Return to the Past
Disclaimer: Who would seriously think I own the Secret Circle? Okay I'll get it over with. I do not own the Secret Circle.
Jane Blake sat in her kitchen with two of her closest friends. The two being Henry Chamberlain and James Conant. Two members of her circle of witches. "So which members of the next generation are upstairs?" Henry asked looking up.
"All the pregnant ones and Sara with the two kids," Jane said without even thinking about it. "They have a mothers group every night and morning. They're still thinking over names."
James almost laughed out the tea he was drinking. "Still?" He asked. "Those babies will be popping out of those five in a few months and their still unnamed. I didn't even know my grandson had yet to be named." Jane laughed.
"Well after they found out who were boys and who were girls they spent a lot of time discussing who was going to end up with who." Jane told the two laughing to herself at the conversations she had heard between the six girls. It seems Jane's house had become mother's central over the last few months.
"Well personally I think the next generations of Conants and Blakes have to end up together. My grandson and your granddaughter. It has to happen eventually. I'll put my money on it," James said looking at Jane. The two, like most Conants and Blakes, had dated when they were teenagers. It always seemed like the Conanats and Blakes had true love and then something or someone pulled them apart. Jane was with James though. A Conant and Blake had to get together at one point.
"I don't think so," Henry stated. "Personally I think all that written in the stars crap your families go on about is just that crap. If your families were destined to be together they would be by now. Personally I think your granddaughter Jane will end up with the Armstrong boy Jake."
Jane looked at Henry curiously. "Why? He's about four years older than her."
"Have you ever watch Jake with Amelia? He follows her around and says she's pretty. If your granddaughter looks anything like her mother Jake will be all over that girl when she grows up. I'd put my money on that." Henry and James looked like they were going to argue, but suddenly stopped. The amount of magic in the air went up as though someone was casting a spell. Then from inside the living room there was a sound like thunder.
The three jumped up and went to the living room. At the same time the six girls from upstairs came running down. "What's going on?" Amelia asked her mother.
"I don't know," Jane answered her daughter.
Right then there was a blinding white light. Everyone covered their eyes for a second and then the light faded. When they looked again there was a teenage girl lying on the floor of the living room. "Oh my god," Amelia said and went to the girl. Amelia never wanted to see anyone hurt. When Amelia was close to the girl there was like an electric charge between the two for a second. It looked like there was a bond connecting the girl to Amelia's stomach. To the baby!
As whatever the charge was disappeared Amelia put her hand on her stomach as though she was protecting the baby. She was revealed when she felt the baby kick in side and knew she was fine. "What was that?" Dawn asked.
"I've heard of something like that happening before." Henry said and then shook his head. "No I read about it." Henry took out his family's spell book from inside his briefcase and opened it up. "Yeah, right here in the time travel section of the Chamberlain family spell book."
"The Chamberlain family spell book has a time travel section?" James asked shocked.
"Wait as in real time travel?" Elizabeth asked. "I didn't think that was possible."
"Anything is possible, but real time travel is hard and rare and can only be done to the past. Not the future." Henry stated. "What we just witnessed is what happens when there is more than one of the same person in a timeline and they are near each other. It was a harmless. Don't worry about it and it won't happen again."
"Wait there is no way this girl is a future version of me. She looks younger than me." Amelia stated looking at the blonde unconscious girl on the floor.
Jane laughed and walked over to her daughter. "Amelia, darling, your more than one person." Jane put her hand on Amelia's stomach and the baby. Amelia's mouth opened wide as she once again looked at the girl.
"She's my daughter," Amelia said shocked and Jane nodded.
James went and picked up the girl from the floor and placed her on the couch. "I think we better get everyone here." James stated. It took a minute afterwards for everyone to get over their shocked. Jane went to the phone to call the older elders to the house and get the boys from the girls circle here. Henry went over reading the section about time traveling again finding it more important now than ever before.
As for the girls, well Sara went to get her two boys and Amelia went and sat down on the edge of the couch looking at her daughter. She moved the hair away from the girls face. "She's beautiful," Amelia stated.
"She looks like you," Catherine Conant told her friend. "Just like you. It's a good thing too." Most of the girls giggled at the joke.
"Hey, John's not that bad," Sophie defended her friend.
"What's going on? What's with the laughing?" Sara asked coming down with baby Nick in her arms and Jake following not too far behind. Jake seeing the unknown girl on the couch ran over to her. He looked at her for a minute and then tried to crawl on top of her. "Jake, no." Sara told her son.
"She pwetty mommy." Jake gave his mommy a look hoping he could climb on top of the girl. None of the girls saw Henry gave James a look or hear James say 'That doesn't prove anything.'
"No Jake," Sara told the boy causing him to stomp his foot and then sit on the floor. "Any idea what her name is?"
Amelia shook her head. "Haven't decided on a name yet." Amelia told the group what they had already known. Right now Amelia was seriously thinking of naming her daughter after her mother.
"Well why don't you check her pockets?" Sara asked causing her friend to look at her. "She might have ID on her." It didn't take long for Amelia to reach her hand into the pockets. She felt something inside and pulled it out. In her hand was what appeared to be a small box. Amelia looked at it confused, not knowing what she was holding. She pushed a button on the side of it and the screen lit up.
"No signal," Amelia read off the screen confused. She put the device on the table. It was clearly some future technically that did not seem to work correctly in the past. Amelia checked the other pocket, but only pulled out a few dollars. There was no ID. "It was a good thought though. I guess we'll have to wait for her to wake up?"
"Okay, everyone is on their way," Jane announced walking back into the living. "I told them my still unnamed granddaughter from the future popped in. They're running here."
