Helena rolls her eyes.
Granny turns to me. “Helena and I used to be friends.”
“Used to,” Helena scoffs once more. “Your goody two shoes grandmother threw me under the bus. You see, Harriet, we used to study magic together.”
“You’re a witch?” I ask, still shocked by the news.
“Was,” Granny interrupts. “Helena used her magic for the wrong purposes. Money… love…” She casts her eyes over to Mr Belfour who sits quietly, vacantly. I actually can’t remember him having any input in anything. Mrs Belfour has always been the boss. “We follow the Magic Society. We have a code not to use magic for purposes unless good. And never to use it against non-magic folk. But Helena chose to not follow that path, didn’tyou?”
Mrs Belfour looks furious. “Oh, come on, Cerci. Witches have lived in the shadows for too long. What they did to us, our ancestors, don’t you think we’re entitled to a little payment?” Helena’s eyes are dark with hatred.
My grandmother carries on dismissing what Helena has just said. “So this is what it has come to? Stealing and bargaining for a young witch to marry your own so you can claw your way back into magic?”
I look at Greg as the pieces come together in my brain. His eyes are weak and sorry as they catch mine. Greg is magic. Greg is just like me.
“You knew,” I push out. “You knew this whole time. And you made me feel like I wasn’t normal.” Greg dips his head down to avoid my questioning. I turn my attention to Helena. “We would never have been twin flames, Helena. You forced us together.”
“Oh, Harriet, darling, shut up. It wasn’t about you. It was about my family right! Our magic and our power being returned to us as it should! I don’t care about twin flames.” She slams her hands on the table.
“But you have Greg! Greg can be that power you want. Why would you go after me?” I shout back. Sam pulls me into him to calm me down.
Aradia looks at Helena and steps forwards. “Because when the Magic Society strip someone of their magic, it strips all their family line. She wanted you for breeding.”
“Oh, Aradia…” Helena smirks. “Such a clever girl. But not clever enough to notice a rat in your midst.”
Aradia stands there confused. “What are you on about, Helena?”
Helena smiles wickedly. “Money talks, Aradia, and desperate men do desperate things. I knew you’d be held up in that cottage. I just needed more information. And a man who needed moneyfor his dying wife’s treatment.”
“Jim…” I whisper.
“He assumed I was a long-lost friend looking for the lovely Cerci and family. Oh, but he spoke so wonderfully about you all.” She looks at me. “And your new relationship withhim.” She points at Sam with disgust. “It didn’t take long for me to put the pieces together.”
Aradia stands there motionless. Her face drops to stone. I can see the anger build within her like she’s about to launch over the table and strangle her with her bare hands. My grandmother extends her hand to her daughter’s and holds it.
“We are not them,” she whispers and Aradia steps back. “Helena, this needs to stop. Nobody needs to get hurt. Your own son is clearly struggling with this. Just let it go,” my grandmother pleads.
“He doesn’t know what he wants,” she says, seething. “You took my power away from me. Do you know what it’s like watching our kind being so weak and shadowed from who we are? I would have done powerful things. And you stopped that.”
“You stopped that, Helena. Stop blaming everyone for your mistakes,” Granny hits back.
“Youtook it from me,” Helena screams like a spoilt child, her sopping hair falling all over her, her mascara now running down her cheeks. She looks like the perfect image of a villain gone mad.
“Stop it, Mother,” Greg shouts. “She doesn’t love me.”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s not about love. It’s about restoring our family!” she barks back at him.
Greg just shakes his head and returns to looking at his feet. I pull a face at his weakness and Sam huffs under his breath. “Pathetic.”
“We made a deal,” my father says. “Harriet, I will lose everything if this deal doesn’t go ahead.” His eyes are full of fearand anger. “I will drag you down the aisle myself!”
“Oh, fuck your deal, Martin.” My mother stands up and walks over to me and grabs my hand, her eyes piercing through my dick of a dad. “I lost myself with you. Forgot who I am. Forgot who we are. I have spent years in fear of you. When it should be you in fear of me! This stops here.” I squeeze her hand. “Stop being such a weak little prick and just get over the fact that you’re a shit businessman.”
My heart pounds with pride for my mother. Also never thought I’d see the day she’d call my dad a prick.
“Sit down, Cassandra,” he says in a gruff voice, embarrassed by the betrayal but she doesn’t move. She stands in force with me. With us.
“Sit down!” he spits out, his wrinkled, plump face red and puffy with anger. He knows he’s about to lose it all. He stands, almost flipping his chair to the floor with his force, and storms around the table pushing past my granny and Aradia before they have a chance to react.
