Chapter 2

~AUDREY~

"Clamo a todos los dioses y diosas. Mi amor está perdiendo la chispa. Ahora rezo y espero que esto tres veces. Por favor, haz," I listened quietly as Veronica chanted in Latin.

She was in a circle of white salt, wearing a white robe and also holding a candle in between her fingers as she continued to chant the soulmate spell.

"Clamo a todos los dioses y diosas. Mi amor está perdiendo la chispa," Veronica continued to chant while I had to keep quiet to watch her so as not to interrupt whatever she was evoking.

After the third rant about bringing her soulmate to her, she stopped and opened her eyes. As a sign that the spell worked, the candle in her hands lit brighter and finally quenched. There was a gush of wind spreading round the room and it finally stopped.

"You should try it sister," she spoke, getting up and cleaning up the circle she had created.

The spell worked alright, but it never told her when she was going to find him, neither did it tell her it would show her when her actual soulmate was close.

"And why would I do that?" I asked, turning away from her to arrange the herbs I picked up in the forest.

"Well, you may never know your soulmate till you die. You're a witch so hasten it with your powers," she explained but it was not logical to me.

"I am not going to waste my strength performing love potions like a child," I replied bluntly to her.

"That is the thing, you are a child so you are allowed to act the part," Veronica corrected me but it only caused me to frown even further.

"I'm 18—"

"You are almost 18 years old, at least pretend to be a teenager. When I promised to look after you, it also meant making sure you enjoy your youth like the rest of us," she kept her voice very smooth and playful as she arranged her properties in the right place.

"So you want me to be like other witches who sleep around with themselves, regardless of their gender or make a mess by summoning a demon due to their lack of experience in witchcraft?" I raised a brow, stating the obvious for her to see.

"Yes, you almost never get into trouble. You are a very powerful witch, you should make mistakes deliberately and exploit life just like every—"

"Pass, I have never gotten into trouble and I plan to keep it that way," I interrupted with my usual response. We both always had arguments like this and she never ever won any of them but the Veronica I knew never gave up.

She was not related to me by blood, but she was the only family I had left. After my mother died, her family took me in and treated me like one of them. Not in a single day was I left to feel alone in the world. We were the picture perfect family that the entire coven envied.

But then a tragic disease struck so many coven of witches, killing both the young and the old. There were not much people who survived. Our family included. Veronica and I did all we could to keep them till the illness passed, or till someone found us a cure but we were too late.

And now, we were all we had.

Veronica was only two years older than I was, but she played the role of a mother so perfectly. We had a shop in our coven where we sold herbs and quick potions and little spell books for the younger witches. It had been three years since we lost our family but we were so attached that anyone could mistake us for a mother and her child.

She had long red hair that reached her waist and she flaunted it like hell was about the set lose, her face was sculptured in a way that she would attract any man that came her way, her eyes were big emerald green and her cheeks covered with spots of freckles that adorned her.

She was perfect—but always believed that she would someday find a mate like the werewolves did. I thought otherwise, if she did not find a warlock or someone to wed before she turned 30 then the coven would tag her as the newest hag. That was not a really good title for a witch's reputation.

"What is it that you plan to do tonight?" Veronica asked, breaking the silence that began to grow between us and also breaking my concentration on the book of Latin for witches that I was reading.

"I plan to perfect my Italian and become the only Italian and Latin speaking witch in our cover. Remember my linage was meant to be Italian speaking witches—"

"Do not bore me with history of any witch or coven or anything please," she cut in and I shook my head is disbelief.

She asked.

"And you plan to do all of that in one night?" Veronica peered on and I nodded energetically.

"Yes, it is not impossible."

She let out a sigh of obvious frustration and made her way to our shelves of books. Curiously, I watched her search for a book and I waited patiently for her to find it and show it to me. Giving me a corny look, she dropped the dusty book on my lap with a loud thud.

"What is this?" I asked in amusement, running my fingers on the letters engraved on the book cover. It clearly stated that the book was for toddlers.

"There is a spell in there that will quicken your learning and you will become with whatever Latin speaker you wish to be before midnight," she responded, walking towards the door.

"Why would I want an easy way out of this? I have nothing to do tonight," I raised a questioning brow at her.