Jane was right. It hadn't taken long for Royce and Richard to run in from next door. In a few minutes the rest of the elders showed up along with the boys of the girl's generation. "What about John?" Sophie asked causing everyone to look at her. "It's his daughter too."
"John's out of town. There's no way to contact him." Amelia stated. "He said he would be back before the babies were born."
"We don't need him anyway," Ethan mumbled his hatred for the man clear in his voice. "So this is your future daughter." Ethan looked at the girl on the couch. "She looks like you. That's a very good thing." The girls all giggled at the same joke they had said before and the boys joined in on the laugher. "So how did she get here?"
"We don't..." Before Henry could continue talking there was a moan from the couch. Amelia jumped up shocked and stood by her friends.
"I think she's waking up," Richard said. Richard's voice sounded so much like his son's would in the future that Cassie didn't realize it was different.
"Everyone better leave my house before my body stops aching or I'm going to get even." Cassie mumbled moving on the couch. "That goes double for you Faye Chamberlain, and if you take the you know what I swear I'll do something worse than choke you." Dawn looked around shocked not getting it until Thomas pointed at her stomach. Dawn smiled. The name Faye had been brought up once or twice and now here was proof she would name her daughter that. She found herself liking the name even more.
Everyone looked at each other not sure what to do. Then everyone turned to Amelia, but Amelia froze. She didn't know what to say to her future daughter. She didn't even know what she had named her future daughter and there was no way Amelia was going to call her by the wrong name. It was Elizabeth who finally decided to do something.
"Um…" Elizabeth said. "Sweetie open your eyes." Elizabeth too didn't want to call the girl by the wrong name so she figured sweetie was a good way out of calling her anything.
"No," Cassie mumbled turning away again. "I thought you were leaving anyway Diana." The way she said it showed how upset she was at this Diana. Elizabeth put her hand on her stomach knowing that her daughter must be the one she was being mistaken for. Elizabeth too had thought of the name Diana more than once and smiled liking the name. Elizabeth wondered what her daughter will do in the future to upset the girl Elizabeth knew was her half-sister.
"Okay, this is getting ridicules." Thomas complained never one to be take things slowly. A trait he will pass on to his daughter. "Just open your eyes already girl."
Not recognizing the voice Cassie opened her eyes and looked around. She was confused on who was in her house for a minute and then realized it looked like it was teenage versions of the circles parents and the elders. Cassie laughed. "This is one weird dream," she mumbled getting herself comfortable on the couch again. Truthfully her body was really hurting her and her stomach felt as though it was doing backflips. Also her head was so bad it felt like someone was actually inside it banging on her brain.
"This isn't a dream sweetie," Amelia said finally stepping up. She like Elizabeth decided using sweetie for now was probably best. "You've traveled back in time."
"Yeah right and you're really my dead mother," Cassie laughed and Amelia stepped back. She was dead! Amelia's hand went to her stomach and tears came to her eyes. She wouldn't live to see her daughter graduate or her grandchildren. Who even knew if she lived to see her daughter grow up? Jane put an arm around her daughter hugging her. Millions of thought ran through Amelia's mind. If she had died when her daughter was a baby who took care of her? Was it her mom or did her mom die with her? Did John raise their daughter or was he dead too? Did one of her friends step up and raise her daughter? Did she call someone else mom when she was a kid? Amelia started crying into her mother's shoulder.
Ethan couldn't take seeing Amelia like that. Ethan went and pinched the girl on the couch as hard as he could. The girl jumped up from the pain and put her hand where Ethan had just pinched her. "There, you happy? You're not dreaming and you just broke your mother's heart."
Cassie was about to say something but the sudden movement she had made had upset her stomach even more. She tried to get up to go to the bathroom but her legs gave out on her and she couldn't move. Lucky the pregnant girls recognized the look on Cassie's face and summoned a pot for her to throw up in before she threw up on the floor.
Jake from his spot on the floor realized the girl he had seen before was up and ran to her before his parents could stop him. He pulled at her shirt causing Cassie to look at him when she was done being sick. "You okay?" Jake asked not realizing the situation.
Cassie recognized Jake from when she had gone back into his memories. Cassie was suddenly able to get to her leg, but she had to hold onto the couch to keep her up. "J-Jake?" Cassie mumbled and looked around again. "No this isn't possible." Cassie was talking more to herself than anyone else. "Almost everyone in this room is dead and he..." Cassie pointed at Jake "is a grumpy 20 year old ex-witch hunter." Richard and Sara looked at each other shocked to hear that news. "This isn't possible. Time travel isn't possible."
"Honey, anything is possible," Amelia said taking a step away from her mother and moving closer to Cassie. Cassie went to take a step away and Amelia froze.
"Maybe we should try and get John here," Sophie suggested thinking maybe the girl would react better to the past version of her father.
Cassie's hand that wasn't holding onto the couch curled into a fist. Suddenly things started to explode. "Blackwell is dead,' Cassie hissed the hatred she felt for her father since she found out about his plans clearly in her voice. "Diana and I killed him yesterday." As things continued to explode Amelia felt something weird happening with the baby. She put her hand to her stomach as this weird feeling overtook her.
"Amelia," a couple of people said at once. At the same time everyone went to check on Amelia, Cassie felt really weak. The time travel had been hard on her body and the use of magic hadn't made it any better. She fainted.
Jane seeing her future granddaughter falling used magic to hover the girl in the air. She didn't want to see her future granddaughter to get hurt. "Amelia, are you okay?" Jane asked worried about her daughter and the baby inside of her.
"Yeah, I just got this weird feeling. Like something was happening with the baby, but it went away."
