POV Narrator:
Monday 3 February 2020, Luna Nova
Some days have passed since what happened in Arcturus prison, many people died in that disaster, some witches even escaped, but they were soon captured when they tried to run away, others hid themselves for Arcturus not to be discovered, Arcturus prison was completely destroyed without any remains of the brison that was completely buried, Croix took advantage of the fact that she wasn't caught in any moment staying hidden in Doras, since the searches until then only focused on the other side of the Ley line, preferring not to search in the surroundings of Arcturus. Meanwhile in Luna Nova the news that there could be criminals on the loose and that the students who could find them there could even be rewarded.
Soon comes a day that would be decisive for Diana who is already getting ready to go out and find out about her relationship with a certain teacher of the school, when she finds out about the romance that she had in the past with another person very dear to her family. She goes to the lab and looks for the results arriving back to Luna Nova, and takes a look before going to class.
POV Diana:
Well, I had more than enough time tae get tae class, I think it's good that I look at this test a little, I wanted tae surprise her, but I think I can do it in a way that I already know and have an idea, let's see what happened... Well, ye could imagine that this would be the result, I'm really related tae her.
"Hey Diana! Let's not be late for class" Hannah said.
"Ah I'm coming" I tell her closing the envelope and leaving it on the table.
"What's in that paper there?" Barbara asks as soon as I arrive.
"Just another DNA test, I decided tae do it tae test something, just tae see fae real if Laura McLaren is my real mother and apparently the result was positive" I tell them half giving a lie, it's someone else I decided tae use for the test.
"Oh, but then what? Even if it's not positive I don't doubt that your mother really loves you and cares about you" Parker said and I know it.
"Positive, she is really my mother, that is something without question that is true" I tell them.
"It seems the magic really works well, it's not just a gimmick, so I'll even get excited for when I have a child with Amanda" England said and yes I can't wait tae be able tae use it on Akko.
"And then Barb, how are things going with Annabel, I hear ye're getting closer" I'm even going tae run off the subject a bit so they don't remember the test.
"Annabel and I are just good friends" Barb said blushing too much and I already know their friendship.
A while later in the classroom...
We sit on the classroom chair, today is precisely the class with Finnelan, I just want tae see her face now and after finding out some things, she goes in, she even stares at me from afar, she knows that I know things that can be a big deal, besides that she has been picking on Akko again lately, poor thing, she doesn't deserve tae go through this, sometimes I wonder how she can stand all this.
"Good morning class, get your books and let's get back to what we were talking about last week, no talking, it's been a good few days since the incident in Arcturus, it's safe here, no criminals will come because we have a barrier that prevents them from entering and you from leaving Arcturus" She said and Akko immediately raises her hand.
"And how are we going to get the reward for their presence if they can't even get in and we can't even go out to look for them?" asks my girlfriend.
"Miss Kagari, you must already know that only with the bounty hunter medallion that will allow you to leave for Arcturus now at this time, even after a few days we still have to arrest everyone, anyway, pay attention to the class and not to these criminals" She said and the room even got quiet before she went tae slam the baton on the table.
At the end of all the classes, Diana goes to her room with the exam envelope in hand, alreadywalking to talk to teacher Finnelan...
Now I just want tae see this teacher's face when she finds out everything, I'm still trying tae process, but she is by far my oldest living relative, sae I should talk tae her, soon I arrive in the corridor and see her, we walk towards the other, we stood right in front of each other, staring at each other.
"What do you want this time Miss Cavendish?" she asks.
"Nothing much, just talking tae ye" I say tae the teacher.
"You know I won't stop picking on Miss Kagari, it's not that lying story from the past that's going to make me stop," Anne said and I just shrugged.
"If ye are sae sure we can talk in yer room, I have something fae ye" The teacher even takes a deep breath.
"Okay Miss Cavendish, try to convince me not to pick on Kagari, you and she already have something weird between you, don't think I won't pick on your homosexuality" I shrug.
We walk along the corridors, passing by some students who become quieter with the passing of the teacher who intimidates them, but I myself am quite calm, with me her presence doesn't affect me a bit, I just keep following the path until I reach her room, as always Anne is a person full of cordiality, I sit in one of the armchairs and she fills the tea cups.
