Etta knew Maggie was up to something. She could hear the creaking footsteps go down the hall and pass her bedroom, one of the benefits of an older house. That's also why Etta vowed to use the window if she ever needed to sneak out. Actually, it had been Maggie who taught her that trick; she must've been wearing a skirt.
A scream made her smirk, and she opened the door to see Maggie and Mel mid-fight already.
"I said no," Mel insisted, glaring. "And why are those Greek parties always themed? Have you thought about that? Psychologically? That they're always pretending to be other people?"
"No, because I actually like to have fun," Maggie said with a smirk.
"Don't you threaten me!"
All three sisters turned their heads to their mother's room, each with varying looks of concern. For Mel, it was biting her lower lip; for Maggie, a furrowed brow she always complained was going to give her frown lines; for Etta, it was pursed lips and hands clasped in front of her body.
"This is not a witch hunt; it's a reckoning, and I want him out."
Etta moved over to the room, only for Mel to grab her shoulder and hold her back. She pointed at one of the floorboards, the one that always squeaked and had been Maggie's downfall that night, then put a finger to her lips. Etta nodded, skipping over the loose board, her elder sisters right behind her.
They stopped in the doorway, and Mel spoke as their mother hung up the phone. "Mom?" She turned around. "What was that about?"
Marisol let out a sigh. "Professor Thaine is protesting his suspension," she explained. "And since Angela Wu can't testify…"
"Ew, that nasty old rustbucket?" Etta asked. "I swear he gives me the heebie-jeebies."
"He should," Mel replied. "He sexually assaulted Angela Wu, and now she's in a coma. Doesn't exactly scream 'ringing endorsement.'" She looked over to their mother. "Are you okay, Mom?"
Marisol gave them a soft smile and nodded. "Yeah," she replied. When Mel shot her a knowing look, she added on, "I'm fine, honestly." She smiled, looking at her daughters. "Look at you three. My beautiful girls."
Maggie let out a tiny, barely-noticeable snort. "Okay, did you have a glass of wine or something, Mom?"
Etta nodded in agreement and walked over, plopping down on the bed and laying back on it. "Yeah, you're being weird. I mean, weirder than usual."
Marisol rolled her eyes and gave Etta a light swat to her stomach. "No!"
Etta raised an eyebrow.
"Okay, one." She looked over to Mel and Maggie. "C'mere. Marietta, make some room for your sisters."
"It's Etta, Mom," Etta reminded her as she sat up. "The last thing I need is to be another Vera M at Hilltowne High. These two already set up a reputation for me before I even got there."
Maggie shook her head. "Excuse me, we set up a great reputation for you- or at least I did."
"You mean I did," Mel added in, smirking and wrinkling her nose in a playful manner.
Marisol just smiled at the exchange. "I feel so lucky to be the mother of three special young women," she sighed. "Special in such different ways. Always remember that- you're better together, your differences are your strengths-"
Etta snorted as Maggie mouthed the words along with their mom.
"-and nothing is stronger than your sisterhood. Even when you use it to make fun of me." The four burst into giggles. "Nurture that."
"Don't worry, Mom, we are all over it," Mel assured her.
Maggie nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we're gonna nurture it so hard- but later, can we go? It's bad enough I'm the only freshman with a curfew."
"Yes," Marisol replied. "And… you know what, Marietta? Why don't you go ahead and see that movie with Rose?"
Etta's face lit up. "Oh my God, really?" she asked. Next thing they knew, a squeal escaped her, forcing the other three women to cover their ears. "Oh my God, you are the best mom ever I love you!" She lunged, wrapping her mother in a hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! You can totally call me Marietta forever for this."
Marisol laughed. "I plan on it. I'll see you later tonight, okay? I want check-ins from both of you before bed."
Maggie let out a fake, drawn-out groan before cutting herself off with, "Fine. Love you."
"Love you, too."
Etta jumped off the bed and ran to her room to get ready, narrowly missing her sisters as they walked out the door. She stopped in the doorway, watching as the two clasped hands for a moment before parting ways. Despite herself, a frown appeared on Etta's face, and she glanced down at her own hands for a moment.
"Don't worry about them."
