I know, the show said the Witterbane brothers arrived in Connecticut in 1613, but the Connecticut colony, wasn't established until 1636. That means there wouldn't have even been a village at the time. So, I will be using historical accuracy.
It was the first day of Luz's sophomore year. She could hear the whispers about her new appearance. Some were about her hair and others about her height.
She had decided to wear something that blended her usual style with the witch style from the Boiling Isles. She wore a short-sleeved gray shirt with an ombre effect, white skort, and light green leggings. Luz had threaded gold beads through her silver locks.
"Can you believe her? Who is she trying to kid with that outfit?" one of the mean girls whispered.
"I bet she took growth hormones just to pull off another stunt," another replied.
"Does she really believe putting gray in her hair will make her appear more mature?" a third one giggled.
"I wonder how long it will be before she's stuck in dentition all year?" the first one pondered out loud.
"Who knows? That Reality Check Camp might have finally bled her of her stupid weirdness," the second one stated.
Luz held back tears as she made her way to her new locker. Putting away her sketchbook and lunch, she headed to homeroom. She hoped the teachers would at least give her a chance this year.
Remember Luz, keep your emotions in check. You have only mastered some of your new magic, not all of it.
Her homeroom teacher was also her first-period teacher. He announced they would be covering the local history for their first month. Luz gripped the edge of her desk, leaving impressions in the metal.
"The Connecticut Colony was established by the Puritans on March 3rd, 1636. Before their arrival, there had been attempts to live in the state as early as 1614. None of these settlements flourished due to the Pequot Natives protecting their land."
Luz listened as the teacher continued to explain how this led to the formation of Gravesfield. She could feel her celestial magic stirring. She discreetly counted to five and back, settling the magic once more.
"As the Puritans continued establishing their presence in Connecticut, Gravesfield was one of its first settlements. There had been earlier attempts to establish a town in place years before. The first attempt was abandoned after several sightings of so-called monsters which were in reality, large animals that no one from Europe had seen yet."
More likely, it was citizens from the Boiling Isles investigating Earth. I bet Hunter would know about the subject.
"By October of that year, the town was permanently established. Gravesfield was founded by two groups of Puritans; the Connecticut Colony as well as members from the Massachusetts Colony. The name Gravesfield was chosen to honor the earlier settlement the town was being built over."
The teacher went on to list the names of some of the founding families. What surprised Luz was that the brothers Witterbane were not listed among the first families. Why was Luz even surprised that Belos lied about this to her also?
Class ended right after her teacher finished his lecture on the first family of founders. Luz got up and was about to leave when the teacher told her to stay behind for a minute.
Luz did her best to smile at Mr. Hartford. "Is there something you need, Mr. Hartford?"
"Yes," he told her sternly. "I have heard enough about your antics in other classrooms to know you're a problem student. Therefore, I have prepared this document for you to sign."
He slapped a glossy binder onto his desk. He opened it and the title page read, "Behavioral Contract." "This is a contract outlining the behavior I expect from you when you are in my classroom. It also details everything you are not allowed to do and the punishment for breaking these rules."
He narrowed his eyes at the teenager. "You will take this to your mother and review it. You will both sign it and return it to me tomorrow, or you will be getting detention. If you violate the contract three times, you will be banned from my class permanently. Am I clear, Ms. Noceda?"
Out of the corner of her eye, Luz could see her shadow starting to ripple. She needed to get out of here, now. "Yes, Mr. Hartford. I will have this back to you tomorrow."
She scurried out of the room and made her way to second period. She took a glance at her shadow and it was solid again. She thanked the Titan that her shadow hadn't acted up.
The rest of the day was torturous. All her teachers gave her behavioral contracts to sign. She was banned from the art room and forbidden from trying out for any school-related activities.
Her library access was severely restricted. She was only allowed inside to study and she could only check out books related to her classes. The worst was when Principal Hal summoned her to his office.
Principal Hal sternly told Luz he hoped the camp had straightened her out. He informed her that someone would be monitoring her at all times this semester to ensure she was abiding by the rules. If she slipped up twice, he was going to expel her from the school.
When Camila picked up Luz, she saw her daughter's saddened face. "Luz, what happened, Mija?"
"I don't want to talk about it right now. Can we go home, please?"
