Chapter 2

Fiona hadn't really known what she expected to achieve with her announcement. While she knew her grandmother was more open to the paranormal than her mother was, Fi also knew that Kathleen had only experienced it through Great-Grandma Fiona. Throughout Fiona's childhood, there had been many stories of her great-grandmother practicing witchcraft and even belonging to a coven But once Kathleen came to America, she put that all behind her.

Would her grandmother even be able to answer any of her questions? Maybe not. But she had known that the creature Fiona encountered during her last visit was a banshee. It gave Fi hope that Grandma Kathleen would at least have some answers.

Besides, she couldn't let her mother just blatantly lie to her grandmother like that. If she had her suspicions, then Grandma Kathleen deserved to know the truth.

When Molly lifted her head to give her daughter an intense glare, Fi had to admit she questioned whether her interruption had been the brightest idea. At this point, though, she had to continue. Kathleen had remained quiet, but she seemed to be contemplative, as if she was trying to understand what her granddaughter had just said.

"I'm sorry, Grandma, I know this is a shock," Fiona began. Her nerves caused her voice to shake slightly. "But I wanted to ask you about it because I need to know everything I can about the demon. I feel...I know it isn't going to stop its attacks. And I'm worried that eventually there will be a time when Daddy just can't save me."

Overwhelmed, Molly demanded, "You can't do this, Fiona! Y-you can't just come in here with that story and expect your grandmother to believe you! It's too much!"

"Fiona...your father. He pulled you up, didn't he?"

Kathleen's quiet statement managed to shock her daughter into silence.

However, Fiona was trying to hold in her excitement. Her grandmother believed her! She finally had someone to talk to about this! "Yeah, he did," Fiona replied with forced calm. Even though she already knew, she had to ask, "How did you know that, Grandma?"

"I saw it, love. You are probably aware of this already, but all O'Sianhan women are blessed with the gift of sight. Almost all of us have premonitions," she answered, with a meaningful glance at Molly.

While she was amazed that a long-time suspicion of hers had finally been confirmed, Fiona had come up with even more questions for her grandmother. "I don't get it," she admitted. "You always told us that was just a rumor about our family."

After another quick look at her daughter, Kathleen replied, "I felt it was best since I knew your mother's opinion of the topic. Not that you should blame her, love. It's a hard thing to accept, especially when she's struggled with it her whole life."

"Ma!" Molly exclaimed. "How could you tell her that when..."

Kathleen shook her head. "Molly, you need to open your eyes and see what's happening! You can't keep it from her anymore! She needs to know for her own safety!"

"I can't deal with this right now," Molly retorted, then stormed out of the kitchen.

Amazed at all this information, Fiona could only watch her mother leave the kitchen. This was not the moment to try to convince her mother to believe in the paranormal. This was when she made her move and asked her grandmother about...everything. When her mother was gone, Fi numbly sat down at the kitchen table.

Although upset by her daughter's behavior, Kathleen put it aside for the time being and sat down across from Fiona. "Are you alright, love?"

"So...we are witches?" Fiona managed to ask.

Her grandmother nodded. "If you mean you and me, then...technically, we're not trained, but yes. My mother, and countless other O'Sianhans, were trained witches who could do some powerful magic. I've no doubt you could achieve that level if you practiced, but it's probably too late for me. Besides, I'd be afraid for your grandfather's heart if he saw me casting spells one day."

Fiona chuckled, but quickly went back to the seriousness of the conversation topic. "Grandma, I did cast a spell once, so I know I have some kind of ability. But how come I don't have premonitions...like you and Mom do?"

"Your mother told you she has premonitions?" Kathleen asked in surprise.

"Well, not exactly. She said that she has 'feelings' sometimes," Fiona explained. "But I'm pretty sure she gets premonitions too, especially after what you told me. Does she?"

Kathleen hesitated. "I...I don't believe it's my place to say, love, I'm sorry. But as for you, Fiona, I think your gift has manifested itself in a very special way. You do not have the gift of foresight, but I can sense it from the many stories you tell me about your encounters with the paranormal. You have the ability to see into their world."

"Whoa" Fi whispered. She had always believed that she inherited her obsession with the supernatural from her father. But to learn that it had come from her mother's side as well...her unusual hobby didn't seem so unusual anymore. It was practically her destiny.

