Witch Next Door

Witchiness

Hiding from life's problems never turned out well. As an eleven-year-old, Aaralyn couldn't possibly imagine the upheaval of everything which her family avoided with the simple arrival of a visitor. She also couldn't possibly imagine something causing an upheaval worse than the entry of Dudley Dursley in her life. When the other preteen wasn't busy picking on his cousin, he was busy pulling her hair. It didn't matter how much she tried avoiding him, he constantly pulled at those braids.

She was glad she didn't get invited to the zoo with him, as rumor spread quickly that the trip wasn't pleasant.

Despite her mother's unpleasant implications something was going on, she didn't think anything was going on. She kept being told that Dudley liked her, for why else would he pull her hair. The action didn't really seem right. Her romance novels didn't "read" like that, meaning the boy didn't act "that" way. Supposedly he'd be going to a boarding school, meaning she wouldn't have to deal with him once she hit secondary school. She wasn't sure if this was a good thing, considering the fact she hated school like she did.

Then came the stranger knocking at the door.

Aaralyn was upstairs reading one of her books, glad summer meant no homework. She heard her mother yelling and she came down the stairs wondering what upset her mother. She sat on the stairs, listening to her mother screech. "My daughter is not one of those – those things. Leave."

"We aren't things, mam."

"Tell her. Tell her that our daughter isn't like that?"

Her mother was obviously talking to their father, yet Aaralyn didn't understand what any of the conversation entailed.

The woman however continued. "Nothing strange happens around her, right?"

"You know..." Mr. Rabanal spoke in a calm tone. "We've already lost one child because you wouldn't accept the truth? Are we going to lose another?"

Her blue eyes blinked, confused. Her father spoke of something she'd not heard for a long time. She remembered the fact he existed, but how he always acted like an older brother would. The silence meant he was in truth a hazy thought which she could only picture in her mind because of the picture hidden under her pillow with hopes her mother would never find. She found herself creeping down a little farther.

"We've already lost one child because you wouldn't accept the truth? Are we going to lose another?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about." Her father continued to speak. "He didn't come home over the summers while he went to Hogwarts or the holidays because he knew you didn't want him coming home, but if you had your way you'd completely cut him off."

"We don't mention his name. He's a monster."

"He's not. If anything, you're acting like a monster."

There came a silence. She decided she didn't want to hear another one of her parents' arguments where her mother did all the yelling. She started down the stairs, heading out the door hoping to ignore the turmoil brewing at home. Glancing up at the sky, she saw an owl, her mind contemplating the sight as something out of one of her romance novels. Specifically, one of the ones someone once told her was a gothic romance novel.

Shouting was heard from next door, and she found herself grimacing, wondering why Dudley Dursley needed to be such a nasty person, for his voice bellowed out in a manner she could hear. She found herself walking away, wishing whatever was going on would simply end so she could go home. In turn, she found her way over to the park nearby as the summer war beat down on her.

She sat on an old swing, rocking back and forth thinking of how her mother would likely get angry with her because she was outside on playground equipment. She at least didn't have her hair up in the annoying braids she hated so much. She rocked back and forth, letting the swinging movement calm her. She looked at the ground, wishing she could return to her romance novel up in her room.

She didn't know how much time passed, but eventually her father came. "Hello Aaralyn. Are you ready to come home?"

"Are you and momma still fighting?"

"No. Things will be okay. Have you ever noticed strange things happening to you?"

Aaralyn frowned, remembering how she'd tell strange stories to her other family members and they told her she was having flights of fancy. She simply nodded her head, remembering family – the small unit her mother tried making presentable to the world, and the extended family – simply wasn't anything she wanted to recollect. Despite this, she knew strange things occurred, even though she wrote them off as simple stories she told herself.

"Well, we need to talk. There are some things you need to know."

She followed her father home, unsure of what would happen next. One look at her mother said the woman was still upset at whatever was going on, but her father managed to talk some sense into her. She sat at the table, listening to her father explain things.

She learned that she was a witch just like her brother was a wizard. Her mother's hands squeezed her own arms tightly. Her father explained that they had special gifts, and that her brother went away to a special school. She was to go away to this special school, but he was going to give her a few days to think about it because the person who came – a female witch, agreed to come back and help her get school supplies.

Except, she found herself struggling to believe, feeling as if she were living in some kind of dream. From out of her window, she saw more owls approaching the Dursley family household. The father seemed to be going paranoid, in the same manner her mother seemed to, if not worse. He started by nailing everything up, but then proceeding to pack the entire family into a car, muttering weird things.

Aaralyn didn't think much of it beyond the fact everybody but Dudley's cousin looked terrified. After all, she had her own dilemma.