Etta jumped, looking up at her mom as she walked down the stairs.
"I'll admit things are a little different between the older siblings than they are with the youngest, but you have gifts, Marietta, things that make you special."
"Didn't we just have this conversation?"
Marisol sighed and walked up to her youngest daughter. "We did," she confirmed, "but there's something else in you, something different than any of your sisters. You have a light no one else could ever match, Marietta. Don't let anyone snuff that out, most of all yourself."
Etta nodded, wiping a tear from her eye. "Thanks, Mom. I'll see you after the movie."
"I'll lock up."
Etta shut the door, only walking away when she heard it lock behind her.
As Etta walked up to the theater, her eyes caught those of her best friend, a girl only an inch taller than her but made up for any imagined shortness with a pair of three-inch heels at any given time.
"I can't believe your mom let you come on a school night," she said.
"Well I'm happy to see you, too, Rose," Etta replied, giving her a good-natured poke to the stomach.
Rose jerked back but somehow didn't lose her balance. "We still watching Searching?"
"I don't see any other showtime that lines up with my curfew, so yes, definitely," Etta replied.
About halfway through the movie, Etta felt something lurch in her heart. Marietta.
Her head whipped around, looking for the source of the noise. "Did you hear that?" she whispered.
Rose cast her a confused look. "You mean the movie you're interrupting?"
"You didn't hear someone say my name?" Marietta. "There it is again! It kinda sounded like my mom."
"No," Rose replied with a shake of her head. "You okay?"
Etta nodded. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine, I just… I'm sorry, I've gotta go." Without a second thought, Etta grabbed her bag and left the theater, pulling out her phone as she did. On it was a message from her mom to herself, Maggie, and Mel.
Girls.
Come home.
Right now.
All of you.
"Shit." Etta took off running, rushing back to the house as fast as possible. Her heart was racing and her lungs burned well before she even got to her block, but she didn't dare stop.
A pair of screams hit her ears, and she pushed herself faster, coming upon her house and seeing her sisters standing in the attic, leaning out of the rose window looking down at something. She followed their gaze, and her heart stopped. There, lying on the pavement, was the body of their mother.
THREE MONTHS LATER
"So… how are you doing today?"
Etta closed her locket and raised an eyebrow as she looked at Rose. "You know, you don't have to ask me that every morning, right?"
Rose winced and grit her teeth together. "Sorry," she said. "I'm really bad at this grief thing, I mean, the only person close to me I've lost was my goldfish- not to say your mom's like a goldfish- did I mention I'm really bad at this grief thing?"
"Once or twice," Etta replied. A small laugh escaped her. "If it makes you feel any better, your craptastic consoling methods make me smile sometimes."
"Then I've done my job."
Etta snorted and rolled her eyes, linking her arm with Rose's. "Now we just need to get through another day and then- boom. Three-day weekend."
"BLESS THE LORD!"
"Oh my God shh!" Etta reached over, covering Rose's mouth. "You are literally the worst."
Rose wrenched her head out of Etta's grasp. "You love me."
Etta sighed. "Darn. You got me there." She gave Rose's arm a squeeze. "Any plans for this weekend?"
"Band practice," Rose groaned. "You?"
"Just more listening to my sister's crazy conspiracy theories," Etta replied with false enthusiasm. "I swear, that girl is one week away from making a case to Ancient Aliens."
"Ew." The bell rang before Rose could add to her statement. "See you at lunch?"
"Always."
That night, Etta couldn't help but eavesdrop on her sister's conversation with the police that brought her home. She'd been promptly banished to her room, but that didn't mean she had to stay there, right?
"My mom supported Angela Wu when she came forward; suddenly Angela ODs even though she's a straight-A scholarship student? And then my mom dies?"
Oh boy. Mel was going down Conspiracy Theory Avenue again.
"And in both cases, there's no evidence of foul play," Detective Bailey added in.
This was going to end badly. She had to do something. Like, now.
"Hey, Mel," Etta said, practically running down the stairs. "Um… what's for dinner?"
Mel blinked a couple of times, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. "Um… I, uh… how does pizza sound? We can order your favorite."
"Yeah, sounds great." Etta pulled out her phone and walked into the kitchen, though she didn't dial anything. Not yet.
