at his massive head of brain
farts.
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When he came into view, I took my jumping stance and launched at him, my forearm wrapped
around his neck and I tossed him through the burnt red marble walls, he caught himself and launched back
at me. I dodged his attack too early and he grabbed me by the neck and slammed me into the horn of a
statue on the wall. I dropped my sword. The horn pierced through my back and was too close to my heart.
I groaned as tears blurred my vision; I pushed through them and wrapped my fingers around his
neck and his face started to burn. Justin held back a scream but didn’t break his grasp from my neck. I
forced open my eyes and felt myself giveaway under Justin’s grip. I appeared somewhere that didn’t look
familiar at all to me. The walls were painted grey with smeared red stains on them that didn’t look like
blood, the floor was covered in heavy plaster and the ceiling was–gone. I turned around in time to see
Justin standing before me.
“Accept your death, Maggie, and no one else will get hurt, I promise,” Justin limped to me.
“Where haven’t I heard that one before?” I said, finding my sword attached to its holder in my
waistline.
“You’re a lot more weak than you claimed to be,” Justin went on. “Your grandmother must be
proud of the one she calls “granddaughter. You know she’s the reason why your little relatives can destroy
and switch destinies. They get them from you. Didn’t you ever want to know how you changed your
husband's sister to prom queen at her senior prom?”
My heart dropped to the memory, the thought of Maria being chosen as the number one loser of
the Loser squad to prom queen in just fifteen minutes. Justin couldn’t know that, he was too busy putting
black demons in his crockpot.
“Or how you Traveled to the other side, meeting your ancestors, your grandmother and Theresa’s
stillborn Aiden. Or even Connie and Del.”
“Shut up,” I pointed my sword at him. “The only thing that I want to know is why are you having
these sudden mood swings? Did I piss you off when I asked for your daughter’s help instead of yours?”
“No, I came to my realization that with more inbreeding comes tougher choices to keep you alive.
So, I had some help, Meredith told me about our kind inbreeding with the humans, I couldn’t let it
happen, so I started to wipe out every family that came in contact with the mortals including your
husband’s family, I knew that killing your husband would be too easy for you to start the war.”
“So, you killed his family instead?” I finished. Justin nodded and smiled before laughing.
“You’re not as dumb as they say you are,” Justin spoke.
“And you’re not as strong as Joanna and Maggie said you are,” I fired back, blowing the walls off
the room. “Come on, Justin, let’s finish this the way it started. Together.”
Justin launched his weight at me and we crashed through wall to wall, with every cracking sound
in my body. We screamed and fought our way through the glass and concrete walls until we finally came
to a holt crashing into concrete railings, I watched darkness cover me and I gave into the feeling of
exhaustion.
I opened my eyes to dark clouds and smoke surrounded me. I could smell copper in the air, the
smell of blood. I couldn't take in my surroundings but I could tell that I was back in the facility. An
unfamiliar part of the building. The sounds of screaming and crying drew my attention to the West wing
of the facility, then I could smell the different types of Caster scents and I couldn't make out neither one of
them, the blood was too strong. Burning flesh and blood and urine filled the air. Then, it came to me, the
male's voice, he was calling my name, the cologne.
Cole.
It all came back to me, this was a dream that I had weeks ago; I already knew that awful news.
Matt and Jacob are dead and Heather and Theresa die in the Caster ER due to trauma to an artery. Ian,
Bian, the Joewards; they’re in the basement of the building. Counting my prayers and unfortunate luck, I
felt Cole pull the extra weight that I didn’t know I had off me at the same time my mind couldn't connect
with everything it was happening so fast. I got to my feet and eyed Cole, he was covered in blood that
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seemed to be a mixture of his and someone else's. His hair was knotted and soaked with dirt, grim, blood
and smoke. His clothes were torn and ripped off and he looked like he hadn't slept in weeks.
I looked around, finding Justin had woken up and vanished again. Cole must’ve seen my face
because he took my arm and we ran through a corridor that was blocked by a fallen pillar. I pulled Cole in
another direction away from the elevator and Ripped us to the black hallway that I saw in my dream. Cole
glanced at me before closing his eyes and pressed his fingers to the wall, it hummed, a growling came
from behind us and I was expecting to see a demon but it wasn't, it was a hooded figure in black, but
transparent.
“Nala,” I called out to her. “Take me to the Joeward's in the grey room, don't stop whatever
happens,” I shouted over the screaming and the sound of metal against flesh.
Nala hisses and was standing in front of me within a second. I took Nala’s hand with no hesitation
