We never meant for it to get this far, never meant for so many people to get hurt. All we ever wanted was to be the same as everyone, to be seen as equals….to not be labeled as freaks. I never realized that our actions would be seen as anything but a cry for help. It wasn't our faults, it was His. We never asked to be this way, never asked to be born with this curse. This mark we bore was nothing but that….a mark…a curse. It labeled us as his servants, made our wants be suffocated by what was expected of us. Never did I think that by doing what came natural to us would mean so much death. I never wanted to see so much blood spilled in my entire life. My coven was my life; I always thought they were loyal to me. We were a strong unit. Then it all came crashing down. As in the past, the fires started, the man I loved lay dead at my feet.

Neveah looked over at me, tears falling from her blood shot eyes. "They're here," she sauntered over to me, clutching the talisman in her hand.

Breathing in I nodded, sweeping my cloak I grabbed her hand.

We walked out to meet our death.

Chapter 1: Birdcage

Harlow

Our beginnings are always the same. We all grew up with loving family's believing we were going to go through torturous years of school, fall in love with a boy who would eventually break our hearts, and go on to college to achieve our wildest desires. We all thought we would have our first kiss, first date, and first heart break. We believed we would go to Prom and worry about who was going to ask us. Of course, it came as a shock when reality hit us that we would never experience normal "teenager" things. Instead we would be living out our lives in a cramped Victorian house with three other sisters, hiding away what we were capable of, but still seen as the town's local freaks.

From the age of six I had grown up at Black Crow House, learning exactly who I was and what my sisters and I could do. We were kept isolated from the others in our town; I never had the opportunity to join a soccer league or get to know other children my own age. Emily had said it was more for our protection than theirs. We were naïve and not able to control our emotions or powers, they already had their assumptions and would judge and bully us. Being a little girl I believed every word she spoke, I still couldn't help but be curious to the outside world though.

There had been one time when I had been chosen to go to the supermarket with Emily that I snuck away while she was preoccupied. I met another little girl who laughed and played hide and seek with me. I cheated, of course I did, and Emily came running through the store, grabbing my arm and pulling me away. Scolding me about how it was wrong to do what I did and to never disobey her again. Even when I was thrown into the cellar for two days, I couldn't help but smile at my first rebellion. It had felt good to play with someone else. In a world of so much isolation, it was freeing to not hide for that brief moment in time. As I got older, my attempts grew bolder, from sneaking out with Leah in the middle of the night. To pretending to run errands for Emily, instead going and interacting with the public. Of course, each of these actions was met with the cellar, with a dunking in freezing water, and hours of meditation. It was all worth it though. I felt like a bird trapped in a cage that was too small. I longed to be free.

It wasn't that I hated where I lived, in fact I loved my sisters and would protect them with my life. They were my friends, my family, my Coven.

Over 300 years ago my kind had been hunted down and burned at the stake. People were afraid of us, the believed we spoke to the devil and killed people for our own fun. Truth was there was no devil worshipping and killing people was a strict no-no that could get you sentenced and your powers stripped away by the Council. We were Witches, end of story. Sure we could make objects move, had the occasional spell or potion go wrong, but we never wanted to hurt anyone…well…maybe Leah did, but she was just wicked that way.

Emily Clare was our Supreme. A Supreme was a certain Witch who has mastered the arts of the Craft and has devoted her life to teaching and cultivating the new generation of Withes. Rumor in the house was that Emily was over 200 years old herself, but when we confronted her with that all we got was her nasty cat chasing us out of the room. Emily was powerful, her powers strong and fierce, one of the best Supremes' the Coven has ever had according to the Council. Her dark hair in always perfect curls framing her unblemished youthful brown skin. Her eyes were the deepest black, burning ash colored when she used her powers. She was like our mother; she knew when to be kind and caring, and when to be strict. While Emily could be loving and motherly, she also knew how to punish. Her cellar was a place of our nightmares. The old tub would have freezing water and we would be dunked in until our lips turned blue, then we would have to sit, freezing, meditating for hours until Emily deemed us worthy to come back up. To some it was cruel, but that was how Witches had been taught for years, and she wasn't going to stray from that.

Leah Marie was the oldest out of us Coven sisters, being 21 years old. Leah was rebellious, even more so then me, and would always get herself into trouble. Leah was usually the one occupying the cellar space. She was hot headed and her powers of Pyrokinesis and telekinesis were still unpredictable and out of control for someone her age. It wasn't her fault though, Leah was mad at the world, she was angry that she had been taken away from the family she loved. Emily and she were constantly at war, in her latest stunt Leah had chopped all her hair off into a pixie cut, it was spiked and plastered around her mocha face, framing her dark eyes just barely with bangs. She looked dangerous and sultry with the cut, but Emily flipped. Witches had one look, long hair that bellowed with our magic. Leah knew this of course and had always be vain with how thick and glossy hers had been, but if it pissed Emily off (which it did) she would go through with it.

