- The disclaimer is in chapter 1 if you're looking for it.
Chapter 4
7 Years Later
The years flew by. Seven long years since Marguerite disappeared. Their marriage had long since crumbled. He cursed the day he had let Marguerite go. Kate, a replica of her mother, and Will, a younger version of himself, now ten and eleven spent more time with Ned and Veronica than with their father.
"Earth to Roxton" Finn knocked his train of thought loose.
"Sorry, Finn".
"What's wrong, big guy?" she asked.
"Nothing" he forced himself to concentrate on the jungle around him.
"Ok" Finn replied.
Back at the tree house, Sabrina felt her power waning. Katherine's abilities were becoming obvious to all. She knew this time would come; she should have killed the girl along with her mother. But there was still time, the seven years was not up yet.
"Mommy!" John Jr. shrieked.
"What is going on here?" Sabrina charged into the living room.
"I was playing and they knocked over my blocks" John Jr. sent an accusatory finger at his siblings.
"The wind knocked it over, all we did was walk by" Will jumped to their defense.
"I am tired of your bickering. William, Katherine, you two clean up the blocks. John, wash your face".
"We didn't do anything," they protested.
"Just do it" Sabrina ordered them.
"If Mum was here, she wouldn't make us clean up his mess" Kate whispered to her brother.
"What did you say, girl?" Sabrina's face reddened at the mention of the Chosen One.
"Nothing, I swear" Kate stammered.
Sabrina's hand connected with Kate's cheek.
"I said clean up, no talking" Sabrina stormed out.
Sabrina collapsed into the chair. "Why didn't I kill her when I had the chance?" she scolded herself. "Mommy?" John asked. "Go back to your toys, John" the boy walked out. She smiled, watching him walk out. John would rule the plateau one day; no one would ever suspect that he was half demon.
"Sh, it's ok" Will tried to comfort his sister at the base of the tree as Veronica and her children entered the gate.
"Will, Kate, what's wrong? Why are you down here?" Kate turned to her aunt, revealing her bruised cheek.
"Arthur, take your sister upstairs now".
"But Momma" Abby protested.
"Now" Veronica remained firm.
"Let's see what Uncle George is doing" Arthur suggested as the elevator lifted them up to the top.
"Honey, who did this?" Veronica asked. Kate continued to cry into Will's shoulder.
"Will, did Sabrina hit her?" Will nodded.
"We didn't do anything, Aunt Ronnie. We just walked by and the blocks fell by themselves. Sabrina made us clean up" he said.
"I said was that I missed Mum and she hit me" Kate continued to cry.
"I'll take care of it" Veronica had tried to get along with Sabrina for Roxton's sake, but her dislike of the woman had only increased as the years passed.
"Hey, Vee, look what we got!" Finn proudly showed what they caught.
"I need to talk to you" Veronica pulled Roxton aside.
Sensing that her presence was unwanted, Finn pulled Will out of the room.
"Look what your wife did to your daughter" Kate removed the icepack from her face.
"Sweetheart, why did she hit you?" Roxton uneasily examined her face.
"The wind knocked the blocks down, Sabrina insisted that Will and I clean them up. All I said I was that I missed Mum" Kate started to cry again
"From now on, I suggest you pay more attention to what's going on in your family, Roxton" Veronica angrily pulled Kate away from him.
"Sabrina!" he bellowed.
"John, there is no reason to yell, you'll wake John Jr." she said.
"Why the hell did you hit my daughter?" he seethed.
"She was being insolent".
"She misses her mother, Sabrina".
"Where is Marguerite, John? Probably in London right now, dancing in the arms of some duke or count. I am her mother. I have fed her, taught her, healed her when she is sick. Stop daydreaming, she is gone, it's been seven years" Sabrina fumed.
"Whatever Marguerite may or may not have done, she is still their mother, I will not allow you to destroy her name in my house" he fought back.
"You spoil her, John, you spoil them both, you all do" she accused.
"This is my home and my family, Sabrina; you have no right to say that".
"I am your family, the mother of your son," she fought back.
"I am not his father, Sabrina, we both know that. Marguerite was right, I should have stayed away from you" he walked out.
Sabrina fell to the chair in agony. She knew she had to do something, her power was disappearing. Soon the Chosen one would awaken and she would become Skathina once again. "My time isn't up yet" she thought to herself as a plan formed in her mind. She didn't have much time, but it was just enough.
