Black Magic Women

78

Zelda steadied her heavy head with her hands, sighing deeply. How did it come to this? How did her life become so complicated? She couldn't remember it anymore. It felt like so much time had passed since that fateful day when all of their lives got turned upside down.

She would have been lying if she said that she didn't miss the simplicity of the time before Mary and Sabrina's 16th birthday but she wouldn't trade the brunette for anything this world had to offer her.

She couldn't keep the tears in any longer. Mary's lonely heart reaching out for hers, sharing its hurt and sorrow, was too much for her to take. She didn't have the strength to keep the act of the woman she once was upright for her family anymore.

She had changed, to better or worse was debatable but she had changed. She wasn't the same witch anymore and Mary had brought out new sides of her she hadn't even known were there. She was tired of portraying things she no longer was and she didn't know how long she would have been able to keep her act straight anyway, so she let the tears run free.

Of course, old habits die hard and she tried her best to not let her family see her cry. She hid her face behind her hands and kept her sobs to herself. She hated weaknesses. They make you vulnerable and she never wanted to come across as anything but confident.

But she simply couldn't keep all of these emotions bottled up anymore. It was just all too much. Having one set of worries and troubles is tough but having two was pushing the ginger past her breaking point.

Only when she couldn't hear Mary anymore, did she try to pull herself together. She still felt the brunette but she must have shielded her thoughts from her and it hurt. Zelda couldn't deny that it did. She knew that Mary was seeking privacy but not hearing her familiar buzz worried her.

"Auntie Zee?" Sabrina asked and the ginger felt a soft hand land on her shoulder, trying to soothe her but she didn't feel like being soothed by anyone at that moment. She wanted to be alone, wash away her sorrows with some good old liquor and sleep it all out.

"Don't," she warned and held up a hand, signaling for Sabrina to just stop.

"What happened, dear?" Hilda asked and Zelda just shook her head, not feeling up for the talk, she knew she couldn't avoid forever. At some point she'd have to tell Sabrina and Ambrose about what happened and while Hilda knew most of the story, she didn't know about the effects it had on Mary.

"None of your concern," Zelda hissed and brushed away the tears confidently.

"You can talk to us. We are your family," Sabrina said and tried to make out what was going on with her aunt. She had clearly missed a lot and she didn't even try starting to piece together what might have gone on while she hadn't been present.

"Mary is my family, too," Zelda said and watched Sabrina's expression change.

"No, she isn't. She doesn't belong to this family. What did she ever do besides bring pain upon us? Why is she even still here?" Sabrina hissed and wanted answers. She hated knowing less than everyone else and she was sick and tired of being left out. She wasn't a baby anymore and could handle whatever was going on, so she spoke up.

"She is still here because she belongs to me now, Sabrina," Zelda hissed and Hilda didn't know whether or not she should just let them fight it out or interfere before anyone got seriously hurt.

"What are you talking about?" Sabrina asked, rather confused. Instead of answers she got only more questions and it was driving her insane.

"I love her and we are tied together now," Zelda said, trying to stable her voice to an even and calm tone but she didn't quite manage. She hadn't planned on telling Sabrina like this but her patience became fairly thin and she didn't want to keep hiding things when it was just easier to tell the truth.

"You what?" Sabrina couldn't believe her ears. She had never thought about her aunt leading that kind of a relationship with the woman she once looked up to.

"I love her and have for some time now. While we were away, we performed a bonding spell. We are one now," Zelda almost whispered, not trusting her lacking ability to speak.

"I can't believe you," Sabrina said, shaking her head and Hilda could see the anger fuming behind Zelda's eyes but she also knew that Zelda would never raise her hand against Sabrina. While her violent tendencies were very much familiar with her sister, her niece had never been harmed in any way.

"No, I can't believe you. I can't believe that after everything that happened, you still have the audacity to think that you're in the right. We have sacrificed a lot for you young lady and you have no right to question my decisions. You always speak your mind and never think about the consequences. It has got to stop! I understand that you're angry about what she has done. I very much know that it is your right but you don't have the right to question my relationship with her. You don't have a single clue what's going on and it's far more important than your little dispute," Zelda hissed and pointed her finger at her niece, having finally lost the patience to deal with her niece's behavior.

It was true. Sabrina spoke without thinking and Zelda had told her many times that her actions have consequences but up until now, her family had suffered them instead of the hot headed teenage witch and it was finally enough.

Zelda would no longer stay considerably calm when the world around them was falling apart and they had to deal with real problems. Problems that killed. There was no time for Sabrina's unnecessary drama.

"But-"

"Enough Sabrina. I have had enough," Zelda said and pushed her chair back, standing up.

"I have finally had enough of your drama when we have real problems that are far greater than anything you could imagine," Zelda hissed and turned to leave the room without another word. Everything had been said. She left with her head held high and an unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Before she even had the chance to leave the room, her legs gave away underneath her and with an agonizing grunt her body hit the floor, knocking her straight out.

She wasn't conscious to see her family rushing to her side, trying to figure out what had happened.