Familiar

1. | The High Priestess

SOME DAYS, LIKE birthdays, are special. Today was not one of those days. I had been dreading my twenty-first birthday since I was ten when my older sister told me about aunt Rachel's summoning spell and how she had to be locked away forever because she failed.

And to say I had a bad feeling about today of all days would be kind of an understatement. It was the worst and best day of my life; only I didn't know it yet.

"Odette, get downstairs. Now, or we'll be late and you know very well how much I hate to be late." My mother called up from somewhere downstairs and I shut my bedroom door behind me, walking briskly down the hall to the stairs. Among other things, mother disliked running in the house and forbade us to do so. Although my younger brother Boyd was somehow exempt from this rule.

"Odette, now!" My mother yelled from the front door where Price, the family's butler was holding the door for her.

"I'm here, I'm here," I announced breathlessly while pulling on my coat. My mother's face was drawn tight and she strode out the door without another word. I followed seconds behind, veering towards the back of my family's town car. Our driver, Duncan, opened the opposite back door for my mother before opening mine. It always made me uncomfortable when the household staff opened doors for me. When it was just me I'd insist on getting them myself, knowing full well what my mother would do if she caught me doing what she deemed inappropriate for a Van Ness.

"Take us into town Duncan, and hurry, we're already behind schedule." Exasperation and disappointment laced my mother's voice and though she didn't look at me, I could tell she meant it especially for me.

We rode in silence, my mother no doubt giving me the silent treatment as she so often did when I displeased her and me not bothering to make the effort. I was already so anxious for tonight that I didn't need an argument with my mother to increase my anxiety tenfold. Plus, it would just make for an unhappy excursion for the both of us.

Duncan didn't speak or make any remarks about tonight or the weather but he did bid my mother and I words of joyful shopping. Mother only nodded in his direction when he opened the door for her but I gave him a smile and murmured a thank you. And thus began the preparations for tonight.

"Anya, this needs to be taken in a quarter inch. It's too billowy and Odette looks far shorter and plumper than she is. My entire family is coming in tonight and she needs to look presentable." I fought back the urge to fidget as Anya, the seamstress added more pins to the dress I was wearing. This was our first stop of many yet we had been here for a better part of two hours.

"Anna, it's a ceremonial gown. It's supposed to be loose."

My mother's mouth became pinched and as she looked down her nose at Anya she said, "I'm a Van Ness, and a Van Ness never wears exactly what everyone else does. Take it in." My mother then turned and walked away towards the powder room and when she was out of sight I glanced down at Anya.

"I'm sorry Anya. She's just overwhelmed I think with my ritual and all the planning she's been doing. She's not this irritable." My mouth tasted bitter with the lie that had rolled off of it. Of course, my mother was probably feeling overwhelmed but she was also annoyed by everything in the world around her. She had a passionate dislike of nearly everything, except for my sister and brother... and father for that matter.

Anya only snorted as she worked the waistline of the dress, "Forgive me, but your mother is impossible. She's only a Van Ness by marriage yet walks around this town like a queen." I chuckled slightly and so did Anya. My mother did appear to hold herself like royalty. Talking down to nearly everyone she's met and turning her nose up to those she deemed unworthy of her time or presence.