Prelude 2

Edith Hawthorne

Rising towards the sky, a force field surrounds her glowing body. "We. Are. One". My nerves are jangling as I try to calm my racing heartbeat. Next thing I know, I’m throwing off my sweaty covers, stumbling out of bed, and making my way to the bathroom across the hall from my bedroom. Once inside, I close the door behind me and turn on the faucet. After filling the basin with trembling hands, I begin splashing my face with cool water until it calms me. I take a breath and let out a shaky sigh.

"Beloved Ancestors, I humbly plead for you to please show me the way. I need your guidance now more than ever," My prayers are a mere whisper, as I hold onto the only other heirloom that's left of my family.

The solid platinum heart-shaped joining necklace.

Glancing at the mirror, I only see the shell of the woman I once was. The intensity of my dreams taking a toll both physically and mentally. However, They aren't dreams, though. They seem more like fleeting glimpses of the future. One in which neither Maureen nor I am included. I can sense this because I'm clairvoyant. Quarter seer, to be exact. Runs in the family. My father is a guardian of knowledge so, he's able to see far into the future.

The bastard that he was, he didn't take much care of my mother, or me. He pretty much only cared about how to get into her bed. Being the kind soul she was, mother always believed his lies right up until he finally decided it was time for a younger, sleeker witch. Then, for a time, he was done with her. One thing that is burned into my memory is being banished from the rogue coven he was in command of, which led to being sold to the highest bidder in another coven that's ruled by an alpha -the TheAlpha of all Alphas in my opinion - Romano DeLuca. Though only fifteen at the time, I had to be strong for my mother’s sake.

Alpha DeLuca was really sweet and seemed to have taken pity on us, bringing us back to this personal lair. In choosing to give us this house, he provided a job for my mother while I was permitted to attend school.

His wife, the Luna, Bridgette. She's a completely different story, to be sure. She refuses to believe anyone from my family's bloodline deserves any respect. She thinks that we all just lay on our backs and spread our legs rather than work to achieve our place.

The tiny fact that she thought my mother and her husband were having an affair certainly would tend to lend an air of accuracy to that belief.

Shutting off the bathroom lights, I close the door, then decide to take a peek inside Maureen's bedroom. She looks like some kind of angel. Her long, shiny, raven hair spread over the pillow like a shield, I frown as my vision comes back to me in strange, disjointed flashes in my thoughts. The person in my vision had silver hair, though. I close the door gently as it had been opened and saunter back to my room. Once inside, I grab the phone that's on the nightstand, fingers dialing an all too familiar number almost on instinct.

"Edith, what's wrong? Did something happen? Have you been found?" The voice fires question after question.

"No, we're perfectly fine." I reassure her, "I'm calling about my dreams; they're becoming clearer every day." I breathe, pacing the bedroom floor.

"Tell me everything, and don’t leave out a single detail," she demands.

With a deep breath, and a weary sigh, I try to recall my dreams; starting with how they started right after Maureen's attack, adding to the fact that her birthday which is coming up only seems to trigger my paranoia. In my dreams, I keep seeing images of a young woman clad in the family's armor, but she's different.

She has the most powerful aura I've ever felt, almost crippling. Her hair is silver. Which is impossible, because we come from a family with dark hair. Anything from raven to deep, rich shades of brown. The woman in my visions also has tribal tattoo markings. Though I could not for the life of me make out the meaning of the designs. My attention turns back to my phone call. The line is so quiet; my first thought is that the call has been disconnected. However, a deep raspy exhale of breath signals that the line is indeed live.

"Edith, I know you already have future plans for Maureen. But, you might want to consider changing those plans," she warns. The serious tone in her voice sends chills up my spine.

"You mean run!" I hissed.

"Yes," came her expressionless reply.

"No! You're my guardian, it’s your job to find another way. I’m not putting my daughter through that again," I retort.

"Edith! This is not a game, my dear. There's only so much I can do. You need to gather up what you need, take your daughter and leave that place. Your dreams foretell the long-awaited promised child, who may very well be your daughter!" She huffs.

"I'm not running anymore. We've done enough of that! Dammit! This. Is. Our. Home," I hang up the phone angrily. Huffing in frustration, I run my fingers through my hair and let out a groan. Why can't we just live in peace instead of being hunted and enslaved? I'm sick and tired of this life! When will enough be enough? Doesn’t my family deserve the same regard as fellow witches from a wealthy bloodline?

