Chapter 11 - Meeting the Gang

Constance dropped on the sofa next to Temperance and let her head rest on her twin's shoulder. Her sister was worried, she could tell by the way she kept glancing at the closed door of the spare room where they had left the Castellanos twins. The rest of their friends mingled in the main hall, drinking and talking to each other. She knew that their closest four friends would start herding the others out eventually. They would have sensed the change in the atmosphere by now, she was sure.

"He'll be fine, sis," she murmured quietly, bringing her attention back to Temperance. "His brother is all he needs. Nothing of hers would cling to him in Franklin's presence. He's too powerful."

She cast her mind back to the memory that was already permanently etched into her brain. She had witnessed her magic dissolving into intricate tendrils before disappearing altogether as he held that flower. That had been all she needed to confirm he was precisely what they hoped he was.

"I felt her, sis," Temperance mumbled in a wobbly voice. "She's never done that before. I don't know how she managed to surge through me like that. She shouldn't have been able to, because I'm not connected to the Nether at all," then she looked up, focusing her teary gaze on Constance. "Joseph's presence was like a siren call to her… It was as if at that moment, he bridged the gap between the two worlds. Willow lost her thrice-cursed mind."

"Now we have all the proof we need, Temperance," Constance said, threading her fingers with her twin's. "Joe's a Conduit and Frank is his Shield. Willow would know, after all. I'm pretty sure they have no clue about their own powers though, and that's dangerous."

"That's what I felt too," Temperance said thoughtfully. "Willow caught him by complete surprise. I'm glad Frank was close enough to break the connection, sis. I couldn't have done a thing…"

Constance squeezed her hand. Temperance was still very rattled and more than a little upset. She understood because she felt the same. The Castellanos twins were quite an enticing pair, and she could admit that she was very much attracted to Frank, just as Temperance was to Joe. She really didn't want to hurt them. What she wanted was their help to rescue Willow, their other sister, from the hell she was trapped in.

"We've got to act before Cailleach comes for them," she reminded her sister. They knew a lot about the Caretaker of the Veil thanks to the few years' worth of research they had done already. "Our sister won't stand a chance when that happens."

The Old Lady would sense Frank and Joe's presence soon enough. Once she recruits them to her task force, for a lack of better word, then Willow would lose her last hope of freedom.

Dylan and Darren walked in with Sierra and Sienna hanging off in their respective arms. Dylan and Darren Quentin were blonde, blue-eyed, twenty-one-year-old twins. So were Sierra and Sienna Phillips. Their tall, athletic figures and head-turning good looks always managed to make them stand out in any crowd. The four of them were a year older than the Saunders twins and they'd been friends since they were kindergartners.

"So where're your friends?" Dylan smirked, dropping on the couch next to the one Temperance and Constance were sitting on. Sierra settled on his lap and handed him his drink. They were all enjoying the Anavíosi they had prepared just for the party. It was an Egyptian fruit juice that had relaxing and rejuvenating properties. A dash of magic Constance and Temperance had added to the punch made sure that none of them had hangovers no matter how much they drank. "Don't tell me they bailed out of their own party this early."

"Joseph had a bad reaction to Anavíosi punch," Constance said, exchanging a glance with Constance. She felt reluctant to share all the details, despite the Quentins and the Phillips knowing all about their plans. "He just needs to lie down for a bit."

"So, do they have enough 'juice' to do what we need them to do?" It was Sienna who asked. She was seated on the carpeted floor between Darren's legs.

They knew about what happened to Willow, their other sister. The Saunders twins were actually triplets, with Constance being the oldest, Willow the middle and Temperance the youngest. Willow had been in the car with her boyfriend, Garrett, that night, drunk out of their minds and riding the high of having successfully ditched their minders. He had been driving well over the speed limit on a narrow road with lots of hairpin curves, on a night that had been raining when he lost control. A recipe for a disaster they would have recognized had they not been drinking the entire day. When the crushed car was finally recovered, more than ten hours later, Garret was already dead. Willow had been admitted to a hospital with numerous injuries that should have been fatal.

Both their parents - Saunders and Holland - were families descended from two prominent lines of warlocks and witches. Constance, Willow and Temperance all shared their mother's affinity to influence certain aspects of nature. They believed that her magic had allowed Willow to somehow hang on to her body even if it was damaged beyond repair. But the act had cost her. One half of her soul was trapped within her body that was still in the long-term care unit in Hope memorial, kept alive by a plethora of machines. The rest of her was connected to Constance and Temperance due to their bond as triplets, completely severed from her soul's other half.