Kimberly, Kim, Patrice was the most loving and smiley person I had ever met. She had mastered the control of her powers by the time she was twelve. Kim never bragged account that though, she knew, we all knew, that out of everyone in the house she had no excuse not to master them. She had received the most common gift of telekinesis and transmutation, the ability to teleport. Kim had a good heart though, and was always willing to help anyone who asked for it. Not only that but she made some bomb chocolate chip cookies. Her dark hair was always twisted up with chopstick as she cooked, her lithe hands adding ingredients and lifting a spoon to taste her latest meal. None of us could figure out why she was so horrible at potion making when she was so good at cooking. Kim didn't care though, she would shrug her shoulders, a smile stretched across her dark skin, and she would ask what we wanted for lunch that day.

Neveah Rose was admittedly my best friend, and favorite sister. At eighteen years old she was soft spoken and shy, only having been to the cellar once when she was six because of the tantrum she threw that set the playground on fire. Her eyes were the color of the night sky, something unusual for a Witch, her wild dark hair never straight nor curly. She could see the future, the good and the bad, she was adored by the Council because of this, and hated by Leah for being a "Council's pet". Veah wasn't like that though, she was quiet and kept to herself, taking to her room and sitting on the window seat and drawing amazingly beautiful pictures for hours. Our house was covered in them. She shared the gifts of telekinesis and transmutation with me. I still remember playing hide and seek with all my sisters and Neveah and I popping from room to room with Kim while Leah would scream how unfair it was.

Then there's me, Harlow Grace. Eighteen almost nineteen years old. Always getting in trouble for reading aloud the plays Emily bought for me, the girls yelling at me to shut up as I acted out the scenes for them since there was no TV in the house. I was what Leah called one of the "Council Pets" I had the power of Resurgence, the power to bring someone back from the dead. It was creepy to be able to do that, even I admit that. But it came in handy, like the time when Sapphire, Kim's bunny, had been caught by a dog and killed; I brought that little hip hopping machine back to life and stopped Kim from crying. I loved my house, my Coven, but my greatest wish was to be normal. Sometimes I would sit on the roof at night, looking up and wish as hard as I could that I could make my life normal. That I wouldn't be stuck in this house and hidden away from the world. I wanted to know what it was life to be normal.

I never realized how daunting the task of normal would be though until Emily made her announcement at breakfast the next morning. The freedom mixed with overwhelming fright was something I had never experienced before, and I had helped in vanquishing demons. What I didn't know was the rebellion that was about to happen would shock not only me, but our entire Coven.

"I have an announcement to make girls. Kim stop making pancakes, Leah and Harlow stop flinging said pancakes at each other, and Neveah stop with the pain at the table," we all froze, Emily never turning around to face us, the entire time we had thought she was bust looking at the newspaper near the window. But of course she knew what we were up to.

Leah rolled her eyes as she put her fork down, "What's up Em? Usually you're not so serious until at least eight in the morning."

Emily gave her a sarcastic smile before sitting down, waiting until each of us was staring at her until she clasped her hands together. "I met with the Council yesterday. We have decided that it is time to put you girls to the test. Your powers have been mastered-"

"Most of us anyways," I muttered, Neveah and Kim hiding their smiles as Leah flipped me off.

"As I was saying Harlow," Emily flicked her hand and I felt my mouth snap shut. I pouted, knowing it was useless to even fight her silencing spell, "Since your powers have been mastered it has been decided that you girls need to learn what it truly means to have control. That is why; starting tomorrow you will all be enrolled at the local high school, La Push high. You will all be enrolled as seniors, my doing because I wanted you all together as much as possible. You are to experience exactly how people react to you. It will take self-control to keep a cool head," another look at Leah, "as well as be open," a look at Neveah who ducked her head as Kim rested her head on her shoulder. "I have the upmost faith in you girls that you will act as a Norm, no funny business with spells."

Standing, Emily gulped her coffee, "Remember though girls, you are Witches. We never play nice. So if you do use magic, please remember Leah golden rule, 'Don't get caught'." With a wink Emily left, leaving us all stunned at her parting words.

"I think I just earned some respect for her," Leah muttered, running a hand through her hair and making it stick up.

"Guys," I placed my hands on the table, barely containing my smile, "you know what this means?"

At their questionable stairs I let out the loudest yell I could.

"FREEDOM!"

The plates went flying as I flung my hands up, my sisters ducking under the table to avoid being hit.

"HARLOW GRACE!"