Tears of envy stream down my face now, and I’m too proud to wipe my eyes, and too annoyed to care, so I leave them. It's so unfair that of the three largest covens in Rosewood - The Michaelson, Silverton, and Hawthorne that we are treated worst of anyone. The all too short renewal of sleep long gone, I roll over, glance at my bedside clock, and discover it's only 4 am. I begin to mindlessly fiddle with my necklace while silently praying into the inky darkness of my room, ‘Ancestors, please... Please show me a sign of hope’.

***

"Well Martha, congratulations. Your pup is developing quite nicely; he's fully formed, active and very healthy." I inform the couple, their mouths gaping in surprise.

"He? You mean, it’s a… a boy?" Martha chokes up at the news, I simply nod my confirmation.

"He's going to make it Martha," I speak in the most soothing voice possible to not ruin her moment even though I'm so happy for the couple. They've been trying to conceive for years and I feel almost as proud as the parents-to-be.

Martha's third miscarriage was the last straw, you see. All the other doctors have repeatedly warned against any more attempts until I decided to help them. And I felt privileged to be entrusted with something so important. For warrior werewolves, they’ve been rather kind to us. Never once judging us because of our status as slaves.

"Thank you, Edith, you don't know what you've done for my family. We're in your debt," Blue says. As Martha begins to freshen up, post-exam - I poke my tongue between my teeth and giggle to myself.

"Vincent?" I mumble. His intense dark blue eyes now rest on me instead of the direction of his wife. "If anything happens, I'd feel much better knowing Maureen will always have somewhere to call home." I nervously twist my hands together, fidgeting when he doesn't answer.

Placing one of his paw-like hands over my small ones, squeezing it in a comforting manner. "You did what no one could ever do for us. The Hawthorne's are always welcome in my home. Don't you ever forget that," he declared.

My vision gets a bit misty, but I blink back my tears. "Thank you," I whisper my gratitude. He only nods at me sternly. With that weight off my chest, I think it's time I tell Maureen about my dreams, along with the possibility of running. Sigh, she deserves so much more than this life.

She's my world, I've never been ashamed of how she was conceived by that no-good one-night stand. Just because the alpha treated us more like a person than a branded sex thing, doesn't mean others see us that way. It's been generations since a witch in our family was conceived out of genuine love. I refuse to believe this is all we'll be remembered for. A tap on my shoulder jerks me back into reality.

"Are you feeling okay Edith? You've been in your mind for some time there," Martha says frowning in concern.

"I'm fine Martha, don't fret about me. Focus on this little one instead," I warn with a small smile, rubbing her bump.

"Right! Can we start telling people now?" She questions in excitement.

"Yes," I giggle at her girly squeal. Blue chuckles, grabbing a hold of her bouncing form, guiding her outside the clinic where I work.

The clinic is run by someone I consider a friend, Carlene Silverton. She's the head doctor here, she's the best air elemental witch in town. Her coven is alliances with the DeLuca's unfortunately. Therefore, I keep my distance somewhat far, but her daughter Carmela and Maureen are inseparable. Greatly so, they both got a sister quotation tattoo on their shoulder. Much to Carlene's and I dismay. Even so, they're young, and very much look out for each other. So we can't really blame them.

"Edith, you’re still here?" Carlene questions glancing at her wristwatch. "Go home you've been here even before I arrive, which was 7 o'clock. It's now five," she advised, chuckling.

"I guess you're right," I replied with a shrug, typing up the last report before powering down the computer. "A surprise dinner with my daughter sure sounds nice." I agreed.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she says bidding me good-bye. Tidying up my area, I put on my jacket, then grab my purse.

"Come on, I can drop you off at Blues," Carlene suggests once I walked outside. "Oh, come on like you eat anywhere else," she scoffs at my bewildered expression.

I'm much too tired to walk this evening anyway, so her offered drive is a blessing since I don't own a car. It's not like I couldn't offer one, I promised myself that my daughter would never be left penniless like I was when my mother died. So every dime I've ever earned, I stashed away half for her in an offshore bank account.