Willow existed in a painful limbo of two separate parts that didn't belong in the world of the living or the dead. She couldn't return to her body to be reunited with the rest of her no matter how hard she tried. She was at a point where she didn't care whether she lived or died. She just wanted to become whole again by any means.

This had been her state of being for over four years.

Constance and Temperance had spent all their time for the past four years looking for a way to free their sister from her agonising existence. None of their extensive research had turned up anything actionable until that night they had witnessed the Mmuo-Eze ritual. That incident had finally set them off on the path that gave them some hope. If the transfer of souls was possible, then the Castellanos twins were the ones who could try and do it for her. The only way she could communicate with Constance and Temperance was through dream conferences. She shared whatever insights she gained from her bizarre existence with them every night. She had never been able to talk to them, make herself manifest or try to possess either of them ever before… Until now.

"I'm sure they do," Constance replied when her sister stayed silent. "Willow is desperate and she needs their help."

"It's been too long," Sierra licked her lips after a sip from the blood-red drink. "Her body's healed enough, hasn't it? She could come back when we get those two to put her back together."

"That or finally pass on to the next one in peace," Constance sighed. "She's not really particular anymore."

"Hey, that's defeatist talk," Sienna protested as her boyfriend wrapped his long arms around her delicate waist. "She needs to come back," then she exchanged a look with her sister. The grin that stretched on her lips was more than a little sinister. Constance felt a flicker of unease stirring in the pit of her stomach. Temperance was also staring at the younger Phillips twin with a look of hesitation in her eyes.

"After all we've done for her," Sierra answered her sister with an equally disturbing sneer. "She had better."

Constance's worry increased. She had hoped with everything she was that their friends haven't done anything drastic to further their plans. "What do you even mean?"

"A life for life is the oldest bargain there ever was," Sierra said with a careless shrug. "We've already made space for her in the living world–"

"No," Temperance snapped. "We have all made our vows when we came of age, even before all this with Willow started, that we were never going to break any of the Old Rules! That's basically the only thing the Council requires from us!"

The Phillips twins had the power to influence thoughts. It wasn't anything close to being telepathic or empathic. They just had a way of convincing others to do things that suited the two of them or entertained them. It was a dangerous affinity to be left unchecked. That was why The Council insisted on all of them making all those ancient vows a long time ago, to avoid abusing their powers.

"Sierra? What?!" Constance cried. "Please tell me you didn't break your Word. Please."

"Come on, Constance," she rolled her eyes as her twin scoffed. "Don't yell at me. I can't believe you didn't even realise!"

Constance turned to her sister, horrified and saw the same expression twisting Temperance's features. She had felt a wave of unease engulf her the moment they had learned about Carl's death. But they had both known him for the entire two years they had been here. He hadn't been the most mentally stable boy around. Constance knew that he had depression, something he successfully hid from everyone. He also held a deep, inescapable fascination towards the younger Phillips twin. But he had known that he stood no chance with her.

He had more than once talked about leaving this life with the both of them. And that was when she and Temperance shared their views of the afterlife with the older Winters boy. They both believed firmly that life was a circle… that they would die and come back for all eternity until their souls managed to make the final, one-way journey to either hell or heaven.

Constance had been sure he had killed himself out of depression, hoping to return someday to a life that made him a bit happier. It never even crossed her mind that Sienna or Sierra would have had anything to do with it.

They both had trusted those two to stay true to their vows.

"He thought he had a chance with me," Sienna's voice took on a sharp edge as she started to talk. "He knew I was with Darren. How dare he ask me out on a date! Showing up drunk like an idiot with flowers in front of my door!"

"He became aggressive when Sienna refused," Sierra picked up the thread when her twin got too angry to continue. "Darren showed up at the same time to take her to the movies. Carl was lucky he didn't kill him then and there."

"Oh, believe me, I wanted to," Darren said, tightening his hold around his girl and resting his chin on her head. "He grabbed her by the hair, Constance, I was going to break his fucking wrist before I broke his neck if it wasn't for Sienna. She stopped me."

