"Everybody is equally weak on the inside, just that some present their ruins as new castles and become kings." -Simona Panova

'~-Amelia-~'

September 14th, 2020

Spencer and I chatted about tomorrow's events. JJ was turning eight years old. After that, we had to plan both Derek and Crystal's birthdays, as we had decided that they were both on the eighth of October. Though I thought solemnly of Derek's departure- he was leaving for Berry College on the twenty-fourth. Though it was in Georgia, I was not looking forward to the day he left. Crystal had decided to stay home, to my delight.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed, indicating that someone was calling me. Excitement and dread pulled at my stomach as I recognized Nova's Caller ID.

"Amelia, we are going to need your help. I suggest-"

"I understand. You're on speaker, by the way." Nerves worked their way up my throat. It would be better if Spencer didn't know.

"Hello, Spencer." Nova greeted.

"Hey."

"See you there." A click sounded from the phone as they hung up.

"Duty calls!" I chirped, kissing my husband's nose. He laughed, waving goodbye to me.

I appeared next to Nova, who was on the outskirts of the battlefield. No one was fighting, but tension rippled through the crowd like the red arms of fire.

There, in the clearing, stood a man who was about my age. His eyes were an odd tan color, and his hair was the color of snow. He was bouncing on his heels, a sick grin replacing his stoic face the second his sandy eyes fell on me.

Chills traveled up my spine at his gaze, but my face showed no sign of that fear.

"Amelia Divine, what a pleasure!" He stepped towards me. 

"Who are you?" I asked, ready to summon what I needed.

"Ezekiel Hastings. I want to battle you for the right to the throne." I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes.

"Alright. Whoever shall concede first loses." Ezekiel nodded, summoning his weapon.

I closed my eyes for a moment, letting the light breeze caress my face as I concentrated. The familiar feeling of the relic ran through my soul as my father's god-like powers were summoned. I hated to use it, but it often came in handy when someone challenged my leadership. A dark, demonic sword with the same golden hilt from years ago appeared in my hand.

The crowd spread out as our weapons clashed in an aggressive dance- death in my father's scarlet power. Our skill was evenly matched- that was evident as we countered each other's moves with ease. I would have to either out-power him or out-smart him.

Suddenly, we knocked each other's swords out of our hands. Only a moment and a glance later, we swung our fists at each other. Ezekiel had the upper-hand since I was so tiny compared to him. I took a punch to my stomach before anger boiled beneath my pale skin.

I swung with power as my fist connected with his left eye, a black wound spreading from the impact. That was my father's power: to destroy everything and anyone who stood against him. Ezekiel fell to the ground, clutching his left eye, which bled profusely from the wound's unique pattern.

"You win this time." He hissed before he and his men disappeared into the wind.

I sighed, falling onto my knees in exhaustion. Nova rested their hand on my shoulder.

"You won." They comforted me, helping me up to my feet.

"Yeah," I whispered, walking with Nova's arm wrapped around me. As I was about to return to my husband, I couldn't help but notice the crows perched on the edge of the clearing. There were at least twenty of them.

I shrugged it off, though I knew that I had always believed in omens- courtesy of my mother. 

Nova renounced the relic from my body as we apparated into my house. Spencer greeted me, looking concerned at my disheveled form. I brushed him off, opting to rest on the couch. I closed my eyes, knowing that Spencer would take care of the rest of our daughter's birthday plans. Sleep overtook me, nightmares of what I had done invading my peaceful slumber.

'~-Emily-~'

September 15th, 2020

I woke up suddenly, clutching at the couch beneath me. I sighed, lifting myself off of it. I noticed that Crystal's door was open, so after a moment or so, I entered her room. Immediately, I knew that something was wrong. Her room was messy, a sea of items laying out on the floor. 

She was crying in the corner, her specially colored hair frizzy.

"Crystal?" I asked, which caught her attention. Her teal eyes looked into mine, sorrow evident.

"Mom?" She croaked.

"Come here." I cooed, taking her into my arms.

"Sorry, I don't know why I'm crying. I guess I'm just sad because Derek is leaving soon." Crystal smiled weakly. Though some truth hung in her words, I knew that it wasn't the full story. 

I decided not to push the subject- letting her calm down in my arms felt like comfort enough.

Eventually, I wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"What is today's date?" I asked her.

"It's the fifteenth- JJ's birthday." Crystal replied, so I lifted her from the ground and walked her to the kitchen. There, a variety of decorations were in place, and my siblings waited around the island counter.

As JJ entered the room, everyone shouted and cheered. 

She squealed as we wished her a happy birthday, the smile on her face not able to be wiped away.

'~-Spencer-~'

September 24th, 2020

"I'm gonna miss you!" Sunbright exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her son.

"We all are." Jason chimed in, a sorrowful smile on his face.

Today was the day that Derek left for college. I was devastated that my son wasn't staying home like his older sister, but I knew that Derek would live a happier life learning to be a pilot.

"They are gonna love you out there," I whispered, pulling him into my arms. 

"I know."

"Plus, you'll have the chance to meet the girl of your dreams." He laughed at that, shrugging.

"I really don't need to look for love." Sunbright didn't seem offended by the statement.

"You're right: it's a waste of time." I glared at her as she giggled at me. "There are rarely any good options out there. Either the girls are too preppy, or the boys find the bed of every girl on campus. There's no winning. Well, unless you find the enbies- they're pretty nice. An enby is actually worth dating sometimes." She rambled, picking up his belongings.

"Anyways, my point is, go have fun. Just don't let anyone know that you're a Magi, and you should be good." I kissed my son's forehead one last time before he grabbed his stuff from his mother. 

Derek waved goodbye, closing the door and driving off in his car. It was time for him to make the nine-and-a-half hour drive to Berry College.

I shook away the dread that gnawed at my stomach as I once again spied those black-feathered crows sitting atop a house, watching my son drive down the street until he was out of view. 

"Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return." -Leonardo da Vinci