Author Note: Sorry for the slow update. It been a busy months. I had a seizure, a photo shoot, applying to colleges and celebrating my birthday on the 18th. But I'm back! And even if my month was fun, Claire's day is going to come to shit with her family. No! The Arcane Order didn't come yet. Someone just tattle-tailed on Claire, which leads to a chain reaction. You'll see what I mean.

Abuela and I exit the passageway and go back to the Portrait Hall. The door closes on its own and disappears into the wall.

"Whenever you visit here again. You know how to open the door." Abuela says sweetly and taps on the necklace, making it glow orange.

I smile sweetly and thank her for showing me, but I don't feel that way. I was in a daze, trying to think of what I had just seen, confusing me.

Abuela takes my hand and rubs it gently. "You should go to your room to rest and put your book away before your friends and cousins return. You look a bit pale."

I shake my head and smile. "Thank you, Abuela!" I run to my room with the big book in my arms; I open the door and quickly shut it.

"Hey, Claire! What's going on out there?" I hear NotEnrique ask.

"Hey, NotEnrique!" I acknowledge and look up at him. "Almost everyone went to the town and will be back soon. Abuela and I talked, and she showed me a secret room and gave me this." I reply and set the book down on the bed where NotEnrique is.

"What is this?" NotEnrique asks, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't think so, but the text is all in Wizard-ese," I reply.

"Where did you, Abuela, say she found it?" He skeptically asks.

"She said she found it in the rubble of a castle and ash, but something feels morbid about the book, and I don't know what it is," I reply, pressing my fingers on my lips. "What do you think about it?" I ask curiously to him.

"I don't know; maybe Douxie will know. Why don't you ask him?"

"Good idea!" I reply before hearing muffled voices outside my door. "Looks like he and everyone are back. Be back soon." I add and walk out of the door.

As I get to the balcony, I see all my friends and family in the courtyard with Abuela. I bolt down the hall and the stairs to see them.

"¡Hola Chiquita!" Diego shouts, drawing everyone's eyes to me.

"Hi, guys!" I call out. Diego comes up, and we hug each other. "How was the town?" I ask curiously as we let go of each other.

"Oh, I wish you were with us. It was so much fun with your friends there." Diego replies clearly, making me smile.

"Yeah! It was so much fun! We ate some Churros with melted chocolate! They were so good!" Mary states enthusiastically, making me giggle.

"Those are called Chocolate con Churros, Mary." Maria laughed and corrected her.

"Whatever. I got so many pictures for my Facegram!" Mary replies, rolling her eyes playfully.

I shake my head and roll my eyes. Pablo runs up to me and looks up. "Pick me up!" He begs and reaches up to me.

I sigh and obey my little cousin's orders. He's heavy, but I can pick him up easily without much strain. "Wow! You're big! Most likely, your Mamá and Papá won't be able to pick you up next year." I tease, causing him to hide in my chest, making me chuckle.

"How did 'the talk' with Abuela go, Claire?" Kyra says sweetly, smirking and playing with her curls with her fingers.

I roll my eyes and gently set Pablo down. He rushes towards Maria and hides from Kyra's view. Abuela steps up in front of us. "It went well, Kyra. Don't annoy your cousin." She says in a clear voice.

Kyra rolls her eyes. "Whatever!" She replies and flips her hair before stepping closer to me. "Say goodbye to your friends, family, and Arcadia forever." She whispers in my ear and walks away from me.

I stare at her with glaring eyes and ball my fists. God! Kyra is such a bitch, but Abuela interrupts my thoughts with her touch. "Don't let her make you inferior, Claire." She says softly.

I glance at Abuela and take a deep breath. One thing is done. Let's move on to the next. "Oh, Diego! Can we talk?" I ask, wanting to change the subject and turn to look at him.

Diego smiles and nods his head. "Yes! Do you have time now?" He replies with excitement but also a bit of concern.

I nod my head and smile back. "Yes! Please! Come on!" I beg and turn to the stairs.

"We'll be back!" Diego shouts, but I feel eyes glaring behind me.

