“What happened there, Olivia? Everything seemed fine when I came over with mum, and then you just disappeared and went quiet. Did he do something to you?” Mel looks at her, half worried and half like she’s ready to go and kill Cayson.
“No! Don’t be silly. Nothing happened; we were friends and now we’re not, that’s all.”
Mel laughs slightly.
“I’m not an idiot, Liv. You were obviously more than friends; it was all over your face when you saw him dancing with that woman! So, really, what happened?”
Aileen pauses for a second before looking at her sister. Okay, so they’ve never been close, but they’re sisters, even if not by blood. Oh, screw it, I’ll tell her.
“I found out who my real parents were,” she confesses, “and that my birth name was Aileen. I needed a bit of time out after finding out the truth. And Cayson, I don’t even know, Mel. I walked away for my own reasons, hoping that I’d find a way back to him, only I didn’t which surely means I was right to leave?” If they had been destined to be together, they would have seen each other before now. It’s been weeks with no contact at all.
“Destiny is crap, Olivia; it’s just what people tell themselves so they feel better about things. If you’re meant to be together the only way to know is to go off how you’re feeling and how you’ve felt since you walked away from him. As for your real parents, be grateful, some people never find out about their real parents or family. I’m proud of you for taking that step.” She smiles.
“Who are you and what have you done with the real Mel?” Aileen laughs and shoves her playfully, “why are you being so nice?”
“I guess I’ve just grown up and decided to give up the bitch side of me, Olivia, what can I say? And yes, by the way, I’ll still call you Olivia regardless of what your name is. Or Liv, obviously, because I know you like that name so much.” She giggles and Aileen can’t help but smile a little, shaking her head. “Go and see him, Olivia! Sneak out, I’ll keep your friends busy.” She winks and watches as Aileen stands up, Mel herself walking towards where Camille and everyone are sat.
They all know Mel can’t be told the truth so she doesn’t feel worried turning her back on her sister to look at where Cayson is standing with a woman. Aileen walks towards him, her eyes drawn to his chiselled face, she puts on a smile before she gets close to him, nearly there, and then… walking straight past him. She doesn’t stop walking until she gets to the exit at the back of the club, her head shaking.
How am I supposed to start it? Do I just say ‘hi’ or ask him if we can talk? She has no idea, and to be quite honest, it’s freaking her out. She can’t just walk up to him and stop him dancing with a woman out of nowhere.
“Hey, Aileen.”
She jumps, even though the voice isn’t much louder than the music blasting from the speakers. It’s not the volume that affects her, anyway: it’s the low, gravelly voice of Cayson, somehow feeling strange in this moment despite their closeness just a few weeks ago. Her head turns slightly to face the man standing behind her. She starts to speak but can’t find her words, the sounds failing her and hiding away. “I just thought I would see how you were getting on, that’s all, as friends.”
“It’s going well,” she replies weakly, knowing that she’s not hiding the lie very well.
“You don’t look so happy. Hard settling in?” He smiles at her as he takes a sip of drink. It’s a Whiskey Sour, the same drink he’d ordered the first time they’d gone to a bar together.
“I guess you could say that.” This feels awkward. Her head falls forward; it was a mistake trying to talk to him. She realises that now.
“I’d best get back, I’m meant to be on a date.” He turns to walk away, Aileen shaking her head and reaching a hand out to grab his arm.
“Cayson, wait!” Her mouth blurts the words out by itself and he stops, turning to look at her, confused. She tries to find the words to tell him that she made a mistake, but they don’t seem to come and tears begin to fill her eyes. She can’t let him walk away, she can’t do it. She darts forward clumsily to kiss him, his body stepping back as she does so.
“What are you doing, Aileen? You said this was wrong, you left.” The tone of his voice is accusatory. He stares at her, waiting.
