“Raine,” her mother, Lucinda, murmured.
Raine didn’t listen. She was facing the rose, like she was studying it. Her eyes were wide, her fingers caressing its smooth, red petals softly. It was beautiful, but it was dying. The petals drooped, looking lifeless.
Raine cocked her head to the side, her luminous green eyes practically glowing. She smiled slightly at the rose and its petals started to lift up gradually. The colour of crimson red that it used to be eventually faded away into a bright, lovely shade of red that Raine loved.
Her mother laughed, delighted. “Raine!”
Raine looked up at her and grinned, her green eyes big and proud. The five year-old hopped off her chair happily. Her mother took her into a warm embrace, happy tears falling down her cheeks.
“I’m so proud of you, Raine,” she said, pulling her tighter. The little five year-old's cheeks went rosy, covering her light freckles. She put her head on her mother’s shoulder.
When they broke their embrace, the little girl skipped across the hallway, her piggy tails bouncing up and down on her shoulders, and then disappeared into her room. Seconds later, she was already out with her school bag hanging over her shoulders.
“Time to go to school, mummy!” she exclaimed, jumping up and down on the spot.
“It’s only seven in the morning, darling, we’ve still got two hours.”
Lucinda grabbed a box that was sitting on their dining table. The box had been passed down from generation to generation and always to the women in the family. She opened the box to reveal a dark violet pendant in shape of a star that had five points, with a gold jewel in the middle of it. Every time Lucinda set her eyes on it, it never failed to take her breath away. She picked it up and held it in front of her face, admiring its beauty. She called out to Raine who was dancing excitedly in front of the Television, which was playing her favourite cartoon. Lucinda chuckled quietly to herself. She would always remember this day. The day of Raine’s first day of kindergarten. It was also the day she gave her the family heirloom.
Raine looked up and caught her gaze; she smiled one of her cute little smiles and ran to her mother, who was still glancing at the pendants beauty in awe.
“What’s that?” Raine asked.
“I want to give you this, sweetie.” She held out the pendant to her daughter who looked at it and gasped.
“It’s pretty, mummy!” She giggled, watching it swing from side to side.
“Yes it is, Darling. And I want you to have it.”
She looked at her with a puzzled expression. “But isn’t it yours?”
“It’s been passed down for years. I want you to have it now.”
She handed the pendant to her daughter who reached out and took it from her mother, smiling.
“Cool!” she exclaimed.
“Now, I want you to take good care of it. You have to always wear it.”
“Even in the shower, mummy? That’s eww.”
She laughed. “No, not in the shower, honey.”
“Why do I have to wear it all the time, mum?”
“It keeps the bad spirits away.”
“The bad spirits?” She looked like she was scared. As scared as she had been when she had thought that something bad was hiding in her closet. “What does that mean?”
Lucinda started to panic. What was she supposed to say? “Oh, um -- nothing. Never mind. I’ll tell you later. It’s time to go to school now.”
"But mum," she whined. "You said it was too early only a couple minutes ago!"
"I know. But it's good to be early."
Raine shrugged. "M'kay."
Lucinda got out her keys from her bag, and headed towards the door. She knew she would have to tell Raine what she was, and soon. Very soon. She would have to spill the family secret. Raine could already do things beyond what people could even dream of, but she didn't understand it yet nor did she understand how to control it. Soon it would be very dangerous for her, and for people around her.
With a sigh, Lucinda opened up the door, Raine following behind her, barely managing to not step on the back of her heels.
Soon she would have to tell Raine what everyone in her family was.
Witches.
