Integrated

Every Mother's Son

Crawford, Hayley, and I were eating the food that was spread out alone our dining table.

Nik came downstairs as I stuffed a grape into my mouth.

"So, which restaurant's missing a compelled chef?" Hayley asks.

Nik looks at us confused. "It's certainly a card I've played in the past, but I had no hand in this..."

Nik gestures to the food. "Hmm. Well, then, I guess we have Elijah to thank?"

Elijah walks into the compound. He speeds over looking at the food confused.

"This wasn't my doing..." Elijah tells us.

Nik and Elijah stare at Crawford.

"Definitely not me, Kara hates breakfast. She gets queasy." Crawford defends.

Before anyone could say anything else, a sliver lid on a platter at the end of the table begins to rattle.

Elijah and Hayley jump a bit as Nik walks over and opens it slowly.

Two starlings fly up to the ceiling. I see everyone visibly calm down.

"What the hell was that?" Hayley asks.

"I'd like to know too." I cross my arms. I take the paper from Nik's hands and read it.

'Dinner, Your home, 8PM'

I place the paper down on the table.

"An invitation from our mother." I choke out. My brothers and I stare at each other in concern.

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"It is times like this I'm really glad I never knew my mother." Hayley speaks up.

Hayley and I came with Nik into his room.

"We have enough enemies here. And now, the war for our home is to be fought against my own family." Nik says as he turns to face us.

"Your wretched mother and her disciples tried to put a carving knife through our baby's heart. I will happily add to the body count." Hayley smiles.

Nik and I smirk at her. Elijah and Crawford enter Nik's room.

"You will do no such thing. Esther's a master in the art of possession. We know whose body she currently inhabits. We must decipher her intentions before she finds a new host." Elijah tells us.

I stand up to be next to Crawford. He wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me into his side.

"Well, her last invitation was an assassination attempt on all her children. I think we can assume her intentions are decidedly foul." Nik tells Elijah.

"Exactly, she also made me the most powerful being in the world. If that doesn't scream she hated me the most out of all the children she had, I'm not sure what does." I tell both my brothers.

"Well, then. We have--" He picks up his wrist to check his watch.

"this afternoon to prepare for the worst." He leaves and I see Hayley took her eyes.