"Sit down," Henry said leading the girl to the couch and then looking at her. "It's possible that little no name is reacting to big no name over there." Henry looked at the floating girl. "Everything should be fine though."
"She fainted," Amelia said looking at her future daughter. "I should..."
"Amelia, rest. I'll take care of..." Jane looked at the hovering girl for a second "big no name." Jane started up the stairs and used her magic to move her future granddaughter along.
"Mom," Jane turned around. "Put her in my bed. It would be easier and I think I have some pajamas that might fit her in my draws. She looks the same size I was before... Well her." Jane nodded and continued up the stairs.
Getting to Amelia's room Jane lowered her granddaughter onto the bed. Looking through the drawers Jane found an old pair of pajamas that looked like they would fit the girl. With little help from her magic Jane took her granddaughter out of her clothes and put on the pajamas. She folded what the girl had been wearing and put them on Amelia's desk. Then she went and put the covers over the girl and planted a kiss on the girl's forehead. Jane knew it was weird. She didn't even know what the girls name was, but she knew it was her granddaughter and Jane loved her family. Before leaving the room Jane turned around and looked at the girl. She did look just her mother and Jane found herself very happy about that.
Jane rejoined the group downstairs. All the pregnant girls were now sitting, probably after being forced by their boys or parents. Ethan was sitting on the edge of the couch close to Amelia. Jane shook her head when she saw that. Ethan had never gotten over Amelia and Jane still wondered how he ended up with Catherine. Catherine for her part was a good sport about her boyfriend's feelings to Amelia.
"So," Jane said looking around. "Any idea what we do Henry?" Henry was clearly the only person they had that knew anything about time travel.
"Well she clearly didn't come here on purpose so we have to wait for her to tell us how she came here. After we find that we might be able to reopen the portal she came through and send her back to her own time." Henry looked at his spell book again. "Although there is no real spell for this that I know of. We have just to hope we can reverse whatever she did." Everyone nodded their head understanding. "Also after she's gone we're going to have to erase our memories of her and everything she tells us about the future."
"What?" Sara said having the most problem with that statement at the moment. "Didn't you hear her? Most of us are dead and Jake somehow becomes a witch hunter. We can't let that happen."
"That's the thing if it's meant to happen it will happen and we can't change it. We'll just make it harder on ourselves and the kids. No one walks into death willingly. It's better if we don't know." You could see everyone had problem with that, but they shortly all agreed with Henry.
"Amelia, you heard her. You're dead. You don't even know how old she was when you died. You could be a complete stranger to her." Sara said still having a problem with that.
"Then I better make sure she has some good memories of me while she's here," Amelia stated earning a smile from her mother and some of the other elders. "Now I don't believe we can do anything else tonight. It's getting late and this house has way too many people in it." Some people laughed at Amelia's comment, but everyone slowly left the house. The pregnant girls and Sara promised to be over first thing tomorrow morning and the others just saying good bye. Shortly Amelia and Jane were the only ones left.
The two looked at each other not knowing what to say. "I don't know what her name is." Truthfully Amelia felt horrible about that.
"She's not even born yet," Jane stated pointing at Amelia' pregnant stomach.
"But she's here," Amelia said pointing up the stairs. "Did you see the way she reacted to me?" Tears almost started falling out of Amelia's eyes again.
"You got to realize how hard this must be for her. She clearly didn't mean to come to the past and she was looking at her dead mother. As soon as she gets used to it I'm sure she's going to want to be with you for as long as she can. The same way you want to be around her." Amelia smiled at her mom. "Now get to bed. You have school in the morning."
Amelia went up the stairs and into her room. She saw her daughter in the middle of the bed and smiled. The bed was big enough for the two of them. Slightly moving the girl over Amelia got herself settled next to her daughter. "You know we could just move her to a guest bedroom."
"No, we'll be fine," Amelia told her mother. "Good night." Amelia lay down on the bed and close her eyes. She felt her future daughter move and felt her head end up against Amelia's shoulder. Amelia smiled and put her arm around the girl. That was how she fell asleep to be woken up hours later when she heard something fall to the floor.
Amelia sat up and put on the lights to find her future daughter on the floor of the bedroom. Clearly having fallen off the bed. "Ow," the girl said rubbing her head and then looked at Amelia. "I guess it wasn't a dream." Amelia shook her head as Jane came running into the room.
"What happened? Is the baby okay?" Jane looked around at the scene.
"Not only the past, but the past while you'll pregnant with me." Cassie had just noticed the baby bump on her mother. "This is just really weird." Amelia couldn't help but agree with her future daughter. "How am I getting home?"
"We'll worry about that in the morning, sweetie," Jane said. Cassie nodded and went for the door. "Where are you going?"
"Bathroom," Cassie answered walking past her grandmother.
"Okay, sweetie," Jane said hoping if they called her sweetie enough times the girl might realize they don't know what her name was. It felt kind of weird just coming out and saying we have no idea. The two heard the bathroom door close and Jane shook her head. "You think we just call her sweetie in the future and that's why she's not getting the point?'
"Maybe you do," Amelia said remembering the words her daughter had spoken earlier. She was dead. Jane chose not to comment not knowing how to comfort her daughter. It was the truth. For all they knew Amelia died right after giving birth and Jane had raised her granddaughter.
Cassie came back into the room not too long later. "I can go to a guest room or something." She said.
"We'd have to get the sheets out and make the bed. It's easier for you to just stay with me. There is more than enough room." Amelia told her daughter.
"Are you sure? I don't want to accidentally hurt you or little me in my sleep."