“I’m sorry, it’s just- I thought I felt so off because I didn’t know everyone in the house so I got to know them, but then I felt connected to them all but Camille who seems to just hate me for some reason! So I thought that was why I didn’t feel comfortable and like I was missing something. And then I came here and I saw you, Cayson, and I finally realised what I’m missing. They’re not the things making me feel uncomfortable there; it’s being away from you. You’re what I’m missing.” She can feel a blush creeping up her neck and spreading across her cheeks but she stands defiantly, staying her ground. She finally said it and she feels powerful for admitting that she needs him. As he stays looking at her confused, though, her smile falters.
“How do I know you mean it?” he shouts over the music, lights illuminating his face brightly for a few seconds before casting a shadow over his cheekbones, flashing on and off. “How do I know that tomorrow you won’t just turn around and say you think it’s wrong and then walk out on me again?”
“You don’t, and to be honest I don’t know that either, so I’ll understand if you walk away. But what I can say though is that lately, I’ve felt so upset and unsettled. I can’t forget the stories in my head, Cayson, the stories I made with you.”
Cayson hesitates and then surges forward, his lips pressing against hers in a kiss. His body pushes hers against the wall as tears spill from her eyes. The kiss is forceful as she moans, her hands pulling him closer to her.
“You’re driving me crazy, Aileen,” he murmurs in her ear, shaking his head with a grin as he breaks away from the kiss.
“Can we leave?” She looks at him and a laugh escapes his mouth.
“Eager, much?”
Aileen shakes her head.
“No, just- I know that, any minute, Camille or someone will see and then it will cause drama. I don’t want drama tonight; I’ll deal with all of that tomorrow.”
He nods, bending down to kiss her again, gently this time.
“Can I at least apologise to my date? I don’t want to be that guy, you know?”
Aileen nods her consent; walking back through the club as she watches Cayson explain things to the woman he had been with. Stepping outside, she pulls her phone from her pocket and idly swipes around the screen while she waits.
“You’re a fool.”
Turning, she sees Camille with the other witches behind her.
“It’s wrong, Aileen, you and him together. It is wrong.”
“Maybe it is, Camille, but I’ve already lived a lie for years, not knowing the truth. I won’t do it again.”
“Is everything okay?” Cayson emerges from the door of the club and comes over, his arm wrapping around Aileen, sensing her upset. He looks at Camille and the others, feeling Aileen’s body tense up when images flash through her mind, pulling herself away from Cayson and marching up to Camille.
“It was you!”
Everyone looks at her confused. “The visions that he sees when he gets close to me, it was you. It was all you.” She can feel the magic plaguing Cayson’s mind. His eyes glance up to Camille shocked, everyone else looking between the three of them in confusion.
“You’re confused, Aileen, you still don’t have a full understanding of this. Why would I cast a spell on him?” Camille’s voice is sympathetic, almost like she pities Aileen for believing such a thing could – or would – happen. Aileen can see right through her.
“No, you’re lying! Every time he touches me, he sees me as one of them, he sees me surrounded by the bodies of people I’ve killed! You’re putting it in his mind, you’re the reason I ran away from him thinking it was wrong!”
A few people walk out of the club behind them muttering, looking at all of them like they�
��re crazy. Thankfully, most of them will be too drunk to remember it by the morning.
“Look, let’s get back and discuss it away from here,” says Zander, trying to install some sort of peace amongst the witches. He goes to leave, Aileen shaking her head.
“I am not leaving Cayson, she has already done that mind stuff to make me walk away from him; what else has she done?”
Zander nods slightly.
“Cayson can come with us.”
Camille stares at Zander, clearly wanting to argue. She opens her mouth but Zander interrupts her. “You made him a part of this, Camille, whether you accept you did it or not. So I say we go back and speak about it out of everyone’s way.” Zander walks off, the witches and Camille following. Cayson glances to Aileen.
“I guess we should follow them. Once it’s sorted, we can leave,” she says.
“If you’re sure, Aileen,” he looks at her as she nods. “I can’t believe she has done that.”