At the house, the other kids were working on their own lessons. Camila was adamant about them doing schoolwork even if they were stranded from their world.
Right now, the kids were studying geography. There was an old globe she had unearthed from the basement along with some maps to help them in understanding Earth.
"Alright, how many continents are there again?" Gus asked. He pointed to the globe. "It looks like six but the book says seven."
Vee indicated too two mountain ranges on the map on the tabletop. "See these two mountain ranges? The Ural Mountains and the Caucasus Mountains divide the mega continent into two different land masses. That creates the sixth and seventh continent."
"That's interesting. I wonder why they divided them further into countries then into states/providences and regional areas," Willow commented.
Hunter shrugged his shoulders. Belos had never divulged in him about his time on Earth. Considering how many centuries had passed since he lived here, he wouldn't have known either.
Amity looked at the globe and then put her finger on North America. "We're currently residing in North America, specifically the country of the United States of America, or the USA for short."
She placed a smaller map of the country over the other one. "This is the country we're in. The USA is divided into fifty states. We're in this one," she added tapping the state outline.
Gus opened his geography book to show them the pages on the state of Connecticut. Using his illusions, he showed them where the town of Gravesfield was located in the state. "This is where we are right now."
"According to the Internet, Connecticut is located in the regional zone known as the Northeast, region one to be precise. The other regions include the South, Midwest, South West, and Northwest," Willow added.
She drew a basic outline of the Boiling Isles. Then she broke it down into smaller regions based on body parts. "If we compare the Boiling Isles to the USA, Bonesborough would be in the Midwest."
Hunter was about to remark on that when a chill went down his spine. He glanced out the window and saw nothing. Still suspicious, he left the kitchen and asked for Flapjack to accompany him.
"Keep your eye open, buddy. We don't know what is out there." He cautiously moved around the backyard scouring for signs of trouble. When he couldn't find anything, he checked the other sides of the house.
He looked down both sides of the block. "Strange, I thought for sure I sensed something. I guess it was a false alarm." Flapjack twitted in agreement and they both returned to the house.
Across the street, behind a garbage can, the sludge monster that was Belos snarled. The traitorous grimwalker had almost spied him lurking about. He needed to find a better host than the stupid rat he'd been inhabiting.
"Cursed witches! They're the reason Caleb keeps betraying me!" he hissed. Once he was finished eradicating the Boiling Isles, he would make another Caleb. One that stood beside him always.
Belos saw the Noceda horseless carriage, a car he believed it was called, pull up to the house. He overlooked Camila, his attention focused entirely on Luz. Despite her illusion, he could see her true form.
She would be the perfect host. With the magic housed in her body, I could finally achieve my endgame. That child owes me for sparing that temptress Clawthorn's life!
If he was to have a chance to get close enough to possess Luz, he needed to regain his strength. He spied a raccoon trying to knock over the trashcan. "Perfect."
The poor animal didn't have a chance against Belos. Within seconds the creature's life had been taken as the possession was completed. Deer antlers sprouted on the raccoon's head.
"I'll be back witches. This time, I won't fail in my goal of annihilating every last one of your kind."
After dinner that night, Camila asked the kids to go to the basement, so she could talk with Luz. There were several board games down there they could play with.
Willow was already calling dibs on picking the first board game as the group descended into the basement. Camila let out of sigh of relief. She didn't want any interruptions right now.
Luz was at the table kicking her legs back and forth. She pushed the binders closer to her mom as she sat down. "The teachers wanted you to review these behavioral contracts with me. They have to be returned tomorrow or I'll be serving detention."
Luz snapped her fingers before starting to fish through her backpack. "Oh, and here are the rules and restrictions applied to me for the school year. Principal Hal wanted you to know that I'll be monitored the whole semester as well."
Camila's face was full of outrage. "Behavioral contracts? Restrictions? Monitoring! He and the staff are treating you like a criminal! How dare they do that!"
The teenager flinched at her mother's tone of voice. "They're just covering their bases. They want proof that" she started to do finger quotes, "Reality Check Camp worked."
Camila understood the school's motivation but still found it another injustice aimed at her daughter. She wasn't lying when she stated they were treating her daughter like a criminal. She would take this to the school board.
"Mom, don't even think about it. The school board isn't going to do anything. I'm betting they worked with the staff to come up with these contracts. Unless you have a fortune I don't know about or think you can homeschool me, this is my only option."