"Miss Cavendish, I know this is kind of boring to keep talking, but dating Miss Kagari is not good for your Cavendish reputation, you have to honor the position you're in, honestly, this girl is not for you, ok, maybe you have a little bit of your mothers homosexuality there, whatever you want to call it, there are classy women around here that you can hang out with instead of just being Kagari, I speak this for your sake" Finnelan said until I put the envelope on the table and even give her a more mischievous look.
"Strange way tae speak fae my goodness, Great Grandmother Anne" She even gives a choke on her tea on hearing that from me.
"Miss Cavendish, I told you not to believe that sort of thing, the homosexuality of the past has no relevance today" Oh I see that relevance.
"Anne, Anne, Anne, this relevance is in front of eu, I am the result of yer homosexuality, it is because of it that I exist today, look with yer own hands at the envelope, I took a strand of your hair and my grandmother Clarie's, I also want tae leave this tae you, Isabella wanted tae deliver one last thing before leaving, tae ye Anne" I tell her that she changes even the way she looks at things.
POV Finnelan:
A DNA test, let's see if this is really true, anything else I'll use another type of test, these technological things are not at all reliable to me, I give a last cough, I take the envelope and open it, let's see if it's true information, from what it's showing here "Clarie Cavendish", "Anne Finnelan", I'll go through everything in more detail, until... Positive, the paternity test was positive, that can only be a lie, I didn't get pregnant by Clarie, who got pregnant was... She did, that's a big... That's a lie.
"What is it Anne? Ye've been sae quiet now, fae see fae yourself, I am your great-granddaughter" Cavendish said and that can't be so true.
"How did you do that?" I ask her.
"It was simple, I took a strand of your hair when ye were distracted, ye can see it in the sample, I also took Clarie's that Isabella left in that box, it was in it that I could find out more about the truth, now it makes sense this attachment tae me, ye can deny it all ye want, ye are unfortunately my great grandmother, do ye think I wanted tae know that too? Tae have a homophobic great grandmother like ye? After everything my mothers went through just because they loved each other? Everything that affected my grandmother, it was yer influence with her that made a terror in my mother Bernadette's life" She really doesn't seem that happy, but still, how? I wonder if it's true.
"That would be impossible biologically, neither she nor I were biological men, how do you explain that" I shrug.
"Look at my mothers and ye will know, the fertility stone is real, read the letter Anne, I guarantee ye will discover the truth ye want sae much" Diana said and I am perplexed.
I better open this letter soon, I notice that there is an envelope on it, it was written "to Anne", she always called me by my first name, it's rare to see someone who calls me that, only really close people, I also see that she left a wristwatch, I remember this watch, she had bought it for me, in one of our first meetings, I open it and I see that there is a picture of us smiling together, me and her were so young, I never thought I would see these things again, I even hold back the tears, I was really happy with Isabella, I decide to open the letter at once, I want to see what she said to me.
"Edinburgh, 21 January 1995"
"I left this saved for the special moment you would read, it's been many years now... I miss you Anne, after so many years I still think of you and all that, I wish I didn't end up making the mistake of using the fertility stone with you by mistake, if I didn't do that you and I would be together with our beautiful family that we formed, unfortunately I don't have so much time left in this world, I left even the strand of her hair a few months before Clarie died too, you have no idea how much it pains me to lose our daughter, despite all her ways of treating Bernadette and Daryl, despite everything, your daughter never stopped admiring you, she already told me how she saw you as a mother, yes I purposely enrolled Clarie in the school where you were studying so you could be with your daughter, even though you never took her, anyway if you want the proof is there, I know you will deny it till the end of your life, I don't even know when Bernadette will give it to you, or if it will be her, I just want to say that I already loved you a lot Anne, I hope that one day I can see you again, but I don't know if it will be in this life, what you want with this old lady with cancer, it is not true, after all you already have your family, I hope that you have enjoyed with them too, I could enjoy my family too".
"With all love and affection, Isabella Cavendish"
Bella... The tears fell on the letter, this proof I'm really only denying, I look at Diana, I look at the photo, I can remember her, the little face reminds me a lot, the two are very similar, that's why the Cavendish always gave me so much comfort, I even end up leaving the box on the table, I'm a little perplexed, to the point of getting up from the armchair, I walk towards the window, I'm a little speechless, perplexed that what I believed all my life could be false.
"Anne, now it's up tae ye, the truth is already there, ye can test it yer way too, well I have already proved the truth, unfortunately I am yer great-granddaughter.." I turn to her, I end up hugging my great-granddaughter, already very emotional.
