Lizzie and Josie had made it to the hotel hours ago but they were both freaking out both inwardly and outwardly.

Josie glanced at her pacing twin. "Lizzie, it's been hours...what if something happened?" She asked, running her hand through her hair

Lizzie stopped pacing, worry flashing across her face.

Kai was fine, he had to be okay.

"He said to wait for him to come to us...he's probably okay..right?" Lizzie said, hesitantly.

"He has to be...we would probably feel if something happened to him...it's just been so long," Josie said, with a frown. She glanced at her twin with uncertainty in her eyes. "What do you think he was going to do?"

"I don't know..." Lizzie said, glancing out the window.

She knew that whatever was going to happen was going to change everything, one way or another.

The real question was...was it going to be a bad change or a good one...

"Do you think he's going to hurt them?" Josie asked, suddenly.

Lizzie looked back at her. "Maybe? I don't know, all I know is he was different when we left," She replied, running her fingers along the glass of the window of their room.

Josie got to her feet and came to stand beside her. "Is it bad that I don't care about what happens to them?" She asked, looking guilty.

Lizzie looked at her twins, as she was hit with the realization that Josie was feeling guilty about not feeling guilty.

Is that ironic? Maybe? Who knows...

"Probably, but I don't either, so we're in the same boat," Lizzie said, with a shrug.

The two stood in silence for a little bit, just looking out the window at the dark sky.

Josie reached out and grabbed Lizzie's hand, squeezing it gently. Lizzie looked at Josie curiously.

Josie opened her mouth to say something then stopped.

"Jo?" Lizzie said, turning fully to her without letting go of her hand.

"What if he's not okay? What if he gets caught by Josh?" Josie asked, meeting her eyes.

"Jo, I don't know what's going to happen..." Lizzie said, with a sigh, but there was a combination of fear and determination in her eyes. "But if necessary, we'll save his ass."

"Okay," Josie whispered in agreement.

Suddenly, both of the twins tensed up, feeling a surge of powerful Gemini magic echo around them in the direction of the house.

"That wasn't Kai," Josie said, with a sinking feeling in her gut.

"No, it wasn't..." Lizzie agreed, completely tense.

The twins exchanged panicked looks and grabbed their stuff as they rushed out of the hotel as fast as they could.

The twins ran back to the house, sensing that the residue of powerful magic was in that direction but more towards the woods.

"What do we do if we can't find him?" Josie asked as they slowed to a stop.

"We will," Lizzie muttered, tensely, but she wasn't so sure.

Whatever that magic was, she didn't know, but she had a feeling it wasn't anything good. And Kai was definitely not the one who cast it.

When they reached the house, they froze noticing Joshua Parker standing there with something that felt strangely familiar to Lizzie.

He looked at them with a strange look with a mix of pain and rage in his eyes.

Lizzie tensed. What happened?

He approached, his entire demeanor was full of aggression.

"Did you know?" He asked, anger in his voice.

The twins exchanged confused but also wary looks.

"Know what?" Josie wondered, narrowing her eyes.

"What Malachai was going to do?" He asked, his voice cracking slightly.

Lizzie paused, remembering the look in Kai's eyes when they left. "What did he do?" She asked, wondering what happened after they left.

"He killed all your siblings!" He said, voice rising with his fury and pain.

"Oh," Lizzie blinked in surprise.

She could tell he was going to do something drastic based on his reaction but she didn't expect it to be that. And she wasn't sure how to respond to it.

A part of her was pleased that he clearly liked them a hell of a lot more because he sent them away.

Another part was shocked that he went that extreme. And the last part was feeling vindictive because of how they were treated by their so-called siblings for being siphoners.

"What?" Josie said in shock but she couldn't feel it in her to be sad for them.

"You didn't know he was going to do that..." Joshua said, in realization taking in their reactions. "Then why did you leave?"

He narrowed his eyes at them as he shifted his grip on the object in his hand.

"He told us too," Josie said, like it was obvious, which it was because the twins had made it very clear early on that they listen to Kai better than they do anyone else on the planet.

Literally, the twins wouldn't even listen to their teachers but if Kai told them to do something, they would do it no questions asked.

"Wait, he killed all of them?" Lizzie suddenly exclaimed, having just caught that part.

Joshua frowned at her.

"No, Josette and the twins survived," He said, shaking his head.

"But you just said all," Lizzie said, with a challengingly look.

"Lizzie," Josie whispered, warningly.

Lizzie glanced at her twin and quieted.

"You two don't even care that your own siblings were murdered," Joshua said, something unreadable went through his eyes.

The twins exchanged looks.

"You want us to feel bad that our 'siblings', who never gave a shit about us, died? As if," Lizzie said, with a dark look.

Josie straightened. "Besides, they're dead, nothing can change that...and to quote those oh so typically words of yours that you would always tell us...'leave the past in the past, and get over it', so maybe you should listen to your own words for once," She said, glaring.

Lizzie noticed rage flash through his eyes at the turnaround.

Nicely done, Josie

"Do you know why he did it?" Joshua asked, ignoring Josie's words.

Coward...

Lizzie felt a flash of anger as his words registered. Was he not able to see what was right in front of him?

"Are you serious? The reason he snapped was because you weren't going to allow him to do the merge," Lizzie said, practically snarling.

Joshua tensed angrily.

"He's an abomination, just like the two of you," He stared like it was a fact. Lizzie felt her anger rise, again. "He couldn't be allowed to merge, it was for the good of the coven."

"The good of the coven? Fucking bullshit," Lizzie said, fury written all over her face as she moved towards him. Josie reacted instantly and pulled Lizzie backward by her hand, trying to calm her, through their twin bond.