Camila felt like the worst mom ever. There was nowhere else Luz could transfer into in Gravesfield. Perhaps it might be feasible to send her to school in the next town over but she couldn't pay the fees needed to arrange that.
All she could do was assure Luz that she would find a way to make things more satisfactory for her at school. That was a promise.
Four days after school started, Amity was the first one to lose it. Camila had taken a day off to help the kids de-stress. She didn't expect Luz's girlfriend to be the first one she had to comfort.
Camila had just finished her second cup of coffee when she heard a frustrated scream coming from the living room. "I can't take it anymore!" That was followed by a loud splat.
She hurried into the living room and was shocked by what she saw. Amity was standing in the middle of a large amount of Abomination goo with a wild look in her eyes. The walls were covered in different Abomination parts.
"Why, why, why won't you work?" Amity shouted before falling to her knees sobbing. "Emera, Edric, and Dad. I miss you so much." She buried her face into her hands.
Amity wasn't cognizant of anything around her. She didn't feel Ghost pawing her. Nor, did she hear Camila saying her name. Awareness didn't return until she was hugged by Camila.
"Shoosh. It's alright, I've got you. Let it all out," Camila said. She began stroking Amity's hair. This brought on a new batch of tears from the teenager. Odelia would never have comforted her like this.
Camila let Amity cry herself out. Eventually, Amity was able to wipe her tears away. "Thank you. I needed that."
Camila nodded, "Sometimes all you need is a good cry. Can you tell me what got you so upset?"
Amity sniffled and replied softly. "I'm worried I'll forget about my family." She gestured to the splatter on the wall. "I was trying to use my magic so my Abominations would look like them. None of them were coming out right."
"Emera's hair was too short or Edric's ears were too high. My dad's nose wasn't right at all. How could I be messing up such simple things?"
"Stress and frustration will do that to a person. It also doesn't help that you haven't been sleeping through the night." The vet helped up a hand to stop Amity's protests.
"Don't lie to me. I've heard you tossing and turning. A few times you even got up and walked throughout the house." She gently lifted Amity's chin so they were looking directly at one another.
"After my husband died, I went through something similar. I would find myself forgetting what his voice sounded like. I would constantly check on Luz because I was afraid of losing her as well."
"What helped you stop doing that?"
"Luz. I needed to stop thinking about what could happen to her. Instead, I needed to focus on what she needed in the present. I'm certain you'll be with your family very soon."
Amity hugged Camila once more and whispered, "Thanks, Mom." Camila pretended she didn't hear that to avoid embarrassing her.
Later, she went out to the garden where Willow was trying to use her magic to grow earth plants. She planted a pumpkin seed and drew a spell circle around it. The ground rumbled and then pieces of pumpkin were spat out.
Willow managed to shield herself with her vines. She sighed as she picked up a notepad and crossed out pumpkins on a list of earth plants she tried to grow. "Why is this so hard?"
"I'm not a botanist, but I do believe you need to adjust your approach for no-magical veggies," Camila commented as she lowered herself to the ground.
"The plants here can take weeks to months to grow. Take these tomatoes for example. They took nearly three months to grow. In the Demon Realm, are the plants there use to fast growth?"
Willow nodded and explained how the magic in the Boiling Isles was literally sucked up from the ground and into plants. "It's why manipulating plants with magic isn't harmful. The plants are used to their life cycle being sped up or slowed down depending on the spell."
Camila smiled and said that was the answer to her problem. "You're pushing too much magic into the seeds. A gentle nudge to start the growth is all that's needed. A bit of extra magic once a week should do the trick once they sprout."
Willow nodded and decided to start over with her gardening endeavors. Camila decided to check on the boys next. However, she got sidetracked when she heard Vee groaning in the bathroom.
"Vee, are you okay? Do you need me to come in there?"
"Don't, I'm hideous!" Vee responded followed by a moan.
Camila, alarmed, entered the bathroom only to stop in her tracks. Her adoptive daughter was in the bathtub in her true form. Her skin was torn in a few places, but most of it was intact and dull.
"Oh my! Is this some kind of basilisk puberty?"
"No! Ah, I'm shedding my skin and it hurts!" Vee moaned as rubbed against the sides of the tub. The skin tore a little as another small piece came off.
