Chapter fifty-one.

Everybody froze in their seats, except the smiling girl in front of me, her cheeks filled with colour and her eyes glowing with excitement as she calmly left her seat to walk out of the room.

My eyes turned to Father, who looked across the room, at the small side table where he had left his wand. But there was no time, the door closed behind Iona and the visitor we all so perfectly knew who it was. Yet, no one dared to believe it.

Their steps echoed through the corridor, and we all took one last breath in fear before they entered the room. Iona first, and her visitor close behind her. His long hair hung around his face, down over his black, slim mantle. His hands hugging a black cane, it's handle shaped as a plague mask in stainless silver, his fingers ornated with silver rings draped with emeralds.

If I wasn't so certain this man was filled with evil madness, with no capability to feel love or empathy for his own family, I would have laughed at what a cliche he appeared to dress like.

Ophelia was the first to make a sound at the sight of her son, and the pain in her eyes made the man smile.

"Hello mother," his mouth moved, but the sound seemed to come out from inside of him, like a deep hiss, making us all twitch, "I assume you've missed me. But here I am, your lost son."

No one dared to speak, and mothers hand grabbed mine under the table. A movement that didn't go unnoticed by Icarus.

"And sister, what a beautiful woman you've become. The last time I saw you, you were nothing more than an awkward hormonal teenager," he took another step inside, and Iona remained behind him, her eyes sweeping over her frightened family members, "But look at you now. A mother, a wife, everything you've ever wanted."

Mothers chest went up and down in a fast phase, but she dared not speak, and her brother's smile grew wider. The sound of his steps making us all look at him as if he was a ticking bomb.

Why hadn't mother listened to me earlier this morning?

But something told me it didn't matter what sort of preparations we had done, this man would have found us anyway. With the help of Iona.

"And you must be Eamon," he stopped behind fathers seat, and to everyone's surprise, Father answered.

"Yes," was all he said, but it was enough to make Icarus eyes turn in devilish joy.

"And father," he continued to walk around the table, his father refused to even look at him, "You disappoint me, am I not even worthy of your glance? Not even a short one? Hm, that hurts me, father."

"Last, but not least," he said next, and I could hear him stop behind my chair, "Hello, niece," he hissed, and I hugged mothers hand harder under the table.

"Alissa," he continued, "I must say, it's fascinating how alike you and your sister are on the outside, but to see how different you are on the inside; that's what's makes the two of you so interesting."

"Leave my children alone, Icarus," mother spoke between clenched teeth, her whole body tightening up as she turned to stare at her brother.

"A lioness, protecting her cubs from the malicious lion. How perfectly beautiful," Icarus mocked her, and his dark eyes made her sit back in her chair.

"Why have you come?" Grandmothers shivering voice whispered and her son looked her way, tapping his cane against the wooden floor two times before a laugh escaped his lips.

"Oh, dear mother. Do not fear me, I haven't come to hurt you," he walked back to where Iona still stood, her eyes wide in admiration as she watched him.

"I came here today, simply to wish you all, my family, a happy Christmas," he smiled, and looked into Ophelia's sad eyes, and as he stared into her eyes, I saw a change in his sight. A darkness so evil I feared for our lives, but it vanished just as fast as it came.

"And of course, I have also come to let you know that little Iona here," he reached for her arm and dragged her up in front of him, "She belongs to my family now, my other family. The family I choose."

A sound left mothers mouth but she was silenced by Iona.

"I will leave with Icarus tonight, never to return to this sad place. And I'm not sorry, I have never been sorry. I can't love you," she spoke, still completely calm, "I choose him, and the paths and opportunities he has laid out before me."

This was what she had been waiting for. To leave, with him, to join the side she so clearly always had belonged to.

"Iona, don't do this," mother begged her, tears streaming down her face.

"I have nothing more to say to you," she finished her speech, and once again Icarus stepped up in front of her.

"I am so sorry to take your child away from you, sister, but I warn you; there isn't anything you can do to stop this. And I'm deeply sorry if I've ruined your Christmas. We will leave now."

He bowed, gracefully spinning around, my sister not even giving us a last glance before she walked out of the room. But just as Icarus was to take his last step outside, he turned, his pale face revealing the wickedness that lived inside of him.

"Tell Mr Black I said hi," he turned to me, "Until next time," his snakelike voice said, his ice blue eyes meeting mine for a brief second, and then he was gone and everything went silent.