August 4th, 1926

A smattering of rain poured upon the windshield of the small, black Chrysler as it scrambled up the mud-ridden path. The previously white rimmed tires turned brown as dirt and grime coated the surface. The driver growled under his breath as he stomped his foot on the gas and plowed forwards, whereas he had reached his wit's end the two passengers in the back remained perfectly stoic. Their pale, and tragic faces were wiped clean of all emotions. The girl in the strapless white dress, wore a pair of black silk gloves that reached above her elbows and a wide brimmed hat that sloped in the front, hiding one of her two sapphire eyes that matched the crescent necklace hanging around her neck. Her opposite sat beside her, in a similarly styled black dress with white silk gloves, and a black bowler hat that devoured her chopped ebony locks. A thin black veil stretched across her face but did little to hide her striking silver eyes.

"You're crying." Said the Raven-haired woman as she noticed a glimmering streak of wetness on her sister's cheek.

"I can't help it, Edith. This is so horribly morbid."

The woman named Edith grew rigid in her seat as another tear fell from her sister's eye. She hated seeing her upset, mainly because she always made such a big fuss. And there was no reason to cry, thought Edith. They had been through this so many times it ought to feel like second nature but her sister was always so dramatic. Even if it weren't for her empathetic inclinations, she still would have been soured over the whole ordeal. It was in her nature.

"You wanted to do this. I told you, Clara, three times, this was nothing but a waste of time and tears."

Tilting her head upwards, almost as if she were trying to get a whiff of her own perfume, Clara said, "If we don't do it, no one will. We don't have anyone left."

The reminder of their evident loneliness did nothing to affect Edith. Quite the contrary, in fact. She found herself scowling at the idea of needing anyone apart from her sister. She was brought into the world with the brat attached to her hip, it only seemed fit she would go out that way too. But again, Clara was always different from Edith in that respects. She cared about people, and loved people. Edith knew there was no reason to, not when they would be receiving the same fate that they always did but she let her sister persist on and foolishly do away with her heart. She assumed, in another life, Clara would eventually reach the same conclusion she had. Which was that life on earth was temporary and that included everything that came with it.

"You promised me, Edith. You promised after all of this, we could find peace, are you going to start making empty promises now?"

It was always an empty promise. For peace was something that neither girl would find. Not in life or in death. If only Edith had known the full extent of their fate, she wouldn't have said a word to Clara. The car began to slow as the trees thinned revealing a massive colonial manor, all of the windows were dark like hollowed eyes except for the top window of the west wing. A silhouette of man stood in the faint, golden glow of the room, waiting for them. After a moment of hesitation, the chauffeur stepped out in the pouring rain, his black suit was immediately drenched as he went to open the backseat door. Grabbing hold of one another, Clara and Edith stepped out of the comfy cab. Just as the heels of their shoes hit the pavement, the rain stilled in the sky. The two walked to the front of the manor, in perfect sync. It wasn't until they were standing under the porch awning, did the two girls unlock their hands and the rain resumed. A bronze plagued hung beside the front door, engraved was the name Theodore Goodwin: J. D. Lawyer. As Edith narrowed her eyes the brass doorknob twisted and turned as the locking mechanisms made a series of clicking noises. The door flew open and the sisters entered, knowing they didn't need an invitation.

The candles lit one by one as the sisters walked into the entryway. On top of the wide, iron wrought staircase sat a girl, no older than six or seven. She wore a white nightgown made from wool, her ebony locks were tied back with a pale blue bow. As the sisters noticed her presence, she jumped to her feet and tucked her small, chubby hands behind her back.

"Little Stella," crooned Clara, "My how big you've gotten."

A wolf like grin stretched upon her face as they ghosted up the steps. With each clack of their heels, Stella took a tiny step back.

"Hello Aunt Edith, Aunt Clara. Father's is in his office, he's waiting for you."

"Yes, I suppose he is," said Clara. The sisters shared brief look. Stella watched in awe as the two moved in complete synchronization as they removed their necklaces. She had never seen her two aunts without the amulets, they looked naked without them. She was further stunned when her aunts held the necklaces out to her.

"We're going away for a little while, dear, and we need someone to watch these, someone we trust. Can we trust you?" Clara asked, her usually serene voice thickened as she placed her amulet around the small child's neck. She knew Stella could be trusted, not only because she was the daughter of her eldest sister but because she had seen it in a vision- and her visions were never wrong. Stella would grow to an old and steady age. Despite her now quaking frame and wide eyed stare, she would grow into a strong woman, one who would protect the sisters later in another life.

"Will I see you again?" Asked Stella after Edith silently placed her amulet in the palm of her hand.