Camila wanted to bap herself. Of course, her basilisk daughter would need to shed skin, she was a magical snake! "Is there anything I can do to make it easier for you?"
Vee asked her to get the lotion bottles from under the sink. "They should help with getting my skin off quicker. It will probably take the rest of the day for me to finish shedding."
"Okay, I'll let the others know to knock before entering. Do you want me to close the curtain?" Vee nodded and was grateful for the privacy.
She headed down to the basement. Once more, Gus was going through her box of stored items. At the moment he was fooling around with her grandmother's music box. "Gus! Put that down please!"
Gus set the music box down on the little bar. "Hola, Camila. I was trying to figure out how humans shrunk themselves to fit in the box."
"Gus, if you want to know how something works, ask Luz or me. This was my grandmother's music box. The little dancer is a tiny figurine made by hand placed on a spinning platform."
Gus listened as Camila explained the inner mechanisms and how delicate they were. "You need to be very careful with how you handle things. They can break or be damaged beyond repair."
Gus admitted he knew that. He was just trying to keep himself busy. "I thought if I figured out how some Human Realm technology worked, it would help us with creating a portal door."
"I know that. Why don't you find something to read instead of playing with my things, okay?" Gus nodded.
Camila finally tracked down Hunter. He was in Luz's bedroom on her computer. "Did Luz give you permission to use her computer?"
Hunter nodded without looking at her. "She gave me a list of websites with different techniques on sewing." He explained how Darius inspired him to learn more about making his own clothes.
"When we get back, I want to show him how well I can do. That is if we get back."
"I could give you a lesson on using my old sewing machine later. Making your own clothes sounds like a nice hobby." Hunter was elated to hear this and couldn't wait to get started.
"By the way, I couldn't find your animal friends anywhere. Do you know where they are?"
"Oh, they're getting some natural sunlight on the porch. Palismans enjoy it because it makes their wooden bodies smoother."
"Okay, that's nice to know. I'll leave you for now. I'll show you after lunch how to use the sewing machine."
It was just after midnight when Luz slipped out of the house. For the last few weeks, she had been going to the graveyard every few nights to see her dad. She knew it was wrong to break into the cemetery at night but felt like she had no choice.
She had become better at controlling the illusion magic that kept her eyes and skin color from showing. Regrettably, she couldn't hold it indefinitely. She had nearly been caught a few times in gym class with her blue skin showing.
Amity theorized that Luz was concentrating so much on keeping the celestial woman's spirit locked up, it was affecting other areas of her magic. With that in mind, she tried to minimize her time out in public.
Luz arrived at the graveyard about twenty minutes later. She looked around to make sure there was no one around. Taking a deep breath, she jumped into the air.
Luz had discovered she could more-or-less levitate about a week ago. It was a bit tricky keeping herself in the air so she only used the power to float over the fence. She was still working on settling back to the ground so she was grateful there were some bushes to fall on.
"Ow! Huh, I need to figure out how to stick the landing. Mom's going to get suspicious if I keep getting scratches." Dusting herself off, she made her way to her father's grave.
It was fortunate for her that his grave couldn't be seen from the road. Any patrols passing by wouldn't be able to see her. Luz brushed her fingertips across the headstone.
"Hi, Dad. I'm visiting you again. Sorry, I didn't come yesterday. Things have been tremendously stressful at home. My friends are starting to lose their minds."
She scrolled through the pictures on her phone. There was a picture of her friends trying to help her with her assignments earlier tonight. The picture showed a disaster in progress.
Abomination goo had dripped onto her science homework when Amity had leaned over to check it. Hunter was helping Willow stop one of her plants from eating Luz's math homework. Gus was chasing down Ghost, Clover, and Flapjack who were playing keep away with her language textbook.
Emmeline had been fooling around with Luz's phone which is why she had the photo in the first place. "I spent two hours redoing my assignments because of them."
"I know they wanted to help me, Dad. We helped each other all the time with assignments at Hexside," Luz remarked. The toe of her shoe dug into the dirt. "My teachers wouldn't be happy if I handed in torn and dirtied assignments."
Things weren't getting any easier at school. The first week was over and she felt like she was in a cage. She had eyes on her at all times making her anxious and clumsy.