"I'm sorry, John, I had to say something" Veronica apologized.
"No, Veronica, its not your fault, your doing what any parent would do. It's my fault; I should have listened to Marguerite in the first place".
"Daddy?" Kate asked.
"I'll leave you two alone" Veronica walked out.
"Put this on" he filled up the bag.
"Daddy, I'm sorry" she apologized.
"Sweetheart your not to blame, I am. I should have been here with you, instead of running away from my problems" he admitted.
"Do you miss Mum?" Kate asked.
"Everyday. But I have a secret" he said.
"What's that?" she asked.
"I have you and Will. Your mother may be gone, but I see her in you two" he told her.
"I love you, daddy" she him.
"I love you too, princess".
Sabrina watched them, her eyes glowing. She had the kill the girl now, before her power could be realized. She carefully mixed the ingredients carefully, just enough to make her sick. The child would die before the prophecy would reveal itself, destroying the line of the Chosen One and leading the way for her son to rule. Only the protector stood between John Jr. and absolute rule, but like the Chosen One, she and her children would be easily disposed of.
"Dinner!" Finn called out hours later.
"Daddy, I don't feel too well" Kate complained.
"John, she is burning up" Kate's face colored red.
"Why don't you get into bed and I'll bring you some soup?" John asked.
"I'll put her in," Finn offered.
"Will, you'll sleep in Uncle George's room, I don't want you getting sick too" John said.
Giving his daughter a kiss, he watched her walk away.
"Dad, where is Sabrina and John?" Will asked.
"Yes, where are they?" George echoed.
"I don't know, and I don't care".
Later that night, John watched his daughter sleep. "Marguerite, wherever you are, you would be so proud of them," he thought to himself. He still refused to believe that she would run away like that. After all they had been through, not just the group, but the two of them, she wouldn't just pack up and leave.
"Daddy?" Kate asked.
"I'm here sweetheart".
"I miss Mum," she whispered.
"We all do, get some sleep" he watched her close her eyes as he heard her voice.
"John" Marguerite cried out in distance.
He shook his head, thinking it was his memories.
"John, help me" she again called out.
Again he ignored it.
A third time she called out.
"Did you hear that?" he asked Finn.
"Hear what, big guy?" she asked.
"Never mind".
A fourth time she called out "John help me".
"Marguerite?" he whispered.
"John, help me" she appeared ghost like, just beyond the fence.
"Marguerite!!!" he bellowed.
"What's all the commotion?" George ran upstairs.
"Marguerite, I saw her," he pointed to where the ghost like image appeared.
"It's been seven years, John" he ran for his guns and a torch.
"She is alive, somewhere on the plateau, I don't know where, but I'll find her. I gave up on her once, I won't do that again" he remained firm.
"Finn, you stay here, I'll go with you" George grabbed his guns and a second torch.
"John, she isn't here, you must have eaten something" the jungle was dark and quiet.
"There" the image appeared once again.
"John" she whispered.
"Marguerite" he reached for her, but his hand went through the image.
"John...danger...Skathina...the cave...seven years" the image disappeared as quickly as it appeared.
"My word" George said.
"Hey guys, what's going on down there?" Finn yelled out.
"Nothing, we'll be right up" George replied.
John slept fitfully, tossing and turning. Thoughts of the ghost like Marguerite, the mysterious disappearance of his wife and son, Kate and Will in danger kept him up until he sat up, bathed in sweat. "Whose there?" he called out into the darkness.
"Hello, husband" Skathina, along with her son, appeared in her true form.
"Stay away from me and my family" he demanded.
"Is that the proper way to greet your wife and child?" they morphed into their human appearance.
"Daddy?" the fake John Jr. whimpered.
"Whoever you are, whatever you did to Marguerite, you will pay" he reached for his rife.
Before he could shoot at them, he felt a rush of pain as the demon child sank his claws in John's arm.
"You could have been mine, Guardian, we could have ruled this plateau, human and demon together. The Chosen One and her daughter will die before the next full moon, pray that you may find your precious Marguerite before then" they disappeared.
"Challenger, wake up, she's alive" John rushed downstairs.
"What, whose alive?" the older man woke up with a start.
"Marguerite".
I'll only finish the story if I get reviews. I can tell you that the way I have it planned out, Marguerite is alive and..... you'll just have to read and review to find out more.