Elijah and I sat in my living room, neither of us saying a word. For the past hour, my parents and Morena were having a private discussion in my dad's office. I picked at my cuticles, my foot beginning to tap on its own accord. What was taking them so long? More importantly, what could they possibly be talking about that they couldn't say in front of me?

After the initial shock subsided that Morena knew Elijah in the first place, the confusion set in. No one answered any of my questions as if it was easier to ignore me than to actually talk to me. All I could do was wait.

I glanced at Elijah, who sat still as a statue. His hands rested palms down on the tops of his thighs. His head was subtly cocked towards the office.

"You can hear them, right?" I asked, keeping my voice low.

He nodded.

"What are they saying?" I pressed.

Elijah's posture relaxed and he looked at me, "I think it's best we wait for them."

I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

"Can you at least tell me how you know Morena?" I tried.

Elijah let out a long breath, "I have known the Welsch witches for nearly two hundred years. I have remained in their good graces, and they in mine."

We rarely ever spoke of vampires in our coven. How could Morena have kept such a secret?

Then the door to the office opened. I perked up as the footsteps grew louder and my parents came into view. They cast polite smiles at the thousand-year-old vampire then sat beside me, trapping me in between them on our old sofa. Mom took my hand in hers, nearly crushing my fingers.

Morena followed behind them holding a tray of drinks and snacks. I eyed her. She was stalling. As she distributed the teacups, she said, "Chamomile. It'll help everyone relax."

I took the cup from her hand and placed it on the coffee table, liquid sloshing over the sides. My patience was thinning and the longer this dragged on, the angrier I became.

"I don't need to relax. What's going on?" I held my gaze on our elder.

Morena sat across from me, settling into the recliner. Her fingers absent-mindedly went to the charm around her neck. She rubbed the silver sun, her eyes drifting to a faraway place. The silence was deafening.

Elijah spoke first, "The girl doesn't know."

My mother sucked in a breath.

"No." Dad murmured.

"Morena?" Elijah prompted.

"Stop acting like I'm not sitting right here." I snapped.

Morena flexed her hands and then hopped out of the chair. She began to pace back and forth in front of us, running hands through her black curls. Her breathing became more erratic the quicker she moved. It dawned on me then.

Whatever was coming, everyone knew already. Except for me.

"Tell me." I demanded.

Morena went still and without looking at me said, "You have magic in your veins, Ceres," she then scoffed as if she couldn't believe what she would say next, "More magic than any of us."

The air became so thick, that I couldn't breathe. My brows knitted together as waves of nausea washed through me. I wasn't computing the words that she spoke. I looked to my parents for answers. Dad, who spent my entire life supporting me, encouraging me, suddenly had nothing to say. My mother who combatted rumors of my lineage or her potential infidelities since I could remember began to weep. The only one in the room who made eye contact with me was Elijah. Even then, he observed my reaction closely, curiously.

"What are you saying?" My words came out shakier than I wanted them to.

Morena closed her eyes, "Your magic was bound at birth."

Bile rose in the back of my throat, "By who?"

"Us." She admitted.

I sprang to my feet at her divulsion. A fury I never knew coursed through my body. Hatred even. I thought of all the times I sat watching my coven practice, coming together through magic. Every single occasion where our coven bonded and grew that I could only ever witness. How many nights did I lay awake questioning my existence, my purpose? I thought of Raven's sneer in the coffee shop and a hundred others I faced over the years. Each look, every single word, chipped away at my spirit until there was nothing left.

"How could you?" My voice cracked.

Mom reached for me, but I jerked away. "Don't touch me!" I spat. I strode away from them, going towards the opposite side of the room. I stared out the window, the pink glow from the sunset shining over the street. I glimpsed at a family photo of my parents and me from last summer propped on the console table. Mom and I were laughing, our heads were thrown back, carefree. Dad had his arms around us both.

I slammed the frame down, the glass cracking over the picture.

"Tell me why." I commanded, keeping my back to them.

"Ceres…it's complicated." Dad whispered.

I pressed my fingernails into my palms with so much force, my skin broke. My entire body shook, the devastation from this revelation taking its toll.

"You know how much I have suffered. How difficult it is to show my face at our gatherings. I felt like I never belonged, that I was a burden to our coven. And all this time you knew," I gulped a breath of air, "No, you did this to me. And now you can't even tell me why. Don't you think I deserve that at the very least?"

"There is a prophecy," Elijah began.