"Mel, you do not want Child Services to come in on this," Niko said softly. "They're still making weekly visits, right?"
There was a bit of hesitation before Mel replied, "They are."
Another pause. "Okay, then… focus on Etta. Get her fed, keep her clean, get her to school on time. That's what they're gonna be looking for, and talking about your mom like this is not going to win you any favors."
"Yeah," Mel said with a sigh. "I get it. Goodnight, detectives." She stood up, followed by Niko and Detective Bailey, and Etta heard the door open and close. She let out another sigh, and then walked into the kitchen, coming face to face with Etta, phone still unused in her hand. "Eavesdropping?"
"I was curious," Etta mumbled.
Mel let out a frustrated huff. "Etta, you are lucky that was Niko and Trip and not some random detectives who would've reported me!"
"I'm sorry, okay!?" Etta snapped back. "God forbid I expect the person taking care of me to have food planned for dinner tonight! You know you would've gotten yourself in more trouble if you kept talking; I was just trying to help!"
"Mel? In trouble? Must be Tuesday."
The two turned their attention to Maggie, now standing in the doorway.
"This is not some joke," Mel growled. "I am trying to take care of Etta while you go out partying every night!"
"I'm eighteen, Mel, how exactly do you think I'm supposed to handle this?" Maggie demanded. "You're the one who's supposed to be responsible, not me! God, if I could take Etta to the Kappa house when I get in, I would! You're so angry all the time; it's not good for her!"
Etta crossed her arms in frustration "'Her' is right here and is sick of you two talking about me like I'm not in the room!"
"Well excuse me for trying to take care of you!" Mel snapped.
"Bang-up job you're doing of it, Pizza Lady."
Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock.
All three sisters turned to the door.
"You didn't already order, did you?" Mel asked.
At Etta's shake of her head, the three walked out to the foyer, and Maggie opened the door to reveal a woman in an orange peacoat.
"Hi," the woman said. "Um… I'm Macy Vaughn."
"Yes?" Maggie asked, as though she hadn't been fighting with her sisters just seconds earlier.
"Sorry, uh-" the woman let out a nervous laugh. "I just moved here and-"
"I'm sorry, this isn't a great time," Maggie cut in. She glanced back at Mel and Etta.
Macy took a step forward, shoulders tight together. "No, wait, please," she begged. They all stood there for a moment, waiting for her to continue. "I think I'm your sister." She held up a photo that, while Etta couldn't make out the figures in the foreground, definitely held their house in the back.
Suddenly, lightning flashed, accompanied by a clap of thunder, and the house went dark.
"Come in," Etta said, stepping past her sisters to her… maybe sister. "Before the bottom drops out on all this rain." She tugged at Macy's sleeve, and she readily stepped inside. Etta held up her phone, still out to call for pizza, and turned on the flashlight. She looked the photo Macy had over as Maggie shut the door. "Whoa," she breathed. "That's… that's Mom."
"Where'd you get it?" Mel cut in, taking out her own phone and pointing the flashlight directly into Macy's eyes.
Macy looked rightly stunned, blinking and holding up a hand to shield her eyes. "I found it after my dad died," she explained. "I just got a job at the university; I was walking by and saw your house."
Mel let out an unimpressed laugh. "So our mom gets murdered, and-"
"Oh my God, would you shut up?" Maggie cut in.
"She was murdered?"
"I am so sorry about her," Etta said.
"What do you want?" Mel held her glare at Macy.
"I don't want anything," Macy replied with a shake of her head. "I-I just found out and thought maybe you…" She let her voice drift off. "Whatever. This was clearly a mistake." She snatched the photo back from Etta and charged out of the house, and Mel went the opposite direction to her room.
Maggie and Etta stood there for a moment, still trying to process what just happened. "So… pizza?"
Etta did not expect to wake up tied to a chair the next morning. Nope. She expected to wake up at noon, break into her mom's liquor cabinet, and get so drunk she didn't wake up until noon on Sunday because at the rate things were going in the Vera house, she'd rather have her social worker walk in on her getting drunk for the first time than she would spend another minute under the same roof as Mel.
