Coraline (Witches of East End) ON HOLD

Chapter 6

The screaming woke the other witches and they hurried downstairs. They saw Wendy on the floor, holding Coraline and whispering comforting words in her ear.

Wendy and Joanna were able to move Coraline from the foyer floor to the couch in the living room.

The five witches sat around the living room in an uncomfortable silence. Wendy was stretched out on the sofa, still holding her daughter, who was pressed between her mother and the back of the couch, asleep.

Ingrid on a chair beside them with Freya in her lap, and Joanna in a chair by Cora and Wendy's feet.

Joanna was the first to speak.

"Wendy, what happened? What was that thing? How did it get past our protection spells?"

"I don't know, Joanna. I'm sure once Cora wakes up, she can tell us. But I don't want to bombard her with questions just as she wakes up. I don't know what kind of affect that thing had on her. I think it almost killed her."

Wendy tucked some hair behind Cora's ear and softly traced her face with her finger.

Freya watched Wendy's facial expressions change. From relief, to sadness, to anger, then finally relief again.

"This isn't your fault, Aunt Wendy. There's nothing you could have done to protect her," Freya said.

Wendy scoffed and a tear escaped her eye.

"I should have stayed with Sebastian and Cora in Asgard. I never should have come here. I've missed her whole life. I didn't get to watch her grow. I left her behind. It was always supposed to be my job, as her mother, to protect her. Now she's protecting me."

Joanna rested her hand on her sisters ankle.

"You did what you thought was right for your daughter. You trusted Sebastian to protect her. Wendy, she's right next to you. She's alive and she's right next to you. It's our turn to keep her safe."

Ingrid shifted in her seat, "Umm, I thought she was supposed to keep us safe?"

Freya narrowed her eyes at her sister.

"We are a family. We're supposed to protect each other. Asking Coraline to be the sole protector of the four of us and herself is a lot. We are not her responsibility. The poor girl is only 18 and she's already been through too much."

Wendy looked at her niece and smiled.

"Thank you, Freya."

After a moment of silence between the women, Coraline started groaning.

Wendy frowned as she used her hand to smooth her daughter's hair back.

"Oh, my poor baby. You don't deserve to live like this."

Cora opened her eyes slowly, looking up at her mother and giving a slight smile.

Suddenly her face twisted in reaction to the pain she was feeling in her head.

"Take it easy," Wendy said softly. "It's okay, baby. Everything is okay now."

Freya looked at Wendy incredulously.

"Uh, Aunt Wendy, not to be a Debbie downer but everything is NOT okay now," Freya said. "Seems to me like things have taken a drastic turn for the worst, considering the fact that Coraline just almost DIED AND EVERYTHING."

Coraline started to cackle.

"How stereotypical of you, the most powerful witch in our family, to cackle like a make believe story witch," Wendy said to her daughter. "Almost dying isn't exactly something to cackle about either. What did we miss?"

Cora, still recovering from her laughter looked at her mother.

"Someone is trying to kill me," she said, still chuckling.

Ingrid looked at her cousin, confused.

"Isn't someone trying to kill all of us?"

Wendy looked at her daughter and then around the room at the rest of her family as she began to speak.

"If I recall correctly, I believe that was a banshee. If I'm right, Cora shouldn't have been the only one affected. I was here too."

"Exactly," Cora said, looking at her cousins. "If the banshee was trying to hurt you guys, it would have hurt her too. It took my mothers form and attacked me. Something or someone is after me."

Joanna stood and walked to the kitchen. Wendy followed her and found her standing in front of the kitchen sink looking out the window worriedly.

"Jo Jo, are you alright?" Wendy asked her sister, as she put a comforting hand on her back.

Joanna turned to face her sister.

"No Wen. I think Sebastian is trying to kill her."

Wendy looked confused.

"Coraline is his daughter. She's our daughter. He would never hurt her."

"No? So tell me, why didn't he come with her to protect us? Why is he still in Asgard? Father is dead, so what or who exactly is Sebastian protecting our people from? Our father, the king, is dead. Wendy, the Asgardian throne is supposed to go to the next oldest living relative. Which is me, however, I wasn't there. Technically, Cora would have taken over. She would have been Asgard's Queen, but Sebastian sent her away to protect us, but gave a vague description of what she was protecting us from."

Wendy still had that confused look on her face.

"For God's sake Wendy, Don't you see? Who is leading our people if Sebastian sent the only heir away?"

"Aunt Jo, I think you're on to something." Cora said from behind her mother. "It would make sense. The banshee said, "You cant save them. Their blood is on your hands now.". What if the banshee wasn't trying to kill me, but trying to warn me."

Wendy's face lost color and she looked from her sister to her daughter.

"We have to go then," Wendy said. "We have to go to Asgard."