Daughter of Ipswich

Falling Down the Rabbit Hole

He Said, She Said

I loudly huffed, as I threw the Book of Ipswich onto the table in my family's library.

"What is wrong with you?" My mother scowled, as she and the maid-who didn't understand a single word of English-were both organizing something in one corner of the room. Probably a coffee table, since my mother always made our house look like something off of those TV shows that shows the best homes in America.

I ignored her, and threw myself onto a chair, and began flipping through the pages of the book. Trying to focus my anger towards Caleb and Sarah, into reading these stories and appreciating all of the people who died to keep me-and my unique kin-hidden.

"Celeste?" My mother repeated approaching me.

"Not now, mom," I growled, flipping through the pages, "I need to do some reading for school. So please leave me alone."

But my mom didn't believe me. Typical of her. "What are you reading?"

"A historical book, I loaned from Mrs. Danvers," I answered back, when really it was given to me as a birthday gift from William, last year.

"Really?" My mother scowled. She had a strong disliking for Evelyn, after William began to abuse his powers, unlike my father-who was rather strict on how much powers Pogue used around the house. But, he also felt it when Pogue used his powers at home, so Pogue could never lie.

This is why I only used my powers when only my mother is home, or I'm alone.

"Yes," I snobbishly answered, looking over at my mother," Also, William is having a good day today. Maybe you and dad should go visit. He likes it when people visit him."

My mother gawked at me for a second, before murderously whispering to me, making sure the maid wasn't alerted by our conversation," Don't ever speak of him again! He is dead to us! Got it? Dead!"

I rolled my eyes, and went back to reading, while my mother stomped out of the room, with the maid obediently following behind her.

As soon as the door was shut, I flipped the page, showing a brutal hanging of a young woman, with a young man, looking much like Caleb killing a man in the background, with his magic, as people cried around the young girl's feet.

I looked to the next page, which was beautifully written in ancient cursive.

Mary Parry,

First of the female witches killed in the Parry family, and last female witch to be recorded to be in the Parry family.

Mary, a child of sixteen years, was in engaged to Tobias Danvers, eldest of the sons of Samuel. But, upon her travels to town, to help her mother buy goods for the wedding, she was seen casting a spell to aid her mother during the travel. She was brought to the judge, Lord Beetle of Ipswich, who condemned her to death, as a result of her refusing to say names of the coven she belonged to. Upon the day of her hanging, it is said her fiancé, Tobias Danvers, had brutally murdered the Judge Beatle of Ipswich, before stealing Mary's dead body, and burying it in with his family's cemetery, under the name "Mary Danvers, Loving Wife of Tobias Danvers". After her death, it is claimed that her fiancé, and childhood lover, Tobias Danvers, refused to ever marry anyone, almost ending the Danvers line of first born-sons. But his younger brother, Luke Danvers, married soon after and produced the heir needed to keep the family alive. Shortly after Mary's death, a slew of fellow female witches were killed, thus exterminating many of the family's female witches-mostly the daughters who had married outside of he families. Mary Parry is the last recorded female witch of the Parry female.

I sadly sighed, letting my fingers brush over the dried, aged, pages of the book.

This young girl, my great great great great (I don't know how many more greats) Aunt, who had died, protecting the people she loved, with the best of her ability. She had even given up her lover. Tobias Danvers.

I quietly laughed to myself. Ironic, isn't it, Mary Parry-the last female witch in the Parry family, was in love with a Danvers boy, the eldest son of Samuel.

And I, the first of the Parry female witches, since Mary's death, was in love (or had a helpless crush) upon Caleb, the eldest and only son of William Danvers.

I flipped the following pages, looking down at the horrid sights of what all of the killed men and women of our five families, looked like upon their deaths.

This is one thing that the Book of Ipswich had, that the Book of Damnation didn't have. Pictures of the deceased men and women.

It was slightly amusing to see how most of the recorded Danvers family deaths, all carried the same gene for dark, usually, black hair. The Simms family members were usually small in height and body build, like Tyler. The Garwin family didn't ever really look alike, but they were all usually discovered by pulling some sort of prank upon someone, which sounded like something Reid would do. Then there was the Parry family, we looked nothing alike, in my opinion. But in personality comparison, most of them were killed, while or because they were trying, to protect the rest of the coven and its secrets. It was even written down that we were the adamant friends and the only loyal family of the coven.

I continued to read past the recorded deaths, which stopped after the Salem Witch Trials were over, and onto small lists of names. Names of the surviving members of the families, who had powers. The book had a charm casted upon it, so whenever a new magical child was born, its full name instantly appeared in the book, along with their birth date. But then upon death the date would appear. On the male list, right at the bottom were Caleb's, Tyler's, Reid's, and Pogue's full names, along with the birthdays.

On the next page was the list of female witches. There was a very small number; it seemed to be one ever so many generations and usually in different families. And I took these women as the last holders of these books. And the last person was Tyler's Great Aunt, who supposedly killed herself, shortly after our fathers' got their powers as pre-teens.

William told me that when he first got his powers, that Tyler's Great Aunt, Lisa, took each of the boys aside and questioned them. And after the questions, she privately gave him the book, telling him everything that was in it, and that he needed to protect it until another female witch came along. And he did. And he gave it to me, once he had taught me everything I needed to know.

But underneath Lisa's name, was my name, perfectly written along with my birthday.

I sighed quietly, looking back through the pages of the book, where all sorts of potions and abilities to my powers, as well as the boys, were shown and explained, in the Old English Text.

"Celeste!"

I slammed the book shut, looking up, only to see my brother standing a few feet away from me, and able to see what I was just looking at in the book.

"Yes?" I stammered nervously.

Pogue starred at me for a second, before cooing," Mom said you've been in here for a couple of hours. Is everything okay?"

I looked up at the clock, seeing it was true, how I had spent the afternoon reading this very book. "Wow!"

I looked back at Pogue, and smiled," I guess time flies by when you are having fun."

My brother rolled his eyes, before looking back down at the book. "What is that?"

"A book," I answered curtly, standing up, gathering the book into my arms.

"But what kind?" Pogue groaned.

"A historical kind," I answered again, trying to walk past him. But he kept blocking me.

"Caleb told me." Pogue bean quietly. "So did mom."

I looked down at my feet, clutching the book tightly.

"They told me you've been going to see William, and have talked with him. He even gave you that book. "Pogue motioned to the book in my arms. "What's going on, Celeste? What is wrong?"

"Nothing," I snapped. With that I began jogging away from my brother, and his nosey mind, even though I knew he just wanted to help me.

"Celeste!" he called after me, but I kept jogging to my bedroom. I needed to be left alone. It was getting to hard to keep my secret.

Yet, as I opened my bedroom door, and locked it behind me, I spotted my cell phone glowing on my bed.

I quickly stepped over to my phone, seeing who left me a message. There is bold letters was.

Chase:

U coming 2 Nicky's tonight?

I sighed, as I looked up at my clock, hanging on my wall. I took a deep breath. Maybe going to Nicky's wouldn't be so bad tonight. I needed to let loose, a little. Before I fell any deeper into my dark rabbit hole.