I look around and see Olivia, Lucas, and Abuelo staring at me angrily. Their eyes follow me as Diego and I walk across the room and through the crowd. We walk up the stairs, and as I turn toward my room, Diego grabs my wrist with a sweaty grip.

"No! Let's go to my room." He hisses.

I look at him in confusion but shrug my shoulders. Diego leads me to his room, where a cold chill travels down my spine. I look back, but no one is there. We arrive at Diego's door, and he lets my hand go. Diego opens the door and walks into his room. I haven't been in Diego's room for five years. It looks different. The color on the wall is light green (his favorite color), and he likes to hang bands and movie posters on the wall. A big Californian flag above his bed covers the blue, pink, and purple BI pride flag underneath. He once showed me on Skype where the flag was hidden. I begged him to show his parents, but Diego was sure they would freak out and burn his things if he told them or if they found the flag.

"Ok, Claire! What do you want to talk about?" Diego asks curiously as he closes the door.

I take a deep breath. "I'm not feeling great about my birthday or the ceremony! I am excited to celebrate my birthday at the Manor with you guys, but since being here, I just want to go home after the fun. I mean, no offense to your mother, but Tía Olivia and Tío Lucas are asses! They hate everything I do, everything I say, and everyone I'm with!" I shouted, letting out all my concerns for this weekend, but I shut my mouth and looked at Diego. "Sorry. I just feel like you're the only one in the family I can talk to about this."

"Hey, hey! It's ok! No offense taken. Honestly, my mom is a bitch, and I understand your reaction." Diego says reassuringly, raising his hands.

"I have a life back in Arcadia, Diego! I have a boyfriend, friends, and dreams of my own! I love being here but can't stay here, let alone become the next Head of the Family! I want to help the family, but I want to go to college, have a career, choose a husband, have an independent life, not be here, marry an idiot, have many kids, and live a miserable life! The idea of me being the next Head of the Family ended when my mom moved out 20 years ago! I don't want this!" I scream and fall face-first on Diego's bed. I have several reasons not to be excited about my birthday and ceremony, but I don't want to stay here mainly for this reason. I can't stay in Huntington. I belong in Arcadia, with my friends and parents.

Diego sigh. "I'm sorry, Claire, but I think I have a solution that might work for your problem and keep our family intact. Although Mom, Tío Lucas, Abuelo, and everyone else might not like it." I hear him say, sitting near me and touching my back.

I turn my head to look at my cousin. "What's your solution?" I groan.

"I could take your place as the next Head of the Family since I'm the oldest child of the second born of Abuela." He suggests clearly, looking at me with sincerity in his eyes.

I raise my eyebrow and look up. "Really? You would do that?" I ask curiously, and Diego nods his head, making me jump up. "Wait, aren't you working on going to college?" I ask with concern.

Diego shrugs his shoulders. "We can work around that. The perks of living in the 21st century." He reassures me and jokes, making me smile. "Besides, I remember how often you told me I would be a good family leader when we were little."

"Well, it's true. You always knew what to do and what to say. You're an amazing leader, and I'm not. I'm just someone who causes problems." I reply flatly.

"Oh no, no, no!" Diego grabs my chin and forces me to look at him. "Claire, you're a smart girl. When I was in town with everyone, I heard from Jim and Douxie that you're a great problem solver and a fast learner. I bet you could be an awesome leader one day when given a chance." He says seriously.

I give him a slight smile. "You think so?" I ask softly.

Diego smiles sweetly and nods his head. "Yes! I always think you're an amazing person and will do great things. You deserve to have a happy life."

My smile grows wider. "Thank you! Thank you, Diego!" I squeal, launching myself on him. I wrap my arms around his neck and press my face on his shoulder. "You're the greatest cousin ever to live!"

I feel Diego's arms wrap around my waist, gripping me tightly. "You're very welcome, Claire." He says softly. We stay silent and hold each other for a moment before letting go.

"But how do we tell everyone else about this? I'm afraid something bad will happen, or everyone will get upset." I ask with worry. "I'll choke up and get scared."