"Of course you do," she said plainly making me narrow my eyes at her in suspicion. Only God knew what mischievous thing she had done this time.

"What did you do?"

"Oh I didn't tell you?" Nica kept the most innocent face as she spoke to me.

"Tell me what?" I pressed on, keeping the book to move closer to her.

"We are having a camp fire dance tonight at the coven's center," she announced, making my law drop.

"But—"

"You are coming, no excuses this time," she sternly replied before leaving and slamming the door after her.

"I am an adult now, you will not force me to go anywhere!" I yelled after her.

"You will be whatever adult you wish to be once you turn 18 and that is next season. Until then you will obey me!" Veronica yelled back at me, making me huff.

~Veronica~

"It is a good morning, is it not?" I announced my arrival.

The coven council had called for a meeting and turned out that I was the main topic.

"At least she is present today," the secretary sarcastically said as I walked right to the center of the hall.

They were settled in chairs arranged in a circular form and stared at the me with nothing but despair.

"What have I done this time oh great council," I retorted without respect for any one of them.

Everyone who attained the position of membership in the high council of our coven did nothing but played politics in their agendas. This same dirty works was what made them turn blind eyes when my family fell sick, we were at a tight spot and needed support but the so called leaders quarantined us till they died, thus the hatred for them.

"Have you succeeded in what we asked you to do?"

The head council spoke, she wore a bigger robe than the rest of the members. Not much people knew her name, myself included and all we were aware of was she was the oldest witch in our entire coven but to me she definitely was not the wisest or even close to one.

"Do you not understand that she is the last one of the most powerful coven? If we go on with this ritual for her to be one of us, she loses lots of her powers and even worse," I sternly stated to them. They knew what was at stake yet they wanted to go on with it because of their selfish reasons.

"She won't be losing any power young child. She will be sharing it with the entire coven. It will make us stronger do not be so short sighted," they went on in trying to persuade me into changing my mind.

"She is my sister and I will not do anything that will stop her from growing—"

"You do not have much of a choice," the head council cut in.

"What?"

"The girl either joins us or she leaves and you are welcome to go along with her. We do not want anyone who will not contribute in the coven," she added and I gasped in disbelief.

"I and my family have dedicated our time and effort to the growth and well being of this coven and you are willing to send us out because of your greed?!" I shouted, gesticulating with my hand as tears stung my eyes.

Of course I was pained by the information, these people cared less about the wellness of their people. Send us out of our own coven. Even if Audrey was to agree to it, there was no assurance that she would survive or remain the same.

........

"You are back from work so early," Audrey said immediately I walked into the house.

"Yeah, it was not really a busy day," I replied curtly. I kicked my shoes off my legs to the corner of the  door and turned away to the kitchen to find what to eat.

"Hey, what happened?" Audrey pressed on, walking towards me and stopping me right in my tracks.

"Nothing happened. I'm just tired," I lied, trying to easily shove her off and deviate her attention from me.

"V, I know you more than anyone else does. Talk to me," she insisted.

I looked at her, she had the most compassionate smile. She really was beautiful, her dark hair flowed down to her back and she always let it fall down. Her brows were full and her lashes complimented it, she had bright grey  eyes and it was so obvious that anyone could see it at just one glance.

I packed the stray strands of hair that fell across her face and hung them behind her ear.

"I will protect you at all cost," I whispered out to her and she smiled more.

"And I will do anything to protect you too," she assured back. "Just tell me what happened."

She knew the coven had been trying to tap into her powers and she also knew that she might not survive it if things got too much to handle and we both had agreed to work our way around it without taking part in any of their rituals.

"They want to kick us out of the coven," I announced to her.

"What?! Why?!" Audrey inquired with wide eyes.

I did not reply, only stared down at my feet. I waited for realization to dawn on her and when she finally did, she breathed out sharply.

"They can't do that to us. We have to find a way out V," she peered, taking her hands in mine.

"It is not your responsibility to worry about. I will handle this eventually they will let it go," I guaranteed her.

I had no idea how we were going to do it but I had to still find a way. If possible find a new coven that would accept us, no matter how far they are. I had to find a way.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes Audrey. Please go prepare for the camp fire meeting we have tonight."