It isn’t right; witches shouldn’t do things like that. The two walk quietly, trailing a bit behind the others in the dark of the night. Aileen shakes her head. Camille has been acting strange lately, and Zander had noticed it too.
“You know, there’s a kid, Azalea. She wanted my help with a spell and Camille basically told her no, but I said it was fine and I helped her. The next day she wouldn’t even talk to me. Actually, she hasn’t spoken to me since. I say hi, but she looks too scared to say anything back.”
Cayson nods. “Well, whatever her issue is, we’ll know soon.” He looks at the door that stands in front of them both, looking at Aileen to see if she’s okay before placing a hand on the wood and pushing it open with a creak. Camille and Zander are waiting for them, mulling around the bottom of the stairs, neither of them talking but both standing. The others must have been exiled from the hall for now, but Aileen would be surprised if they weren’t on the other side of the doors with cups, trying to listen in on what’s being said.
“So, why, Camille?” Aileen says finally. “Why use a spell so that every time we connect and get close, he sees me as a murderer?”
“It’s in your head. If he sees crazy stuff that’s on him.” Camille looks around furtively, avoiding eye contact with everyone else.
“Sit down, Camille,” commands Zander. Camille turns and looks at him, shocked, but he continues with such a scathing glare that she feels compelled to obey him. “You know the truth and that you’re not really in charge anymore, so sit.” Camille nods and sits down on one of the huge armchairs which surround the coffee table at the bottom of the stairs, Cayson and Aileen looking at Zander in confusion.
“You don’t know?” Zander says in response to their furrowed brows.
“Know what, Zander?”
“Aileen, who you are, your bloodline, the power you hold, it all means you take the top place. Look.” He walks across the room and unlocks the drawer Camille was using earlier.
“What are you doing, Zander?!” Camille shrieks, rage propelling her to her feet, “that’s private!” A harsh glare from Zander causes her to sit down again, but there are definite tell-tale signs from her face that she’s sulking.
“You told me that you’d shown her this stuff; that you’d had told her everything, Camille! You said she needed time and she asked us not to push her! You’re a liar, Camille; she has a right to know.” He pulls a dusty-looking book from the drawer with some other things and places the items onto the table.
“Your mum and dad would have been the main witches after your dad's father died. It’s all written in here. Once they were gone it then came to you. You’re the person in charge, this is their will. Everything, this house and everything in it, it all belongs to you.” Aileen steps back, shaking her head in disbelief as her eyes grow wide.
“Look, the Depraysie bloodline, it came from Serliciaus, which means you’re a descendant of Serliciaus. Everything that is built within the witch communities was passed down between generations of Depraysies.”
“You need to explain, Camille,” says a witch, appearing from behind the door to the kitchen. Aileen thinks her name is Louise or Lucy or something, but she’s not quite sure. Another of the witches steps forward around the same door, her head shaking.
“I didn’t do anything; there is no spell on him,” Camille says defensively, and Zander nods to her, smiling as he steps forward.
“Okay,” he says, “You won’t mind if I check, then?” He holds out his hands and Camille stares at him aghast.
“I did it to stop that!” She cries, pointing to Cayson and Aileen as she stands up again. “To stop her breaking the rules! She needed to be here where we could watch over her, not with werewolves playing make-believe!”
Zander goes to step forward, Aileen stopping him.
“What about Azalea?” Camille looks confused, shaking her head, but Aileen is sure she has something to do with it. “She was talking to me, wanting me to help her. Everyone heard you say no, and then I said yes. That night she did the spell instantly with me. But then afterwards she wouldn’t talk to me; every time I spoke to her she would glance towards you as if you’d forbidden her to speak to me.”
“You’re paranoid,” Camille scoffs.
“No, I’m not. I can feel the hate and jealousy within you every time you look at me. Azalea won’t even sit in the room alone with me. Why? What have you done to her?”
Everyone glances to Camille, waiting for her response.
“Have you considered that maybe she just doesn’t like you? Not everyone loves the Depraysie bloodline, you know,” she sneers.