"To bed, both of you." Jane ordered stopping anymore conversation. "Amelia has school in the morning and you should really be resting after traveling though time." Cassie looked at her grandmother. She was not used to anyone ordering her around anymore. True she had a father until yesterday or the day before, but after her grandmother had died she was basically on her own. Even before Jane had died Cassie was mainly on her own as Jane was in the hospital with memory problems. "Good night."
Cassie went into bed next to her mother and lay on her side facing away. She felt weird being with Amelia again after losing her mother all those months ago. She truthfully had mourned and accepted both of them moving on, but being in the past with them alive brought back the sadness. Amelia noticed the position, but chose not to say anything. This was weird for her and if it was weird for her she didn't know how weird it was for her future daughter.
It was a few hours later Amelia heard it. Moaning and crying coming from next to her. She looked over and found her daughter crying in her sleep. The sight broke Amelia's heart, but not knowing what to do about it. Even if she woke the girl up what were the chances that she would talk to Amelia. Besides Amelia also knew her mother was right. The girl needed to sleep, so Amelia put her head back down on her pillow and closed her eyes deciding to wait until morning to talk with her daughter. The crying kept Amelia up for about an hour more before it stopped and Amelia was able to get to sleep.
-next morning-
The sound of buzzing woke Amelia up and she shut off her alarm clock right away. She looked next to her to see her future daughter still asleep. She got out of the bed, took her clothes, and went into the bathroom to change.
When she went down stairs she found all her friends sitting at the kitchen table. Sara had Nick in her arms feeding him a bottle and little Jake was sitting on the floor playing with his toys. Amelia smiled at the boy. It got kind of annoying that he would always follow her around, but it was also kind of cute. Her mother was in her work clothes making breakfast. Amelia felt kind of sorry that her house had become the pregnant girls meeting place, but it just had somehow worked that way. Amelia then realized Dawn had the thing that was in her daughters pocket in her hands.
"What are you doing Dawn?" Amelia asked.
"Trying to figure out what it is, but so far no luck," Dawn told her flipping it in her hands. "What could something this small possibly do?"
Amelia rolled her eyes and then yawned. "You okay? Did you get enough sleep last night?" Sophie asked.
"I was up for a while. First my daughter fell off the bed and then afterwards she cried in her sleep for about an hour."
"What did you do?" Catherine asked.
"Nothing," Amelia said. "I didn't know what to do. I might be her mother, but I'm not really a mother yet." Amelia put her hand on her baby bump to show what she meant. "I don't know how to handle a teenager daughter." The girls had to giggle at that. Amelia took a seat next to her friends and poured herself a glass of orange juice as her mother gave her toast and eggs.
"Wish you had come to get me," Jane whispered to Amelia. Truthfully the thought hadn't cross her mind to get her mom when her future daughter had started to cry in her sleep. "Hey Sara, what are you doing today?" Jane asked the girl.
"Just watching the boys. Why?" Sara asked. She was a few years older than the other members of her circle. She had had Jake when she was a senior in high school and had never gone to college so she could take care of her family.
"You think you can change that to the boys and one girl?"
"Little ms. no name upstairs?" Sara asked and Jane nodded. "Sure, guess we can't have her running around in the past anyway. Any idea what her name is yet?" As soon as the word left Sara's mouth they heard someone coming down the stairs. Future girl appeared not too long later.
Cassie looked around. "Damn, still not a dream." She mumbled to herself even though everyone heard her. Cassie looked around and then saw Dawn with her phone. "Ms. Chamberlain, why do you have my phone?"
"Phone?" Dawn mouthed to the others, but Cassie didn't realize and didn't even think that cells do not exist in this time period.
"That thing is like my life," Cassie said magically taking it away from Dawn and getting it back into her hands. "It has all my contact information in it, apps, and everything. Not to mention this was a present from my grandmother before she died and it's an expensive phone. You know how much over time I would have to take at the Java Hut to replace this." Everyone had tuned out of what Cassie was saying after she said her grandmother had died. "What?" Cassie realized everyone was staring at her.
"I'm dead?" Jane asked. She had to agree with Amelia. It was hard hearing you were going to die sometime in the future, but she did realize one thing. If that phone had been a present from her maybe she had died not too long ago from her granddaughter's point of view. That was comforting at least.
"Maybe I shouldn't talk anymore." Cassie said realizing she had let both her mom and grandmother know that in her time they were both dead.
"It doesn't matter. After your gone we're going to erase our memories of you," Sara was still pretty bitter about that, but she realized everyone was right. "So I want to ask a question. Who in this room is not dead in your time?"
Cassie looked around. If they were really going to get rid of their memories after she was gone there was no point in not telling them. "Not including me or the babies you're carrying Ms. Chamberlain and Jake." Cassie answered.
Cassie then realized Jake had gotten up from his spot and seemed to be following Cassie around the room. That's a little weird, but Cassie chose to ignore it as she went to the refrigerator to see what was inside. "And Nick," Sara added holding up the baby so Cassie could see him. Cassie looked at the baby for a minute and then looked away back into the refrigerator. Her silence was all the answer Sara needed" No," Sara mumbled and then started crying. Hearing she was dead was one thing, but hearing her new born son was dead was entirely different. Not knowing what to do Amelia, who was the closest to Sara, hugged the girl until she stopped crying.
Cassie had closed the refrigerator not finding really anything in it and looked. "He has years left," she said not knowing if that would help. "He died protecting us." It was almost true, well the first time he died. He had tried to drown himself to kill the demon. There was no need to tell Sara about him dying twice. "He will grow up into the man I knew and he will be missed. Melissa nearly killed herself over his death."
"Melissa," Sophie said and put her hand on her stomach. For some reason Sophie just knew it was her child that was being talked about. She had thought of the name a few times.
