Marielle.

A Weekend With Dad.

While Marielle is getting ready for school, she hears a knock on the door, she shouts out for her aunt Iris who isn't at home. Marielle runs down the stairs to the door and there's no one there. Marielle closes the door, she turns around to run back upstairs, there's a woman stood behind her, it's her aunt Agnes. Marielle says, "Iris isn't at home, who are you and what are you doing in her house?" Agnes says, "aren't you going to give your aunt Aggie a big hug, I haven't seen you since you were four." Marielle not thinking, hugs Agnes, she gets a coldness from her, she pulls away and excuses herself, telling her she needs to get ready for school. Agnes says, "you're rebuking me, why?" Marielle says, "I'm not, I'm just running late for school." Agnes then says, "I'll wait and drive you." Marielle says, "no, it's fine Alisa will be here shortly." Agnes replies, "ok, have a good day. Oh and don't tell my sister I was here, it's her birthday this weekend and I want to surprise her." Knowing that it's not her birthday, while she's in the car with Alisa, she calls Iris telling her that Agnes was in her house. Iris says, "listen to me carefully, steer clear of that woman, she shouldn't have been in my house, that woman is a danger to you, she caused you to become possessed as a child, she will have said it's my birthday this weekend, it's not. She just wanted to touch you. Please tell me she didn't?" Marielle says, "i hugged her, why?" Iris says, "she's practising dark magick, you'll need to be cleansed today after school, so come straight home." Marielle promises she will. Iris tells her that she'll get Marc to pick her up. Marielle says, "ok aunt Iris, thank you."

Iris hangs up the phone with Marielle, she calls Agnes, asking her, "what the hell were you doing in my house today? You know you can't come onto sacred grounds anymore." Agnes laughs, "the sweet Marielle all alone and a new witch, touched me, now it has her again, except this one is stronger." Iris angrily tells Agnes to stay away, if she doesn't the coven will deal with her, the old fashioned way. Agnes tells her to bring it on. Iris of course sees this as a challenge, she calls an emergency meeting with the coven, they need to prepare for a cleansing of Marielle tonight, Agnes touched her, leaving a spirit attached to her. They all prepare for the ritual. The end of school approaches, Marc is waiting for Marielle he takes her home, he says as she is leaving the car, "brace yourself for tonight, there'll be a cleansing ritual, it'll be painful but you've been through it before, you were four when you handled the last one, you're much older now and you're now a practising witch." Marielle is petrified, Iris has filled the bath for her, she must wash in salt and sage. Then she must come down to the basement bed naked. Marielle asks why she must be naked, Iris replies, "if you're skyclad the ritual will work faster, you're also still a Virgin which will help better." Marielle comes down in just her dressing gown, the coven ask her to take it off and lie on the bed, the coven hold hands, they call to the gods and goddesses, even including their ancestors, Marielle shakes violently, the bed shakes, the spirit is gone. Iris says, "it's a good job you embraced your heritage as soon as you arrived, otherwise that thing would still have you." Marielle can't remember a thing. The coven tell her that's normal. "Just remember to steer clear of her, I'm going to teach you how to cast boundary spells, ones you can use if that bitch turns up again. She knew that I would be at the market this morning. I'll be doing my own boundary spell on the land and property." Marielle is taught a spell, she is given salt and that as soon as she sees her, she must say it and make a circle of salt and stay in it. Marielle asks, "why does she want to harm me? I've done nothing to her?" Iris tells her, "shes jealous of your beauty, she wants to stay young, the only way she will achieve it, is via dark magick and she will have promised your soul to get what she wants." answers Iris. "This weekend the coven is meeting, you're going to D.C. with your dad, we are going to exorcise her" says Iris.

The weekend fast approaches, James arrives to pick Marielle up, although this time, he's in a diplomatic car, he has a driver, they drive back to D.C. James asks, "what's it like living with that batty old woman?" Marielle scolds him, "that's not very nice dad, she's amazing, she has found me an amazing school, I've actually got friends, I've got a job, a nice home and acres of land to roam around on. So please dad stop." James says, "I'm sorry, I'm just bitter that old hag was supposed to help your mum and she didn't." Marielle says, "dad, you refused her help, you left it too late, she could've saved mum and you know this." James snaps, "you've been there three weeks, yet you sound like that rabble of deluded old women." Again she scolds him, "dad, stop the car, I want to go back, if you don't stop slating Iris I don't want to spend the weekend with you. Oh and FYI dad, mum's illness wasn't medical, it was magical and you denied her lineage to help her." James says, "I'm sorry sweetheart, I just don't believe in all that nonsense, the same nonsense that your mum spouted, that you're a witch too." Marielle says, "well believe it dad, I've seen them in action, that's all I'm saying as coven secrets are to remain secret." James replies, "I'll shut up now, let's enjoy this weekend together." Marielle replies, "on one condition, you apologise for denigrating Iris, without her. I'd be stuck in England with a nanny, never seeing you." "Ok, you have a point I'm sorry."

Marielle and her dad arrive in D.C. once they arrive at the house, there's a woman there, she says, "you must be the famous Marielle?" Marielle shakes her hand, "I am, who might you be?" The woman replies, "I'm Celeste, a friend of your dads, he's told me so much about you, I hope you're ready for a great weekend, we have lots planned for you?" Marielle stops in her tracks, "we? you're spending the weekend with us?" Marielle angrily responds, "I've not seen my dad in three weeks, I want time alone with him. However if I must put up with another of his strays so be it." Celeste says, "I can go if you wish?" James heard the exchange between the pair and gets in between them, he explains, Celeste is coming with us to show us where to visit and what to see? She's not a stray, she's a good friend and you need to apologise now." Marielle mumbles, "I'm sorry. I'm going to my room." James and Celeste pour a glass of wine and cook dinner. Marielle doesn't want to eat with them, she eats when they have finished.