Morana knows she's different from other people in more ways than one. Firstly, she's sixty-seven years old but stopped ageing in her twenties. Weird things have also happened around her right after she's wished for it. But most importantly, no matte...
Three days later and it was time for dinner with Alejo's family. He was jumpy and nervous the whole day, but also very quiet. I had tried to get more information about his relationship with his family, but he hadn't said anything other than that it was bad.
From Astria's visit, though, I gathered that they had been mean and mistreated him his whole life. He had said that the coven treated him like a servant, and it seemed like his whole family had done the same.
I was nervous as well, but more about my own potential behavior. I knew I would feel awkward and that in itself tended to make me have more of an attitude than usual. Add on the fact that I felt sure they would piss me off over how they treated Alejo, I just knew that I would say something I'd end up regretting. Something which potentially could lead to Alejo ending up in trouble.
The dinner would start at seven, so at a quarter to Alejo teleported us to outside a very ordinary-looking house on a very ordinary-looking street. Though fancy. The huge garden in front of the house was enough to show off their wealth.
"Is this it?" I asked and looked around for any hidden street or house that would magically appear, because though it was fancy, it looked too ordinary for witches.
Alejo's face made the first genuine smile of the day, though it quickly faded.
"Very ordinary. Not a place anyone would expect to find a bunch of witches," he said as we walked up the path to the house.
"Definitely not. I expected there to at least be a black cat sitting guard for the house."
He smiled again, but as he had reached the door, it disappeared quickly.
I expected him to knock on the door, but instead, he froze in front of it and stared at it. He didn't seem to know what to do.
"What's wrong?" I asked and took his hand in mine. Squeezed it lightly to tell him I was there and wouldn't leave him.
He shook his head. "I'm just not used to coming here like this. I don't know if they'd wanted me to knock or just enter."
I frowned, but made a decision for him. "Well, I've never been here, so knocking it is!"
Just a moment after I had knocked, the door opened and Astria stood on the other side.
"Morana! So good to see you again. Come on in," she said and moved aside to let me and Alejo in, though she didn't even acknowledge Alejo's presence.
As the door closed behind us, I couldn't help but feel like I had entered the lion's den. Albeit a very boring one, as the inside looked as ordinary as the outside. But there was an atmosphere in the house that I didn't like. A heavy and suppressive feeling.
Astria showed us, or well me, in to a room to the right of the hallway. In there were three other women, who I assumed to be Alejo's two other sisters and his mother, seated around an antic coffee table.
I had thought it would be hard to discern his mother from his sisters based on the mother-sister witches I had seen at the bank, but one look at the three seated there and it was obvious who was his mother. Partly, she looked older. By human standards, she looked to be in her 40s. She had started to get some wrinkles. But it was more than her physical appearance, which made me sure she was his mother. There was an aura around her. A dominating air and I got a feeling she was used to being in charge and having everyone do exactly as she ordered.
I would have fun doing the opposite.
When it came to the other two sisters, Alejo had told me one of them was the oldest, while one was younger than him. There was nothing in their appearance to tell me which was which. Both simply looked to be in their mid-twenties. But just like with his mother, there were distinct auras around them which made it possible to guess.
The one I assumed to be the oldest held herself in a very prideful way with a straight back, while the other one rather seemed observant and cunning from how her eyes moved to take me in.
Alejo's mom, or the Priestess as Alejo had told me I was supposed to call her, stood up and walked over to me with a warm smile.
"Well, you must be Morana!" she exclaimed. "You have no idea how surprised I was when Astria told me there's a witch in Sacramento that we don't know about."
She reached her hand out and as I took it, a similar feeling as I had felt when taking Astria's hand started, the feeling of electricity traveling through my body. But this time I kept the handshake and did not withdraw my hand. I did not want to show her any sign that could be interpreted as weakness.
"Your magic really is how Astria described it. How interesting," she said, but didn't explain further. Instead, she turned slightly so she could see both me and her two other daughters, who waited for introductions by the table.
"Now this is Senalda, my oldest," the Priestess said and indicated the prideful one. "And that's Marianela, my youngest."
Senalda gave me a curt nod. "Welcome. It's nice to meet you," she said, but didn't look at all like she meant it.
"It's always so much fun to make new friends," Marianela chimed in and gave me a warm smile.
"Now, come and sit. We're so looking forward to getting to know you better," the Priestess said and took a hold of my arm to lead me forward. Then she added, in a harsh voice and to no one in particular, "There are preparations in the kitchen to be done."
Completely confused, I turned to Alejo to see if I could get an answer about who she had spoken to. He was already turning around to leave.
"Wait, where are you going?" I blurted out hastily and the whole atmosphere in the room changed in an instance. It had been somewhat friendly though cold, but turned tense.
Alejo looked at me and gave me a weak smile. "To the kitchen to fix the dinner."
"But..." I felt my stomach drop. His mother hadn't so much as looked at him. No form of greeting at all. The only way she showed she was aware of his presence had been an order that she hadn't even had the decency to look at him while giving.
"All is fine," he added and tried to widen his smile a little, but it looked stiff and rather like a grimace of pain.
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