Alex laid her head on her brother's shoulder. "Promise me we will find normal people," she murmured.
He hesitated for a moment. "We are not normal people." He laid his head on his sisters' and closed his eyes.
"Why does it always happen to us?," Alex cried. She was completely overwhelmed by the current situation. She still did not seem to understand what had happened. "I thought we were finally happy. Mason loves me and Juliet loves you. We have finally found our perfect partners. And now? They left us."
"I had so much bad luck with relationships for years," Justin replied.
"Oh, I remember that," Max said, who was still sitting on the castle wall. "Your werewolf girlfriend was funny. Or the Centaur."
Alex raised her head and looked at her brother until he stopped talking. Max still had to learn when certain remarks might have been inappropriate.
"She was only trying to protect me," Justin continued.
"I know," Alex whispered. "I can't make the pain go away but maybe it helps that I know how you feel."
"That wouldn't be necessary," her brother said. "It would be perfect if neither of us had to feel these feelings."
Alex smiled and squeezed her brother's hand. "Let's go home."
"Come on Max," Justin said towards their brother. "We're going."
"Why so soon?," Max cried in annoyance.
"As far as I'm concerned we can leave him here," Alex whispered annoyed.
Justin rolled his eyes. He would be happy to finally be home.
The familiarity of the sub station calmed his restless thoughts. Max opened the door and walked casually towards the stairs. Alex linked arms with Justin and followed her little brother.
"Alex?"
She recognised the all too familiar voice, and if she was normally happy to hear it, she would now be happy to hear it disappear. She turned around and saw her best friend Harper entering the sub station. "You're back," she said cheerfully, hugging Alex who seemed overwhelmed by this unpredictable action of her best friend. "Are you all right? Where's Mason?"
Alex struggled with the answer. "Harper, can we please talk tomorrow? I promise I'll tell you everything, but I need time to think about today."
Harper frowned, but nodded. "I won't pressure you. We'll talk tomorrow, but promise to call me if you want."
"I promise," Alex said, happy to call Harper her best friend since childhood. "Thanks." She hugged her again, then reached out for Justin's hand again and went upstairs with her siblings.
Max didn't wait for his siblings, he immediately ran upstairs to meet his parents. Jerry and Theresa stood in the kitchen and cooked as they usually did at that time. They looked up when they heard the sounds from below and watched Max in confusion as he tried to catch his breath. "Mum, Dad, you'll never guess what just happened," he said very quickly, too excited to take a break. "Juliet and Mason were fighting, and now Juliet is very, very old, and Mason had turned into a wolf. Isn't that great? We went to get them all back, and now we've lost two of them."
Jerry opened his mouth to say something, but he didn't seem to know what. Theresa looked at her son as if she didn't understand what he wanted to say. They heard the information, but it didn't reach her brain. They were simply speechless.
"Where are Alex and Justin?" Jerry asked instead and felt the urge to at least say something.
"They're coming," Max said uninterested.
Suddenly they heard the sound of footsteps on their metal stairs. Justin appeared first, he looked down at the floor and his hand reached back to grab his sister's. Alex was right behind him.
"Alex, Justin," Theresa said, walking towards her older children. "Are you all right? Max told us what happened."
Justin and Alex looked at their younger brother, angry and uncomprehending. "Really Max?" Justin asked, and you could hear the disappointment in his voice. His brother's rash action seemed to have hurt him tremendously. "Couldn't you just restrain yourself just this once?"
"What have I done wrong this time?" Max raised his hands without understanding. "It's no secret."
"No, but maybe we wanted to tell Mum and Dad because it's our business?" Justin yelled at his brother angrily.
Alex grabbed him gently by the arm. "Justin, don't do this."
"Are you defending his behaviour?", her older brother looked at her with a frown. Alex shook his head. "No, I don't understand it either, but it doesn't solve the problem if you're angry with our brother."
"Max," Jerry addressed his youngest son. "Please go to your room."
"Why?" asked Max.
Jerry looked upset. "Go to your room. No further questions. Go!"
Max shook his head in incomprehension, but turned around and stomped up the stairs. Theresa waited until she heard the door close, then took her son by the arm and led him over to the couch. "Justin, please tell us what happened. Is it true what Max told us before? What exactly was he talking about?"
Justin turned and looked at his sister. Alex stood hesitantly in the room, arms crossed and with tears in his eyes. "I don't want to talk about it," she murmured as she felt the tears burst out of her. She didn't want her family to see her like that. "I'm going back to my room."