"You... Isabella didn't lie... Clarie was my daughter... She held that all her life" I say shocked as I hug my great-granddaughter who then pushes out of the hug.
"What's this Anne? Now ye want tae play nice? Do ye have any idea of the suffering that ye put my great-grandmother through? Ye chose tae be blind all these years, and after all that, ye want me tae put my hand on yer head?" Diana walks towards the door and I'm halfway through the conversation.
"Please stay, Diana... I..." She still stops near the door.
"Rethink yer actions Anne Finnelan, they are what led tae this, Isabella has been warning ye all her life and ye ignored her, ye abandoned yer family because of sheer homophobia, maybe when ye rethink the way ye act I might reconsider having more respect fae ye, now I dinnae respect ye fae everything we have been through, ye have Isabella's, my mother's, even Clarie's blood on yer hands, know this" At that time my great granddaughter leaves.
I start to look at my hands and now that I know these things thoughts go through my head, everything I've believed all these years, an illusion that there really is their blood on my hands, I even start to imagine the voices of all of them talking in my head, them talking about how I was a bad person, except Clarie, but I feel guilty, I influenced her to be who she was... Ahhhhhhhh, I sit back in my chair devastated, I don't know what to do.
"Clarie... Bella" These are the things that keep going through my head.
All these years I didn't believe it could be true, but gee, Isabella died all her life believing it and this DNA test, seriously it can only be more proof, it's the kind of thing I don't doubt, I even hear some knocking at the door, I wipe my tears and try not to look devastated, better keep the pose, when I answer, Mrs Holbrook is at the door.
"Oh Anne, I just wanted to have a little chat with an old friend" She said and I breathe a little relieved.
"It's nice to see you here Miranda, come in, there's tea and biscuits to be had" I tell her very cordially.
The headmistress sits down in one of the armchairs, I am still left with the thoughts hammering in my head, by the nine witches, my mind feels like it's going to explode, I didn't imagine they would escalate to this level, I sit down and it didn't give as much to hide the perplexity for which I am acting, it's too strange, but the pose was not held.
"Anne? Is everything all right with you?" she asks and I take a deep breath.
"Miranda... Are we the evil ones?" I just say that and she gets a bit of a confused expression.
"What do you mean Anne? What are you implying?" Miranda asks.
"I'm talking about getting things right, I've just found out that I have another family, I've been questioning whether it was really the right fight I waged against homosexuality, it was years and years, even denying my own and now I'm finding out more revealing things" I tell her, who only shows enormous calmness.
"You know you can trust to tell me anything? I am willing to listen" Mrs Holbrook said.
"Do you remember Isabella Cavendish? You know I used to be good friends with her, right?" I ask Miranda.
"Did you two have a relationship? It surprises me to know this about your past Anne, I always imagined you were a correct lady since always, who preached heterosexuality that was pure, this is really shocking to hear from you, are you telling me that the Cavendish girls are your descendants too?" She said and I get even half silent.
"It was my mistake, at that time I was just a teenager without consequences of the actions I did, I was seduced by that of liking women, that smile of hers, that face... It baffles me to know that nothing has changed about the Cavendish women over time, they still have the same beauty, even more so than I do... I eventually ventured into a relationship on an intimate level with Bella, to the point that... She got pregnant with the help of magic, I remember she said she got drunk and lost track of using the fertility stone, unfortunately that's the secret that gnaws at me the most" I say to Miranda who fixes her glasses.
"Look I didn't know that story, it is surprising to know that even the most correct of people I thought I would be, had a troubled past, but I will not judge her for that, it was what you yourself said a mistake and I really don't know if you should take into account a story like that, is it a lie spread by Cavendish so that she favors Kagari?" Said the headmistress and I don't know about that.
"Miranda, she did a DNA test with my daughter's hair, it was positive, one thing we can't lie about is the efficiency of a test like that" I tell her and I may be conservative, but I know something like that is valid.
"Look where you got Anne, believing in technology, you have to be more you, not believe so much in manipulation, let me see here, I am experienced with magic" Holbrook takes the envelope with the DNA test.
She starts to take the samples, at the time she takes the wire and uses a spell that makes a green light glow and then she shows it in letters, "Negative", from the looks of it she must know a lot about these things, but I don't believe it that much, after all I always felt that Clarie was my daughter, today I am sure, so much so that she stands up for me.
