Ariella's biggest desire in life has always been such a simple one. She wants to be 'normal.' Unfortunately, that one simple wish has never been within her grasp. Coming from a long line of witches is bad enough, but she's even more different than t...
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I left Lucien's house and jogged across the street. My day of denial had been refreshing, but it was time to return to my harsh new reality. I still hadn't returned to school, but I was communicating with my friends again. We were supposed to get together for a bonfire in a few days, and I was looking forward to the distraction it could provide.
Besides my refusal to take over the coven and turning my back on my family's legacy of murder, I had also made another decision. I wished I could make my stay at Lucien's permanent, but after finding out what happened to my parents and that my family was being hunted, I decided that I needed to stick close to my siblings. I couldn't bring myself to just leave them no matter how much more peaceful my life would be at Lucien's. Even though I never got along with River, she was still my sister, and I had to watch her back. Uncle Ben was just human, and he would be defenseless if the Lockton family came looking for us. I couldn't just leave them since this was all because of me. I couldn't carry any more guilt than I already had.
They didn't even know they were in danger. I contemplated the idea of telling my siblings everything, but I hadn't decided yet. It was a lot to handle, and unlike me, they lived relatively normal teenage lives. I wasn't sure if I wanted to take that away from them. I was also terrified of seeing the accusations in their eyes when they found out our parents were killed because of a prophecy about me.
With a sigh, I entered the home with my duffel bag slung over my shoulder and couldn't help the groan that escaped me when I immediately saw Sara exiting the living room.
"So, you finally decided to return to your family?" She asked in a snide tone.
Not even looking at her, I headed to the stairs in an attempt to escape to my floor. Who would have thought months ago that after years of trying to escape the third floor, it would become my refuge?
"I'm here to make sure my siblings and uncle are safe. Nothing else has changed, and it's not going to."
"You aren't going to choose those monsters over your family, Ariella. I won't let you. This family needs you." The threatening edge to her voice stopped me in my tracks, and I finally turned to face her from my place halfway up the stairs.
"And how exactly do you plan to stop me?" I asked with a smirk.
She didn't respond, and I chuckled in amusement. We both knew there was nothing Sara could do to force me to do as she wished. My siblings might need me, and I planned to stand by them, but I didn't give a shit about that coven. I had never even met them, and there was no way I'd choose them over Lucien, the Haltermans, and my friends.
"Hey, Ari. You back?" I heard my uncle's voice a split second before I saw him round the corner from the kitchen.
I nodded to him and noticed worry flash across his features as he glanced between Sara and me. I was about to continue my trek up the stairs when River walked out of the kitchen behind him.