Then she got an idea. "Wait, do you think my ability developed this way because of my dad?"

"Maybe. I don't know," Kathleen admitted. "It would certainly make sense, wouldn't it?"

Fiona lied back on the chair and sighed. "Grandma...what do I do about this demon? Did Grandma Fiona ever have to fight one?"

After about a minute of consideration, Kathleen replied, "I don't know about my mother. I know she wouldn't have told me something like that, wouldn't have wanted me to worry. But when I was a girl she used to tell me stories about brave O'Sianhan witches battling evil."

"How did they do it? How did they fight the demon?" Fiona asked eagerly. This was exactly the kind of information she had been hoping to get.

"Spells, of course," Kathleen answered with a nostalgic smile as she remembered the story. "They would spend weeks preparing spells and potions, so they would be ready the next time the demon attacked. They had to wait, you see, as it is almost impossible to track one down."

Her arms crossed, Fiona thought of her own spell book. "I can do spells. I don't know the first thing about potions, though."

Again, Kathleen paused in thought. "There's a bunch of my mother's stuff in the closet in the spare bedroom upstairs. We could look through it later."

"That would be amazing!" Fiona replied. The thought of getting to know her great-grandmother, who she was named after, a little better excited her. She was sure along with the spells and potion recipes, there would be plenty of personal letters and such. Who knew what she'd find? Of course, the spells and potion recipes would definitely be useful.

Kathleen smiled, happy about Fi's enthusiasm. "I must say, it is nice to have someone to talk about my mother with who won't dismiss her as a crazy old woman. When your mother was younger, I used to try to tell her stories like my mother did for me, but..."

"Yeah, I can't imagine my mother enjoying stories about witches and demons," Fiona joked, which made them both laugh softly. But then she remembered how her mother had been so upset before. "Hey, you think Mom's okay?"

"You know your mother," Kathleen said as she got up from the table. "She'll sulk about it for a while, but come dinner time she'll pretend like nothing happened."

"Unfortunately, you're right about that," Fi said with a sigh. Then she also got out of her seat and began to help her grandmother make dinner.

After the fight, Molly sat on the twin bed in her old room, her feet on the blanket and her knees brought up close to her upper body. Up until the kids were born, it had contained the full-sized bed she'd used during her teen years, before she left at eighteen to pursue her music career. However, once Fi was old enough to want her own bed, Kathleen had put in the twin beds since there were only two rooms besides the master. Jack had pretty much taken over the other spare room, even left some books and clothes for their semi-yearly visits.

She hated staying in her old room. It brought up memories, most of which weren't good ones. She had urged her parents to redecorate years ago, but the familiar feelings of teenage angst were still there.

"Get a hold of yourself," she whispered with a quick glance at the digital clock on the wooden nightstand. Dinner would be ready in about five minutes, and she could not go back downstairs an emotional mess.

But how could she just forget about what happened? Ever since New York, Fiona was constantly pestering her, insisting that she believe in the supernatural. Part of the reason she wanted to go to her parents' house for a week was that it would make Fiona put the subject away for a while, and they could all focus on something else. Anything else.

Then her mother surprised her with talk of witchcraft, and Molly's heart sank. She thought she was safe since her mother usually agreed not to tell Fiona about that. But apparently nothing would be held back now. Instead of her intention to give her daughter a break from the paranormal, this trip would only bring Fiona's obsession to a new level.

She couldn't stop reliving the conversation that had taken place maybe an hour ago. Demons...witches...premonitions. The way her mother had looked at her when she told Fiona about their family history with foresight. It was all way too much at once. Add that to her recurring mental image of Fiona falling off that building, and she was on the fast track to a nervous breakdown.

It can't be real, Molly thought stubbornly. Most everyone in the world went their whole lives never encountering anything strange. Why couldn't she ever have a normal life? Between her own so-called "witch family" and Rick's dealings with the paranormal, there were many times she thought she should finally just...give in and accept it. But there was this intense, primal instinct that prevented her every time, told her that once she did, her or her children's lives would never resemble anything normal. Because really, how could she consider herself a witch and not feel like a complete...well...crazy person? There was simply no way to believe in both the paranormal and her sanity at the same time.

