If Only You Knew

10 - The Matter of Andrew Whitehall

April 9th, 2015 - Cassia's House, England

I watched the droplets of water hanging in the air, shaking slightly. I keep my focus as Cassia speaks behind me. "So, let me get this straight. Andrew is your great, great, great, great nephew or something."

"Something like that," which was the same response I had been give for the past 4 days every time she asked. The water started to spin in a circle, like I was imagining it in my mind. "Just like last time you asked."

"We went to school together and sort of dated a bit in high school, and then split up when he went to University and I moved out here. I haven't seen him in a while, and then we ran into each other and I don't know what happened really." She smiles a little to herself, staring down at her crossed legs.

I know exactly what happened. He called the other night when she was making dinner and invited her out, so she went once she finished cooking dinner for me. I read a book, waiting for her to come home. It was almost 11pm when she finally did. She left at 6:30. And her hair was a bit ruffled and her eyes were sparkling. She said she had a good time but she wanted to go to bed, and I followed her not long after.

The past few days, she constantly texting him on her phone and hardly paying attention to anything. It's adorable.

"You should tell him you're related," Cass' statement scares the life out of me and the water falls back into the bowl I got it from.

"Are you serious?" I spin around and raise an eyebrow at her. "What would I say? Hey Andrew, I'm your great, great, great, great aunt Alice that died back in 1874 in a crash. Remember that bedtime story?"

Cass laughs and meets my eye. "Well, that's a strange way of putting it."

"Cass, I'm serious. I cant just say that to someone," I roll my eyes and turn back to the bowl of water, sending ripples running across it's surface.

"I know, but you should still tell him," she gives a small smile and shrugs. 

"I know I should, but it will be really, really weird," I give a tiny laugh and sit on the couch opposite her, folding my legs up underneath my skirt.

"Good, he's coming over later," Cass stands up and smiles triumphantly before heading upstairs. "I'm going to get ready."

"Alright, I'll wait here," I pulled out the phone that Cassia and Matt had organised for me, and sent Matt a quick text. I couldn't wait until he got here tomorrow.

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I sat in the armchair opposite the couch, one leg folded over the other, rubbing my hands along the top of my skirt. A book was open in my lap, but I wasn't really reading it. I was waiting for Cass and Andrew, who were in the kitchen. They had been for a while.

It wasn't much later that they walked in, and Cass was a little red as she re-braided her hair behind her neck. Andrew gave me a bright smile.

"It's good to see you again Alice," his eyes meet mine as he sits down beside Cass. He has Freddy's eyes.

"You too Andrew," I smile and look down at my lap.

"Um, Andrew, this is going to sound incredibly weird, but Alice has something that you should know." Cass looks between Andrew and I waiting for me to speak.

"Alright..." Andrew looks between us two girls, a little confused.

"I was born in 1856." I start with that, simple enough. But Andrew's eyes widen and he raises his eyebrows.

"I'm sorry, what?" He looks at me like I'm crazy.

"Shh, just listen, it'll make sense," Cassia pats him on the arm and looks back to me.

"A little before my 18th birthday, my family and I were travelling in our carriage when we were attacked, and my entire family, except my brother, were killed. However, my sister was a spellcaster." He blinks a few times, and I know I'll have to explain. "The oldest daughter in every family inherits the magic of their mother's bloodline. It's a tradition that every family has a spellcaster. One way or another. Anyway, my sister tied me to the earth with a spell, that would keep my soul tethered to this plane of existence until I found my soulmate and was brought back."

"So I'm your soulmate?" Andrew looks scared, confused and worried, all at the same time.

"No, no," Cassia jumps in and I give her a small smile. "My brother is. And I brought her back, but we'll get to that."

I finished the rest of my story, how Andrew was a descendant of my brother Frederick and so on. And then we got to the part about magic, which he took quiet well, surprisingly. Considering everything.

"Any questions?" I give him a small smile, feeling awkward.

"No, I've heard your story before," he gives a nervous smile at my questioning gaze. "We were always told that 'Aunty Alice' would look after us and that she still lived in Whitehall Manor. Your brother passed the story down to make sure you weren't forgotten."

I smile widely at Frederick's mention, my eyes watering a little. "Good to know."

"But you, your sister and your brother were the bedtime story we were all told as kids." He smiles nervously, rubbing his hands on his jeans. "And we were also told that because you stayed around as a ghost, the magic that passed to you from your sister never continued through the family, so we haven't have magic for generations."

"Oh, I see," I nod, biting my lip nervously.

"Did you want to go back to the manor? Your room has been locked up for as long as I can remember. Your brother hid the key and then said only you would ever find it. It was in your 'favourite hiding place' I think the rumour was. Because he knew you'd come back and he wanted it to still be the same." Andrew smiles widely, like he was a kid who told on his brother.

I smile and nod, knowing exactly where Freddy put it. "I know what he's talking about, I just hope it stayed there after all this time."

"I'm sure it did, we were always told if we found something in Whitehall, we left it there. But we were also told that you ever being able to become human again was just a myth." I smile widely as Cass and Andrew do as well.

"I would love to see home again, I left a little after Freddy's death and haven't been back since." I smile, remembering the home where I was born and raised, having not seen it since the early 1920s.

"I'll take you," he smiles. "I'd love too."

"And I'll come," Cass smiles brightly at the opportunity.

"Alright, and Matt's here tomorrow on break so he can come as well." I smile brightly at the idea.

"Sounds perfect," Andrew smiles brightly and I smile back. "You look just like your portrait that hangs in the entry hall, by the way. Who painted it?"

"A good friend of mine, Jonathan."

I was going home.