Instead, she woke up next to her sisters (all three of them) with a man standing in front of them like some sort of Saw movie- that being said, she really shouldn't have stayed up to watch Jigsaw last night, that one was on her.
"Hello, ladies." Ah, the man spoke.
She did the only thing she could think of: scream at the top of her lungs and pray somebody heard.
Without warning, the globe in the corner of the attic flew out of its stand, heading full-force at their attacker. Equally abruptly, it stopped when he held out his hand. He turned to them and gave a serial-killer-esque smile (was he trying to be reassuring?) and said, "Don't worry." He lowered his hand, and the globe went along with it. "There is a reasonable explanation for all of this. You are witches. Witches who are destined to save the world from impending doom. That's right, you are the Charmed Ones- the most powerful trio of witches."
Etta raised an eyebrow. "You expect me to believe I have superpowers?"
"Oh, no, not you," the man added in. "Sorry, I should have clarified that. Only the eldest three are the Charmed Ones; I've simply been informed that it's much more convenient to inform any non-magical siblings of their familial history. But don't worry, if one of your sisters dies, you'll inherit their ability."
"Die?" Maggie demanded.
Mel shook her head. "He's the new Women's Studies chair; I knew there was something off about him," she declared.
"Well, that is unnecessarily rude, but I'll let it go because I know this is a lot."
"Untie us right now or else-"
The man held his hands up. "No 'or else' necessary, let me get those." He waved his hand, and their ropes vanished into thin air.
Macy stared at her wrists where the ropes had once been. "This isn't happening!"
"Oh thank god I'm not crazy," Mel breathed.
"All of this is crazy!" Maggie snapped. "I'm not a witch, I don't even like wearing witch costumes on Halloween, not even slutty ones-"
"GIRLS!"
They all jerked their heads back to Harry, giving him murderous glares. He took a deep breath to steady himself. "Sorry, ladies. Now, we all saw Macy move the globe; looks like we've got telekinesis."
"That's not a thing," Macy said with a shake of her head. "There has to be a scientific explanation."
"Ah, yes, there is; it's called 'molecular witchetics.'" Harry let out a little laugh. "Particle witchology?"
Mel waved her hand at him, but nothing happened. Again, she gestured, and nothing. The third time, she caught Harry's attention.
"Alright, what are you doing?"
Another gesture. "Trying to freeze time!" Mel snapped.
Harry smile. "Oh! Is that your power? Well, that makes sense, very common with control freaks."
"So why isn't it working?" Mel grit out.
"It's a craft, witchcraft," Harry explained. "Which means you have to figure out how to access and control it." He held his hand out just in time to catch the lamp Macy aimed at his head. "Well, looks like you've already mastered yours, though I would appreciate not having things thrown at me every time I speak."
Maggie let out a nervous breath. "So this means that I really was reading minds?" she asked.
Harry nodded. "A testament to your innate sensitivity, or… desperate insecurity, they're two sides of a coin, really. Not to worry, I will help you understand it all."
"And what about me?"
All eyes went to Etta when she finally spoke again. Harry smiled, oblivious despite the frown on her face. "Ah, you're welcome to be my assistant!" he chirped.
Maggie rolled her eyes. "She doesn't want to be your assistant, you dingbat! Can't you see the watery puppy eyes?" She got out of her chair and walked over to Etta, kneeling down in front of her. "Etta, I promise, this is not gonna get in the way of your life, no matter what power you have-"
"No, no, as I said, she has no power," Harry cut in. "She may be able to cast some rudimentary spells and make potions, but she has no active powers and will not unless one of you dies."
Etta let out a breathy laugh. "Great," she grumbled. She got up out of her chair and started heading towards the door when she heard Macy speak.
"How are you not getting this?" she asked. "You're both dingbats!" She followed Etta, only catching up at the bottom of the stairs. "Wait, M- oh god, I don't know your name."
Etta stopped and turned around, no longer bothering to hold back the tears. "It's Etta," she declared. "I'm the forgotten one, always. Mel and Maggie go out and do things, and I'm left behind. Now it's gonna be the three of you, fighting evil and using magic or whatever, and I'll be stuck here playing Suzie Homemaker with the weird new Women's Studies chair slash… Merlin? What even is he?"