and she pulled me into the black wall in front of me and the hallway that was made of glass diamonds and
crystals came into quick view. I could feel their presence. It wouldn't be too long for me to see them. Nala
moaned and groaned softly in my ear. Cole's CG initials were written into Nala’s cloak, she was his
creation alright.
Our panicked feet screamed across the diamond floors and the room bent into a new one, a lime
red and green room with family portraits hanging from the ceiling by old worn out shoe laces. Nala led
me to a door and when she opened it, the only light was a lightbulb hanging by a thread in the center of
the room. The same one from my dream. Ashley, Bian, Sasuki, Val, Sam, Oakley and Josephine sat in the
corner of the room.
“Mom, what’s going on?” Val said running up and throwing her arms around me. Ashley hugged
me and pulled away. Ian wrapped his arms around me and passionately kissed me.
“Thank God you’re still breathing,” he said breathless after breaking the kiss.
“I don’t know, I don’t remember anything,” I said. “Where are the Mortals?”
“Mrs. Lee and Meredith took them home,” Bian said. “Chloe said the second Mr. Lee showed up
Meredith had already left. Mrs. Lee knew when he was gonna strike, she was just unsure when.”
“Where’s my father?” I asked, looking around the room horrified. “Where’s your granddad?” Val
shook her head and so did Ashley. Bian and Sasuki.
“Okay, listen I have to get out here, if Mr. Lee will find me and when he does, we’ll all be in
danger and not just Uncle Ian, Aunt Bian and Sasuki, but us as well.”
“Maggie, before we got in there, your dad told me to tell you that for you to kill Mr. Lee you have
to block all your thoughts and feelings from him and yourself,” Ian said, reaching for my shoulder.
“Keep him away from your mind, period,” Sam said, holding Josephine in her arms. Sasuki
looked around the room looking for a way out.
“I can do that. The only problem is defeating him. Not to kill him, but to force him to understand
what he’s done. I want him to suffer eternal consequences,” I said thinking.
“Mom, I can help you with that,” Val said. “We can,” she pointed to her sister and cousins. “We
can use the Donx spell that Jenny taught us.”
“Your cousin?” They nodded. “Okay, maybe. Maybe that’ll help.”
“Maggie, would you mind giving me some circulation? I hate when my hair sticks to my
forehead,” Sasuki said, fanning herself with her hands.
“Can't. Lord Voldemort broke the entire air and heating system,” Bian said, trying to make a joke
but failed miserably. She didn't break a laugh or a chuckle, she really was looking heated and not furious.
I looked at my two nieces. “You guys couldn't help with oxygen?”
“Aunt Chloe said we can’t use magic at the moment because Mr. Lee or his demon bodyguards
will know where we are,” Sam said. “And I promised my parents I’d look after them, after us.”
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“What about leaving oxygen in the room?” I said. “Nevermind, I’ll do it. As long as they can
sense my presence, I could be anywhere. I’m gonna do a protection spell over the room. Ashley, Val, help
me.” I didn’t wait for their response, they were already using the Prox spell. I turned to Sam.
“Samantha, you do know about your mom and Aunt Heather, don’t you?” I said, bending to her
level.
Sam nodded. “I knew it was bound to happen. He’s killing our kind too, not just Mortals.” Ashley
looked up at me before a mini fan appeared in the center of the room and cold air blew from it. Bian and
Sasuki sighed and Samantha and Oakley thanked us and the facility.
“I have to go, I love you guys,” I turned to Nala, “stay here with them.” And with that I left the
room, blocking them from my thoughts and welcoming Justin into mine.
I was face to face with him when I stepped into the South corridor. Our eyes watched our every
movements and I ignored the sounds of torture. I prayed to the Gods to give me strength.
“Let’s dance, Psycho,” I said, pulling my sword from my holder and we attacked each other,
clashing into the walls behind us. He blocked my shots and I blocked his; I was cut and stabbed multiple
times for me to count and he was stabbed and burned from me.
“Your judgment is death,” Justin screamed at me. “I kill mixed families, one of your greatest
wishes and yet you still fall in love with a Mortal.”
“You are the great deceiver,” I called out. “And besides, a Council member can never lay their
hands on a Wayward; you’ve gone too far in your role, Justin, it’s time you take it back.”
Justin screamed and threw black lightning at me at the same time a spark lit up inside me and an
orange and yellow sparkling light exploded from my sword’s tip. Our magic collided and the tip of my
sword quickly burned and disappeared into nothing in my hand, but the light was still glowing–through
me. I could see through Justin’s eyes and mind, he was crazier than I thought, he had plans to annihilate
the entire world and build an empire of his own, and the only chance he has is to kill me and the
Joewards. Justin’s pride took over him and he suddenly grew stronger. I inhaled his black lightning and
used it to my advantage and built strength taking two easy steps at a time getting closer to him. Justin’s
eyes widened when I came too close and I used that as my advantage and placed both of my hands on his