"I knocked over the garbage can in the cafeteria because my lunch monitor yelled at me for taking too long in the lunch line. Ended up having to spend my lunch period cleaning up the mess."
Luz clenched her hands. "It wasn't my fault and I still was punished. I wish you were here. You would have set the staff straight about their actions towards me."
Manny had always defended his daughter when she got bullied in elementary school. When the other parents would point fingers at Luz for causing problems for their kids, he would turn the blame back on them. Instead of teaching their children to accept diversity they were teaching them to be bad people.
She also confessed to her dad that she was scared. "I'm afraid that I'm letting my friends down. They haven't said anything but I know they're wondering why I have not created a portal back to the Boiling Isles with my magic."
She held her head in her hands. "I saw what The Collector did with these powers. I recalled seeing Vee and Mom across dimensions when I was being reborn."
She looked at the ground and saw she had been drawing glyphs with her foot. She halfheartedly placed a hand over one of them, hoping it would work. Of course, it didn't.
"I'm feeling adrift, Dad. I don't know where to go next for answers. I wish someone would send me a sign."
She heard a twig snap. Bolting upright, she looked around trying to see what made the sound. "Whose there? Reveal yourself!"
She heard another twig snap and the sound of footsteps running. She looked to her left and under the moonlight, she saw someone running away. Someone who looked familiar.
"Eda? Is that you?" Luz called out, but the figure kept running. "Eda, wait!" She took off after the figure using the moonlight to guide her.
The figure paused to see if Luz was following. Seeing that she was, the figure started running faster towards the back wall of the cemetery. Luz was catching up when the figure levitated over the back wall.
Luz did the same thing. "Eda! Please stop!" The figure stopped running. Luz started walking over when the figure dashed into the woods.
"Eda, stop running away!" Luz didn't think twice as she dashed into the woods.
A few minutes later she found herself in a hidden glen. Goosebumps appeared on her arms. She could feel faint traces of magic in the air.
"Why would Eda lead me here?" she questioned as she walked around. She saw something glowing out of the corner of her right eye.
A few gold bubbles hovered next to a tree. Walking over she saw a carving on the trunk. She brushed aside some leaves to get a better look at it.
The carving was of a cardinal and a blue jay sitting atop a heart. Inside the heart were the initials CW and EC. Luz felt compelled to look down at the roots.
There was a small pile of disturbed soil. Something was sticking out of it. Luz dug the rest of it out.
It was a small decorated box. The leather buckle keeping it closed had rotted away. Lifting the lid, saw what was inside the box.
It was a journal with a red cover. Unlike the box, the journal appeared to be in perfect condition. That was probably because it was safeguarded by magic since it was glowing.
She pulled it out and the glowing stopped. Undoing the strap, she looked inside. On the back of the cover was a name. Caleb Wittebane. This was Belos's older brother's journal!
A scrape of paper fell out from the back of the journal. Luz picked it up. "This journal belongs to the descendants of Caleb Wittebane." She had to show this to Hunter.
It was nearly two in the morning when Luz crept back to the house. She was going to slip in through the back door. The hair on the back of her neck was raised.
She pivoted around quickly and saw nothing. Luz allowed a little bit of magic to flood her senses. She heard a soft rustle coming from a nearby bush. Her nose started to get clogged with a rotting smell.
Luz took a step closer only to be pulled inside the house and her mouth covered. She started thrashing when a familiar voice told her to quiet down.
Hunter removed his hand from her mouth. In his other, he held his staff. "Everyone is still sleeping. Your usually back before now. Flapjack and I were about to go look for you."
"You knew I snuck out?"
Hunter rolled his eyes. "I was the Golden Guard, remember?"
Luz blushed and scratched the back of her head. Without asking Hunter informed he hadn't told anyone about her excursions. She was thankful for that.
Hunter noticed the journal she was holding. "What is that?"
"It's a journal I found in a hidden glen. When I took it out of the box it had been buried in it was being protected by magic."
Hunter was fascinated by how long the magic had held in the Human Realm. "Who did it belong to."
"Caleb Wittebane."
Hearing this, Hunter took a step back. Flapjack came to life and started chirping excitedly. He recognized the journal as he helped bury it.
Flapjack took the journal from Luz and dropped it into his witch's hands. He started chirping more insistently.
"Are you sure this is meant for me, buddy? I'm not really a descendant of Caleb's."