"Oppsie?"

Embry

Have you ever noticed that a secret can bound people together? It's almost like there's an invisible cord that connects you together and strengthens every time you overcome something. My pack brother's and I held one of the biggest secret's to ever rock this Reservation. The stories about the wolf's that protected the village were all true, we patrolled and protected our kind, fighting to keep the Cold Ones away.

None of this would have happened though if the leech hadn't falling for that human girl. If he hadn't done that I would probably be flunking out of high school, working on cars with my best friends, and chasing the first girl to even look at me. Ok truth be told I still did those things, most of the time I was too tired to even get up for school, let alone the patrols that happened almost every night. It was strange to go from watching this supposed La Push gang form, to be initiated and told that all the ancient stories were true and I was now part of it.

It took a while before I actually believed any of it though, but when you suddenly get angry and turn into a giant dog, you really have no other choice but to believe what you are told. My brothers were all I really needed though, after my mom split I was left alone with my dad who eventually left himself. I didn't mind working at the garage or having a house to myself, most of the time Jake or someone was there with me anyways, so it's not like it really mattered. It felt nice to have a family who actually wanted me, who would protect me and help me with anything I needed. We all looked like brothers, with the same dark hair and copper skin, people usually assumed we were all related somehow. This while pack thing was as new to them as it was to me, being united meant all of us figuring thing out as a unit.

Every one still thought of us as the La Push gang, we didn't mind that though. It kept ass holes from trying to mess with us and people coming and asking favors if they needed them. I can remember a handful of times when we would have to tell younger kids, "no we are not a gang, and no we will not get you drugs. Leave before we get you in trouble." I liked the bad ass status we had, the parties we were invited to be amazing, any girl we wanted we could have. Sure, it gave us all big egos, but our Alpha, Sam, said what did it matter, we were granted nobility status so we might as well use it.

"Everyone clear on the new schedule?" Sam Uley flopped down on the couch, cracking open a beer.

"Yes Sam, we get it. It never changes," Jacob Black snapped, pausing his video game to send our Alpha a scathing look.

"I know guys, it never changes, but I like to review it just in case something comes up," Sam sighed, "And no Brady, getting laid isn't a good excuse to miss your patrol or miss school."

"Fuck," Brady Fuller nudged me in the ribs as he pocketed his phone, opbviously telling his new conquest he couldn't make it. "You wane trade me shifts tomorrow. Take mine tomorrow and I'll do yours tonight?"

"No way, I have plans, miss out with that girl, there will be others," he slugged me in the shoulder.

"Whatever, I hope you fail algebra," he muttered.

"Already way ahead of you with that," I patted him on the shoulder.

"Speaking of school," Sam sat up straighter, "I really need you guys to start buckling down and putting an effort into at least going. I know we help the community and all, but you all need to set an example for the little kids. We need to show them that even we go to school and care. I don't care if you flunk your classes, but at least show up and flunk them."

We all gave him a look, shaking his head Sam chugged his beer and tossed it in the corner, grabbing another one. Paul set his guitar down, "Don't you have a date at noon?"

The room got quiet, everyone looking at our Alpha. I couldn't remember the last time Sam had gone out on a date, we had all thought he was Asexual.

"Yeah, and?" He answered nonchalantly, knocking back his drink.

"You really think she's gonna get all wet at you showing up plastered?" Paul raised an amused eyebrow.

"One, the goal is not to get her wet. Two I'm not going to get plastered. And three, it's not a real date, she works with me at the hospital and we have a joint project we need to figure out," standing Sam stretched. He had been volunteering at the hospital so long that they finally just hired him as staff. He helped organize all the charity events and did all the hard work and mechanics.

"Mhm," I muttered, smirking as Sam shook his head.

"Bye kiddies, get ready for school tomorrow please. And if I find out that any of you ditched your first day," he paused, the Alpha tone coming into his voice and eyes hardening, "I will make your lives a living hell."

Saluting his orders Sam finally left with a final glare.

I kicked back with the pack, enjoying the last day of summer playing video games and hanging out. School had never been my favorite thing in the world; I preferred skipping and spending the day working on Jake's Rabbit. Sam had made it pretty clear though that missing would mean certain death. I looked forward to my last year of high school, the thought of never having to walk those halls appealed to me more than anything. When I walked through the doors tomorrow it would be the same as it always was. People cowering at our feet our coming up and trying to get with us. I didn't mind being one of the Kings of the school, none of us minded that. I could get away with murder there.

What I didn't expect when I walked through those doors was the biggest upset La Push High had ever seen. I didn't expect the madness that would occur, the drama, or the fight. I didn't expect anything but to rule. I didn't expect to bow down to someone. I didn't expect HER.