Palindrome

Father had told them to stay away from the questioning, and thus wouldn’t be alarmed when they weren’t in the house. He looked at his brother and sister, jealous of the natural bond they had together as twins. Could he really trust them? Benjamin had always had a good tone with Hannah, his easy-going nature allowing him to open up much sooner than Belinda. As soon as he saw the depths of William`s feelings, he treated her like any other, maybe even better since she knew the secret. Belinda had surprised him with her confession, he hadn`t really thought about the fact that she only hung with Benjamin or him. Having close friends was difficult with their life, but he had people he could call friends. William blinked several times, only now realising Ben was talking to him.

“I`m sorry, what?”

“What do you mean, another witch? Hannah is alone.”

William opened the car door and waited until they were all inside before he answered. The big engine purred like a cat; the sound soothing.

“I know Hannah has been expecting a family-friend. I hate to break into her house, but maybe we can find his number and get him here sooner. He seemed like a big deal.”

“Do we really want more witches here now? Father will never stop.” Belinda looked out the window with unreadable eyes. As soon as she looked up, William met her stare in the mirror, holding on.

“We will make him stop. Hannah is right, it isn’t just about her, it`s about all the innocent lives who have been lost over the years. How do we know the spell exists? What if it all has been in vain?”

He focused on the road, Hannah`s house coming up. “Besides, we need someone strong. I`m not overdoing when I say I`m scared shitless about going against our Fathers. But I will. Hannah is mine, and I`m hers, whether she believes it or not. I`d rather have fifty years with her than one month.”

Benjamin lightened the mood by boxing William in the shoulder, grinning like a cat. “Sheesh, I know you used to drink with Shakespeare, but you need to ease up on the intense romance. You`ll scare her away.” Ben shook his head, still smiling and adjusted his posture. “She must be good…” William gave him a warning glance that made Benjamin forego what he was about to say, but at least it made them smile for a few seconds.

Belinda frowned and bit her lip, “What`s different?”

William turned right into Hanna`s driveway. “What do you mean?”

“You`ve had girlfriends before, why Hannah? Is it because she IS a witch? Like she is forbidden fruit?”

The car stopped but nobody got out, the Reeveer-house dark and gloomy without Hannah in it.

William had to sort out the words in his head, it was hard to explain.

“The first time she saw me as a Beast, she walked right up to me and put her little hand over my heart. We`ve been seen as so many things, demons, the Devil, werewolves, always creatures of the night, things that need to be hidden away. Too ghastly to be out in the day. Hannah didn’t see the Beast, she saw me. It was something that clicked inside me, a voice who told me that this is what I`ve been waiting for without knowing it. Like all the things that have happened through the millennials was happening just so I would end up with her right now, right here.”

The car fell silent for a second, Belinda wiped away a tear quickly.

“Mother of all Gods, brother. I think I just puked in my mouth.”

Benjamin acted disgusted, but William saw him reach for the handle and get out of the car a little too quickly, he smiled to himself and followed the others, closing the door gently. “Wait and see for yourself one day.” William laughed but got serious real fast as a powerful gust of wind almost blew him to the ground. Belinda whined and looked panicky towards the house, sensing danger. William had to hold on the car so he wouldn’t fall on his back, but the wind was over as fast as it came.

“Holy Mother, what in Seth`s name was that?” They all got into fighting stance and looked frantically around the big driveway. “It wasn’t natural, anyway.” William focused on the house, had Hannah lied to him when she said she was alone?

Benjamin hissed, “Should we change?” William though about it. “No, if this is a witch, we need the person on our side. Or rather, we need them to believe we`re on their side.”

A loud voice boomed from the house.

“CREATURES OF SETH, WHAT DO YOU WANT?”

They looked at each other, silently arguing about what to say. William took the lead, as the eldest.

“Peace.”

“Peace is a funny choice with all the blood on your hands.”

How much had Hannah told him?

“Are you Samuel? Hannah told me about you.”

A tall man became visible on the porch, dressed in a casual three-piece suit. His hair was starting to grey, but he still looked fit.

“Which makes you William. Where is she?”

William swallowed, the witch would never believe them when he said she was a captive in their home, but they didn’t know how to save her.

“Can we talk inside?” He held up his hands like a moron in a movie. Him, a five-hundred-year-old Beast, with massive power, trembling in front of a witch. Funny how thing changed when you had someone to care for. Someone you loved.

“Sure.” The witch grinned and stepped aside in an elegant move. William knew he trusted the wards on the house to keep them away if they meant harm, but they had all been inside now — the house had accepted them.

Belinda smirked at the handsome middle-aged man when they breezed by and over the threshold, leaving him not stunned, but surprised at least. Inside, he closed the door behind them slowly.

“So, you are really friends of Hannah. Then why have you taken her?”

William didn’t want to go inside the study, it reminded him of the last quarrel with Hannah. On the other hand, all the other rooms reminded him of making love with Hannah, but he led way into the kitchen, subtly telling Samuel he was familiar with the house.

“We need you to listen to us first. How much have Hannah told you?”

Samuel had picked up a pot and offered them tea before he answered. Belinda and Benjamin both looked at William and then politely reclined, never take anything from a witch. Samuel let a smile drift over his face and then he sat down at the high table.

“Relax. I`m a psychic, I can tell your thoughts are pure, to a certain degree.” He slid his eyes towards William, making him blush slightly, before he put his hands down on the wooden table.

“Hannah`s told me some, not enough I think, but I also had some knowledge prior to this. My wife is a descendant of the witches they didn’t hang in Salem, we know your kind was there. We just didn’t know WHAT you were. And I`ve read the book. The Prophecies.”

William froze, “What book?”

Samuel raised an eyebrow, “The Prophecies of Seth?” He smiled and William knew why Hannah had asked for his help — where Hannah`s bones sang for him, these screamed. He swallowed, feeling the Beast stir. Samuel widened his eyes when he saw the purple glow.

“Hannah forgot to mention that. Can I see the book?”

“I think not. Not yet. Where is Hannah?”

Benjamin took a step closer, puffing out his chest.

“We need you to listen to us first, believe us when we say we want to save Hannah.”

Samuel closed his eyes and they all stood still, the waves from his brain almost visible, like tentacles sneaking towards them, probing them.

“Speak then.”

William looked at the others, wondering how to say the words. His mind was still buzzing around the book. Why hadn`t Hannah mentioned it?

“Our Fathers have Hannah. We want to save her, but we need to do it without them realising we had something to do with it. We can`t just walk into the room and free her, and you can`t do it either. The room is built with walls made of mountain ash, hindering any magic, and the roof is clad with black obsidian. We need someone to distract Father and Grand Father, so we can get her out of the room.”

Samuel opened his grey eyes and looked at them, but he seemed far away. “Mountain ash and black obsidian? You`ve done this before. What kind of distraction are you thinking of?”

Belinda finally sat down on one of the chairs and pulled her long hair away from her face.

“Taking into consideration that the two of them have killed hundreds of witches, maybe thousands; A potentially deadly one. “

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