A/N: Cotton Mather did exist, and was involved with the Salem Witch Trials, however I completely made Isaac and his brood up.

7. Enemy Mine

Caleb sneered. "Jacob's family goes back about as far as ours does, but they started in Salem. His ancestor Cotton Mather was a huge influence in the trials. He was a Puritan minister and was the first to condone the use of so-called 'spectral evidence' in beginning investigations into different people who'd been accused. It wasn't Cotton Mather who caused the most problems though. It was his brother, Isaac, and Isaac's sons. Even after the trials were finished Isaac and his children continued to seek out, persecute, and punish those they suspected of witchcraft." Caleb got up and went to get another soda. "One of Isaac's sons, Hampton Mather, made his way to Ipswich and began the Mather legacy here. Ever since then they've been a thorn in our side. Just as I'm sure they say the same about us."

"Witchhunters?" Sheridan murmured with a horror filled voice. "In today's day and age there are witchhunters?"

"Well, so far Jacob really hasn't messed with us too much, other than the occasional rumor, or we find out that he's asked our friends weird questions…All I know is that if he is following in his family's footsteps it can only lead to bad."

"Is he the only one?" Lilith asked.

"Dude's got two older brothers." Reid told her. "They're both as big of dipshits as he is."

"No one's ever believed the rumors?" Meredith asked Caleb, ignoring the arrogant blonde boy for the moment.

Caleb shrugged. "There are people who think we're different, but most people just attribute it to our wealth. Most people don't accept magic as a reason for difference."

She nodded. "That's true. We've never been questioned about that kind of stuff. Not that we're not gossiped about." She smiled wryly, "Unfortunately our family is so dysfunctional they could write several books on us….without including magic." Meredith sighed. "So, tell me, is this going to be a problem? Is he the type of guy who'll take a 'sorry not interested'?"

Reid snorted. "Does he look like the type to give up easily?" he asked with a tinge of sarcasm.

"Mer, that dude looked like trouble with a capital T." Quin sounded worried.

"Well I'm not going to stop going out of the dorms Quin." Meredith knew her cousin was concerned but it didn't make a difference. "I mean, first off he doesn't suspect us of anything, at least that we know of. He just thinks we're hanging out with these guys."

"What did he say to you?" Pogue asked.

"Said that there were all kinds of rumors about you talking about witchcraft and devil worship, and then he just started talking about things that happened last year. Your girlfriend getting sick," She told them looking at Pogue. "Your motorcycle accident, Caleb's girlfriend and Caleb almost burning in the fire; and he did mention that Chase guy disappearing. That was all he got to before Caleb got there."

"Oh my gosh! How much of that is true?" Sheridan asked the boys. The look on her face was horrified.

"Well, almost all of it. I mean we don't worship the devil," Pogue explained and shook his head, "But I was in an accident, and my girlfriend of the time did get ill, real ill, because Chase used his power on her."

"And Sarah, my ex was in the barn when Chase and I were fighting because Chase put her into a trance." Caleb finished.

The girls looked at Sheridan, whose startled face smoothed. "Truth." She said simply.

"What?" Reid asked looking confused.

Sheridan bestowed a smile on him. "It's one of my gifts. I can tell truth from lie in almost every situation. We all have little things like that we can do."

"That doesn't seem like such a little thing." Tyler murmured.

"Sure does save time when dating, or becoming friends with someone." Her smile brightened.

"You can read our minds?" Now it was Reid's turn to look horrified.

She laughed. "No, I can't read your mind. It just…how do I explain this…feels different, tastes different, smells different? Does that make sense?"

"And you can all do things like that?" Caleb was fascinated.

"Well, not exactly like that, but yeah, sort of." Quin leaned back. "Sometimes I can see shadows of what's to come. It's not really telling the future, it's more of a oh, yeah, that's gonna happen."

"Like with the cops coming the night we met?" Pogue asked, "You were sure they were gonna show and didn't want to leave us behind."

"Exactly."

"What can you do?" Caleb asked Lilith.

"I get glimpses of past occurrences." She shrugged. "Sometimes it's fun and useful, sometimes it's not. Like for instance the girl who had the bed in my dorm before me….nasty. I had to buy a new mattress. There was no way on this earth I was sleeping on it."

"And you?" Now Caleb turned to Meredith.

"I can help heal people." She said and met his dark gaze.

"Like my mom? Emotionally?"

"Emotionally, mentally, physically. Just depends on the wound."

"That's cool." Tyler was nodding. "Real cool. Most of ours is all physical manifestation."

"But they said they can do that too." Reid jumped in. "Sheridan did it to Aaron tonight…right?"

Sheridan looked cross. "He did grab my ass." She pointed out.

"So yall are like all powerful." Reid seemed perturbed at this thought.

"As if." Lilith snarked. "We are not even close to being all powerful. If we were all powerful I would never have to see my mother again for as long as I lived. That ain't gonna happen."

"Everything has limits Reid. While we don't age rapidly, or get addicted, the magic does make us extremely tired for a time after we use. We have to get a lot of rest. And we don't have total control." Meredith soothed the boy.

"Hence Sheridan not drinking." Lilith smirked now.

Quin was looking at Pogue and Caleb. "So…what now…now that we know each other's stories, what now?"

"She's right." Meredith nodded and looked at her blonde cousin. "Do we stop associating? Do we remain friends?"

Caleb looked at his lifelong friends and then looked back at the girls thoughtfully. "I see no reason why we can't stay friends. It's hard to find friends that really understand where you're coming from."