“That’s a lie,” says Azalea, emerging from the top of the stairs. “You said if I talk to her or get her to help me again; you’d send me somewhere else to learn magic.”
Everyone looks at Azalea shocked, more witches coming out from who-knows-where all looking at Camille, who just laughs.
“She made you cheat,” Camille points towards Aileen.
“No she didn’t, and I am happy for Zander to check and prove she didn’t.” Azalea looks at Camille.
“Oh come on, you lot are brainwashed!” Camille looks around the room at everyone. “This is ridiculous! You all assume this is Serliciaus and the power was passed down to help us succeed. What if it wasn’t? What if it’s something evil and she’s here to destroy us all?”
Zander steps forward, nudging Aileen out of the way as he does so.
“Your grief with the Depraysie bloodline is not Aileen’s fault. That’s on your own father for getting a non-witch pregnant.”
Aileen stares, shocked.
“Something else you only pretended to tell her? Camille’s father got her mother – a non-witch – pregnant, so while she is part of the Depraysie bloodline, she’s only half -Depraysie. She married a Darkmore to try to seem like she has a fully magic bloodline, but it’s just to cover it all up. It means her magic will always be blocked, and she has no rights to Depraysie inheritance, because her mum wasn’t a witch and- well, her dad has children pretty much everywhere. He slept around a lot.”
Aileen laughs, unsure why, but Camille screams, her hands grabbing at Aileen. Cayson races over, pulling Aileen away, his body flying across the room as Camille stares at him.
“You’re all letting them in!” Camille shrieks, her voice piercing as Cayson finds himself pinned against the wall by magic. Zander looks at Camille shocked; unsure what to do as Aileen moves forward and takes Camille’s head in her hands.
“Stragulum scutum mentis et magia, donec mens est libratum iterum,” she mutters repeatedly, Camille screaming as she tries to escape Aileen’s grasp, feeling her magic disappear as Cayson drops to the floor almost gracefully. Aileen steps back, Camille staring at her.
“What did you do? Where did my magic go? You stole my magic!” She screams and lunges forward to grab Aileen again, stopped by Zander who moves in front of her as a sort of human shield.
“It is still there, Camille, I stole nothing,” Aileen tells her calmly. “It
will come back once your mind is in a stable place. You broke the rules; you put a spell on a werewolf who posed no threat to you. You could have caused a war; do you not understand the seriousness of what you’ve done?” Aileen looks at her, watching as Cayson walks towards her, everyone stood shocked.
“I’m out. When you’re all dead because of those two, I’ll be laughing.” Camille leaves, slamming the door behind her. As the sound reverberates around the room, everyone stands stock-still, unsure of what to say or do next.
Eventually, it’s Zander who breaks the silence first. “I’m so sorry for everything she did to you, Aileen, and to you as well, Cayson,” he says. “She had no right to get involved in personal relationships, or to hide everything from you, either. The deeds to the house are kept in a bank with the money, which is all legally yours now. It’s your birth right. I guess she just got so used to the fact she was the only magic-practicing Depraysie around that she just didn’t want to let it go.”
Cayson nods. “It’s fine, I’m just glad it’s over now. I should be going, anyway.” It’s late now- or early, he supposes, seeing as they hadn’t even left the club until around midnight.
“No, look, stay here, and you too, Aileen. This is your house. We were told that you are the reason the three worlds will come back together again; if we can’t accept a werewolf staying here then how can we ever be united?” Zander smiles at them. “Bedtime for everyone else too, okay? Azalea, I’ll speak to your tomorrow but don’t ever feel like you’ll be made to leave if you don’t follow orders.” Zander climbs the stairs and the others slowly funnel behind him, disappearing to their rooms and leaving Cayson and Aileen stood alone in the foyer. It seems huge now there’s just the two of them there.
“I’m not sure about staying here. Werewolves haven’t even stepped inside this house for centuries, let alone slept here,” Cayson begins.
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