"Oh yeah, your Melissa's mom aren't you?" Cassie then looked at Catherine. "And you're Adam's mom." Catherine smiled at the name. She had thought of naming her son Adam a couple of times and now she liked the name even more. Cassie took a seat and Jane put food in front of her. "You didn't have to."
"You're my granddaughter of course I did. Besides I'm feeding five pregnant girl's breakfast every morning one more girl is no trouble." Jane said and then went to eat her own breakfast.
"We'd eat at our houses before we come here, but your cooking is too good," Elizabeth said with a laugh.
As Cassie started to eat, Jake climbed onto her lap. Cassie looked down at him. "You pwetty,' Jake said and Cassie had to stop herself from choking on her food. "Jake." The boy said introducing himself even though he didn't have to.
"Well thank you little witch hunter," Cassie couldn't help but use the nickname. "I'm Cassie." She told the boy and everyone looked at her and then Amelia. Amelia smiled now that she knew her daughter's name, but she couldn't help but wonder where the name came from. The name Cassie had never crossed her mind before.
Cassie held up her phone and looked at Jake. "Say cheese." Cassie said and then snapped a picture. "You take a very good picture little man." Cassie then started taking pictures of everyone else at the table. She needed some proof for her circles that she was in the past when she got home.
"I thought you said that was a phone?" Dawn asked confused.
"It is," Cassie said and everyone looked at her. "All phones have cameras in them. Actually almost everything has a camera in it."
"Well this is interesting and everything, but you girls have to go to school and I have to go to work." Jane turned to look at Cassie. "Cathy, you will be staying with Sara today."
"Cassie," Cassie corrected and then looked around. "Did you guys not know what my name was?" No one answered her and then Cassie laughed. "So that was what was with all the sweetie stuff last night."
"Thanks for breakfast," The girls said as they started to walk out. Amelia stood up and then went to kiss Cassie on the top of the head. Cassie looked at her mother. "I'll see you after school." Amelia walked out of the house.
"I'll be coming home early and then everyone will meet to try and get you back to your own time." Jane told Cassie and she too kissed the girl. Jane left the house leaving Cassie alone with Sara and the boys. Jake for his part was still on Cassie's lap and was putting his head against Cassie's chest. Cassie continued to eat not knowing what to say.
"Can you tell me more?" Sara asked making Cassie look at her. "The future, not how I died. That would be too weird, but can you tell me about my kids. About the circle's kids. About your circle." Cassie didn't say anything thinking it over. Why did it matter anyway if Sara wasn't going to remember any of it? "I know I won't remember any of it, but I want to know." Cassie nodded and began to tell Sara about her circle.
-A few hours later at school-
Amelia was at school sitting in Mr. Conant's class talking to Elizabeth. The two were just minding their own business when a classmate came up. "If it isn't the two sluts," the girl whispered so Mr. Conant wouldn't hear. This classmate was always making fun of them because they had gotten pregnant and the girls had learned to ignore her. The girl continued to talk and Amelia will admit she was getting angry.
Then suddenly Amelia felt a surge of magic. She knew it wasn't her magic. It felt foreign, weird, and stronger than any magic she had ever had. Then she realized it came from the baby. The classmate who had been making fun of them was across the room. Everyone ran over to her besides Amelia and Elizabeth. "Why did you do that?" Elizabeth whispered
"It wasn't me," Amelia whispered back and put her hand on the baby. Mr. Conant sent the girl to the nurses' office and after class Amelia and Elizabeth hung back.
"What was that about?' Mr. Conant asked looking at them.
"I didn't do it," Both Amelia and Elizabeth said at the same time. Mr. Conant looked at them. "It wasn't me. It was the baby." Amelia finally told them making both look at her.
"Amelia, that's impossible," Elizabeth told her friend. "Babies can't use magic from inside the womb. Even Jake can't use magic yet. The earliest anyone has ever used their powers is, I believe, at the age of 9."
"I'm telling you what happened." Amelia defended herself. "I got angry and suddenly felt a surge of magic from inside me. From the baby. It wasn't my magic! It felt weird and stronger than any magic I've ever used before."
Mr. Conant listened to Amelia and then nodded. "You know we said little no name..." both Amelia and Elizabeth said Cassie "okay little Cassie was reacting to big Cassie. Well maybe that is true." The two girls looked at Mr. Conant confused. "The two are exactly the same person with exactly the same magical core. Even twins don't have the same magical core. Maybe Big Cassie's magical core somehow activated little Cassie's. Since Little Cassie can't control the magic herself it's reacting to you instead Amelia."
"Will it hurt my child?" Amelia asked worried.
"I don't know," Mr. Conant answered truthfully. "This has never happened before to my knowledge. I would avoid any used of magic even your own and try not to get angry." Amelia looked at Mr. Conant. "Anger is clearly a trigger for your daughter's magic. Just stay calm and hopefully this will go away when we get Big Cassie home."
"What if my use of her magic has already done damage to my baby?' Amelia was crying now.
"Amelia, clam down," Elizabeth told her friend.
"Would it make you feel better if we called Sara?' Mr. Conant asked.
"How would that help?"
"Big Cassie is with her right?" Amelia nodded. "If anything bad happened to little Cassie that damaged her that didn't happen to big Cassie we would see the difference in big Cassie. So do you want to call?" Amelia nodded and Mr. Conant led Amelia to the office. There he talked to the person behind the desk who looked at Amelia and then nodded. "Call your house." Amelia dialed her number.