And she'd told the truth when she said she'd seen some scary things during Rick's investigations. The only way she could ever feel safe was to believe they weren't real.

However, she knew the longer she dug her heels in, the longer her relationship with Fiona would suffer. Maybe it was worth it to lose a piece of her sanity to be close to her daughter again. Their argument at home yesterday had hit a nerve. You're my mom. You're supposed to make me feel better.

Fi had been right. Molly knew she wasn't being a good mom by never listening to what her daughter was saying. At first she had done it because she felt she was protecting Fi by trying to get her to give up a dangerous obsession. But at this point, Molly was realizing that she had the choice of either accepting what was going on, or never having a stable relationship with her daughter.

And, real or not, Fiona was honestly terrified by something she believed was out to kill her. It was Molly's job to make her feel safe.

So what's it going to be, Molly thought. My daughter, or my sanity?

She put her head on her knees, filled with dread. Her sanity's chances weren't looking too good.

"Mom? Are you okay?"

Startled, Molly looked up to find her son standing in her doorway. "I'm fine, baby," Molly lied. She ran her fingers through her hair and straightened out her long skirt as she stood up. "Dinner's ready?"

"Yeah, Grandma said to come get you," Jack answered, a look of concern still on his face. "You don't look okay. Mom, I'm going to college soon. You don't have to pretend everything's great all the time."

Molly had to smile at that. That was her son, the protector. "I guess you're right. To tell you the truth, I had a fight with your grandmother and Fi earlier, and I'm not feeling too well right now."

After a second of thinking, Jack threw up his hands. "Fi told Grandma about New York, didn't she? Why can't she just drop something for once?"

"Jack, give your sister a break," Molly said as she crossed the room to him. "Like you, she's really shaken up right now. And while you and I like to trick ourselves into thinking whatever it was never happened, Fi only digs into it deeper. She'll calm down about it over time." I hope, Molly thought. But she had a feeling that her comforting words were only that.

However empty, her assurances had their effect. "Yeah, I guess," Jack muttered. "It's just, this vacation would've gone a whole lot better if Fi just kept her big mouth shut."

"Hey, be nice, you," Molly replied, but gave her son a quick hug anyway. "So, how did your game go with Grandpa?"

Relieved by the change of subject, Jack gave her a smug smile. "Easy victory. I creamed him."

"Jack! He's your grandfather!" Molly chided only half-seriously.

"Which means he's a wise, old man who should be able to take a loss," Jack replied as they headed into the hallway. "I'm not going to let him win, and I think he'd be insulted if I did."

He has a point, Molly thought with a chuckle. "Alright. But just, at least pretend to be a little modest," she joked. She paused when she saw Fi still in the kitchen. "Hey, uh, you go ahead. Tell your grandparents I'll be there in a minute."

Jack saw that she intended to have a make-up talk with Fi, and shrugged. "Good luck," he told her while he ran off to the dining room.

Slightly nervous, Molly went to the kitchen and leaned on the doorway. Her daughter had been about to pick up a bowl of mashed potatoes on the counter to bring them into the dining room. However, Fi forgot about the bowl the instant she spotted Molly in the doorway. "Hi," she greeted, her tone wary. Clearly she was trying to sense how her mother was feeling.

"Hey, baby," Molly replied, then went to give her daughter a hug. "I'm sorry I freaked out before. This is all just...really hard for me. You know that."

Relieved, Fi hugged back. "I do know," she said as they broke away. "And...and I'm sorry I don't really let up on it. But since Grandma does believe me, I'll try to just talk to her about this stuff. Of course, I still want you to..."

"I get it. And maybe, one day, I'll be there for you like I should," Molly replied. She hadn't known she was going to admit that until she said it, and she somewhat regretted it. She hadn't meant to give Fi false hope. "Maybe. But not right now."

Fi nodded in understanding, picked up the bowl of mashed potatoes, and the two made their way to the dining room.

"Where is it..." Fi said to herself as she rummaged through her suitcase on her bed. Her family was already downstairs eating breakfast, and she didn't want to be much later. Her grandfather made the best scrambled eggs, which would be cold by the time she got there.

Well, maybe not if she found her hairbrush within the next five seconds. She could've sworn she put in the front pocket so she knew where would be.

