I Am so sorry its been a while! I got a slight bit of writers block, so my updates may be sparse. I was meant to update this a week ago, but kinda forgot.. Sorry. Anyway, ITS WEDNESDAY MY DUDES!

Thank you so much WiredUniverse12 for the Beta!

Enjoy!

Chapter 2: Hecate's memory's

Hecate had dreaded this moment since they had decided on their "Holiday" Spot this year. The big doors felt like a gateway to Hell as she walked in with Pippa, leaving Mildred outside for the time being. She'd be fine, Hecate was sure of that. Upon entering, she was hit by the smell of wood, dust, and angelica. She placed her broom down by the door. The empty spot used to have at least six brooms present at any given time, it somehow made her feel very alone.

"Hecate?" Pippa's voice drew her from her thoughts, and from staring at the brooms. "I'm going to check the downstairs area, make sure all was in place... will you be okay to check upstairs?" She Gave her the sweetest smile.

Hecate couldn't bring herself to speak, she just nodded and moved through the dining room to the Stairs. It was as if she'd been put on autopilot, gliding through the house from place to place, her mind a numb haze.

Upon reaching the top of the stairs, she let out a shaky sigh, The long hall no longer felt like home, it felt like a prison that she'd forever be tied to... It took her a moment, hand hovering on the door to the spare guest room. She'd spoken to the caretaker a few days back, informing him of their visit. It was then she decided that she and Pippa would be in the spare guest room. Her childhood room just wasn't a space for two grownups, and she wasn't about to jump into someone else's grave.

Upon entering, she suddenly felt... calm. The red carpet, charcoal curtains and purple bed sheets remind her of a happier time, despite the horrors this house may have seen, it was her childhood, and that brought her comfort. A soft smile came over her face. The room was bare from any personal pictures, but there was a lovely picture of a forest up above the fireplace.

In her childhood, she recalled her mother's friends coming and staying in this room. They would often sit and have evening tea here. Hecate would do her best to sneak in, only to be told her time would come, but for now, she was to return to her studies…

She ran her hand along the bed, feeling it was soft silk. She let out a sigh swiftly exiting to check on her old room, The place Mildred would be staying. She poked her head in, contemplating removing the various pictures and books that would no doubt give the child some insight into Joy.

She decided it was better to leave it for now... before they left, they managed to have an actual conversation, yet she couldn't help but feel Mildred wasn't telling her the full truth... For the first time in her life, she found herself wanting to know the ins and outs of how her young ward was feeling and thinking. She was hiding behind a wall of her own, one Hecate was only just noticing… she tried her best to stop this from happening right at the beginning, it seems somewhere down the line, she'd overlooked it... she hoped, by maybe 'forgetting' the items in this room, Mildred would see an olive branch being held out.

As Hecate wandered her way downstairs, barely acknowledging Pippa as she began taking stuff upstairs, she let herself contemplate the shift that had happened lately. Love was something new, foreign, and unusual to Hecate. Yet that is the feeling she felt for not one, but two people close in her life. Mildred was every bit a child to her, and that was terrifying. The "Incident" at the end of the year only solidifying Mildred's place in her life.

Hecate opened the front door, looking out at the empty driveway. "Mildred…!" She yelled out, taking a step outside. Her eyes scanned the area, taking in every movement of the local area, not seeing her bright-eyed girl anywhere however, she called again "Mildred!"

Hecate began walking down the path, her step only quickening as she walked. "MILDRED!" She all but screamed, panic suddenly taking hold of her. Her heart was beating fast and persistently. Suddenly, she spotted Mildred legging it down the driveway from -that- tree... Her tree.

"I'm here! I'm here!" Mildred called out, coming to a breathless stop before Hecate. Hecate was anything less than impressed, what if something had happened to her? She was sure her face told Mildred this as well... "S-Sorry..."

"Where were you?" Hecate all but demanded, despite her sharp tone, her eyes held a cloud of worry for Mildred's safety. She watched as Mildred looked down at Hecate's arms, it was almost as if she could read her mind... under her black bishop sleeves, were the burns left from her fight with Juile. Persistent, aggressive, ever present for the witches.

"I was..." Mildred swallowed as she pointed over to the large tree. "I was in the tree... it has a lovely view of the sea."

Hecate sighed as her eyes glanced over at the tree, she knew it well. Her tree. Her brother used to say it was birthed by the Fair King, but when they went to their own world, he left it behind so other fairies would know the way home... "Come inside now. I'll show you to your room." Hecate turned on her heels, she didn't want to think of that part of her past as of the current, even with it so prominent around her.

Once they entered, Mildred paused, making Hecate turn to look at her. Her wide eyes wandered over the dark wood furnishing, black and decorative paint, wallpaper lined on the entrance room and deep red carpets under her feet.

"Entrance way, place your broom by the door." Hecate announced. Mildred happily placed her own broom by Hecate's and Pippa's. Hecate pointed to their right. "Living room, and library, you may use it as you please, but make sure to return any books." Hecate gave Mildred a pointed stare before moving on to the left, she wouldn't tolerate any mess. Not here. They walked into a large dining room, far larger for any four-person family. This was made for whole family gatherings. Not that they ever had many of those. She vaguely remembered a party her mother hosted when she was but a tot, that was a party worthy of this room.

"Dining room." She pointed to a door on the other side of the room. "Study, please stay out of it." She'd said with timidness, it was a sore spot inside her heart... she pointed to another door. "The kitchen." And then moved to one that looked like a Cupboard, opening it to show those same stairs she had already ventured up. That's why she wanted Mildred to wait outside, there were some things she wanted to do in privacy, even from her.

Mildred followed her, not saying a word. She imagined it would be quite different from what she was used to. "Bathroom." Hecate tapped on a door. "You'll find me and Pippa here." She then tapped on the guest room door. When she came to a stop, she gave her one of her rare smiles. "Where you'll be staying. I trust you can explore the house more in your own time."

She was aware it sounded like a challenge, maybe it would keep her occupied... she hoped it would anyway. Knowing what was already waiting in the bedroom, she saw no reason to hang around, instead heading to her own room to unpack whatever she might need to…

Angelica is a herb, In Witchcraft, its said to have the following powers: Protection, exorcism, healing, divination, prosperity, luck, hex breaking, courage and visions. A Few of those I felt fit in with the Hardbroom house hold.

Also, thought I'd quickly share something i did in college today. The Theme of Show don't tell, Turning a boring sentence into something interesting. The Sentence i was given was: "The Forest was Beautiful". And i wrote:

"Tall Tranquil trees grew high, almost blocking the calm blue sky, while soft sage grass covered the ground like a baby's blanket, lined by the Crisp River, majestically flowing like a Ribbon around the Forest sized gift from the heavens."

Anyway, Thanks again to my Beta! And thank you for reading!