But she hadn't counted on her father. When she turned around to go upstairs, he grabbed her by the arm and stopped her from moving. "Honey, I know we haven't always been good parents when it comes to your relationship problems, but you don't have to go through this alone. You can always talk to us. Did Mason hurt you?"
Alex shook her head. "Not exactly." She sobbed. "He's gone." She squeezed her eyes together as to hide herself from reality, moved forward and rested her head against her father's chest. Jerry took her in a protective embrace as he heard the first sounds of crying muffled against his shirt.
The sobbing grew stronger and stronger and Alex' body trembled violently in Jerry's arms. Her dad seemed a little overwhelmed by the situation because he had never seen such an emotional outburst of his little girl before. Not since she was seven years old. At the time, Harper was about to end his friendship with Alex because his daughter was mean to her and had to deal with the consequences. That evening she spent the night with her parents in bed, resting in their arms and protected from the world. This was the last time Jerry had tried to calm a crying Alex. Since then she had always hidden her tears from her parents and cried mostly alone in her room. She would never mention what happened. She was used to doing things on her own, not least because she was embarrassed when she cried. Because it made her feel weak and she didn't want to be weak. She was the strong, tough girl who always got into trouble. She was not expected to cry. But there were times when even Jerry or Theresa realized that she was actually crying. Sometimes, after they had criticised her behaviour, or if something had happened that she couldn't process after what had happened. Now, years later, Jerry was again able to comfort his little girl who, no matter what she expected of herself from time to time, was no more than this, his little girl, now and forever. No matter what happened or how old she would become. Alex buried her face deeper in her father's neck and enclosed him quite painfully with her arms. Jerry looked at Theresa confused and amazed. Theresa's gaze wandered from him to Justin and back as if she was trying to make sense of what was happening in front of her. Justin was not exactly crying. His face looked emotionlessly empty. His eyes were red as if he had cried minutes earlier, but there were no visible tears on his face. He didn't seem to perceive his surroundings, he just concentrated on Alex and watched her in silence. Jerry now gently stroked his daughter's back and Alex seemed to relax from this action.
"Justin," Theresa asked her son desperately. She did not know what to do right without her children talking to her. "Please tell us what happened. Where are Mason and Juliet?"
As if someone had pressed a certain button in her head, Justin and Alex looked at each other wordlessly. As if they were trying to communicate with their eyes only.
"Justin," Theresa asked again. Justin looked at her and seemed hesitant to take this next step. Alex remained silent and waited until her older brother had decided what he wanted to tell them. The situation was as stressful for him as it was for her. But she wanted to let him decide.
"They are gone," he whispered, barely audible. Alex squeezed her eyes together as if the memory of the events was still causing her immense pain.
"Where have they gone?" Theresa asked softly.
Justin shook his head slowly. "I don't know. We had a fight."
"A fight?" Jerry replied alarmed and frowned. "Are you all right?" He looked carefully at his daughter to look for injuries or clues that she was about to lie, but she only met his gaze and nodded truthfully.
"What happened," Theresa asked again, trying not to rush things. It looked as if her children were still trying to process what had happened.
"Juliet and I followed Alex and Mason We didn't know why Mason was taking them and Dad told us that Alex was gone, so I got worried and decided to follow them. Juliet accompanied me to Transylvania. We found her in the place where I was expecting her, and I grabbed Alex immediately to protect her... "
"Mason was just trying to prove to me his true feelings for me "Alex whispered for the first time, her voice cracked and she sounded weaker than normal.
" His feelings for you?" Jerry asked confused. He broke your heart because he told Justin's girlfriend that he still loved her and now he should still have feelings for you?
"I know it's hard to believe," Alex continued. "He told me he told Juliet he loved her just out of old habits. We looked for the necklace he had given me and it glowed red when he wore it. It only glows when the person you really love is standing next to you. So it was true. He still loves me. And I have lost him again. " Her voice became quieter during her monologue until she collapsed completely at the end. Again tears were streaming down her face and she clung tighter to her daddy whose one hand now moved from her back to the back of her head patting her hair.
"Justin." Theresa looked at her older son again.
"As I said, I grabbed Alex to take her home and Mason got angry thinking I was trying to take her away from him, which wasn't even a lie. I was trying to take them away from him."
"You were just trying to protect me," mumbled Alex into her father's shirt. "Like you always do."