In the process of pulling out every article of clothing she brought with her, Fi ended up hitting a solid item. Curious, she pushed aside some pajamas to find her magic book. While packing for the this trip, she'd spotted it on her closet shelf and on instinct decided to bring it. If she was going to her grandparents' house in search of answers, she'd figured that she might end up showing it to Grandma Kathleen. After all, her grandmother still didn't know she had it.

Fi had thought about asking her grandmother about it during her last trip there, but there was never a right time. That, and she had left it at home. Since her father had to get it from somewhere, she was suspecting that that "somewhere" was from Grandma Fiona. Even if Grandma Kathleen didn't know anything about it, she may recognize it, which would confirm Fi's suspicions.

Her hairbrush temporarily forgotten, Fi pulled the book from her suitcase and sat down on the bed to flip through it. When she first got it from her aunt Melinda, she had thought that all of the spells were written in Gaelic. But after some closer inspection, she found that many were written in old English, presumably translations of spells on the other side of the page.

To be honest, she hadn't read another spell from it. Summoning that dragon had scared her. Who knew what the next spell would do? While it was true that she usually didn't shy away from the paranormal, this was just...different. This was real magic that she was using. It was one thing to find other supernatural beings. But realizing that she could be one herself had been overwhelming. Since she always seemed to encounter enough weird stuff to keep her busy, she never tried to practice the ability she'd discovered during that visit.

So she'd avoided magic because it had scared her once. Hah, maybe there was more of her mother in her than she'd thought.

Now she didn't have a choice. If she wanted to be able to defend herself against the next demon attack, she had to develop her gift. Of course she trusted that her father would be there to protect her, but she wanted to help him do it. Besides, after what the demon did to her in New York, she wanted to be able to inflict some damage herself. As she scanned the various spells in the book, she saw some with headings that included the words "battle" and "pain," which looked like she would be able to use in such a situation.

Fi promised herself she would show the book to her grandmother later while she closed it and put it in her nightstand drawer. She would have left it on the bed as a reminder, but she thought of how she was sharing this room with her mother, who would undoubtedly freak out if she walked in and saw it.

Just then she remembered breakfast, and her hairbrush. After another two minutes of searching through her bag with no luck, she ran to the bathroom next door on a hunch. Sure enough, her hairbrush was on the counter near the sink. Annoyed that her mother had clearly borrowed it without putting it back where Fi would find it, she ran the brush through her hair quickly and headed downstairs.

"'Morning, everyone!" Fi greeted as she entered the kitchen, where the rest of her family was sitting at the table finishing up their breakfast. "Any food left for me?"

Kathleen got up from her seat and went to the stove. "I made sure to save you some, love. You sit down and I'll make you a plate." Before Fi could object that she could get her own food, Kathleen added, "I'm happy to do it. I was done eating a half hour ago anyway."

"Thanks, Grandma," she replied as she took a seat next to her mother and across from her brother and grandfather. She then noticed that her grandfather had also been done with his meal and was by then reading the local newspaper.

Jack gave her a nod of acknowledgment. "'Morning, sleepy head."

"I was up! I just couldn't find my hairbrush," Fi replied, with a sidelong glance at her mother.

Embarrassed, Molly gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry, baby. I couldn't find mine and saw the outline of yours in the suitcase's front pocket. Meant to tell you I borrowed it but you were still sleeping."

"It's alright," Fi replied as her grandmother put a plate of food in front of Fi and sat next to her. As Fi began to eat, she asked, "So what are we doing today?"

As he looked over his paper, Colin replied, "We're all going to the flea market not too far from here. My friend says he has some pool sticks he's selling, and I want to buy one for Jack. That way he won't be able to complain about using the old ones downstairs when I beat him."

Molly smirked, and Fi remembered last night when her mother told her that Jack had easily beat Grandpa the night before. "Sure, Da," Molly replied. "But that's still nice of you to buy one for him."

"I already offered to pay for it myself, but he said no," Jack assured her.

Colin nodded. "That's right. It's a grandfather's duty to spoil his grandson when he visits. And his granddaughter, if she should find something she wants."

"Hey, who am I to argue with family duty?" Fi joked. She was happy to be going shopping, but at the same time, she would have to wait until later to ask her grandmother about the spell book.