Macy sighed and reached out, taking Etta's hand in her own. "You are… in a really bad spot right now. There's no way around it, you are. On… so many levels, I don't even know where to begin. But we're not gonna let you fall behind. You're our sister, and magic powers aren't going to change that. Besides, there has to be a scientific explanation for all of this, and once I figure out what that is, it'll be possible for me to access the latent genome keeping whatever power you have suppressed."
Etta gave Macy a small smile. "Really?" Macy nodded. "Thank you." She reached out, giving Macy a hug. "You know, I think you're my favorite sister, and I've known you for less than a day."
Laughter bubbled out of Macy, and she pulled back.
"As I was saying-" the duo turned to see Harry, Mel, and Maggie walking down the stairs- "I am an advisor to witches; they call me a whitelighter. Physically, I died in 1957, but I still hold the appearance of the age I was when I passed. Any questions?"
Etta pointed at Harry. "What's that giant book you're carrying?"
"Ah, the Book of Shadows," Harry declared. "It's an ancient spell book passed from witch to witch in your family. Now, the ancient oracles predicted three signs of the apocalypse: the first, when the weakest of men reaches ill-gotten glory and- oh god, this goes on and on, the language is far too flowery for my taste, but suffice to say, it's your current president."
"Can we go back to the part where you said 'apocalypse?'" Maggie asked.
Harry shook his head. "Not really, I'm in a rhythm here." That earned him nothing by eye-rolls. "The second sign, the movements great sages fall- that refers to your mother's death and senior witches who have been killed since-"
"Other witches?" Mel cut in. "How many are there?"
Harry slammed the book shut. "Really, this works much better as a monologue, if you don't mind." More eye-rolls, but he opened the book again. "The final sign hasn't happened yet. With the blossoming of death comes the awakening of the Source of All Evil, and then the fall. So you can see why we must finish what your mother started then, yes? It brought you here."
Macy's eyes went wide when Harry looked at her. "She wanted me here?"
"Yes, very much so," Harry said with a nod. "She sent you the grant application, made sure it was chosen." He shut the book again, softer this time.
"You are awful at this 'breaking news' thing," Etta cut in before Macy could even get a word out.
Harry's eyebrows shot up for a millisecond before returning to their rightful place. "Be that as it may, your mother's spell book." He held it out. "I do believe she would want you to be its keeper, so that you may better learn spells and potions to defend yourself since you don't-"
"Okay, that's enough for today," Mel cut in, putting a hand up in front of Harry, but not before Etta could take the book.
"Very well," Harry said, putting his hands up and taking a step back. "You three have 48 hours to decide whether or not to accept your witchly fate."
"We get to choose?" Mel asked. "Why can't one of us just decide not to be a witch and let Etta do it?" She cast an accusatory glance at Maggie.
Harry nodded. "Of course you get to decide. Being a witch is a fully pro-choice enterprise. However, to maintain the Power of Three, it has to be all of you or none of you. That's just the way it is; the power only passes to Etta if one of you dies."
"I'm out!" Maggie snapped. "I don't want to be part of some demon's lunch!"
"Maggie, this is our legacy!" Mel insisted. "Mom would have wanted us to do this!"
Etta sighed and took a step back. "I'm going to my room," she said, ignoring her sisters' argument. "Not that anyone cares."
It was no surprise when Sunday night came and Etta was all alone in the house. She glanced down at the Book of Shadows, left open to a page about a random demon. "Typical," she muttered. Her eyes drifted to the table, spotting a microscope slide left abandoned on it.
Etta picked it up, examining the green goo with a sheen of white power over it. Better to mess with the powder, she thought to herself. She tapped at a bit of powder on the slide away from the goo, then rubbed it between her fingers. She lifted it to her face, sniffing at it.
"The fridge?" she muttered to herself. Why would something in the attic smell like the fridge? Unless… "Baking soda."
She remembered this from chemistry; baking soda neutralized certain acids, including hydrochloric acid. Was that what this demon was made of?
Ding!
Etta nearly dropped the slide but recovered, suffering only a slice on her finger in the process. She winced and pressed her thumb against it to stop the blood, then ran downstairs to open the door.