"I promise you will."

Never before had Stella ever truly wanted to see her aunts. Her father constantly muttered how they were evil witches, the worst of the worst. He blamed them for her mother's death and though Stella didn't know what had killed her mother, she too believed her aunts were somehow involved. But- they were also the last connection she had to her beloved mother. As terrifying as her aunts were, she could see pieces of her mother within them. Aunt Edith shared her mother's ebony curls and Aunt Clara had her sapphire eyes, neither had her warm smile or comforting embrace but something was better than nothing at all. Her aunts stepped around her without another word. She hid in the shadows, clinging to their amulets and promise, knowing despite all the lies they had told in the past this one would hold true.

Grabbing hold of one another once more, Edith and Clara disappeared in plain sight only to reappear in front of Theodore Goodwin's office desk. Theodore was still standing in front of the window when they entered, his back turned from them. He was a stout and rather robust man with heavy set features and a greying beard. He knew they were there; he could feel the temperature drop as they entered. But he took another minute to collect his thoughts before facing the two demons his wife begged for him to protect. Three years ago, as his beloved Charlotte lied dead on top of their bed, Clara promised him they would stay out of his life but he really should have known better than to trust Clara. Now, Edith would have kept the promise but Clara was the master manipulator. Charlotte had once warned him about that, he remembered. She had told him to never trust Clara, she was nothing more than a beautiful lie, whereas Edith was the ugly truth.

"I received your letter," said Theodore, his voice rumbled from his chest.

"I know." It didn't surprise Theodore that she knew, Clara knew everything, it just sickened him to think that she might have been surveilling them with her special talents. "And since you read the letter, and agreed to meet with us, I assume that means you also agree to go through with our request."

"You say that as if you don't already know my answer," though hidden by the mass of his beard, Theodore lips were twisted into a sneer, "I'll help you but I'm not doing this for you I'm doing this for-"

"Charlotte. I know." Her voice remained impassive but a flicker of annoyance crossed her face as she glanced over to Edith. With a snap of Edith's fingers a pile of papers appeared out of thin air and dropped onto Theodore's desk. "I don't really care why you are doing this, Theo. So long as you do all that is requested of you, we will not have a problem."

Grabbing his circular spectacles from the pocket of his coat, Theo perched them on the bridge of his nose and skimmed over the documents. He grunted, "Your directions are rather thorough."

"I don't want any mistakes being made."

"It's not like you haven't done this before," said Theo. He kept his eyes trained on the papers, partly because there were a few provisions he was curious about and partly because he was afraid to face the girls.

"Despite what you may believe I do not take death lightly, it doesn't matter how many times I have faced it. All I'm asking from you is to give me and my sister a proper burial and then you can move on with your life, forever severed from us."

At that, Theo couldn't help but glare at Clara. She was wrong. He could never truly be free from her or Edith, not when their blood ran through his precious daughter's veins. "You'll come back. You always do."

"Yes, and when we do I want all of your things in order. And that starts with our bodies being buried in the tomb. The one in New York Marble."

"Consider it done. All that is left is for you two to die."

The two smiled at each other coldly, their bodies tense and ready to attack. If it weren't for Edith's interjection there might have been another funeral to plan. "I believe it is time for us to part. Have a good life, Theodore and take care of little Stella, she's a special girl."

Without breaking her stare, Clara slipped her palm into Edith's and let the spell of teleportation whisk her body back to the car. That left Theo standing alone in his study, with the legal documents to a funeral he would plan but not attend. A bitter taste coated his tongue as he spat, "Good riddance."

Twyla groaned as a pounding in her head appeared. She didn't know what to make of what she had just seen. She wanted it be one big, elaborate dream but she knew she didn't have the imagination nor enough interest in the twenties to invent such a fail. The idea that, that might not have been a dream at all but a memory snuck into her trail of thoughts and as soon as it crossed her mind she knew that it was true. How she knew, she had no clue. Lately, she didn't seem to know much of anything, her instincts were the only thing she had to rely on. Not wanting to delay the inevitable, she peeled her eyes open one by one. Her mind was so busy, thinking about the memory that just resurfaced, she had forgotten about what just happened last night. At least, she had forgotten until she saw a pair of Crimson eyes staring down at her.

**This is a short chapter but each memory from a past life reveals something that will be important later. The girls will have to take the time and piece the memories together like a puzzle. But first, they might want to do something about the red-eyed predator looming over them. Thank you for reading, I hope you guys are liking the story so far. The countdown for Alix's arrival has officially begun. Please tell me what you guys think will happen next or why the memory was important!
XOXO,
Ro.