Chapter 2

Rebekah

The ride home was long and quiet. Rebekah silenced the conversation for the time being. With all the new information, she needed time to think. Not only that, she needed her husband to focus on driving. The more turns he took the more her fears were confirmed. They were being followed.  Thirty minutes later they were going down the winding dirt road to the abandoned church they were squatting in. This was the longest they stayed at any one location but Rebekah knew they couldn’t leave. Not with the girl’s birthday being so close. They pulled up and the girl was the first out of the car. She raced straight into the church and slammed the door.

“I’ll get her.” Said Darren as he started after her.

“Leave her.” Rebekah grabbed his shoulder. He opened his mouth to protest but she squeezed his shoulder harder. “She’s probably tired from the extra energy you siphoned from her earlier.” His cheeks flushed with color.

“How did you know?” He looked down at his feet. He might be over six feet tall but he was still no match for his mother.

“I’m your mother. Don’t you think I know you? Now help your father with the boxes.” She sighed in relief as he turned without argument and started unloading the car. “Don’t bother me for a while. I need to meditate.” Rebekah stormed toward the main chapel. It took several tries to strike the match. Each time she struck them so hard they snapped in half. Rebekah took a few deep cleansing breaths.  Her power was too low to light the candles on her own. A fact that only fueled her rage.

Once her candles and incense were lit she sat cross-legged at the altar and did her best to clear her mind. The sound of muffled weeping made her grit her teeth. What did the girl have to cry about? Who saved her when she was nearly sacrificed by witches and torn apart by werewolves? Rebekah did! Who kept her clothed and fed, even taught her how to read and learn magic? Rebekah did! They could have killed her years ago and taken her power for themselves but Rebekah decided to let her live.

Rebekah’s breathing was getting erratic and she could feel the flames of the candles dancing with her anger. She didn’t want to kill the girl. But at the end of the day, she was born to be a sacrifice. Rebekah made sure her whole family knew it. She especially made sure the girl knew that. When the girl was young she made it clear they were not her family. They were doing the girl service in keeping her alive and Elly needed to work hard and be obedient to pay them back.

When the sound of the sobbing got too much Rebekah cursed under her breath. The glamor she used was extreme. Whenever they took her out in public they had to be cautious. Every detail about the girl was changed down to her voice. Not only did she have to look and sound different, but the glamour also had to mask her power. Most glamour wore off after a while. Not this one. Rebekah was proud of the perfectly crafted spell she created. Not only did it not wear off, but it was also attached to the girl as a power source. It was like a curse. It wouldn’t fade until it was broken or the girl died. Rebekah smirked thinking about how brilliant she was. She would make as many changes as she wanted to it the only thing she couldn’t do was give the girl back her real eyes.

She entered the small storage room they set up as the girl’s bedroom and found her laying on her small bed with her back towards the door. The moment the door opened the girl stifled her sobs. It was one thing Rebekah appreciated, her ability to control herself. It wasn’t always like that. When she was younger she cried nonstop. Rebekah used to brew love potions and give them to her to trick her into being happy. They worked for a time. When the girl started getting good at resisting their effects Rebekah knew she needed to bind her magic. It was better that way. Magic was a strange thing. It fed off emotions, real ones. They needed her powers to grow so they needed her to be healthy. Mind, body, and spirit. Whether the girl loved them or hated them was up to her. Either way, it would be strong enough to keep her fire lit for a long time.

“Get up.” Snapped Rebekah. She watched as the girl wiped her face on her pillow as she turned to get out of bed. Rebekah knew she was in a great deal of pain. Seeing as she barely had the strength to stand, Rebekah sighed. Reaching out she grabbed the girl by the face. The girl cried out as her shoulders relaxed and back straightened. Her long grey hair turned short and mousey brown. The deep wrinkles on her face smoothed out. Her eyes stayed the slate black color they always were. The eyes were important. They were always black and lifeless. They had to be. If anyone looked too close they would be able to see the truth of the glamour.

When it was over the girl gasped, her hands roamed over her face and through her hair. It was a light glamour. It would still draw power from her but not nearly as much. She looked up at Rebekah with those dull eyes. Before she could say anything Rebekah turned and walked away leaving the door standing open. It didn’t matter if she left. She couldn’t get far. The entire area was warded to keep her close and to keep strangers out.

Rebekah returned to her meditation no closer to any answers. She wanted her power back. She needed it. Before Darren was born Rebekah and Jonah got mixed up in higher magic. The dark kind. The more power they channeled the more they needed. It was all they could think about. before they knew it they were attempting things that would take multiple covens to accomplish. It backfired and burnt both of them out. It should have killed them. Not long after they found out Rebekah was pregnant with Darren. What power he had must have been just enough to save their lives. But the three of them were burnt out, crippled for life. That’s when the girl’s mother found them. She took them into her coven as conduits and gave them hope. They were planning a huge ritual. One big enough to hopefully revive their powers once and for all. The only catch was the coven needed as many conduits as possible so none of its members risked being burnt out or killed.

“Are you ready to talk now?” Jonah settled beside her. “Everything is unpacked. The herbs are hanging. I’ve started melting the wax for the candles. Darren is cleansing everything as we speak.” Rebekah’s shoulders sagged as she turned to look at her husband. They used to be such gifted witches. Covens used to beg them to join and add their power to the collective. Now, look at them.

“We’ve got problems, jo.” He rubbed her back.

“Nothing we can’t solve. Especially with that beautiful mind of yours.”

“I have a few solutions but I don’t like any of them.”

“Let’s hear them and go from there.”

“If the girl is going to fully awaken we can’t take any chances. We have to drop the glamour.” Jonah sucked air between his teeth at the suggestion. Rebekah was the one that did most of the planning but Jonah was in charge of keeping them safe.

“Beck, you heard what the merchant said. ‘A big coven’? That has to be Silver Moon Coven. They’ve gotta be close. And if they have managed to track the girl this far with the glamour on there’s no telling what would happen if we take it off.” His argument was fair. But Rebekah was expecting this. She got up and went to a closet. A few moments later she came back with a box of crystals.

“I’ve been charging these.”

“Geez, beck they’re practically glowing. How long have you been doing this?”

“A couple of years. The girl has been close to burnout. I wanted to make sure we’d be okay if we didn’t manage to get our powers back.” Jonah stared at the box in awe. She had been draining the girl a little more each time.

“We use these to shield the church. Keep the girl on a shorter leash. If we keep the glamour on her she’s going to burn out for sure. We need her at full strength if we’re going to get back what we lost.” Jonah frowned. Rebekah knew if there was anyone that could make a protection grid strong enough to hide the girl it was him. He didn’t care about the girl either. But he would do anything for his family.

“Can I make a request?” Darren walked up to them.“After the ritual, give the girl to me.” He crossed his arms and looked down at his parents.

“Give her to you?”Rebekah raised her eyebrows at him.

“Handfasting.”

“You want to marry her?” When Rebekah said it out loud she was outraged. Only, the more she thought about it the more it had potential.