When she did, it felt like she might as well not have had any blood left in her body at all. "Mrs. Kaplan!" She cleared her throat nervously, hearing her voice crack as she spoke. "What a lovely surprise!"
Mrs. Kaplan, a middle-aged woman with her salt-and-pepper hair in a bun at all times, smiled back and looked over Etta's shoulder. "It's nice to see you, too, Etta. I'm sorry to bother you this late, but one of my other appointments ran over."
Etta pasted a fake smile on her face. "It's totally fine," she replied. "We were actually up waiting for you since you hadn't come by yet this week, but it just got so late and Mel decided she had to go to the grocery story before Monday. So, since you can't interview her, you probably just want to be on your way, right?"
"Not at all, dear, you're my charge, remember?" Mrs. Kaplan chided. She looked at the doorframe, down at the lock. "I see your sister replaced that rusty old thing."
"Mmhm." Reluctantly, Etta stepped aside, allowing Mrs. Kaplan into the house. "Yep, everything's perfect here!"
Mrs. Kaplan looked at her watch and frowned. "Does Mel usually allow you to stay up this late?"
For a split second, Etta almost replied in the affirmative, but she caught herself. "No, no, not at all," she declared. "She just, uh… doesn't know. I… like… watching Saturday Night Live."
"It's Sunday."
"I record it!" Etta cleared her throat nervously. "You know, to watch… later. Like now. Since Mel's not here, I thought I could finish it before she got back."
Mrs. Kaplan nodded and hummed and wrote something down on her clipboard. "She really should be here for your bedtime every night; it provides stability-"
"She usually is," Etta insisted, fake smile still on her face.
"And you're doing well?" Mrs. Kaplan asked. "Eating enough, exercising, keeping your stress levels low?"
Etta nodded, then faked a yawn. "Yep, I'm doing fine, just sleepy. You should probably go, and I promise I'll tell Mel what you said in the morning."
For a moment, Mrs. Kaplan stood there, then nodded and moved back to the door. "Sleep well, Etta."
"Thanks, Mrs. Kaplan."
Etta shut the door behind her and locked it, then looked down at her bleeding finger. Yep, that definitely needed a bandage.
The comment came out of her mouth before she could stop it.
"'Not gonna leave me out,' huh?" Etta tilted her head, watching as her sisters came back to the house. She stood up, using her position on the porch to make herself taller than the other three. "Thanks, guys. Really feeling the love."
"Etta, I'm sorry," Macy said, walking up to her. "It wasn't safe for you-"
"It's never going to be safe for me!" Etta snapped. "It's not going to be safe for me with you out there or if I go chasing after demons on my own, so I suggest unless you want me playing scavenger hunt with demon goo and baking soda- yeah, I figured that out on my own- you need to include me."
Mel nodded hesitantly. "Okay," she agreed quietly. "We'll try harder to include you next time."
"Oh God, there's gonna be a next time?" Maggie asked. "Can't we just watch the video and go to bed?"
"Speaking of going to bed, Mel, Mrs. Kaplan thinks you should be here for my bedtime," Etta added in. "Helps to 'provide stability.'"
Mel's face dropped. "Mrs. Kaplan was here?"
Etta nodded.
Macy looked between the two, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Wait, who's Mrs. Kaplan?"
"My social worker," Etta replied. "Sweet dreams."
"Wait!" Mel jumped in. "There's… if you're going to be part of this magic thing, you should be part of the sister-bonding moments, too. C'mon, we're gonna show Macy a video of Mom."
It took a moment, but Etta's face softened, and she nodded. "Yeah," she breathed. "Yeah, let's go."
"Kaplan would kill me if she saw you here."
That didn't wipe the smile off Etta's face. "But you brought me anyway!"
"Yes, because I don't want her to go home to find you alone again," Mel declared. "God, I hate high school holidays."
"And I love 'em," Etta replied with a smirk.
Mel stopped, looking at her little sister. "Could you please convert that righteous anger into something productive for the rally?" she asked.
Etta shrugged. "I'll do my best." Without warning, she turned and started yelling into the opposing crowd, unleashing a fury Mel had never seen in another person besides her mother.