-At the Blake house-
Cassie had been going into detail with Sara about the members of her circle. Which parents had died when they were kids and who ended up raising them. Cassie even told Sara stories about each of them, including when Jake had traded himself to the witch hunters for her. Sara realized there was very little mentioned about their childhood or about Cassie's own childhood, but at the moment Sara didn't care. She was getting an idea, but she had to talk it over with some other members of her circle first.
Right then the phone rang. Sara got up to answer it and Cassie sat on the floor to play with Jake, but seemed as though she was nervous with being around him. Sara laughed getting the feeling Cassie wasn't around kids that much. "Blake resident," Sara answered and was surprised to hear Amelia's voice at the other end.
"Is everything okay with Cassie?" Amelia asked.
"Yeah, she's fine. Why?"
"Something weird happened with the baby."
"Honey, I've been pregnant twice. Not everything weird that happens is cause for concern."
"Did either Jake or Nick use magic from the womb?' Amelia whispered so on one in the office could hear.
"Okay, that is weird." Sara looked over at Cassie. She had somehow ended up lying on the floor with Jake on top of her. "She's fine though. I'll keep a watch. You go back to class."
"Thank," Amelia said and then hung up the phone.
Sara walked back into the living room. "Who was that?" Cassie asked getting Jake off of her. Jake gave her sad eyes and tried to get back on her, but Cassie hovered him in midair. "Don't think so. You don't have your witch hunter skills yet little man." Sara laughed.
"It was..." Sara paused for a minute. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to tell Cassie that something weird happened to little her. "No one important. So tell me, how exactly did Jake become a witch hunter again?" Cassie continued explaining things to Sarah until everyone started to come in. First it was Sara's circle that arrived, followed by Jane, and then the rest of the Elders. Henry Chamberlain arrived last.
"Okay, to get you home we first have to know how you got here." Henry told Cassie and then took a crystal out of his pocket. Cassie was staring at the crystal shocked. Of course she knew it was the past and they hadn't been destroyed, but she still never expected to see them again. "Do you know what this is?" Cassie nodded unable to speak. "I casted a spell on it so all you have to do is think about what happened and this will show us every single detail as though it were happening again."
Henry held the crystal out to Cassie. Cassie put her right hand out, but it was shaking. Would the crystal somehow know she would destroy it in the future? Amelia realized something was wrong with her daughter. "Are you okay?" Cassie didn't even look at her. "Cassie, are you okay?" Cassie nodded even though she wasn't.
"Okay, the minute I place this is your hand think about your last moments before arriving in the past." Henry told her and then placed the crystal in Cassie's hand. Cassie cleared her mind and closed her eyes. Then she remembered what happened in detail.
The fight replayed in the living room. Cassie tried to tune it out, but she heard it. They were all being so mean to each other and using magic against each other. "Is that what I think it is?" Cassie heard someone whisper to someone else. She wasn't too sure who said it, but she heard the answer. "If you think it's the crystal skull then yes."
"Wait stop,' Kate Meade yelled and Cassie opened her eyes. The room was frozen how it was in her memory. She saw her circle standing there. She almost expected Faye to make some strange comment, but they weren't real. The white light had just started appearing on the floor when Cassie had stopped. "Is anyone else seeing what I'm seeing?"
One by one the rest of the elders nodded and said "I see it." None of her parents' generation saw it though and all Cassie saw was her circle. "You created a pentagram." Kate explained and went to get closer to Cassie. She put a hand on Cassie's shoulder, but Cassie jumped back remembering the last time she saw Diana's grandmother. True it hadn't technically happened yet, but the feeling of trust she had felt only to be betrayed and then buried alive. It was the worst feeling in the world.
Cassie saw red as her anger consumed her. Suddenly she was choking Kate Meade the same way she had done to Adam. "What the hell?" Someone yelled and Charles went to tackle Cassie, but Amelia stopped him.
"Cassie," Amelia said taking holding of her daughter. Cassie stopped what she was doing releasing Kate. "What was that about?"
"Lost control." Was all Cassie said and took a couple of deep breaths. She couldn't kill someone, especially for something that hadn't happened yet.
"That happen a lot?" Charles asked starting to not like this girl. "First yesterday exploding things and now nearly killing my mother."
"It's her fault." Cassie screamed. 'She released the dark magic inside me when she buried me alive.' Everyone looked at Cassie and then at Kate. Kate for her part decided maybe being in the same room with a girl she would try to kill in the future wasn't a good idea. She went into the kitchen.
"Wait hold on for a second." Jane said. "Dark magic was mentioned a lot in that memory. If it's involved on how you got here we need to know exactly what type of dark magic."
Everyone looked at Cassie. "Balcoin," She said causing everyone to stare at her. "You know the dark magic that John Blackwell passed down to both me and Diana."
"John's a Balcoin?" Amelia asked shocked. She knew John was powerful and not everything he did was good and that the circle had started practicing a little more of the dark arts since he joined them, but she had no idea he came from the Balcoin line.
Cassie was confused for a minute. "You didn't know?" She had no idea how they didn't know. She had always gotten the feeling that they always knew.
Charles then realized something. "Wait if Blackwell passed the dark magic to Diana that would mean that Blackwell is her father." Charles turned around to look at Elizabeth who looked down guilty. "That man is the father of our child!"
"It was one night." Elizabeth defended. "And I'm not sorry for it. He gave us a precious gift." Cassie rolled her eyes remembering Elizabeth saying something similar to Amelia when she and Diana saw the memory imprint.
"You need a new line," Cassie mumbled causing everyone to look at her. Cassie not knowing what to say just stated "You know if you're going to erase all memory of me there is no point in fighting over Diana being my sister."