"Anne, don't let yourself be taken by manipulations like that, you are smarter than that, don't forget, always doubt, now I'm going, I have things to sort out my friend, it's shocking to know that someone so correct has already surrendered to homosexuality, it's not as if I have done it several times, I have already had a relationship with Laura McLaren's great-great-grandmother, I have nothing against that past of yours, what you did in the past, is in the past" she said leaving my room.
What I did in the past is even today in the present Miranda, you're the one who's been convincing me otherwise, but I've been realizing that it might be real, unfortunately you don't have the same way of knowing what it is to be a mother, it's a feeling that I also had when I was with my other daughters, that I don't doubt, but now knowing that it's true makes me perplexed, I might be conservative, but I don't doubt a DNA test, it's already been a feeling that I keep with me.
I walk over to my bedroom window, put my hand on it and just keep thinking about Bella.
"Bella, it may have taken a good few years, but... here we are your daughter really is our daughter" I say to the window.
Unfortunately now I do not know what to believe anymore, what I believed to be right suddenly became wrong, what was wrong is already showing itself as a light, it is too strange, but anyway, I think I should rethink a lot of things, inside I still believe that something can be right, I should know what to follow from now on, it is already more than 80 years of my life being like this, I really wasted a lot of time like this.
In the blue team's room, Diana tells her mother about the news...
POV Diana:
I'm going tae my family group that we created to talk tae each other, I need Hellene, Holly and Mum tae know about this, this is quite a news, it might help a bit even, I dinnae know, but anyway it's already good fae something.
[Me: I found out something shocking, I already knew it from a few months ago, I've been walking around trying to get Finnelan not to oppress Akko so much, then she ended up revealing to me something from the past, mum did you know that Finnelan was related to us? Did you know she had a fling with Isabella?] 17:55
[Mum: Ohhhhhh, hang on, are you telling me that the old homophobe is your great grandmother? That she is Bernadette's grandmother? Explain this to me better, she already told me that she got involved with someone and got pregnant with that person, but she ran away, so you mean the straight and proper lady slipped on a woman's fingers?] 17:56
[Hellene: The old homophobe being our great-grandmother is really shocking] 17:56
[Me: What's shocking is that she used that as a lesson so that I wouldn't be a lesbian, it turned out that this was another motivation for me to continue being one, she has an internalized homophobia, you can see it, Mrs. Finnelan basically in her teens was going out with Isabella whenever she could, she did everything, including intimate contact, to the point that one day our drunk great-grandmother used the fertility stone, this must have generated Clarie, which Anne was extremely furious because she thought Isabella had betrayed her, but it wasn't that, even so she blinded herself and stayed like that for the rest of her great-grandmother's life] 17:58
[Mother: I knew she had an internalised homophobia, nobody talked more about lesbians than that woman, but seriously, I'm in shock, on the other hand, Diana, this can be used in our favour, take it from me] 17:59
[Me: How would this be useful in any way other than blackmailing her into not harmingAkko at any point?] 17:59
[Mother: Not only that plan, but I have a much more elaborate one that can be used to our advantage, that of not letting Akko be harmed is already a good plan guaranteed, but I want you to get closer to Anne, try to show some empathy with her or demonstrate to her how what she believes has been wrong, what this can mess with her head to the point that, take it from me, I believe Anne must have some degree of closeness with the boss, to the point of knowing who the identity behind her is] 18:01
[Me: Mum that's genius, I've left her room now and shown I'm disgusted by her homophobia, that might have already given Finnelan something in her head, I'm going to continue in my ways then, if she wants to get back together she's going to have to earn it, to the point she'll be more on our feet] 18:01
[Hellene: You two are very intelligent, but deep down I feel sorry for her for this, the teacher must be devastated to have everything she believes in destroyed] 18:02
[Me: Sis go for me, she won't even consider you a great-granddaughter, even though you are blood] 18:02
[Mother: I pity those who deserve it, like Maril and Merrill, they redeemed themselves, they were victims as much as you were of Daryl, now Anne Finnelan I don't, she has Isabella's blood, Bern's and also even her homophobic daughter, I don't even have any respect for Clarie, she was the one who influenced her daughter to be that way, because she believed the lie, let her repent and know that what she believed is wrong, I want her to know that her homophobia had consequences] 18:04
I agree with Mum, I'll even put the mobile phone on the shelf, I now have a new great grandmother, tae think that now this woman will beg fae my forgiveness, but I dinnae doubt at all that she won't include Hellene in
this, she'll just be forgotten, sae before her homophobia comes, I'd rather just cook the damn thing until she finds out that what she believes in is prejucial.