"Damn."
Suddenly, the air went cold, causing Mel to freeze before she could join the shouting. She grabbed Etta's arm, pulling her out of her rage and drawing her attention to the fact that they could both see their breath. Her hand slipped down to Etta's, and the two snaked their way out of the crowd and into the science building.
The two walked down the hall, hand in hand as they followed the cold to the lab.
"Stay here," Mel whispered, stopping Etta outside the door.
"What?" Etta snapped in a whisper-yell. "I thought you were going to include me more!"
"I am, but my first job is big sister," Mel grit out. "Part of being big sister means keeping little sister safe. If it gets bad, call Harry."
A million rebuttals ran through Etta's mind, but they all died on her tongue. Finally, she nodded.
Mel walked inside, and Etta took a deep breath, wringing her fingers together. Everything would be fine. It had to be. Mel was a Charmed One; Harry himself said she was one of the most powerful witches in existence.
"Melanie Vera."
Etta jerked to attention at the sound of a man saying her sister's name. The venom in it was painfully obvious; this was the demon. "We meet at last."
"Etta!"
Etta didn't think, just reacted, and the next thing she knew, she was on the floor of the lab, on top of a demon. She wound her fist up to punch but found herself unable to move once she got there. The demon moved, lifting Etta up as he stood.
"You can't go in there, I told you, you aren't allowed-"
The demon's concentration broke, and Etta dropped to the floor. Mel yanked her back, putting herself between Etta and the demon. Etta turned her head to see Maggie and Macy running in along with… some guy she didn't recognize.
"Uh… sir?" the man asked. "Are you, uh, wearing a costume?"
The demon rolled its eyes. "No, Cameron, I'm not wearing a costume," he declared. He threw an icicle out, and it hit Cameron in the chest, pinning him to the wall. When Macy and Maggie yelped, he rolled his eyes again. "Oh come on, girls, he's awful!"
"I mean he's not wrong," Etta mumbled.
"Not the time!" Mel hissed.
The demon threw out another icicle aimed at Macy, but she deflected it before it could hit. Another came, but Mel held up her hand to stop it midair.
"I can't hold him," Mel gasped. "He's too strong; how do we get rid of him?"
"A sauna?"
"NOT THE TIME, ETTA!"
"I have a spell here," Macy said, fishing a piece of paper out of her pocket.
"Weren't we supposed to call Harry?" Maggie asked. "Harry!"
A wooshing sound hit her ears, and Etta turned to see Harry as he teleported in. "Oh dear."
Etta held her hands out at her sides, giving Harry an exasperated look. "That's all you have to say?" she snapped. "Mel can't stop him for much longer!"
"Heal him!" Maggie ordered, pointing at Cameron. "Hurry!"
Harry didn't even look as he healed the man, letting him drop to the floor without a care.
"Timor tuus fortitude tua feminae ultimum exitium," Macy read from the paper.
Mel's powers rippled, allowing the icicle a few inches closer.
"The spell won't work unless you use the Power of Three," Harry declared. "Either accept your destiny or go back to your normal lives!"
"W-w-wait, you said all magical interference reverses if we refuse," Macy said.
Harry shook his head. "You won't remember any of this including meeting each other."
Etta shared a worried look with her sisters. They couldn't refuse it, could they? Not when they just met Macy?
"You know I'm in," Mel declared.
"I wanna know you guys," Macy added. "And… figure out this whole witchcraft thing on a molecular level and get a freaking Nobel Prize so yeah, me too."
Maggie let out a nervous whimper, followed by, "Okay fine! I'm in!"
"Hurry, join hands!" Harry ordered. "Etta, stay behind them."
Mel lowered her hand, and they barely managed to duck in time to avoid the icicle.
The demon began to fall apart, and the ensuing shockwave blasted them all away from each other. Etta dropped to the ground, and something cracked that definitely wasn't supposed to in her leg.
"I can't breathe," Maggie choked out.
"Macy! Use your power! Draw them to you!"
A light appeared in front of Etta, but it was gone just as fast, blocked by something cold in front of her. A hand wrapped around her neck, and she let out a choking sound as she was lifted up so her feet were dangling.
