My eyes filled with tears as I rushed over and joined them. “Thank God you’re okay.”
“I love you both, so much,” she murmured, squeezing us tightly. She kissed the tops of each of our heads. “I… I’m so relieved you’re both okay. I prayed she wouldn’t hurt you.”
“We’re fine, but what about you? Are you really okay?” I asked, pulling away to look into her face.
She nodded. “Yes, honey. I’m much better. I’m not exactly sure what happened, but you removed the curse.”
“It was the wand,” said Kala as she mom released us. “Your old wand, actually. It’s what killed Vivian.”
“Of course. I can’t believe I hadn’t thought about Isadora’s wand.” She turned towards her sister’s body and I watched as her lower lip began to tremble. She closed her eyes and then reopened them. “Believe it or not,” she said, her eyes glossy with tears, “I really loved Vivian. As much hate as she had for me, I still loved her.”
“But why did she hate you so much?” I asked. “And what happened between her and our father?”
Her face paled. “She told you?”
I nodded. “Yes, but –”
“Sorry to interrupt, but we have to leave,” said Clarice, materializing next to mom. “Vivian’s coven is coming, and they’re not happy.”
My mother grabbed both of our hands.
“Meet us at Secrets,” said Rebecca. “You’ll be safe there.”
Chapter Thirty-One
After we arrived at the shop, Bailey and Trixie were given some kind of potion to help them recover fully, Tyler went in search of food, and my mother stepped in the back warehouse to talk with Rebecca and Clarice.
“He’s so cute,” whispered my sister, staring at Bailey as he stood up and stretched. “I wonder if he has a girlfriend?”
I chuckled. “Probably a ton.”
She sighed. “Yeah, I’m sure you’re right.”
“Girls,” motioned mom from the back of the shop. “It’s time we had that talk.”
“Do you think?” muttered Kala under her breath as we started towards the back of the store. “It would have saved us a lot of trouble if she would have given us this talk a month ago.”
“She was just trying to protect us,” I reminded her.
“Which almost got all of us killed.”
“Hey, I know.”
When we stepped into the backroom, I stopped dead in my tracks – it looked like an entirely different place.
“What happened?” I asked Rebecca, who was sitting next to a large fireplace, drinking a cup of coffee with Clarice.
She smiled sheepishly. “Oh, well now that we don’t have to hide our magic, I spruced up the place.”
“I’ll say,” I said, looking around. Instead of a storage warehouse, it looked more like some kind of lodge, with two large oversized brown leather sofas, two recliners, a bearskin rug and even a stocked bar – except this one appeared to be supplied with bottles of different potions instead of booze.
Mom motioned us towards one of the sofas. “Please, sit down.”
Kala and I sat down and then looked at her expectantly. She’d changed into jeans and a green wool sweater, her hair now a vibrant red.
“So that’s your normal hair color?” asked Kala.
She nodded. “Yes. I hope you don’t mind that I’ve changed it back. It’s nice not having to hide anymore from Vivian.”
“It’s just weird,” I said. “You look so much like Vivian.”
“On the outside we’re identical, but on the inside, we were never similar,” she replied, her face melancholy.
“It’s okay, mom,” I said. “You shouldn’t have to hide anymore. Besides, you look beautiful as a redhead.”
She smiled. “Thanks. Well, I suppose I should start. Don’t mind Clarice or Rebecca,” she said, sitting down across from us in the other sofa. “I want them here, in case you have a question that I might not be able to answer.”
I licked my lips. “Okay.”
“Now,” she sighed and sat back against the seat cushion. “I’m sure you’re both pretty angry with me for keeping all of this from you.”
“A little,” I said. “But, we kind of understand.”
She nodded and smiled sadly. “I, uh, I have something else to tell you that…” her eyes filled with tears. “Something I never wanted to tell you, but I know that I must. You have the right to know.”
I leaned forward. “What?”
She burst out crying.
“Oh, my God, are you okay, mom?” asked Kala, moving next to her on the sofa. She took her hand. “Maybe we should wait until you feel better?”
She shook her head and then snapped her fingers. A box of tissues appeared. “Oh, God,” she sobbed. “I hope you’re not going to hate me for this.”
“What is it?” I whispered, my stomach clenching in fear. Something told me that whatever she had to tell us was going to be far more substantial than anything I’d heard in the last twenty-four hours.
She wiped her face with a tissue and let out a ragged sigh. “Okay, I’m just going to have to start from the beginning.”
I went and sat down on the other side of her. She grabbed my hand.
She took a deep breath. “My father murdered my mother and my sister murdered him.”
“What?” I gasped.
She smiled grimly. “Talk about a dysfunctional family, huh?”
“What happened?” I asked, still in shock.
“Well, as you’re aware of now, Vivian and I come from a long line of witches. Powerful witches. Well,” she sighed, “my father was a preacher and he had no clue of who he’d actually married. In fact, when he found out that my mother was practicing witchcraft, he went after her in a blind rage and ended up shooting her. In turn, Vivian killed him.”
“Well, that’s not entirely surprising,” said Kala. “I’m sure she was upset knowing that he killed your mother and did it out of blind rage.”
