MILLIE BROWN

Clara's voice kept replaying in my mind, no matter how hard I tried to push it away. "Millie, your mother was a witch."

My brain couldn't process it. My mother? A witch? It didn't seem possible. She'd always been this quiet, kind woman who told me bedtime stories about magic and faraway lands. Had those stories been more than just tales? Were they her own life experiences? Why did she keep this from me? Why didn't she tell me?

"Millie," Esther's voice pulled me from my thoughts.

"Hmmm? Sorry?" I mumbled, realizing I had been staring off into space. She pointed toward the shelves, asking me to help her arrange the pots.

I nodded, still distracted. I had insisted on coming with her to make the delivery. Clara had work, and Reed... well, Reed wasn't home, which was a relief. He didn't like me, and I could feel it in every glance he gave me. His coldness had become a regular part of my days here, but at least with him gone, I had a little peace.

Esther was stubborn about making this delivery herself, even though Clara had told her she would handle it when she got back. I didn't let her go alone, though. I convinced her to let me help, partly because I needed the distraction. These last three days of staying with them had been filled with warmth and kindness, something I hadn't expected but deeply appreciated.

As we made our way back from the delivery, the history of this family played in my mind. Esther had moved Clara and Reed to Lupinmere after the Great War, where they'd lost their parents. She told me how they were driven from their homeland, Easthers, when human soldiers attacked. They had been after any signs of sorcery, putting witches on trial and burning them at the stake.

I had learned about the witch trials in school, but I never realized the personal connection. This wasn't some far-off history; it was Clara's life. Her parents were part of that massacre.And apparently, so was my great, great grandfather.

Easthers had been the domain of witches, but after Lugard's attempt at world domination, everything changed. His defeat brought the existence of the supernatural into the light, and instead of peace, it sparked fear. Humans began hunting witches under the guise of "civilizing" the lands. The Von-Schmitz family, who I'd been taught to admire, were actually the ones responsible for destroying an entire civilization. It was a far cry from the glorified version of events we'd been taught in school.

Esther had done everything she could to protect Clara and Reed, fleeing with them and living as refugees. They had traveled from place to place, barely surviving, until Shane took the throne and opened Lupinmere's borders to refugees. Esther and her grandchildren had been granted a permanent stay, as long as they followed the one rule: no dark magic.

Sweat dripped down my back as we walked into the shop, my mind still swirling with these heavy thoughts. Reed was sitting at the counter, eating soup when we stepped inside.

"Grandma, I thought Clara told you to wait," Reed said in Kurrish, the language native to Halcyon. He didn't even glance my way, but I could feel the tension in his voice.

Esther smiled, and I noticed Reed's usual glare toward me. It had become a regular occurrence, but it still stung. I knew he didn't trust me, and maybe he was right not to, but I hadn't done anything to deserve the coldness.

I set the basket on the table, watching them walk to the back, bickering in Kurrish. I couldn't understand everything they said, but I had learned enough from Clara to pick up a few words.

A few minutes later, Reed returned and slid a bowl of soup across the counter toward me. "Here," he said in that cold, detached tone. "Esther said you haven't eaten all day."

I glanced at the soup but didn't touch it. "I'm not hungry. You can have it," I mumbled, laying my head on the counter. I wasn't lying—I truly didn't feel like eating. With everything going on, my appetite had disappeared.

Reed looked at me, puzzled. "You're not hungry, even though you haven't eaten all day?"

"No, I'm not," I replied, not even turning to face him. I didn't have the energy for this conversation.

"So, you just want to starve yourself, then?" he asked, still pushing, his voice laced with frustration.

"Please, leave me alone," I muttered, hoping he would drop it.

But he didn't. "And why are you moping around? Acting like a sad seal?" he continued, clearly ignoring my plea for peace.

That was it. I couldn't take it anymore. I stood abruptly, grabbing my coat from the rack and pulling it on. I didn't know where I was going, but I needed to get out of there, away from him and away from my thoughts.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Reed called after me, grabbing my arm before I could leave.

I spun around, my anger bubbling over. "Did you not hear me? I said leave me the fuck alone!" I yelled, shaking him off. The surge of power that followed caught me off guard. Something inside me shifted, something raw and untamed.

"Millie..." Reed's voice faltered, and when I looked at him, his eyes were wide with fear.

"What now?" I snapped, still fuming.

"Your eyes... they're glowing," he whispered, stepping back.

I froze, my heart pounding. Slowly, I turned to the glass cabinet beside me and stared at my reflection. My eyes—normally just brown—were now glowing a bright, unnatural yellow.

"What's happening?" I say, frantic. "How do I stop this?" I ask, and Reed looks at me, puzzled. My body feels like it's on fire, my tongue is dry and my head, my head is pounding.

"Try to relax."

"How the hell am I supposed to do that?" I scream, my anger boiling over. Heat is spreading through my veins and pain shoots up my spine "Aghhhh" I scream.

"Just trust me," he says, and those words strike deep within me. Caelum said that to me before. I wish he were here—he'd know what to do.

"Millie," Caelum's voice suddenly booms through my mind.

"Caelum?" I respond, confused but desperate, reaching through the connection.

"Thank goodness. Where are you?" His voice is urgent, but before I can answer, Reed grabs my hand and whispers an incantation.

"Re sus ne s'more rikki tumathe."

"What are you doing?" I yank my hand away. The power within surging at an all time high. The pain is unbearable, am I dying? Is this what it feels like to die? Did mum suffer this too?

"Repeat after me, fast, don't think of anything else," he says, panicked.

"What?"

