Chapter One

The light of the dull morning drifted amongst dust particles to illuminate two sleeping girls. Like a blanket draping a bed, the dust in the attic room covered a floor marked only with foot prints. As if just struck by the beauty of the morning, the elder sibling opened her eyes.

For eyes the older sibling was granted two pools of white with specks of gold and green. The nose that sat on her face was petite and round up gently. Thin cheeks with high cheek bones - despite the child’s age - showed on her face. Her eyes currently rested on the other girl across the room from her bed. “Tanny, wake up!” she called, shattering the silence of the morning. Pushing back the thin blanket she revealed a tattered and torn white night gown that clung to her skin as if far too small. She placed bare feet on the dusty floor as she raced to the smaller girl.

“No! I want to sleep!” Tanny pushed the older sibling away. Mary didn’t let her do so and began to shake the younger child. “Mary! Go away!” she yelled finally. Their mother could be heard down stairs coming in and fear raced through both of their hearts.

It never will again. That life is over; I have no fear.

“You’ll catch cold,” Florianne said affectionately. Mary had been shivering already, her arms wrapped around her body so tightly that the daggers sheathed on her arms pressed into her skin. Her thoughts were of the past, a past she couldn’t return to. Of course Mary Rachel heeded Florianne’s advice, in reality she had no choice, the blonde smiled as she wrapped her arm around Mary’s shoulder. Florianne’s blue eyes washed over Mary with a light cooling sensation to her skin. Florianne was stronger in magic than she and she knew that healing was not even Florianne's specialty. Her line's specialty had been, and was always, stripping magic from another magical being.

Gently Mary brushed away the magical symbols that begun to place themselves on her. Florianne did not try to resurrect them, but watched wistfully as they disappeared into the cool air of the night. Despite Mary's care for her cousin, she did not like magic used on her, by anyone. The idea of having magic used on her made her core shiver from fear that it might be misused.

“Your mind was on Tanny,” Florianne guessed. Mary only nodded, biting her lip gently. Her eyes cast down as she sank onto a nearby couch. Florianne sat in an arm chair slightly closer to the fire. She watched Mary for a response, but got none. “Mary Rachel, you cannot allow yourself to dwell on the past. You have to move on.” she sighed. "Tanny is..."

"I know." Mary whispered. She winced at what she knew Florianne was about to say. The topic of Tanny was like a nearly healed would that the scab was continously ripped off right before it was done healing. It was often spoken of, and most people dismissed it quickly.

Deciding that they didn’t need to continue this conversation Florianne, changed the topic. “I hear you’re going hunting tonight,” Florianne’s voice was semi-curious as she poured some jasmine tea. Mary refused when Florianne offered her some, so Florianne shrugged, sipping her tea. When Mary Rachel finally nodded Florianne set her tea down. She measure her emotion before asking, “do you want company?”

Mary shook her head. Florianne seemed to slouch at the response, something very unlike her, she was head witch, a job that was just as important as the Queen of England.

"May I ask why not?" Mary looked up now from her probing interest in the floor. Mary and Florianne locked gazes for the first time that night. Florianne could now see the emotional strain Tanny put on Mary every time she was reminded of her.

"I can't stop you from asking." Mary answered. It was like a staring match that would never end. Time seemed to tick as Mary's reply hung in the air. The most rejection that she had heard since she had become the leader of the witches who resided in France.

Florianne cleared her throat and picked up her tea. It had been an eye to an eye. A question for an answer. Why did Florianne's mind scream disrespect from the words that were in every way respectful. The tone rang in her ears, but she asked, feeling, as she neverh adbefore, stupid for doing it. "Why not?"

Mary didn't reply. Her mouth was tight lipped as her head cast back down to the floor. Silence ensued. Florianne awkwardly adjusted herself on the couch. She was beginning to feel like a gossip, but then she reminded herself, she had the right to know this information. "Are-" Florianne took a deep breath before continuing, "Are you going to answer me?" Florianne asked.

Again silence. Mary lifted her head up and stared at Florianne. "Oh- was I supposed to answer?"

"Yes- You were supposed to answer. Mary Rachel, I asked you a question, you answer me. That is respect, that is the law!" Florianne stood up. Mary Rachel followed her with her eyes, but didn't stand up to follow her. "Why are you being so difficult."

"Why do you care?" Mary Rachel asked.

"Because I am your cousin." Florianne said standing in front of her. She placed her hands over Mary Rachel's. Mary flinched at the contact. "I don't want to see you hurt over what some monster did." Mary stood up. She walked out of reach of Florianne. She looked ready to leave.

"You are being the monster right now." Mary said fighting back tears. Florianne sat down her eyes on Mary's back. She couldn't see her face, but she knew Mary was going to cry if she persisted.

“Your mother seems well,” Florianne spoke quietly. “Have you seen her?”

“If you consider being a hermit, living in a house, and acting as if your living daughter is dead is well, then she is fine - but I have not seen her since I turned 16, and that would have been three years ago,” Mary’s cold voice made Florianne recoil slightly. She obviously had gone too far with Tanny, but this amount of disrespect even for her own mother?

“She lost more than you understand,” Florianne said sharply. Now it was Mary’s turn to recoil. “Her connection was stronger with Tanny. What you think matters nothing, when it happened everything shattered for her. Never speak of your mother that way again, Mary Rachel.”

“My mother lost no more than I did. She forced me to lose even more. Instead of just Tanny, I lost a mother as well. I lost a mother because she refuses to talk, look, or speak to me at all. She stopped practicing magic, Florianne! It wasn’t that bad!” Mary’s voice was so sharp that a weaker witch than Florianne would have looked away.

“Your mother lost her daughter, your sister, to the third greatest evil known to witches. She was young; she had lost her husband already to the second greatest evil. I don’t doubt that if she lost you to the first she would surely commit suicide. She still cares about you Mary,” now Florianne sounded like she was pleading with Mary.

“You sicken me. Why would I become a vampire? I hate vampires and see no reason to even let one live,” Mary was of course lying. She did have one vampire friend. Florianne didn’t know that, only Paris and possibly some vampires did. She didn’t need to state to the world that Mary had a friend she wasn’t supposed to have. "Perhaps you are considering becoming one? You talk about them enough."

“Mary Rachel!” Florianne’s magic flared, “Leave now before I strip you of all your magic,” she said. Mary turned and stumbled towards the door. She looked back at the room, white walls, black furniture, and red carpets. The Head Witch’s residence. She was lucky enough to enter here as many times as she did. Little did she know that with what she would find tonight, it would be the last time she ever entered this house, this mansion.

Yelling in that tone to the head as she had was one of the three worst things to do in witch culture; along side saying a witches name within a month of their death and killing another witch without the head witches powers. Florianne's outburst was nessisary to keep the witches all in line. Only those never happened in her family. They never had anything against another witch. The only thing her family had to do was with the vampires, those that were evil enough to kill her family piece by piece.

Mary sat down on the cobble stone side walk. Her tears made way through her fingers. She couldn;t cry, a witch did not cry. She stood up quickly. She had a job to do, she had to kill a vampire tonight, tonight and every night after. Revenge for what they did to Tanny, her sister.

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A/N:
Back to editing this and revising this and changing it!