Mom cried out, rising to her feet, "No! Do not speak to her!"

Elijah used his abilities and was looming over my mom in the blink of an eye. Dad, who would be no match for Elijah, climbed to his feet ready to jump to my mother's defense. Mom trembled but held her ground.

"I am here at the behest of Morena. I have treated Ceres with respect. She deserves to know the truth. We all know how this will end anyway, regardless of how hard you fight it." Elijah chided.

Mom wiped at her eyes, "Morena, I told you I didn't want him here. She's not ready."

"Ready for what?" I lashed out.

"You've been dreaming of Klaus Mikaelson." Morena asserted.

"You knew?" My voice shrank.

She nodded, "He's been using a witch to infiltrate your dreams. He'll come here in due time. Our coven won't be able to stand against him. He's too strong."

My head ached. There were too many pieces, and I didn't know how they all came together.

"Tell me how I fit into this." I pleaded.

"He'll want to use you for his personal gain. Your power would be unlike anything else in the world. And if you were not to go willingly…that would not bode well for the Inex Coven." Elijah finally moved away from Mom, leaving her to cower in peace.

"He would be the end of us." Dad rubbed the stubble on his chin.

Elijah confirmed, "He has destroyed far more for much less."

I shook my head, "But, I don't even know how to practice."

"You will. Once your magic is freed, you will possess abilities that have never been seen before, only whispered about through the centuries." Elijah stared at me like I was a rare treasure and my heart flipped in my chest.

"Is that why I've been spellbound?" I asked.

"Yes." Morena answered.

"To protect me?"

"To protect us all." My mom uttered.

I grimaced.

"Even if we lift the block on your magic, there is more to it than that," Morena began, "The prophecy says that four seals will continue to chain your true abilities. As each seal breaks, more power will course through you and…" Morena tried to find the right words, "Your magic could wreak havoc, chaos. Some would want to use you, like Klaus. Out of fear, most would rather you be dead. The only reason no one has come for you is that your lack of magic has made you untraceable."

I staggered back. They thought I would become a monster.

"What are the seals?" I probed, grasping for every bit of information I could.

"No one knows, not absolutely anyway. Over the generations, the true prophecy has been lost. Now there is only speculation." Elijah revealed.

I advanced towards Morena, "I want you to break the spell."

"Ceres, please, think about this." My mom begged.

"I don't need to." I shot back.

Morena held up her hands, "If we free your magic, you wouldn't be able to stay here."

"Your magic would be like a beacon to all supernatural creatures. We would have to do a spell to block you from their senses essentially." My dad said.

I turned to Elijah, "That's where you come in, I'm assuming."

"Yes."

"So, you'd be like my bodyguard then?" I wondered aloud.

The corner of his mouth upturned, "Something like that." He repeated the same words I had spoken to him just a few hours earlier. A rush of excitement hit me at the prospect of being able to feel magic soon. I couldn't think of the prophecy or seals or where Elijah and I would go next. Gaining my magic was my only concern. Everything else paled in comparison.

My mom threw her hands up, "Am I the only reasonable one here? Ceres, your magic has been dormant too long. As soon as we lift the spell, you won't have any control. Your emotions will dictate your power more than you possibly could," she pointed at Morena, "You know I'm right. She needs her coven."

"Just because you're scared, doesn't mean I am." I couldn't dampen the ire I felt towards her, even if it did make me feel guilty.

She bit her lip, "Honey, he's not a witch. You need guidance."

Elijah interjected, "I was born a witch and while I cannot practice anymore, I do have the knowledge, not to mention allies who are more equipped than the very coven that barred her in the first place."

The vein on my father's forehead throbbed, "We didn't have any other choice if we wanted to save her life."

"Yes and look where that has gotten you." Elijah said each word carefully.

Dad balled his fists at his sides, "You will use her too. The temptation will be too great."

Elijah nearly snorted at him.

"I do not think I can force Ceres to do anything." He replied. The way my name rolled from his lips momentarily distracted me from the life-altering conversation at hand.

"Aimee, this is why I brought Sirene's grimoire back. Ceres will have it as a guide." Morena tried to reason with her.

"That is a weak substitute, and you know it." The bickering continued.

"Enough!" I shouted, "Lift the curse."

"The spell, its complex, dark magic. We would need time to prepare." Mom continued to delay the inevitable.

For the first time in my life, I felt assured of myself.

"I don't care. We are doing this. Tonight."

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