Luz put a hand on his shoulder and gave the teen an encouraging smile. "You're the closest relative to him. If he left this for future generations to read, then that includes you."
"I'll read it later. You need to get some sleep. You're lucky you don't have school today." Luz stuck out her tongue and yawned. She headed upstairs leaving Hunter alone with the journal.
Later that day, Gus asked if Hunter wanted to go shopping with him and Camila. "We're going to be buying model planes! If I can put one together then I can be more help building the next portal door."
"Nah, I think I'm going to stay here. Luz recommend a book for me and I want to get started on it."
"That's cool. The girls all out working in the garden if you need anything." With a wave goodbye, Gus ran back up the steps eager to go shopping.
Hunter sighed and turned his attention to the journal. Flapjack was flapping his wings excitedly. He used his beak to open the journal.
Hunter patted him on the head. "Can you show me an entry that would explain why Caleb and Phillip's relationship fell apart?"
Using his wing, Flapjack flipped the pages until there was an entry dated a year and a half after the founding of the town. "May fifth, 1638. I sometimes wish I had never moved to Gravesfield with my brother…"
"I promised our mother I would always look out for Phillip and I have done so. I moved us here for a fresh start in life. Phillip is thriving here as he's become a leader to a small group of youths. I'm glad he has made friends to keep him company."
"I, on the other hand, have not made many. I am a true believer in God and his mercy. I have been raised with the belief that I was born into damnation and that one day God might purge me of sin."
"I've always followed our ways to ensure my soul's eternal rest. Alas, these last few years I have begun to wonder if the way we live is truly the right path to God."
"I witnessed several sinful acts my father did to my mother. She was a dutiful wife and loving mother. She always did her best to please Father. However, he showed no gratitude to her for work."
"He would strike her often and berate her terribly. Some nights I heard her sobbing for hours after my father had his way with her. She never raised her voice or went against his wishes yet he punished her for his sins."
"How can any of us be destined to be redeemed by God if we are punishing those we love for no reason? I have also been pondering the justification for slavery in our town. God freed the Jews from slavery after great suffering."
"We are the children of God, yet humanity seems to revel at torturing scores of men, women, and children because our skin is fairer than theirs."
"Perhaps, I'm a man ahead of his time. For the sake of my brother, I must push my uncomfortableness with life away. I shall join the witch hunters to see if that will calm my troubled soul."
Hunter was unsure of what to make of Caleb. He had been certain that Caleb would be very much like Belos in the beginning. To see his "father" questioning his beliefs even before going to the Demon Realm surprised him.
The next few entries were about the challenges of raising Phillip, and working in the fields when there were no hunts. Caleb even wrote a few casual encounters at church with ladies of marriageable age.
September 15th, 1638.
"Once more I have dodged Mr. Owens attempts to set me up with his daughter. I admit that Mary is a lovely woman and can make wonderful bread. Alas, she is a poor conversationalist."
"Is it wrong to want a woman who talks back to me? That she enjoys sharing her opinion instead of agreeing with me all the time? I don't want to marry a dull-minded doll.
Hunter wondered if Caleb would approve of Willow. She was a bold young woman who knew what she wanted. Was that what he'd been looking for on the Boiling Isles?
Turning the page, Hunter noticed the writing was more flourished. Caleb must have been excited when he wrote this."
October 1st, 1668.
"Something amazing happened to me earlier tonight. Phillip and I were with the witch hunters. There had been stories about fires popping up at random. The village suspected a witch was nearby. To cover more ground, we split up."
"I went further into the forest than I intended. I lost all sense of direction. That's when I spotted a torch moving through the undergrowth. I called out but the light kept moving away."
"Naively, I chased it and tripped over a large tree root. I fell down the hill into a hidden glen. I felt my leg bone snap halfway down. As I looked at my injury, I knew I couldn't get out of the glen."
"Nor did I know how far I wandered. I could be miles from the village and they might never find me. I feared I would die right there when the torchlight came back towards me."
"Stepping into the glen was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She had wild auburn hair that stuck out in all directions. Her eyes were gold and despite her skin being nearly bone white, she had a fierce spirit."
"A blue jay perched on her shoulder and whistled. That's when I realized that the woman was holding a burning flame in her hand with no sign of hurting herself. She took a tentative step closer and I saw her pointed ears."
