A Witch Thing

1️⃣5️⃣

"War and deceit. I'm one of the last survivors of the Southern vampire wars. I was brainwashed into thinking a vampire loved me and conditioned to do what she told me. When I left, I found Alice and she pointed us in the direction of the Cullens. We joined the coven and that's how we ended up here," Jasper said.

Romina smiled a little, "I like you. You and your coven are different than all the other vampires we've met. I'm sure you have friends who are like you, as well. Thank you, Jasper. You've been a great help."

"Mother," Celene spoke. They looked back over to Celene, who had an owl perched on her arm. She handed Romina a note, "She brought it in. It's from Trinity, she's headed back tonight." Romina stood and grabbed the note Celene handed over.

She smiled and nodded, "Very well then. Thank you, Celene."

Elizabet cooed to the bird, "Pretty bird."

Celene smiled and explained, "This is Camille, you can call her Cami. This is my beautiful familiar." The bird preened under the attention she was being given, honestly loving all of it. Romina quickly wrote up a note and called Ronin, who swiftly flew over and grabbed the note.

"Take this to Trinity, please. Stay safe," she said, calling the last part to the bird who had taken off. She then turned to Camille, "You, Cami, go rest up. There's some treats and attention waiting for you inside." The owl hooted and flew in the house through one of the open windows Elizabet guessed were specifically left open for the birds.

By the end of the week, they did end up in a house. It was nice and considerably closer to the witch residence than the hotel. Each of them had their own rooms, but Elizabet and Jasper slept in one room, same for Cole and Alice.

Elizabet was getting up one morning, putting something together for breakfast, when there was a knock on the door. She turned to it, confused at first, but walked over. Opening the door, she was surprised to see Mariah, Eileen, and Celene at her door, each with their familiars perched on their shoulders. Celene offered a big and happy smile, Eileen a more casual one, and Mariah no smile at all. She wasn't hostile toward Elizabet, so she brushed it off.

"Hey, Elizabet! Mother Romina told us to tell you that you could have the day off and asked if we could properly show you around the city. So, here we are," Celene exclaimed.

Elizabet smiled, already used to Celene's enthusiasm. She spoke, "That sounds like a great idea. Can the others come along?"

Mariah spoke this time, "They can come."

"Mother Romina also has a gift for them," Eileen added, "And the rest of your coven." Elizabet was a little wary at that, but Eileen caught it and reassured her, "Don't worry, we may be witches, but we aren't devious."

Elizabet let them inside, closing the door behind them. Jasper came downstairs, Alice and Cole in tow as if they were some sort of heard. Alice greeted them, she'd grown found on Celene pretty quickly. "Hi, how are you this morning?"

The witches greeted them back and Mariah dug in her back, pulling out a few boxes. She handed three small boxes to each of them and said, "These were made by Mother."

Alice, Cole, and Jasper grabbed the boxes and slowly opened them, curious as to what was inside, but still cautious of the witch's gifts. Cole opened his first, seeing a ring placed inside. "I'm flattered, really, but I'm with Alice," he joked.

Eileen rolled her eyes with a smile as she stroked her cat, "No. Wear them to keep the sun from turning you into diamonds. You can go out and about whenever."

Alice smiled, "Thank you, this is wonderful!" She slipped it on her finger and said, "It's really pretty."

Celene smiled, "I helped pick out some of the jewels for them. I'm glad you like it." They hugged and Elizabet chuckled lightly at her friend's adorableness. Mariah asked, "Have you eaten yet? We were going to go to Café du Monde."

Elizabet nodded, "I was going to make breakfast, but that sounds great. Alice, Cole, Jazz, you wanna come?"

Cole said, "Actually, we were also going to go around town today, get some fresh air." Elizabet nodded and Jasper spoke, "Course, I'll come. It'd be good to properly see New Orleans."

Eileen smiled, "Great. We'll go ahead and go now. We'll be waiting outside, if you need us." They headed outside and Elizabet finished getting ready before heading back over to them. Alice and Cole left and Jasper and Elizabet went with the witches to the café.

"So, how long have you been with Mother?" Elizabet asked, she'd gotten used to calling her 'Mother' like everyone else. They didn't seem to notice much, used to calling her that. Eileen spoke, "Well, Celee and I found her at the same time. The town we lived in was small and both our parents were witches, they preferred to live closer together for protection purposes."

"One day, our town was attacked by a couple vampires and our parents were killed," Celene continued, "We were eleven at the time. The witch leaders of each place like to keep tabs on the covens spread here and there and when word spread about the attack, Mother Romina visited to see if any of the witches survived. She took us in and we've been living with her and those other witches ever since. Cami chose me not to long after."

At the moment, Cami was sitting on Celene's shoulder as a butterfly. The humans didn't take an owl perched on someone's shoulder in the middle of the day too lightly, it was strange enough to see one at all. The butterfly flapped her wings and Eileen pet Ella in her arms.

Mariah spoke, her snake still a snake as it laid around her shoulders, "I was with Romina a little before that. I was ten when I met her. I lived in London with my parents, but the city they lived in started getting a few visits every few months by the Volturi. My parents were active witches, along with the coven, and their activity was picking up attention by some of the vampires who were scattered around the city. The coven broke up to keep everyone safe and scattered. The children went to different covens around the world, I was sent here with Romina. My mum and dad are still in London, I visit every now and then."

Merida flicked her tongue out. Mariah asked, "What about you?"

Elizabet shrugged, "My parents were afraid to use their magic. They were a part of the coven, but the coven was only together so they had protection, they never used magic. I was 15 when my home was attacked by vampires. I got away before they could get to me. Not too long after, I was found by a coven of nomads. They took me in and I was with them for two years. Then I met Jasper and his family."

Celene spoke, "Aw." Elizabet started to smile but her phone rang. She dug it out of her pocket and looked at the caller ID. Her smile fell as she saw the name on the screen. Jasper asked, "Who is it?"

She sighed and answered, her voice a sigh, "Bella." She sat the phone on the table and let it ring. "Who's Bella?" Eileen asked.