"So Mason turned into a werewolf because he was mad at me. He tried to attack me, but Juliet protected me. They were fighting."
"It was the most amazing fight I've ever seen in my entire life," Max screamed from above. "What a choreography and the ending was incredible. Juliet became an old grandma and Mason is now a dog."
Justin glanced shocked in the direction of the stairs, and Alex even let her father turn around, his face red with anger. "Thanks, Max," she called up, and her little brother suddenly fell silent. "Thank you for reminding us of this terrible moment. Thank you so much, brother."
She turned around again and hugged her father again, who didn't seem to understand what was happening to him. He did not know his daughter so cuddly.
"Max," Theresa addressed her son. "Go to your room, close the door and do the things you usually do."
They waited a few seconds until they heard the soft sound of a locked door.
"It's true," replied Justin a few moments later. "Juliet acted in panic and accidentally bit Mason in the neck."
"And he scratched Juliet in the face because this act shocked him to death," Alex added. "He knew immediately what was going to happen to him." She sobbed.
"When a werewolf scratches a vampire, they change to their true age. And Julia is several hundred years older than me," said Justin.
"And when a vampire bites a werewolf, it turns into a wolf. Forever," whispered Alex in a low voice.
"That means that..." Theresa began to talk but was interrupted by her son.
"Yes," replied Justin. "Juliet can no longer be with me because she now looks like a thousand year old woman."
"And Mason is now a wolf," Alex said. "He is not capable of having a relationship with me. He's not even half human."
"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry," Jerry whispered softly, stroking his thumb across his daughter's cheek.
"I left to get Mason back," Alex said.
"And Juliet and I followed them to get Alex back," Justin added. "Now we are back, and we had to leave our two partners behind."
"And it's all because of me and my problems. Once again. I'm so sorry for causing you trouble," Alex whispered vulnerable.
"No, it's not your fault," Justin replied immediately. He didn't want his little sister to blame herself for a normal action that anyone could have done. Alex simply let her feelings guide him, as he did when he met Juliet. "It was not your decision for Mason and Juliet to start a fight. It wasn't your decision for me to follow you."
"But it was my decision to go with Mason. If I hadn't done that, you wouldn't have worried and you would have followed me," Alex explained, but Justin was still shaking his head. "It wasn't your fault. It wasn't mine either. They decided what they did. It sounds rude, but now they have to live with the consequences."
"And those consequences will affect you both," mumbled Theresa. "Come here, Justin." She wrapped her arms around her son and lovingly stroked his back.
Alex let go of her father, but grabbed his arm and went to the couch. She sat down next to her brother, her father right behind her.
"My little babies," whispered Theresa, and normally Alex would have laughed at what she called her almost grown-up children. Theresa was always a loving mother who really cared for her children, and although she didn't want to have anything to do with magic, she always confronted the subject to help her children. And Alex was grateful for that.
"I am so sorry," her mother said again. "You were both finally happy, and now you've lost everything."
"Why does this always happen to us?" asked Justin and looked at his little sister.
"Because we are not normal," Alex replied. "It always happens to us because we are magicians," Alex replied. "We feel that we don't deserve to be happy."
"That is not true," Jerry said. "You both deserve to be happy."
"But I'm not happy any more," whispered Justin and put his head on his mother's shoulder. Theresa's eyes were filled with pity and compassion
"But maybe it was for our own good," Alex said hesitantly.
"Don't try to be optimistic now," Justin warned her.
"I'm not optimistic at all," Alex said. "But listen, we're still entering the wizard competition. One of us will become the family wizard and the other two will lose their powers."
Justin looked up at her, and Jerry and Theresa remained silent and listened to their daughter.
"Imagine, for example, that you would win the contest, which is pretty obvious right now," Alex continued.
"Max and you still have a chance to win this contest too," Justin interrupted her. "Maybe not Max, but at least you."
"That's not the issue at the moment," lamented Alex. "Just imagine the situation. Juliet and Mason would still be here and we would all be happy. And then you would win the wizard competition. Max and I would become normal people, and normal people are not allowed to marry magical creatures. I would be forced to break up with Mason and find someone as normal as Dad."
