Crossed Spells

Chapter 14: Revealed Heritage (Part 2)

Aria was sitting at her desk, trying to concentrate on her homework, but her mind kept wandering. The strange events happening in Ravenswood lately were worrying her, and she couldn't help but wonder if her powers - or Lucas's - had something to do with it.

A light knock on her door pulled her from her thoughts. "Aria, honey?" Elena's voice, her mother, was soft but tense. "May I come in? We need to talk."

Aria's heart leaped in her chest. She glanced at Glimmer, her light familiar, who was floating near the window. With a quick gesture, she signaled it to hide.

"Of course, Mom," she replied, trying to keep her voice calm. "Come in."

Elena entered the room, her face bearing an expression Aria had never seen before - a mixture of determination and deep sadness. She sat on the edge of Aria's bed, patting the spot next to her to invite her daughter to join her.

Aria settled next to her mother, her anxiety growing with each second. "What's going on, Mom?" she asked softly.

Elena took a deep breath, as if gathering her courage. "Aria, honey, there's something I need to talk to you about. Something I should have told you a long time ago, but... I wanted to protect you, to allow you to have as normal a childhood as possible."

Aria felt her heart quicken. Was she finally going to get answers to the questions that had been tormenting her for so long?

"You know our family is... special," Elena began. "Our gifts, our powers, are not something everyone possesses. But what you don't know is that these gifts come with a price. A very heavy price."

Elena stood up and walked to the window, looking outside for a moment before turning back to her daughter. "Our family, Aria, is under a curse. A curse that goes back generations."

Aria felt a shiver run down her spine. A curse? It seemed straight out of a fairy tale, and yet, a part of her knew it was true. Professor Nightshade's words echoed in Aria's mind. He had mentioned something about a curse and a pact during one of his classes.

"What kind of curse?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Elena came back to sit next to her daughter, taking her hands in hers. "It's a complex story, going back to the founding of Ravenswood. Our ancestor, Lucia Luminosa, was one of the founders of the town, alongside other powerful families. Together, they made a pact to protect and make Ravenswood prosper."

She paused, seeming to search for her words. "This pact... it bound our powers to the state of the town. When Ravenswood thrives, our powers are stable and strong. But when the balance is disturbed, our abilities become unstable, difficult to control."

Aria listened attentively, her heart pounding. Elena continued, her voice tinged with regret. "You know, Aria, we've lived here before. In fact, I spent a large part of my life in Ravenswood. This is where you were born."

Aria's eyes widened in surprise. "What? But... why did we leave then?"

Elena gently squeezed her daughter's hands. "When you were born, I was afraid. I hoped that if we left, if we moved away from Ravenswood, the curse wouldn't apply to you. I thought that maybe, far from here, you could have a normal life, without the burden of this heritage."

She shook her head, a sad smile on her lips. "But I was wrong. Our powers, our destiny, are tied to this town, whether we like it or not. That's why we had to move so often, why we always had to be so discreet. I was trying to run away from something that's an integral part of who we are."

Aria remained silent for a moment, assimilating these revelations. "But why did we come back then?" she finally asked.

Elena sighed deeply. "Because running away is no longer an option. The signs are clear, Aria. Something is happening in Ravenswood, something that directly concerns us. We need to be here to face it, whatever the consequences."