Pandora's Box

Chapter 8: Lust

Sirens – Fleurie

"No, Ambrose. It goes over there!" Zelda shouted across the room to her nephew who currently had a Yule tree halfway on his shoulder.

"Yes, sir, ma'am..." Ambrose mumbled, rolling his eyes and shifting the heavy tree once again.

Zelda opened her mouth to complain about the attitude, but then Hilda was at her side, tugging on her arm to get her attention.

"Zelds..."

With a scoff, Zelda turned to her sister, snatching her arm back. "What is it, Hilda?! You see I'm rather busy."

"So, um... I've got the menu for tonight-" Hilda started, but Zelda cut her off.

"Then tell me. What are you waiting for?"

She had to light herself another cigarette, this was unbearable. Zelda was already getting impatient with the stress of being the organiser and getting everyone do to what she wanted them to. An underestimated burden, truly.

"Yeah. See, love, I thought we'd have a nice roasted goose with mashed potatoes and vegetables, gravy... You know?" Hilda explained, her mind already drifting to the joys of cooking.

But Zelda didn't share her excitement, imagining the impossible amounts of food her sister would be cooking up. "Yes, I know," she snarled, "It sounds like an awful lot again!"

That put a downer on Hilda's mood; she'd been looking forward to this for so long. "It's our Yule celebrations, love..." She started playing with her blonde curls.

"That's right: our. As in our family only!" Zelda put her hand on her forehead. "You always prepare food to feed the entire coven!"

Waving her sister's cigarette smoke away from her face, Hilda countered, "Well... Sabrina could always invite her friends; I could invite Dr Cee and you... could bring dear Lilith?" Her voice got quieter and higher towards the end, entering dangerous territory.

"You're not seriously proposing I invite the Queen of Hell to our family Yule celebrations, are you?"

"Now, love. She's not only the Queen of Hell, hm?" Hilda shrugged. "Nothing wrong with inviting your girlfriend to a family dinner..."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Zelda stubbed her cigarette out, ending the conversation, and walked off.

Looking after her to the sound of heels clicking, Hilda sighed and let her shoulders slump. These two just needed a little nudge. Hilda didn't know what Lilith had done but she had managed to pull her big sister out of the deepest sadness she'd ever seen her in and now they even had Sabrina back. She'd be forever grateful to Lilith for that, and more so, she was convinced that if someone could get through to Zelda like this, they were special.

Seeing her aunt's disappointed face, Sabrina approached her. "Hey, what's going on, Auntie?"

Hilda jumped, then laughed. "Sabrina! I was just about to talk to you..." She placed an arm around Sabrina. "What do you think, would you like to invite sweet Nick to our dinner? And your friends?"

"Oh, sure!" Sabrina clapped her hands, beaming. "I thought it was just family..."

Hilda chuckled, "Your Aunt Zelda thinks I'll be preparing too much food, so we're opening the celebrations."

Sabrina thought for a moment and started wondering. "... Will she ask Lilith to come?"

Giving her niece a squeeze and a conspiratorial look, Hilda explained, "And that's where I need your help. I don't think she'll get over herself, so I was hoping you could go down ask her?"