How Soon Is Now

Part One - Chapter Three: Warnings and Family

Nicola quietly entered the house, she knew that the others would be waiting and they would be disappointed with what she had done.

Nicola knew that they had felt her returned home and there would be no hiding; she took a deep breath as she walked into the living room where her coven awaited her.

“Nicola sit,” Lydia said signalling for her to sit down as she watched Nicola with disapproving eyes; she was the coven leader and everyone had to do what she said.

The coven consisted of eight members that included the twins Lydia and Nathan, Nicola, Amber Powell, Adrian Blackwood and his younger sister Marissa Blackwood, Daniel Connors and his currently absent sister Neena Connors.

Nathan sat beside his sister, he was pleased that something was finally being done about the troublesome member of the coven; Nicola was always meddling in stuff that she shouldn’t.

Amber rolled her eyes, she truly didn’t understand what the problem was right now; she disliked the twins because they picked on others for not doing as they did.

Nicola quietly sat down and peeked around as the other stared at her; she didn’t doubt that Lydia and Nathan had told everyone what had happened while they were out at the local shop and hospital.

The coven’s familiar, who was a Siamese cat named Katrina; which was sitting on Lydia’s lap moved to sit with Nicola making Lydia frown at them.

Nicola stroked Katrina who purred contently as she sat on the blonde’s lap, she was waiting for someone to say something and she knew that it wasn’t going to be pleasant.

“What were you thinking Nicola? Always so selfish,” Lydia said making Nicola look down at the cat, she didn’t know what to think and she hated how Lydia made her feel bad for saving a little girl’s life.

Nicola didn’t think she was being selfish, she was using her gifts, her abilities to save lives unlike the others; most of them used their gifts for selfish or harmful reasons.

“I was saving a little girl’s life… she was an innocent that need to be saved,” Nicola said glaring at Lydia and Nathan, she didn’t want to feel guilty about doing the right thing; she had saved an innocent and that was what she had done.

A couple of her coven members rolled their eyes at her words; they were sick of Nicola sticking to the old ways that their parents had abandoned like they had.

“Stop clinging to the old ways… it’s pointless and useless, we are superior to them,” Daniel said making Nicola frown at him; she hated how some of her coven thought of the people around them as if they were nothing.

“I think she did the right thing,” Marissa argued making Lydia glare at her; she knew that the youngest member of the coven was easily swayed and she hoped to put a stop to this.

Nicola looked at her grateful, Marissa was one of her closest friends out of the coven along with Adrian; she didn’t understand why what she was doing was wrong.

“Why can’t you understand… the old ways are gone, there is no point to them anymore,” Lydia said shaking her head getting to her feet, they were better than everyone in the town and Nicola needed to understand.

“Because I can make a difference…” Nicola said looking at her and she shook her head; she stood placing Katrina on the floor before turning on her heel and walking out of the room

***

Nicola sighed stepping into her bedroom, she had lived in the coven house for as long as she could remember after she had lost her mother; like the other members of the coven she was an orphan.

Nicola smiled as she sat on her bed, it was nice to be away from the others and her bedroom was her own personal space where she didn’t have to listen to the crap that Lydia and Nathan talked about.

Katrina entered the bedroom and purred as she moved to sit next to the blonde; Nicola knew why the familiar’s decision to sit with her had annoyed Lydia.

Familiars were natural drawn to the coven leaders as they were a sign of how powerful the witch was in a coven and often help guide them to the right decision.

However Lydia and her family, who had served as the coven’s leaders for the last two generations weren’t the natural leaders of the coven; Nicola was the rightful leader of the coven, who like her mother had refused to take up the mantel, much to her grandmother’s annoyance.

However that didn’t mean that Katrina didn’t sense the rightful leader, she often followed Nicola more than anyone else of the coven; it gave Nicola the confidence to do what she did.

“Hey…” Nicola murmured as Katrina climbed onto her lap and purred at, she rubbed her head against Nicola’s as if trying to comfort her after what had happened.

Nicola smiled softly as she brushed her fingers gently along Katrina’s back; she knew she should listen to Lydia but she didn’t agree with using her powers for selfish reasons.

“Ignore them…” Marissa said as she walked into Nicola’s bedroom, Nicola looked at her friend; they both shared similar views on how their powers should be used and didn’t know why Lydia didn’t want to use them for good.

“Marissa’s right, ignore them… helping people is what we are meant to do,” Adrian said watching Nicola as he sat in her desk chair; he smiled at her wishing that she would take control back from Lydia and Nathan.

The three often stuck together when it came to things like this with the coven, Nicola smiled back at him; however Marissa and Adrian could see that it was forced.

“What happened Nicola?” Marissa asked concerned knowing that something had happened while Nicola had been out for the day; Nicola looked down at Katrina who mewled at her softly at her.

“You know the new family that moved here from Liverpool… the one whose daughter I saved?” Nicola asked softly making the two siblings nod concerned; they didn’t know where she was going with this but Adrian and Marissa could both see that this was important.

“I went to see how the little girl was after what happened… after Lydia and Nathan had confronted me, the father approached me,” Nicola said slowly as she remembered what had happened earlier that day; she could still remember the charge that she had felt and it scared her.

Marissa looked at her friend concerned, she didn’t know what Nicola was going to say but she was worried about what could have happened.

“He thanked me and I told him I didn’t do anything… as I went to leave he grabbed my hand… I have never felt anything like it before,” Nicola said frightened, she still didn’t know why she felt like Fernando was important; Gideon’s warning had told them all to stay away from newcomers and the locals.

Marissa looked at Nicola, she recalled reading of something like that in her book of shadows, she couldn’t remember what it was about but it had been something good.

“It was like being electrocuted… like I had woken up for the first time in my life,” Nicola said making the two stare at her taking in what she said, she wasn’t sure what was going to happen but the arrival of the Torres family was going to change things in town.

Nicola just hoped that things weren’t going to change for the worst and something good was coming.