Henry took the crystal from Cassie and then made a moment with his hand for the other elders to follow him into the kitchen. The elders all looked at each other. "You have no idea how to get Cassie home do you?" Jane asked her friend.
"No, this was a pure accident. The creation of the pentagram, the kids' magic, and the crystal skull all played a role in sending Cassie here." Henry told the group. "My best guess would be to recreate the events that brought Cassie here hoping it will reopen the portal Cassie went through and bring her back, but that's impossible to do."
"Why?" Kate asked.
"We don't have the crystal skull and we're not creating it for this. Also we would need the same people to be in the same position they were in and half the people who create the pentagram aren't alive yet."
It took a minute or anyone to speak and then Jane realized something. "Yes they are." Everyone looked at Jane. "They're alive they're just not born yet. We place the pregnant girls on the spot where their future children would later stand and Sara hold Jake at his spot. Then the rest of us can help bring the magic level in the room up."
"What about the skull?" Royce asked not wanting that thing to be formed.
"We could use all six crystals," Melissa's grandmother stated. "We put Cassie in the middle of the room with the six crystals around her. Hopefully they will make up for the skull."
"It could work and we do have to at least try and get that girl home." James Conant said and everyone looked at Henry. He thought over the plan.
"Okay, we'll give it a try, but we do this tomorrow night." Everyone looked at each other confused and then back at Henry. "I need a day to make the potion that will take away our memories of Cassie and we really do need that potion."
Everyone nodded their agreements and went back into the living room. Cassie and Amelia were sitting on the couch and seemed to be talking to each other, which made Jane smile. Sara had gotten a group together which included Richard, Elizabeth, Sophie, Catherine, and Thomas and were whispering to each other on the other side of the room. The other was just hanging around waiting for what they were going to do.
"Here's what we're going to do," Henry stated. "Tomorrow we're going to recreate the events that led Cassie here. Until then you can do whatever you want, but Cassie." Cassie looked at him. "I'm going to need your blood for the potion that will erase our memories of you."
Cassie nodded and followed Henry into the kitchen. Jane sat down next to her daughter. "What were you two talking about?"
"Just her friends. She seems to love them very much." Amelia said and smiled. "She would do anything for them even lose herself in dark magic just to protect them. Is it strange that it makes me proud that she would do that."
"Not at all," Jane said. "You create a good person, dark magic and all."
Henry and Cassie walked back into the living room. "I'm leaving," Henry told Jane and the other elders followed him out. The members of Amelia's circle not involved in Sara's little group left too. The others looked around.
"I'm afraid to ask but are you staying for dinner?' Jane asked the group.
"No," Sara answered. "We just made plans. See you three tomorrow." Sara took Jake's hand and Richard picked up Nick and the group left together.
Cassie watched them leave. "That's weird. They're all going to die in the boatyard fire in a few months and they're all leaving together." Cassie was talking more to herself, but Amelia and Jane were listening. Amelia had to know even though she knew she would forget, so she asked.
"How did I die?" Cassie looked at her mother.
"In a fire." Cassie didn't think to tell her mother when and her mother didn't think to ask when. She just assumed it was the same fire that killed her friends. Amelia refused to cry though and just nodded.
Jane got up. "I'm going to go make dinner and then the three of us can spend the night and all day tomorrow together."
"Don't you have school?" Cassie asked her mother.
"Tomorrow is Saturday," Amelia answered as Cassie took her seat and Jane left the room. They sat in silence together for a while before Amelia asked "so how did you escape when Kate Meade tried to bury you alive?"
Cassie laughed. "Well she almost had me, but after my dark magic activated I was safe. Spell and potions just don't seem to work that well on me anymore. Too much powerful Balcoin magic in me." Amelia gave Cassie a look, so Cassie explained what happened during the Fire and Ice dance with Faye. Amelia smiled when she heard that Cassie ran into a burning building to save Melissa. At least Amelia knew for now that she was going to have a daughter she could be proud of.
Cassie spent the next day with her grandmother and mom truly happy to be with them again. She knew it would hurt as soon as she got back to her own time and they were gone again. She would have to mourn them again, but she was happy to have one last day with them. A day she knew was their last day. They spent it actually playing board games, talking, and laughing. It all ended too soon as the elders and Amelia's circle started to show up.
"Before we start. Group picture?" Cassie asked holding up her cell phone.
"That's a camera?" Thomas asked.
"No, a phone," Dawn said. 'Don't ask." The group got together and let Cassie take a picture of them. Cassie smiled looking at it and then put her phone in her pocket to make sure it would come back with her.
"We actually need you to do something for us Cassie." Sara said and handed her an envelope. "It's a letter to Jake from both Richard and me. Could you deliver it?" Cassie nodded and then Elizabeth stepped up.
"You told Sara which one of us wouldn't be able to get to see their kids grow up. We all wrote them something. I hope you'll give this to Diana." Cassie took the note and nodded. Then Sophie, Catherine, and Thomas handed Cassie their letter. Cassie put them in her pocket and then looked at her mom and grandma.
"I guess I finally get to say goodbye to you two." Cassie hugged her grandmother first and then her mother. "I'll miss you."
"We'll be seeing you in a few months," Jane told Cassie,
Cassie smiled. "I'll never get to see you again, so goodbye."
"Cassie," Amelia said and Cassie turned around. "I want to say from the stories you've told me I'm proud of you. You're everything I could hope for in a daughter and I really wish I got to remember you."
Tears came to Cassie's eyes. "It's okay. I get to remember this." Cassie hugged Amelia again. "But it's time for me to get back to my circle. They're my family too, some literally." Cassie heard Charles make a noise at that and Cassie realized how good of a thing it was that he would not remember Diana wasn't his daughter. He wasn't ready to find that out yet "What do I do?"