arms. He groaned, headed back to the ceiling and his lightning slowed to a gleam.
“You are no longer the council member of Casteadstoria, starting now. I am the truth and final
member next in line for the throne and I’m taking your destiny and switching it to the blood in my veins.
Your reign of terror is over.” The light from his body disappeared and he fell limp to the ground. The light
from my body disappeared like the wind left my body.
Justin moaned and rested his hands in front of him for support, his head hung between his arms.
“What did you do to me?”
“I took away your powers,” I said. “For now on you will live your life as a Mortal with no link to
magic in your veins. You are to be locked out of your past life and reliving the past months, only this time
you’re each and every Mortal you’ve ruptured. You will be there to feel their pain and relive all of their
deaths.”
Without a word from him, I gripped Justin from off the ground, feet dangling, and walked from
the South corridor and made my way to the main Wing entrance.
Everyone in the room had stopped fighting, the demon and caster bodyguards from the courthouse
stood and lied blankly at their surroundings. They stood up from the ground when they saw me and
Justin’s exhausted body before me. My family and casters who fought for their lives and their home, stood
restless beside their fallen victims.
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“Justin Lee’s reign of torture is over,” I began. “He’s powerful no more, and starting today he will
be imprisoned at Galilee and living his life as a Mortal reliving each and everyone of the families he’s
killed and our loved ones pain and torture for eternity.”
“That’s harsh, don’t you think, Maggie?” Ryan asked, still holding a demon in her grip with her
sword to its neck.
“Yes and no. Because starting now, you’re looking at your new ruler over Casteadstoria. All
homes will be rebuilt and proper burials will be set for the lost loved ones, and inbreeding with Mortal
and our species is now legal.”
“And what about the possessed court guards?” Ming said, tossing her victim's dead body to the
ground. “Both dead and alive?”
“The dead will be buried, the ones who volunteered will be burned to the stake with angel oil and
those who were possessed unknowingly will be forgiven,” I said.
My parents smiled and wrapped their arms around me. Chloe kissed me on the head and sobbed
into my hair.
“You’ll make a perfect Courthouse council,” Chloe said. I hugged her back; Ryan and Ming made
their way to me. Chloe and my parents broke the hug and Ming and Ryan hugged me.
“We’ve lost a lot of good people today,” Ryan whispered in my ear. I nodded letting tears fall.
They burned but they felt brilliant.
It took us almost two years to get things right. We buried who we could and cremated those we
couldn't. Ryan brothers Kris and Scott died protecting her from getting blown to pieces by a scallywag
spell, they took it for her. Theresa and Heather died with a blow to their hearts. Matt and Jacob were
killed by a possessed court guard, Aunt Gloria died with a slit throat and burned alive by a demon, her
daughter Erica got her heart ripped from her chest, Leigh Hannah and her father Daryl were both
decapitated by Justin Lee’s demon guards, Leigh Jane and her sister Aurora were burned alive by Justin
himself. The list went on forever, we stood over the grave sight of the fallen casters and demons and
prayed over them.
Chloe held Frankie and Luis close to her, my parents held Cassidy, Catherine, Cole and Selena
close to them, and I held my daughters and John and Will held theirs close. Connor, Ming and Ryan
stood beside me in tears; the sound of the fire crackling filled the air and the smell of burning flesh burned
our senses.
The caster scientists cleaned and rebuilt all that was left of the facility; they will soon come and
pay their respects to the fallen. Although we lost good and bad people in this battle, we will continue to
watch over them as they did for us. And as their new council, I will forever take advantage of the world
we once knew. Casters and Mortals may now live amongst us in secret in the Mortal realm, but in the
Immortal realms, they will forever live on.
Nahdiya Nixon Qedea

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Nah Nix Qed

0001. B1. Margerate Heart (Immortal Realms) 1

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Chapter 1. Mind of the Mystery

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☆ Chapter 1. Mind of the Mystery ☆

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"What is that?" Maria wanted to know looking down at my plate of pancakes.

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☆ Chapter 2. I am the Ancestor ☆

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Chapter 3. Two Diﬀerent Things

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Don't try anything out of the ordinary.

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Chapter 4. A Forger in the Circle

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Chapter 5. Shared Wounds

Margerate. The daughter of a Cane and Heart.

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Chapter 6. My Family is Complicated

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“That’s oﬀensive to me, you know that?”