Lizzie relaxed slightly, as she felt a sense of comfort and understanding go through her.

Josie looked at Joshua, who was watching Lizzie warily."He's your son, or did you forget that?" She asked, darkly.

Joshua turned his gaze on her. "I forgot nothing-"

"Wait, how did the twins survive? Wouldn't he have been gunning for them?" Lizzie interrupted as that realization hit her.

After all, they were the ones that Joshua was going to have merge, there's no way that Kai would have left them alone.

"He tried but Josette protected them by promising to do the merge with him," Joshua revealed. The twins paused. Something wasn't right...it wasn't adding up.

"Wait, he merged with her?" Josie asked, feeling her unease rise.

"No," Was all he said.

Both of the twins went still. Lizzie tightened her grip on her sister's hand

"What do you mean by that?" Lizzie asked, feeling her flight or fight mode starting to activate.

Joshua didn't say anything, making both of the twins back away, uncertain. Out of the corner of Lizzie's eyes, she noticed other members of the coven approaching as if to cut them off.

This was bad...really bad.

"Where's Kai?" Josie asked, swallowing nervously.

"In a prison world," Joshua replied, narrowing his eyes at them.

"Oh my god," Josie said, in horror.

Prison world?

"No...you didn't..." Lizzie denied, feeling her blood draining from her face. He locked up his own blood in one of the worst contraptions that were ever created by the Gemini Coven.

Josie stared at Joshua in horror. "He's your son..." She whispered, repeating her earlier words.

"He slaughtered his siblings in cold blood, he is no son of mine," Joshua said and it was clear that he meant it.

Josie's eyes flickered to the object in his hands, finally recognizing it for what it was."That's the ascendant..." Josie muttered in realization.

Lizzie's eyes shot towards it, then to the witches surrounding them.

"What are you doing?" Lizzie asked as her sister began to realize the situation they were in. They were trapped...and he had the ascendant.

She felt fear begin to course through her veins.

"I can't let you two out in the world, you'll try to release him or merge yourselves...I can't take that risk...I'm sorry," He said, and to the twins' disbelief, he looked like he was actually sorry. "Sanguinem filio"

"No!" Josie exclaimed, she backed away, pulling Lizzie with her as she turned to run.

But they couldn't.

"Sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum."

The wind picked up around them.

"Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum."

Powerful magic slammed into them, forcing them off their feet. They hit the ground, barely able to keep a hold of each other.

"Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum."

There was a flash of light and they were gone.

<><><>

(4 years earlier)

"Why do you have to go to college?" Lizzie asked, with a pout. She was sitting on his bed with Josie next to her. "It's gonna suck without you, especially when the new babies are born."

"Yeah, they'll probably be crying constantly," Josie said, voicing her agreement.

Kai gave them an amused look from where he was packing up his stuff.

"Because if I get an education, I can get out of this house, and away from dad," Kai said, zipping up his suitcase.

"But what about us?" Josie asked, softly.

Kai glanced at her, and his eyes softened.

"You really think I would forget about you guys? When I make enough money, I'll get an apartment and you two will move in with me," Kai said, walking over. He took a seat next to Josie.

"Hell yeah.Then, we'll burn this house to the ground," Lizzie said, with a smirk.

Josie looked at her and nodded in agreement. "That would be so much fun," She said, smiling.

"Are you two pyromaniacs or something, cause what is your deal with fire?" Kai said, wondering what it was about fire that was so appealing to them, after all, they were only 11.

"It's pretty and watching things burn is so satisfying," Josie said, and Lizzie made a noise in agreement.

Kai snorted, his eyes showed his laughter. "Don't let dad hear you, especially since I won't be here to protect you," Kai said, warningly.

"Ugh, can we throw him off a cliff," Lizzie said, hopefully, as she laid down.

"I wish," Josie replied, looking disappointed.

Kai just shook his head at both of them.

"Girls, just join a bunch of extracurriculars like I did, so that way you have excuses to be out of the house," Kai suggested.

"Fine," Lizzie muttered, putting an arm behind her head. "I can't wait for you to win the merge."

"Neither can I..." Kai whispered in agreement. "But in the meantime, don't do anything to piss him off, who knows what he would do..."

"Please, what could be worse then what he already does," Lizzie said, rolling her eyes.

Josie frowned, thoughtfully. "A prison world could be worse..." She suggested, glancing at her twin.

Kai looked up.

"So your at that point into your magical education," Kai said, stretching out his arms.

"Yep," Lizzie nodded. "I have a question, what are prison worlds like?"

Kai paused, thinking about it.

"It's total isolation...you can never die but you can also never live...It makes the prisoner go mad...just the constant thing over and over...and if you ever get out, you'll be in a completely different and new world that is probably terrifying..." Kai said, his eyes distant.

"You've really thought about this," Josie realized, then her eyes widened in worry. "You don't think he's going to send you into one, right?"

Kai gave her a reassuring look. "Of course not, I was just thinking about it for when I'm coven leader." He said, with a shrug.

"Oh, okay," Josie nodded in understanding.

Lizzie frowned, feeling like he wasn't telling the whole truth.

"Okay..."

<><><>

Lizzie sat up, abruptly. She looked at Josie, who was unconscious.

Lizzie quickly shook her awake.

Josie slowly opened her eyes. "Lizzie," She muttered, sounding confused but then the memories of what happened slammed into her making her wide awake.

Lizzie helped her sit up.

"Jo, what the hell happened?" Lizzie asked, looking around them.

"Lizzie, I don't think that's the correct question, you should be asking," Josie said, softly as the realization of where they were, came together in her mind.

"What do you mean? We're at our hou-" Lizzie cut off, putting together everything that happened. "Prison world..."