“Yes but the thing was, Vivian enjoyed it.”
“After meeting her, that doesn’t surprise me one bit,” I said.
“Mom, you never really mentioned your parents, did they love each other?” asked Kala.
She paused. “I know that my mother loved my father and that’s why she didn’t reveal what she really was. In fact, she stopped practicing witchcraft for many years, until we moved back to Salem, where she’d lived as a young girl. You see, my father was transferred to Salem by his church, to help crucify women who were charged with performing witchcraft. How ironic, huh?”
“So, that’s when she started practicing it herself again?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yes, she was horrified at what my father was trying to do and started attending the ceremonies in the middle of the night. Eventually, my mother told Vivian and me about our heritage and we wanted to learn more. In fact, it was supposed to be our induction into the coven on the night they were both killed.”
“Did your mother practice Black magic or White magic?” I asked.
“She never really said, but I believe she practiced White.”
“So, what happened after your parents were killed?” asked Kala.
She smiled and turned towards Rebecca, who was listening in. “I moved in with Rebecca and her mother. They basically saved my life by taking me in.”
Rebecca smiled warmly. “My mother loved you as if you were part of the family.”
“What about Vivian?” I asked. “What happened to her?”
She turned back to me and her face became grave. “Vivian left that night and I didn’t see her for seven years. She just… disappeared off the face of the Earth. But when she returned…”
“What?” I asked.
She looked down at her hands. “At first, Vivian seemed like her old self. She was bubbly, excited about life, and… in love.”
“She was in love?” I asked, afraid of what she was going to say next.
She nodded and looked up at me. “Yes, she was in lov
e with Michael, your father.”
“Oh, my God,” I sighed. “Did he love her?”
“He thought he did, but then things changed.”
“What happened?” whispered Kala.
She closed her eyes and let out a ragged breath. “She became pregnant.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
“What?” I gasped. “Was the baby his?”
She stared at both of us and then her lower lip began to tremble. “Yes. They both were. Twin girls.”
The blood rushed to my ears. “No,” I said, standing up. “I don’t want to hear any more of this.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks. “He had the babies and Michael stood by her side, he even proposed to her but…”
“What?” whispered Kala.
“She never wanted the babies. She’d actually planned on giving them up and telling Michael that they’d both died during childbirth, but he’d found out beforehand and talked her into keeping them.”
“Us, you mean?” I said. “He talked her into keeping us.”
She started sobbing. “Yes, honey, I’m sorry. You and Kala are Vivian’s biological daughters, but… I raised you. I did. And I’ve loved you more than that woman could have ever loved you, I swear to God!”
Kala and I stared at each other in shock.
Rebecca walked up behind Adrianne and put a hand on her shoulder. “Honey, do you want me to finish the story?”
She shook her head and dabbed at her tears with a tissue. “No, I need to finish this myself.”
“What happened?” I asked, my voice hoarse.
“Please, sit back down,” she pleaded, patting the seat cushion beside her. “Please.”
I sat back down and she took my hand.
“What happened next?” asked Kala, her eyes also filled with tears.
She took a deep breath. “Michael bought them a home and they were going to be married after the two of you were born. Well, the night she went into labor, Vivian disappeared.”
“What?” I gasped.
“Yes. From what I’d found out later, she’d went to a midwife and paid her a large sum of money to keep you. When she returned to Michael two days later, she claimed she’d lost the both of you in childbirth.”
“Oh, my God,” mumbled Kala. “She paid someone to keep us? Who does that?”
“Apparently our real biological-slash-psychotic mother,” I said dryly.
“Anyway, Michael didn’t believe it, especially because she was so happy. In fact, at first, he thought maybe she’d just had a nervous breakdown and would eventually pull out of it and share in the sorrow of losing their children – but it never happened. She never mourned your loss, and that’s when he started drifting away from her.”
“How did he find out that we were still alive?” I asked.
“I told him,” she said. “After I used my magic to find you.”
I squeezed her hand. “Thank you.”
She smiled sadly. “Of course, baby.”
Kala wiped the tears that were now sliding down her cheeks. “What did she say when he confronted her about us?”
She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. “She was angry – furious at me. She tried attacking me, claiming that I was trying to ruin her life. She swore revenge and Michael finally saw the kind of hatful rage that she possessed. He was not only scared for you, but for his own life as well.”
“She tried hurting the both of you?” squeaked Kala. “As in, kill?”
She grabbed Kala’s hand and nodded. “Tried, but she never succeeded. In fact, that was the very same night that Michael and I rescued the both of you. We left Salem for good and never looked back.”
“Is that when you realized you loved each other?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No, honey. At that time we both loved you and were not romantically involved. Michael asked me to help him escape with you two girls that night, and I did, without question. Eventually, over time, we fell in love and decided that I’d raise you as my own. We eventually got married and you pretty much know the rest.”
“How come you never had any of your own children?” asked Kala.
“What do you mean? I had you girls,” she smiled. “You’re all I’ve ever wanted. As far as I’m concerned, you are my children. I… hope you feel the same way.”