------

The booming sound of thunder frightens me a bit, I hate thunderstorms. They always give me a fright since childhood, even though the water's my element, the rain and I don't mesh well. Willing myself to move faster before the rain starts, I briskly make my way towards the house that's only two blocks away. Fumbling around in my handbag, my hand finally touches metal. Jingling the keys, quickly opening the door, running inside from the cold. Throwing the keys on the countertop of the kitchen, I drag off my coat, hanging it up.

While looking for the dishes to serve dinner, I hear groans and erotic breathing. My body goes into defense mode thinking the worst, and I sprint to Maureen's room ready to attack if necessary. Over the years, I've trained my mind to think of the worst possibilities we could find ourselves in. What I didn't expect is my daughter saddling the young alpha in pure ecstasy, moaning his name in passion. I'm so shocked; I stood frozen in place at her doorway. They didn't even notice me, not until the alpha flipped her over on her back.

"I love you-" she begins but stops midway when her head whips around in my direction. "M-mom," she stutters, both her and Dante scrambling around looking for their clothes. Anger is not the right word right now; a better description would be… disappointment.

Without saying a thing, I turn my back, close the door and walk away. My name is being called; however, I don't answer. How could she be so stupid, Dante of all people! I've nothing against the boy, but his mother is a different story. If it was up to her only, we'd be living on the streets like stray animals. Not in the mood for dinner anymore, that’s for sure. I numbly allow my feet to lead me to my room while thinking about how I’ve gone so wrong with her, and how did I miss all the signs of their relationship before tonight? It's bad enough we're labeled as whores in our social order but now there’s this to deal with as well. I can’t help shaking my head about it all as I prepare for bed. After letting my hair down, I peeled off my work clothes and throw on a pair of pajamas. Then, I crawl into bed. My mind is blank, and my body is intensely exhausted. Thankfully, it takes only a moment or two to surrender myself completely to the sweet bliss of rest.

****

The air is pretty awkward. Maureen's been down for over an hour now trying to engage me in our usual morning routine. I know my silent treatment is hurting her, but I fear if I open my mouth now, my words would let her feel less of herself. She doesn't deserve that, so I just keep my trap shut. Since she's already up, I share my portion of breakfast with her. Maureen mumbles a kind of thank you, which makes me want to scoop her up and hold her in my arms like I did when she was a child. Honestly…? I think that's what's bothering me most - the fact that she'll be turning eighteen in three weeks. But, nature is definitely running its course. As it will, as it always does.

The scraping metal of our utensils is the only sound made while we eat, both of us too caught up in our own thoughts to pay much attention to anything else. I don't know what's on her mind, but all I can think about was last night's dream. I saw the silver-haired woman again, this time with a man along with a small boy. The man looked at her as if she held his world, while the little boy kissed her exposed stomach. It was a happy dream, one I reluctantly woke up from. I've never felt so at peace than I was in that dream world, so much so that it actually hurt to wake to my current reality.

"Mama! What do I need to do for you to talk to me?" Maureen speaks up, but I only ignore her. "I can’t help it… I love him!" She declares, furiously wiping away tears that kept coming.

Barely willing myself to move, I head straight for the kitchen without glancing once at my weeping daughter. I can hear her sniffling as she weeps, and the sadness becomes a source of irritation. Once fully in the room, I take my half-eaten plate of breakfast and slam the dish with food and all into the sink. The force of the impact shattering it to pieces. Dammit! I need some air so make my way to the backyard where I begin looking out into the near distance, staring at nothing in particular when I hear voices begin to whisper.

"Run!"

"Protect the promised child."

"There's no time! You must leave this place NOW! !"

I leap to my feet and begin creating a water vortex, ready to defend myself if necessary. Nothing happened this time, but my necklace does begin to flicker. The yelp of surprise that leaves my lips is enough to rouse Maureen's attention as I tumble onto the wet grass.

"Mom! Are you okay? I heard you yelling." She reaches out to help me up from the ground, and I let her. Brushing myself off, I act casually. As if nothing happened. Much like mine, the concern in her beautiful light-blue eyes turns to sadness as she strides back into the house.

I feel like I’m slowly losing it, but deep down I know it's more than my imagination. This necklace is more than just a piece of jewelry, and it would be unwise to ignore its presence.

With a new sense of fear and hope, I turn to go back inside. Plans already taking place in my head, a storm is coming, and we need to be prepared. The question is, will we survive it?