Jerry smiled at his daughter and took her hand in his." If Mason was normal and I won the magic contest, I would have given you my powers, Justin. Just like Dad did. I used to care more about the contest, but that has changed," Alex claimed. But no matter who the wizard of the family would become. One of us would have had to break up, and if Max won, we'd both lose our partners. So neither of us can win. "
" It would be a stalemate," said Justin as he stared straight ahead. Alex's explanation was quite convincing and he knew she was right, but it only helped a little to calm him down or make him feel better. He was convinced that with his current skills and knowledge he would win the competition, which meant he would keep his powers and his girlfriend.
But on the other hand, Alex would lose both his friend and her powers. He would never be able to live with the knowledge that he had ruined his sister's life. And he knew that Alex wouldn't do that either. It was really a stalemate.
"Thanks for trying to cheer me up," Justin told Alex.
"It wasn't just for you," she replied, "Mason was the only boy I ever met who loved me for who I am. I never had to pretend to be someone else. He liked me with my faults."
"I agree with you," Jerry added. "Mason was the first boy I really liked. He was so polite."
"Dad," Alex interrupted him. "That's not the point."
"We are so sorry for you," said Theresa. "I know we always say that, and I also know that we don't know exactly how you feel. But we understand how hard it must be to lose someone you really love."
"Can you promise us that these feelings will go away," Justin asked hopefully.
Jerry looked at his daughter. "We can't promise you that the pain will go away, but someone once said, 'Sometimes hugs work.'"
A slight grin appeared on Alex's face, making her eyes sparkle. She stretched out her arms and pulled her brother and father close. Justin put his arm around his mother.
"I think we look more like a giant ball of wool than a family hugging each other," laughed Justin.
"But that's what makes this family unique and perfect," said Theresa, and everyone started laughing.
Theresa sighed and wrapped her arms around her son. "This reminds me of Alex's first rejection by a boy."
"When was that?" Alex asked, confused.
Theresa giggled slightly. "You were six years old, it was your first month in primary school, and you were totally in love with one of the older boys, but he didn't want to play with you at recess. Your father picked you up in the afternoon crying and you wouldn't tell us what had happened. You immediately ran to Justin and told him everything. He went to the boy the next day and threatened him that he must never hurt you again or he would chase him around the playground.
"Really? You did that for me?" Alex asked flattered.
Justin just shrugged and smiled slightly.
"You're just the perfect big brother," Alex said cheerfully and hugged her brother firmly. Justin patted his little sister on the back gratefully.
"It was such a sweet moment," Theresa continued. "We found the two of you snuggling up in Justin's room that night."
"Yes, you both did that a lot when you were young," Jerry said. "It's sad that things don't last as long."
"Can you tell us another story about our childhood?" Alex asked.
"There are a lot of cute stories," Theresa replied. "When Max was born, everything changed."
Theresa and Jerry told them about the first time Alex held her younger brother in his arms. Justin and Alex listened attentively. Alex felt that it was reassuring to hear stories where everything was still fine and they were just children without knowing they were magicians. Sometimes she wished she had never known. It would have saved her a lot of trouble. And it would have made things less difficult. She wouldn't have had to think about what her future boyfriend should be like. And she appreciated her parents for what they did in that moment. She knew that they were usually overwhelmed when it came to the love problems of their children. It seemed that they were not made to be compassionate parents, but she was grateful that her parents always tried to be understanding and caring. Even when they didn't know what to do. Sometimes it was just enough to be there. Alex felt that she was much calmer just because her parents were there, telling them unimportant stories as if it was a normal day in life. She could feel her eyes getting heavy as she slowly drifted off to sleep. Justin noticed that his sister was asleep, her head resting on her father's shoulder, and her breathing became calmer. He felt the exhaustion overwhelm him. Missing someone robbed you of all energy.
Theresa also noticed that her children became very tired while Jerry told the story of how Alex discovered her magical powers. It was a funny story, but they would save it for another day.
"Jerry," she gently interrupted her husband. "I think it's time for her to go to bed."
Jerry looked down and saw that his daughter was fast asleep. "Do you think I can still carry her upstairs?" he asked hesitantly. To be honest, he hadn't done that since she was ten years old and she was much heavier now than before. But he just wanted to make an exception for the moment.