"Re sus ne s'more rikki tumathe!" he urges, ignoring my hesitation.

"Re sus ne s'more rikki tumathe," I repeat, uncertain. I try to hold in the pain that threaten to buckle me to my knees.

"Again," he demands, the urgency clear in his eyes. "Don't stop, and concentrate."

I keep repeating his words. I can feel his energy surging through me, pulling at the wild magic swirling inside. His veins begin to glow with an eerie light, creeping up his arms toward his neck. The pain subsides, but just then, Clara bursts into the shop, her eyes wide and her smile fading as she takes in the scene.

"What are you doing?" she shouts at Reed.

"Instead of screaming at me, why don't you help? Create a binding circle around us!"

Clara hesitates. "If I do that, it'll trigger your mark, and the local guards will come marching down here."

"And if we don't, she'll die. It's your choice! You really think Mrs. Hufflepuff over here can handle this?" he retorts through gritted teeth. I want to be offended at him calling me Hufflepuff, but now's not the time.

"But—"

"This is why I was against you bringing strays here. They're nothing but trouble," he snaps.

Clara hesitates, but she runs to the side, grabbing a pot and quickly drawing a circle of salt around us.

"Concentrate on me!" Reed yells, noticing my distraction. We both continue the chant. And I notice the glow intensifies until it covers his entire body.

"Focus, Millie," Clara urges, panicking. I close my eyes, feeling a strange connection between us. Suddenly, I glimpse into his life—a flash of memories. The day they left Easthers, their struggle to survive, constantly moving. His fierce protectiveness over his sisters and grandmother. The weight he carries, feeling responsible for them. And then... him. I can't see his face.

He's being consumed by the glowing light. Instinctively, I reach out, pulling him back, and with a violent force, we're both thrown across the room, crashing into opposite walls.

Clara runs to her brother, shaking him desperately. I can hear his pulse weakening—it's faint, too faint. Is he dying?

Esther hurries in, hearing the commotion. She kneels beside Clara, her face pale with worry. I'm still not sure what just happened.

"Is he dying?" I ask, my voice shaky. Clara turns to me, her eyes blazing with intensity.

"His core was weakened trying to suppress your magic," she says, as if that should explain everything. Core? I remember Caelum mentioning something about a core and magic.

Maybe Caelum can help. I try to reach out to him through our connection, but there's nothing. It's like he's gone, or blocked.

I approach Reed cautiously, guilt swirling inside me. I should apologize, though I'm not even sure what for. He got hurt trying to save me, right?

I crouch beside him, closing my eyes and focusing on his fading pulse. Without thinking, I place my hands on his chest. A surge of energy floods through me, and I feel his heartbeat strengthen, thudding back to life. He coughs, jolting awake.

"Millie, how did you do that?" Clara asks, reaching for Reed and hugging him tightly.

"I'm not sure," I admit, but before we can process it, the door bursts open. Several men in uniforms storm in.

"Someone's magic triggered the seal on the protective barrier," one of them declares, pushing forward. "Dark arts are prohibited in Lupinmere. Don't you know that." He says, a creepy smile forming.

One of them reaches for me.

"Stop! It was me. I did it," Reed says, stepping in front of me, slightly staggering.

"Shut up, Reed. Take me. I did it." Clara steps forward.

"Shi ra kun moras verek." Esther steps forward, frantic. (Pleas take me instead)

"Stop this guys, it's pointless, they'll know by my mark," Reed says, rolling up his sleeve to reveal a scarred symbol on his arm.

The guards smile, grabbing him and slamming him onto the counter and cuffing his hands behind his back.

"Please, don't take him. He didn't mean to," Clara begs, her voice trembling with fear.

I stand frozen, unsure of what to do. Clara and Esther's cries fill the air as the guards drag Reed away, treating him like a criminal. The scene brings back painful memories—my own arrest, the judgmental stares from neighbors, the whispers of people who thought they knew me.

"Stop!" I scream, and the room falls silent, all eyes turning to me.

"Aren't you looking for a stray on Alpha Shane's orders?" I ask, remembering Shane's warning from that night.

The guards exchange cautious glances. "How would you know about that?" one asks.

"Millie, what are you doing?" Clara whispers urgently. I ignore her, I needed to do something to buy some time.

"It's me. I'm the stray. Leave them alone, and I'll come with you."

"And why should I believe you?" The guard steps closer, suspicion in his eyes.

I don't know how to prove it. My heart pounds as the guard smirks.

"Fine. Take her," he orders, and his men approach me, their faces twisted with cruel smiles. I move to follow, but then the guard speaks again.

"Take both of them," he adds, and a chill runs down my spine.

"No! You have to let him go!" I cry out, panic rising. "I thought we had a deal."

"Why would I make a deal with a stray?" the guard sneers as his men shove me and Reed toward the door.

Frantic, I push back, breaking free for a moment. I'm about to run when I see the officer grab Esther by the neck, lifting her off the ground.

"Stop! I'll go! Just let her go," I plead.

The officer drops Esther with a sneer.

I rush to Clara, hugging her tightly and noticing that they weren't looking, I whisper, "Go to the city. There's a perfume shop, I don't know exactly where, but it's run by a fae named Caelum. Tell him what happened. Tell him to find me."

The guards pull Reed and me outside. As they drag us away, a bitter thought crosses my mind—arrested twice before my nineteenth birthday. Who would've thought?

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Hey guys...... guess what, we may finally be getting a Millie and Shane encounter next chapter 😂😂. Drop a comment if you're looking forward to it and don't forget to vote. Love y'all.