Far away in an unknown place...
POV Narrator:
At The Council's lair, there they were deciding the members about the next action, still with Mary's training going full steam ahead, the girl until then started to be practically unbeatable, to the point of not being intimidated with weapons, starting to train against machines that shot against her, still without being firearms, so that she herself would learn ways to advance in a shooting and leave unharmed.
In the meeting room the leader was following the advance of the pandemic that they themselves are about to cause in the world, until the arrival of the boss.
"Well, you see how fast our virus is advancing, we already have cases in France, soon they will spread here" said the boss.
"Boss when do you think you're going to come in with everything?" asks the leader of The Council.
"Next month everyone will be locked up at home in fear of the advance of this virus and then comes our time to act, but before starting the pandemic once and for all, we have a Valentine's Day that is coming, the students of Luna Nova will come to Appleton, it's our time to cause a little bit, I want some of you to appear and cause terror, let everyone know that you are active, do not kill anyone yet, just make an appearance" said the boss and everyone nods in agreement.
"And how do we do that without getting caught? What about Luna Nova?" asks one of the members.
"You are some students from Appleton, it is not difficult, you seem to be normal, from now on it is the moment that you will show whether you are loyal or not to The Council, from now on I don't want to know about going back to normal life, so you can show a last moment before going active" said the leader to everyone.
"Excellent speech, that's what I want to see, show yourselves loyal to The Council who give up now we have a way" Said the boss who only showed a silenced pistol.
Everyone kind of swallows their saliva and then starts kneeling to the boss and the leader, for the mission to begin, as a way to definitely present to the world, more than they had already done before, not enough already Louis, so much that the leader soon sits down again at the table and gets a little laugh.
"That Louis was useless anyway, to think he died at the hands of a witch" Said the leader laughing.
"At least he did something useful before he died, he destroyed the witches' biggest prison, now they are crazy trying to find who escaped, a shame he died, he would have been a good member here" said one of the members.
"Louis? That incel idiot, that guy was only going to cause us trouble" Said another member.
"He only did the things I told him to do, I made it easy for Louis to get it done and even then he failed at a lot of things, take it from me Louis is not that helpful, we were right to put him on a mission that he would surely die" said the boss.
"And how are we going to make the presentation?" asks the leader of The Council.
"It will be very simple, you use your creativity, already leave with your cultist costumes at the time that the light goes out, you start to make some effects of mist and scare the witches that are there, I want them to feel intimidated by your presence, I will warn you as soon as the lights come back so you can run away, I just want to cause terror, soon we will be able to use Mary to attack Luna Nova and this will be our biggest mission" Explains the boss.
"Perfect, I already know how to scare them, everyone will know that The Council is active, after that we will live here, but it is only temporary, when we attack Luna Nova we will turn it into our base, like we did in 1517" said the leader and the chief just nodded.
"Exactly that, our girl is a gateway to Ley's line and our passage to Luna Nova, all we have to do is get inside" Said the boss to them who kneel to her.
"Well now I will go and see how Mary is getting on" said the boss.
She goes over to where Mary is and she was just about to finish another shooting session, at which point the boss comes into her room and goes clapping her hands in awe of Brooks' skill, who just stares at her with a rather cold and expressionless stare.
"I'm done here for the day, I'm still slow with shooting" Mary said.
"You will soon get it, the mission is getting close, I want you to wear this on the day" said the boss handing over a collar.
"What is it?" Mary asks.
"A necklace of protection, at least temporary against spells and shots, will keep you protected from dying so easily, despite being trained you have to be forewarned creature" Said the boss.
"So I even agree with your addition, but I really prefer not to wear a waistcoat to attack, I get heavy with it and my mobility is terrible, I only use it now in training because I want to see how I can become more agile" Brooks said.
"Excellent, when the day comes don't forget to put the necklace on" said the boss and Mary nods in agreement.
The boss then leaves the room and Mary goes back to training, she was practically perfecting more and more her shooting skills, which is going to be a big threat to deal with in this future invasion that might come in Luna Nova.
Anne Finnelan finds out more clearly about her kinship with the Cavendish, which ends up giving her a lapse of what she has been thinking about herself, about her ideals, about whether she is really following the right thing, besides wanting to have a redemption with her family, believing in the words of her ex-lover Isabella. The Council will not rest until they do everything possible against the witches of Luna Nova.
See you, great grandma witches...