Kala and I both snuggled up to her at the same moment, like we did when we were really young.
“You’re our mother,” I whispered, resting my head on her shoulder. “Nothing else matters.”
She loved us and had risked her life to protect us. As far as I was concerned, she was not only our mother, but our guardian angel.
“Yes,” said Kala. “We love you so much, mom. Don’t ever doubt it.”
“Thank you,” she answered, her voice thick. “You don’t know how much that means to me.”
We sat there silently for a while and then Clarice cleared her throat. “I hate to interrupt, but it’s getting really late and I’m sure everyone’s exhausted. I think we need to decide what’s going to happen next.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, sitting up.
The older woman scratched her head. “Well, now that Vivian’s coven knows where you live, it’s not safe going back to your house. You’re going to need a new place to live.”
Mom nodded. “She’s right.”
“You could stay with us in Vail,” said Rebecca.
“That might work,” said Clarice. “For now.”
“I couldn’t burden you,” replied mom. “You’ve already done so much for us.”
“Oh, it’s not a bother. You’re my friend and I’ve missed you so much,” replied Rebecca.
Clarice sighed. “Actually, you are going to need each other.” She looked at Rebecca. “Frankly, you’re in just as much danger as Adrianne, so right now you should stick together.” She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Speaking of which, I think it might be time to get in touch with some of the members of my old coven.”
“That might be a good idea,” replied mom, standing up. “We could use all the help we can get.”
“I agree,” said Rebecca. “We may have started a real war by killing Vivian and should be prepared for anything. Once they find Mark, which I’m quite certain they probably already have, he’s going to want revenge, as will her coven.”
Mark, I’d forgotten all about him.
“Oh, my God,” gasped Kala. “I almost kissed my brother!”
“Half-brother,” I reminded her.
“Who cares, it’s still pretty gross,” she answered with a grimace.
“What I don’t understand is why she kept Mark, but didn’t want us?” I said.
“I’ve been wondering that myself,” said mom. “He’s obviously around your age and she would have had to have gotten pregnant soon after you were born.”
“Mark isn’t her real son,” stated Clarice. “I found this out tonight from Semora, although I’m surprised I hadn’t known about it myself.”
I stared at her in shock. “What?”
“Not only that, Mark is going to be a very powerful warlock, once he hones his skills. In fact, he’s Isadora’s son.”
I gasped. “You’re serious?”
She nodded. “Oh, Yes. Vivian knew that and after his real mother died, she decided to raise him as her own.”
“How did she die?” asked Kala.
“Isadora was ultimately killed by her sister. She was cursed, actually.” Her lips twisted into a secretive smile. “Care to guess who her sister was?”
“I have no clue,” answered mom.
“Your mother, Lisbeth. She was Isadora’s sister.”
“What?! But, how can that be? Mother never mentioned anything about having a sister,” said mom.
“She was hiding from Isadora the same way you were hiding from Vivian. From what I learned, they had a falling out and Lisbeth placed a curse on Isadora.”
“What kind of curse?” I asked.
“Should Isadora ever t
ry harming another person using her magic, she’d perish. Well, after Isadora gave birth to Mark, Vivian apparently showed up at her doorstep in a pickle and asked her to help destroy you, Adrianne. She wanted revenge for stealing Michael. Obviously, Isadora tried and it became her demise.”
“Oh, my goodness,” whispered mother. “How come you never told me any of this before, Clarice?”
“That’s because my mother never told me anything about it. I only found out about you from my own mother’s diary, ten years ago. She was obviously very frightened of her younger sisters.”
“Clarice, your mother was Isadora and Lisbeth’s older sister?” asked Kala. “I’m so confused.”
Clarice nodded. “Yes, there was actually four sisters all together. My mother was the oldest, then Isadora, Lisbeth, and Margaritte, who was the youngest. Nobody knows what happened to Margaritte.”
“So, um, did you get Chloe from your mother?” I asked Adrianne.
Her eyebrows shot up. “Who’s Chloe?”
“The wand you’ve given me,” I said.
Adrianne smiled. “That’s right, Chloe talks to you. Our connection wasn’t as strong as yours. No, I didn’t get Chloe from my mother.”
“I gave it to her,” said Clarice. “I knew that she wouldn’t have a chance against Vivian, without it. Chloe belonged to my mother.”
“Did anyone grab Vivian’s wand?” asked Kala.
“No,” I said. “And it’s probably a good thing because if it’s a bonding wand, then it could destroy anyone not meant to use it.”
“That is very true,” said Clarice. “Unfortunately, I’m sure Mark will eventually retrieve it, making him even more powerful.”
“I think we should get moving soon,” said Rebecca. “Something tells me we don’t have much time. That they might be coming for us pretty quickly. I’m sure Mark is aware of this shop.”
Kala and I stood up.
“What about Bailey and Trixie?” asked Kala. “Are they coming with?”
“No,” replied Clarice. “They’re needed here in Bayport. They can keep an eye on things for us and communicate with the other witches in town.”
“There are other witches in Bayport?” asked Kala.
“Adele,” I said. “Megan’s mom. She’s a witch, isn’t she?”
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