Victor tutted loudly, avidly clock watching. He knew his daughter, his little sparrow's habits to a fault. She was never much of a timekeeper. Her attention span was relatively short unless the subject matter gripped her to the core. This was a rare occurrence to say the very least. It did make him wonder how she had managed to reach completion with her degree course. She never seemed to be focused on more than one thing at once, it had been something that he had hoped that she would grow out of as she aged. Yet his Ren showed no signs of changing.

This small fact would not ever alter his paternal love for his only child. Maria and he had tried but nothing had come about, only disappointment and dashed hopes. Ren was the centre of their collective world. She was still late.

The coven that should of considered Ren family from the very get go had almost cast his little girl aside. Ungifted, they called her, labelling when she showed no signs of possessing the same ancestral link that her mother, her grandmother did as she grew, passing through all the natural milestones just like the other children of the quarter. It was excruciating to behold, to witness his child being treated like a martyr. For simply being a late bloomer of sorts.

The very thought had been incredibly alien to him, the way that the coven operated had never sat right with Victor from day one. Operating in the shadows, in secret to protect themselves or so they said. He silently cursed them, knowing fully well that he'd never be able to speak a word against them in fear of retribution, more so against his wife and daughter.

In the end, in her teen years Ren had shown that she possessed the ancestral magic, but it had been little more than spark. The flame would never truly ignited from within her. It was almost as if something key was missing. Something that would make his child shine as bright as a thousand suns. Victor had no clue, what this be but there was some subtle indications that the coven knew, that they were hiding the truth.

A dark almost ugly truth which if named might change the game. Flip the board on which the coven proudly stood right around. He had pushed, for Ren had not at the time, wanted answers to questions that she did not even ask. He knew that his child was curious but far more interested in finding herself outside of the quarter. Away from the oppression that had been her home.

On the outskirts of the city, a car raced down the stretch of road. Speeding past the welcome to New Orleans. Music blaring from the radio, as driver and passenger sung along. A smile plastered across both Ren and Cleo's lips.

"Almost there" Ren shouted over the loud, upbeat music as a new song started up. It had been a good few years since she had seen the city lights. It had been far too long since she had seen her parent's smiling face. There was no denying that she missed them but what she didn't miss was the disappointed look in her grandmother's eyes every time she glanced her way. Nor the sorrow in way that her mother hung her head when she returned from her meetings in the depths of the quarter.

"You can give me a proper guided tour Ren, I bet you know all the hidden gems!" Cleo beamed brightly, turning her head when she spoke with that thick southern accent of hers. Excitement bleeding through every word that dropped off the end of her tongue.

"Not all of them but let's get there in one piece first" She joked back at her friend, knowing that her skills behind the wheels weren't the best. Cleo would never let her forget the accident involving the tree. She had slammed into it hard whilst attempting to park, outside of their dorm the day after passing her driving test. The tail lights lit up, as Ren pushed the throttle down hard. Zipping across the road home, not knowing the dangers that lay ahead as the threads of fate around her waist silently pulsed. Magic pulled her closer to him. Magic that lay dormant for so long.

Fate would intervene if it deemed it to be necessary