The Darkside

Welcome to the Family

"Mom," I said, dropping the sword down.

"No, Octavia, it's not your mother! The shapeshifter's trying to distract you," Aunt Cassie yelled, bringing me back to my senses.

'Aunt Cassie's right,' I said to myself as I picked up the sword and plunged it into its heart.

The monster screamed in agony as it went up in flames, dropping Anastasia and Melissa to the floor. They rushed over to Aunt Cassie and me and we all hugged each other. We were relieved to be alive and rid of the monsters.

"Let's not play with fate again," I said while looking at the monsters' ashes.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Anastasia said.

"Nor would I," Melissa said.

"And all it took was a few monsters from the Soul World and Octavia getting bewitched by the Soul of Greed," Aunt Cassie replied with a smile.

"But what about Mom and Dad?" Arya asked.

"Sorry, Arya, but we can't take that chance again," Anastasia said.

"Then what about me? You have your family, but what do I have?" she asked.

"You're part of this family, too," I said.

"No, I'm not; I'm only Anastasia's half-sister," Arya replied.

"And that's exactly why you're a part of this family," I said, "Besides, there can never be too many witches."

"So, it's settled: you're staying with us," Anastasia said, hugging her.

"Come on, girls; group hug," I said, joining in; and so did Melissa and Aunt Cassie, bringing a smile to Arya's face. I felt all she wanted was to be a part of the family.

'Everyone wants to be needed, and she's no exception. Maybe now she will let go of her hatred and be a part of our family,' I said to myself, hoping for the best.

We had almost finished cleaning up the mess when the doorbell rang.

"Who could that be at this time?" Aunt Cassie asked.

"Who knows? But we best clear this up before checking," I said.

"Whoever it is, I'll keep them occupied while you clean this up," Aunt Cassie said, walking towards the door as the doorbell continued to ring.

"Oh, hello, Orlando. How are you, dear?" Aunt Cassie said aloud. It was Melissa's fiancé that had arrived.

"Who's Orlando?" Anastasia asked. Melissa left me with the task of replying and walked towards the hall.

"Orlando is Melissa's fiancé," I replied.

"Oh, really? She's engaged?" Anastasia asked.

"Yes, and she has been spending all her time here without giving him any attention, so I bet he's pissed," I replied. And I wasn't wrong; I could hear them arguing.

"Since you found out about your new family, you have forgotten about everyone else. Don't misunderstand, I'm happy for you; but I am your family, too, and so are the people who raised you," he said.

Melissa then explained that I was very sick and she and Aunt Cassie had to take care of me.

I was amused at how quickly she came up with that story.

"Oh, I'm so sorry; but why didn't you say anything?" he asked. "I didn't want to bother you with my problems," she replied.

"But your problems are my problems, too," he said.

"I'm sorry, I'll tell you next time," she replied.

"So, how is Octavia; is she alright?" Orlando asked.

"Yes, she made a full recovery," Melissa replied.

I went to the hall to make sure he didn't come inside to check on me.

"Hello, Octavia. I heard you were ill," Orlando said.

"Yes, I was. But thanks to Melissa and Aunt Cassie, I'm okay now," I replied.

"That's good to hear," Orlando said.

"So, can we go now," he asked Melissa while holding her hand.

Melissa looked at me; she was uncertain.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine," I said, "And don't forget your stuff."

"Let them be. I can use them when I come back," she said. She hugged Aunt Cassie and me and left with a sad look on her face.

I felt sad, too. Melissa was always my best friend, and now I've found out that she's my sister, too. Letting her leave was hard, but I had to let her go.

'Her life is with Orlando; being a witch won't change that,' I said to myself as I watched them leave.

After they left, we sat around talking and getting to know each other as Aunt Cassie and I didn't know much about Anastasia and Arya, and they about us.

Later that day, we went to bed hoping to get a good night's sleep. But that was merely wishful thinking as the doorbell began to ring not long after we were under the covers.

'Who the hell is it this time?' I asked myself.

I came out of my room quickly, and so did Anastasia, Arya, and Aunt Cassie. We hurried down the stairs and to the door. But when we opened it, we were left shocked.