"I knew then she was a witch with powerful magic. She could have killed me if she wanted to. Instead, she knelt next to me and formed a glowing circle over my broken leg."
"She pressed down on my leg. The pain was nearly unbearable that I nearly passed out. Then a few seconds later the pain vanished. I looked at my leg. It was fully healed as if I never broke it in the first place."
"The woman was about to flee when I said thank you. Surprised, she asked why a witch hunter would thank a witch. I replied that anyone who could show kindness to an enemy was no enemy of mine."
"She laughed and then snorted. She told me her name and it was the most lovely name I ever heard. Evelyn Clawthorn."
Hunter's eyes went wide as he slammed the cover down on the journal. "Did you know about this?" he demanded at his Palisman.
Flapjack nodded and chirped. "I was going to tell you the night before the Day of Unity. Then that monster used his stolen magic to bring you to him. I've been waiting for a good time to tell you."
"We've been here for nearly two months. When were you going to decide it was the best time to speak up?" Hunter suddenly recalled how Flapjack had been pecking at the floor in the clubhouse.
"Were you looking for this?"
The cardinal shook his head and told him we looking for something else that belonged to Caleb. "Evelyn carved me for Caleb as an anniversary present. For an entire year, they were able to keep their relationship secret."
Flapjack stared at the basement floor with a forlorn expression. "Phillip, I mean, Belos stumbled upon the couple a few days later in their hidden meeting spot. When he saw his older brother with a witch, he attacked Evelyn."
A tear fell from Flapjack's eye as he recalled what had happened. Evelyn had managed to cast a sleeping spell on Phillip stopping him mid-attack. Caleb had asked his love to use a memory potion on his brother even though it pained him.
The potion made the young boy think what he witnessed was a dream. It worked for a little while. Then his memory came back. "Neither Caleb nor I realized he had gotten the memory of that night back. Instead, he continued to act as if he didn't remember."
Hunter asked what happened and Flapjack told him to read the last entry in the journal. He cautiously opened the journal to the last page.
"I was foolish to think that Phillip wouldn't remember seeing Evelyn. He confronted me earlier tonight. He informed me that he would help me by killing the witch whose spell was enthralling me."
"I confessed to my brother that I wasn't enthralled at all. I was in love with Evelyn and wanted a life with her as my wife. I tried to explain to him why I couldn't stand by the darker doctrines of the church, but he wouldn't listen."
"He started to leave when Flapjack flew out of my pocket. He used powerful magic to encase the entire house in a protective field. I asked Flapjack to stop it which made my brother realize I was using magic."
"It broke something inside him. He used a knife and managed to slash one of Flapjack's eyes. He bolted out of the house heading into town. I knew I would be hanged if I stayed so I took my meager belongings and fled into the night."
"As I write this entry, I realize now I could never make Phillip understand how wrong some of our religious beliefs are. I have taken care of him all my life and don't want to abandon him here. Hitherto, nor can I abandon my love or the life of our child inside her womb."
"Evelyn has told me of a vision an oracle gave her. In the distant future, a dark and foul creature will bring about the destruction of her home. The only way to prevent this is if one of our descendants joins forces with a magical human."
"That is why I must leave this journal here. One day my descendants will come back to Earth to search for help. I have scattered across the town items needed to create a portal between realms. Hopefully, they will succeed in saving both worlds from danger."
Hunter closed the journal. Some part of him knew what happened after Caleb and Evelyn left Earth. Phillip followed the couple to the Boiling Isles. At one point in time, he murdered his brother while Evelyn fled to safety.
Over the centuries they continue to survive. It must have angered Belos that he wasn't able to wipe out their bloodline. It must have been part of the reason he cloned Caleb.
He wanted his brother to correct the "mistake" he made by siding with a witch. Belos had tried to destroy Caleb's kind heart with each grimwalker. Instead, his actions only brought out the kindness deep in their heart.
"Flapjack, do you think The Collector is the darkness the oracle saw?"
The cardinal shrugged his shoulders. He had a strong hunch the evil was still out there. That it was close by waiting for the right moment to reveal itself.
"Don't worry, Flapjack. I promise whatever evil is out there I will do as my "father" wanted. I'll keep both realms safe even if I have to give my life to do so," Hunter said with conviction.