Theresa shrugged and helped her son off the couch. Jerry lifted his daughter into his arms, breathed heavily as she was heavier than she looked, and carried her upstairs. Alex did not wake up during this process until her father put her on her bed. When her body touched the mattress, she slowly woke up, but did not move until her father left her room. She looked through her room and thought about what she would do and if it was a wise decision if she did. Otherwise it wasn't a question of whether or not it was a wise decision, it was more a decision of whether she wanted to do it or not. She shook her head and laughed at herself. She wasn't sure when she had become a withdrawn person, limiting her actions because of her age. She always wondered if she was too old for that because it wasn't cool enough. She had never thought about her age when it came to other decisions like dating. Her age did not matter when it came to a boy she wanted to date. It didn't matter if he was three years older than her or not. But when it came to her family, she always wondered if it would be cool to do this. What would be cool in a family anyway? Nothing has to be cool in a family. Family was family, and it was her decision what she did within her family, and nobody would question her decision. She would not let them. She was embarrassed when her mum or dad hugged her in public or when friends were with her. But on the other hand, she still loved that she was her daddy's little girl or that her parents hugged her after Mason told Juliet that he loved her. She was always happy to have a family that cared for her and where everyone was there for each other. Granted, her family was not the model family. Her father forgot almost the whole family when it came to pudding, her mother had no idea what happened to her children at all (she usually realised what had happened when it was over), Justin was kind of selfish because he always wanted to be the best in the family, and she herself was also selfish because she always wanted all the attention and often ignored the feelings of others. And Max was a person who didn't seem to have any feelings, nor seemed to recognize the feelings of other family members. But despite these facts, the Russo family stuck together when necessary, and they defended each other no matter what happened. She was happy for her family and for everyone who was a part of it. Magician or not.
Alex turned her head and realised that for ten minutes she had only thought about her family, and if she wanted to do what she had planned, she had to hurry or it would be too late. She stood up and was still wearing her normal clothes. She quickly grabbed her wand and conjured herself into her sleeping trousers and a T-shirt, then she put her wand on her bedside table and opened her door. Outside her room, she listened to her surroundings to check on her family. She could hear her parents talking to each other down in the living room. Max's door was closed and Justin's too, so she crept quietly down the hall into Justin's room. She knocked softly, but didn't wait for an answer. She opened the door a crack and risked a look into the room.
"Alex?," asked Justin confusedly, sitting in his bed.
"Can I come in?" whispered Alex softly. Justin nodded and slipped to the side to make room for his sister. Alex closed the door behind him and walked towards the bed, slipped under the covers and lay down next to her brother. Now she didn't know why she thought she would be embarrassed to do that. She did it often when she was younger. They usually talked until after midnight and then they both fell asleep in one bed. They had neglected their time together over the years. They had grown older and Max was born. They rarely visited each other in their rooms anymore until it stopped altogether. That's why it felt familiar to Alex when she lay down next to her brother, and it brought back memories of times gone by. Now she wished that they hadn't stopped spending time together. Justin was her bigger brother and it had often reassured her to talk to him at night or just to feel his presence.
"I miss those times," whispered Alex.
"Me too," replied Justin immediately. Alex did not need to explain what she was talking about. It was as if Justin felt the same way. "Maybe we should do this again more often."
Alex giggled slightly. "I would like that. But what will Mom and Dad say when they find us like this?"
"Do you really think they didn't find us when we were younger?" Justin laughed and looked at his sister. His eyes shone with happiness.
"If you say it now," Alex giggled. "I remember sometimes falling asleep in your bed but waking up in mine."
"Maybe you were sleepwalking," said Justin, still laughing.
"Thanks for being there for me," Alex suddenly changed the subject.
Justin's bright smile disappeared and was replaced by a gentle one. "That's very natural for me."
Alex shook his head. "No, it's not that. You were trying to protect me like you always do. And I just wanted to thank you. You're the first person that's ever there when I need somebody."
"And I always will be," Justin replied. "I'm your big brother."
"I'm glad about that," whispered Alex. "I would never wish anyone else to be my brother. No one could replace you."
"Come on, Alex," laughed Justin. "What happened to you? You're never that melodramatic."
Alex shrugged, but he wasn't smiling. "It's just the truth."
"Thank you," Justin said seriously. "I promise you we'll work this out together."
"And I promise you that the pain will go away," Alex said. "We will help each other to forget it. "
Justin smiled at her and Alex smiled back. She raised her hand from his blanket and lay down on his. Justin crossed her fingers and closed his eyes. There was nothing more to say. That said, what they had to say was said and the rest was for the future. There were no more words, only actions and gestures. And Justin was sure that they would do it. They would be happy again, and they would do it together. They would care for each other. They were brother and sister. They were a family.