"You were standing right here in your memory. You have to stand here again." Cassie nodded and walked over to the spot. Then each elder took their crystal out of their pockets and had them form a circle around Cassie. "Okay now Elizabeth, Catherine, Dawn, and Sophie we need you to stand in the positions your future children were in."
"Why?" Dawn asked and Henry gave her a look, but answered.
"Because it was your children who made the pentagram it needs to be them that make it again. It might not work any other way."
"Something tells me this is why you said to bring Jake," Sara said.
"Yes, you're going to have to hold him in his spot. If he gets scared and runs it could ruin everything." Henry told Sara and then helped all the girls get into their spots. "Cassie is this right? It is your memory."
"Let me see." Cassie looked around. "Yeah looks right to me."
"Good, now everyone else stay outside the pentagram. Get behind one of the girls or to an adjoining room. No one, but Cassie can be inside the pentagram." Everyone followed Henry's orders not wanting to mess this up. "Okay, now the magic level in this room has got to go up so everyone focus and bring out your magic. The crystals should be able to do the same thing the skull did and absorb the magic in the room and hopefully open up the same portal that Cassie came through."
Everyone followed what Henry told them to do and started to bring their magic out. You could feel the magic in the room even though no one used any. Then the six crystals started to glow and the white lights appeared making the pentagram on the floor again. The lights got so bright that everyone had to cover their eyes. When the lights were gone Cassie was gone too.
"Did she get home?" Amelia asked worried about her daughter as each elder went to go get their crystals.
"We can only hope she did," Jane answered. "Well for the next few minutes until we all drink the potions on the kitchen table."
Henry started passing out the potions. "Jake first," Henry told Sara who nodded and tricked Jake into drinking the bit of potion he had to drink. Truthfully it was barely a mouthful each. "Now all together."
Everyone put the potion to their lips. As Amelia drank the potion she felt a surge of power come from little Cassie. She put her hand on her stomach and looked down. It was probably just an after effect of big Cassie leaving. "You okay, Amelia?" Elizabeth asked looking at her friend.
"Yeah, just Cassie is doing that thing again," Amelia said not even thinking about.
Elizabeth looked at the others. "Who's Cassie?"
Amelia's head shot up confused. "Cassie's my daughter."
"When did you choose a name?" Elizabeth asked and then looked at the other pregnant girls in the room. "You didn't tell us. I don't even remember Cassie ever being mentioned."
"Well one down four more to go," James said and looked at Catherine. "I want to know what my grandsons name is."
"Anyone have any idea what we're all doing here?" Charles finally asked looking around. 'This is not normal for all of us to be in the same place at the same time like this for no reason." Everyone nodded and started to leave.
"We'll be back in the morning and then you have to tell us all about picking the name Cassie," Sophie told Amelia as she too left followed by the others leaving Jane and Amelia alone.
"Mom, what's going on? How do they not remember Cassie?"
"Truthfully, I don't remember you mentioning the name Cassie to me either." Jane told her daughter, but then smiled. "I love the name though. Good choice."
Jane walked away leaving a confused Amelia behind. How did they not remember Cassie? Amelia kept on thinking and then realized something. The right question was how did she remember Cassie? The potion should have taken away all her memories. Amelia sat down not understanding and then remembered something Cassie said. "Spells and potions don't work well on her," Amelia mumbled to herself and then remembered the power she felt from little Cassie. Her daughter had protected her from the effects of the potion. She got to remember Cassie.
-Months later after the Boatyard fire-
Amelia cried in her room as she packed her bags. She had known it was coming up. She had even tried to stop it. She had separated herself from John Blackwell. She had tried to get him away from the rest of the circle, but he had brought them down a dangerous road. Amelia knew it was her fault for bringing John to the circle in the first place, but she couldn't stop it. She had tried to warn Elizabeth. Get her not to go because she knew how much Diana meant to Cassie, but Elizabeth wouldn't listen. She thought by telling Elizabeth she knew John was Diana's father might get her to listen, but it hadn't worked and one of her best friends walked away angry at her.
She tried to stop the fire, but things got out of hand. The fire, the witch hunters, and the demons... It was just too much. Demons! What Amelia had to do to her friend was unthinkable but there had been no other way. Now Amelia was stripped of all her power. She wasn't a witch anymore and she wasn't going to be in Chance Harbor anymore. Amelia had managed to change one thing because she had survived the boatyard fire. She survived her death.
Placing the note she wrote in her family spell book she closed it for the last time. She didn't even want to leave the note, but decided it was best. Just in case. She put the spell book in her hiding place hoping Cassie would never see it and then she took her sleeping daughter out of her crib. Taking her bag she started down the stairs.
"Were you going to leave without saying goodbye?" Jane asked waiting at the door.
"I've got to go mom. I've got to get Cassie out of here. I've got to get out of here." Jane kissed her daughter and then her granddaughter. "I'll call you when I get to where I'm going." Amelia left the house for the last time and was never going to walk back into that house.
She got in her car thinking she could run from destiny. She really thought she could avoid the future she had looked at for a while all those months ago when future Cassie visited. It wasn't until years later when Amelia was on fire. Through all the pain she felt as the fire consumed her she realized she never escaped destiny. This had been the fire Cassie was talking about when she said she died in a fire; not the boatyard fire. Destiny is hard to run from.
AN: okay this chapter got insanely long. I could have probably split it up into more than one chapter, but I didn't feel like it. Okay last chapter will be a conclusion about Cassie returning to the circle. REVIEW. Oh and remember about The Secret Circle Project. Go read and review that.