"Yeah, I did," she agreed. "I thought, 'Why should Darren have to pay for Carl's stupidity?' He didn't have to waste his life rotting in jail for killing a scumbag now, did he? All I had to do was convince Carl that his life really wasn't worth living, not if he can't even take a simple hint. Sierra agreed."

"It all worked out, didn't it?" her twin asked from her perch on Darryl's lap. "The creep is gone. No big loss. In fact, his death serves a much more important purpose. He's the price that has already been paid."

"Willow is perfectly allowed to return to this life once her two halves become whole."

"Gods, Sierra, Sienna…" Temperance covered her mouth in a vain attempt to stifle a sob from escaping. Constance felt sick to her stomach. How had they missed their close friends losing control so drastically like this? Maybe they had been too invested in their own desire to bring peace to Willow, they had completely missed the terrible turn the Phillips twins had taken.

"What you've done is horrible!" her sister let out a muffled cry. "You've broken the rules! Even if the laws of the country can't convict you, you'll be made to take responsibility for your actions in the end."

"Oh cut the crap, girls, '' Sienna rolled her eyes with a laugh, while her twin sniggered. "You two are becoming a pair of old crotchety women with this bullshit. We'll be perfectly fine."

"Did you have anything to do with what happened to Melvin too?" Constance asked in a soft whisper, not really wanting to know.

"Oh no," Dylan, who was quiet until now, chuckled. "That was entirely another matter. He ran his mouth off at Aline," Aline and Harry Fairweather were the other pair of fraternal twins in their inner circle. They had both gone back home to attend a wedding. The thing was, Aline and Harry also had an affinity to play with people's emotions. "Harry didn't take too kindly to some punk trying to insult his sister."

The door to the spare room opened then, putting a stop to their conversation. Joe looked a little pale still, but the bright grin he had playing on his lips and the shine in his blue eyes told Constance that he was feeling much better. Frank followed close behind, hovering protectively over his brother.

"There you are," Sienna purred. "We were wondering when we were going to meet you. How are you now?"

"Much better, thanks," Joe murmured shyly and sat next to Temperance who moved closer to make space for the young Castellanos twin. Constance patted the seat next to her, and to her delight, Frank accepted the wordless invite with a tiny smile.

After a quick round of introductions, Darren pointed at Joe with his drink. "So, who's the older one?"

"Frank," Joe said, "By three whole minutes and some seconds," then he turned to flash a smirk at his brother before turning back to Darren. "Boy, he never lets me forget it."

"Big brother's prerogative, kid," Frank chuckled.

Joe stuck his tongue out at his brother, and Constance hid a smile. He still acted like a kid despite his age. She could tell that Temperance was smitten with the younger Castellanos by the way she was already halfway wrapped around his lean long frame. Constance couldn't really say much, seeing as she was already holding Frank's hand in her lap.

"What about the two of you?" Joe asked Temperance.

"Can you guess?"

"Nope, that's Frank's superpower," he nodded solemnly. "He can always tell just by watching a pair of siblings."

"Constance was born first."

Frank said confidently, and his voice sent a thrill of excitement through Constance. "How'd you know?" she asked.

Frank fixed his calm brown-eyed gaze with hers and spoke softly. "You have the same instincts as an older sibling. It never gets old. I noticed earlier."

"Hey, try us," Sienna challenged.

"You're the younger one," Frank smirked. "You have the same brattiness all the younger ones seem to be born with."

Darren laughed while Sienna rolled her eyes. But they all knew that Frank had a point. She was a brat. Only now it seemed that she may have driven Carl to suicide as well. Constance pushed that terrible thought away with effort, not wanting to waste the time she had to enjoy the close proximity to her favourite Castellanos twin.

"Dylan is the older one," Frank continued. "He's quiet and is constantly on the watch, praying your boyfriend wouldn't get into too much trouble when he's not around."

That invited a round of good-natured laughter. Frank had them all figured. She hoped that he wouldn't be too perceptive to find out their true natures; their affinities and how far they have gone to further their own goals. Something told her that he and his brother would be disappointed in them if they ever found out. Constance didn't want to find out how it would feel to have him look at her with dread and disgust.

She tightened her hold on Frank's hand, almost unwittingly. She knew that they would have to let the two of them in on some of the truth sooner rather than later. But, until such time, Joe and Frank had to be kept in the dark, only for a little bit longer.