章 1: The Abandoned Witch
A little girl sat in front of the door of her house. Her eyes were red and swollen and her face was stained with tears.
She looked at the door with grief, filled and regret that was filling her heart with darkness that crawled under her skin.
"What did you do this time?" Ana, her sister peeked through the window and whispered softly.
"Mother was hitting me with the iron stick. It melted and her hand burnt when I looked at it. I did not do it, I swear." She stood up and looked at her sister with hope and pleadings when Ana sighed and shook her head.
Her eyes followed the marks on the soft skin of fifteen year old sister. Though she was younger, she had always been the caring one as her elder sister Bella, often got in trouble with her mother and thrown out.
"It is because my eyes are different." whispered Bella and closed her eyes. If it were in her hands, she would have already gouged them out and thrown them away to get the love of her mother like her sister Ana.
Ana's silver eyes stared at the dark obsidian eyes of her sister and felt pain in them. All witches had silver hair and silver eyes, like all vampires had crimson eyes. It was their fate, their identity.
But her sister had eyes darker than night. And when Bella was furious, the Sclera of her eyes turned black too. It was scary but she knew her sister never meant harm.
"She is just in a bad mood. Come!" Thirteen year old Ana touched the iron bars and they disappeared instantly.
She extended her hands to Bella who beamed and took them. She entered the room under the soft glow of two candles near the door and hugged Ana.
They both snuggled as they shared the small bed in the cold night.
When Julia opened the door in the morning, she was not surprised to see her elder daughter in the bed. But that did not mean she was not furious.
Her lips started to move in another chant when her husband held her hands.
"Damon.." she whispered in a soft voice. Her face beaming suddenly and she closed the door again. "You are home!"
She hugged the man who smiled back. His hands wrapped around his wife with love and affection.
"I missed you! The council this time had made new rules. They are hunting us badly." the woman pressed her lips. Unsure of how she would be able to help her husband in this matter.
"It has been a decade since they have started hunting us. Can we do nothing?" Damon let her go with a sigh.
He took off his wet coat and shoes and walked towards the fireplace.
"They think we are hiding the criminals. It had been a decade since the lord of vampires had been found dead. But they still believe that it was witches who did it. They have let go of their reasoning." he rubbed his wet face and leaned on the chair.
His wet silver hair falling on the chair and his silver eyes flickered with exhaustion.
Julia stood behind him and rubbed his shoulders. Worried for her husband and for their future.
Many of the witches were leaving their territory and shifting to the south. They were using spells to hide the color of their hair and living as humans among them.
But their coven could not do it. They belong to the high coven, the head of all the witches. If they would go into hiding, it meant defeat for their kind and the future of witches would go bleak.
"But Ana is growing and we could not hide her in our house for long. She had already started venturing in the markets when I did not pay attention." Damon nodded, his dim eyes settling on the fire.
"At least, Bella will be safe. It was lucky that she did not have eyes like us." Julia paused. Her eyes strained and she looked hurt by the comment.
"She is not my child. I could not give birth to such aberration." The voice was low but the pain and anger hiding in it was so strong that Damon winched by her words.
"She is our child. How many times do I need to tell you that she is no different from us.." his voice raised. All the anger, tension and hopelessness mixing in his emotions and leaving his wife.
Julia stared at him with her eyes burning hot.
"She killed many of us! Did you forget her last episode?" accusing her husband, she tried to get rid of her own guilt, "she tried to burn me last night too."
She raised her hands. Though there was no bruise or mark when Damon touched it, he could feel the traces of healing magic on it and sighed.
"She did not do it intentionally." she looked away, not liking how her husband did not understand.
Their child was not a witch but a demon. A thing that came from hell while they were children of god. The witches were nothing but future generations of the son of god and daughter of humans.
He pulled her in his arms and kissed her neck. He knew it was her weak spot and slowly her anger melted.
"I love you, Julia. That is the first and last truth of my life." he kissed her neck again, "the witches who left the village were happy by your gift. They send a gift to thank you."
Her smile went brighter when her husband took out a small ruby necklace from his pocket and placed it around her neck.
"Thank you for being here for all of us." Julia shook her head. She went to the kitchen and brought out breakfast for all of them.
While she was setting the table, Damon went and changed his clothes. Then he knocked on the door of their daughters.
Ana was still sleeping carefree but Bella was wide awake. Her dark eyes looked at the door listless and he knew she had heard them.
It was not the first time when Bella heard her mother cursing her. She knew that her mother hated her to her core and if possible, she would have killed Bella long ago.
Yet, the man feigned ignorance and she forced herself to believe it was only because.. He could not make a choice.
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