"Timor tuus fortitude-"
"I wouldn't finish that sentence unless you want to lose your sister," the demon declared, taking his previous place in front of them. He tightened his grip, and Etta realized she couldn't even make a sound; she was completely out of air.
"Let her go!" Macy ordered.
"Walk out of here and I might."
Etta looked at her sisters out of the corner of her eyes, silently begging them not to do what he said. They couldn't let him win! There had to be something she could do, something that didn't make her so useless and helpless-
She hit the ground and took in a gasp of air. Harry was by her side, hand over her broken leg to heal it. Her sisters turned to her for a split second before turning their attention to the demon once more.
"Timor tuus fortitude tua feminae ultimum exitium," they chanted in unison. "Timor tuus fortitude tua feminae ultimum exitium. Timor tuus fortitude tua feminae ultimum exitium!"
Without a word, the demon collapsed to the ground.
"That was for killing our mother," Mel said.
The demon still managed to smirk, even in its dying moments. "You think I killed her?" it asked. "You poor, stupid girl. Now, it's begun."
The demon shut its eyes, and Etta grimaced at the sight. "Well that was anticlimactic," she breathed.
"Is he-"
"Dead," Harry confirmed. He hummed in thought. "This must be the kind of demon where you have to do one last thing to get 'em to disappear. Crack the neck, remove the eyeballs…"
Pyoom!
The demon popped like a party balloon, fading into nothing but ash. Instantly, Harry began laughing. "Only kidding, sometimes it just takes a minute."
"What was that?"
The five turned to see Cameron recovering from his stab wound, pressing himself firmly against the wall.
"Don't worry, I'll wipe his memory-"
"No," Mel interrupted. "Don't. Let him tell people; no one would believe him. It's just another hysterical man."
"True," Macy added in. "It's a he said-she said situation."
Maggie smirked. "Four shes, in fact."
"So don't mess with us, Cam," Mel finished. "Go home and change your khakis."
Etta grinned as they walked out of the lab, and she turned to walk backwards and talk at the same time. "That was so badass!" she gushed. "And thanks for getting me away from that demon, Harry."
Harry cleared his throat nervously. "As much as I appreciate the sentiment, that wasn't me," he declared. "It seems, Etta, that you are half whitelighter."
Etta's jaw dropped, and she stopped in her tracks. "I have powers." Then, a smile worked its way across her face. "I have powers!" A squeal escaped her, and she found herself being embraced by her sisters. "This is the best day ever! Aside from, you know, the demon trying to choke the life out of me, but I'm fine now so it's cool!"
Mel snorted and pulled out of the hug, locking arms with Etta. "C'mon. Let's blow this popsicle stand."
Maggie groaned, her head falling back.
"Okay, it wasn't intentional so don't even," Mel insisted.
"Are you sure I can stay here?" Macy asked as she lifted her suitcase over the threshold.
"You aren't staying anywhere else," Etta declared, flopping down on the couch. "You're our sister. Sisters stick together."
Maggie grinned and nodded in agreement, closing the door before turning her attention to Macy. "You don't have to be alone anymore," she said. "Even when you want to be, because I'm warning you now: we're kind of a lot."
The three burst out laughing.
"I found it!"
Etta turned her attention to the stairs, where she saw Mel standing with an old Ouija Board. "Let's see if it works." She raised her eyebrows twice. "Etta, you in?"
A thoughtful grin made its way onto her face, and she nodded. "Yeah, I'm in, and uh… I think I'm gonna start going by Marietta again. Live up to the Vera legacy."
"Aw, that's my favorite little sister," Maggie cooed.
"I'm your only little sister," Marietta jibed back, poking Maggie in the stomach as she headed up the stairs.
The four headed up to the attic and settled down on the sofa, putting their fingers on the board.
"Mom?" Macy asked. "Are you there?"
Slowly, the pointer moved to the word 'yes' written on the board. Then, without warning, it jerked to the letter D.
O.
N.
T.
T.R.U.S.T. H.A.R.R.Y.
"Harry?" Maggie asked.
"Ladies."
The quartet gasped and spun around to see Harry standing by the window, shrouded by shadows.
"I'm right here."