"That won't happen, Claire. I will be right beside you for support. Take a deep breath and stand your ground." Diego instructs me seriously, placing his hands firmly on my shoulders and locking his eyes on mine. "Can you do that for me, Chiquita?" He asks more softly.

I take a deep breath and nod my head. "Thank you, Diego. I'm ready." I answer with determination, grinning at him.

"Good! Come on! Let's get back to the courtyard before someone tries to find us."

Diego and I get up and walk out of his room together, hands around each other's shoulders, walking as we used to when we were younger. I feel much better now about my future in the family in the next few days; let's just hope it all goes well. We walk down the stairs and see everyone talking in the courtyard.

"We're back!" Diego calls out.

"Hey!" Daniela cheers and runs towards us. "What were you two talking about?"

I draw back mentally to her curiosity, gritting my teeth, but Diego reassures me by rubbing my back. "Secret cousin stuff, just between Chiquita and me." He says confidently.

"Awww, man! You two always keep secrets from us." Daniela whines.

I roll my eyes. "Come on, Daniela. You and I share secrets from other people..." And I look around. "Unless you want me to tell them," I whisper, raising my eyebrows at her.

Daniela's eyes widen and blush pink. "No! No! Please don't do that, Claire! You wouldn't!" She stammers, clapping her hands together.

I laugh, shaking my head, and wrap my arms around her. "Relax, Daniela. Unless it were dangerous, I wouldn't snitch on you or anyone else here." I whisper in her ear and rub her back.

Daniela takes a second and returns the hug, sighing in relief. "Thanks, Fiera." She whispers.

We all walk the rest of the way down to the ground level to meet our cousins and my friends. I hear Abuelo call my name, making me freeze.

" Claire!"

"Papá! Leave her alone!" I hear Mom hiss.

My blood turns cold, but I turn around and smile. I see Abuelo, Lucas, and Olivia standing before me with their arms crossed, looking like they're about to scold me. Mom, Dad, and Abuela are beside them, Enrique in Abuela's arms, glaring at them. My mind fills with questions. What's wrong? What's going on?

"Yes, Abuelo! What is it?" I call back calmly, walking towards them with unsettling nerves.

"Claire. What is your plan for this family after you graduate?" He asks sternly but calmly.

I notice Mom tenses up. "Julio, drop it!" Dad hiss.

I blink and raise an eyebrow. "What do you mean, Abuelo?" I ask a little nervously.

He rolls his eyes and huffs. "I mean, what will you plan for this family as the future head of the family when you graduate high school?"

"Claire, what is your grandfather talking about?" I hear Darci ask behind me.

I tense up, Abuelo being loud enough and Darci close enough to hear. My eyes widen, and all the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Abuelo, Lucas, Olivia. Please don't say anything; I pray.

"Claire is going to become the next Head of the Family and will move back here as soon as she graduates high school," Abuelo replies flatly to my friend, then look at me with narrow eyes. "Isn't that right, Claire?"

I gulp. Does he know? Does he know I don't want to be here as head of the family? He doesn't know about me, and Diego switches up the plan for him to succeed Abuela. So why is he asking me? I'm hesitant as silence fills the room.

"Claire... Is-is that true?" I hear Mary ask painfully.

I slowly turn around and see all my friends looking sad and hurt, but I slightly shake my head and look at them with worry. I look around and find Diego's eyes. He smiles slightly and nods his head. I bite my lip and take a deep breath. Come on, Claire. You can do this. Stand your ground. What do you want?

"No." I finally say, making everyone gasp in shock, and a brief pause echoes through the room.

"What did you say, young lady?" I hear Olivia ask in rising anger.

I take a deep breath and turn to my shocked aunt, uncle, and grandfather. Abuela smiles sweetly. I spot my mother's eyes, and she looks at me in awe. "I said no. I won't become the next Head of the Family, and I'm not moving back here when I graduate high school." I answer flatly. My heart is racing faster by the second in my chest.

"Excuse me, young lady, but it's your duty as the First Born of your mother to be the next head-"

"That ended when Mom left you guys 20 years ago to go to college, marry my dad, and have a life of her own." I hiss, interrupting Olivia.

"But... Who's going to be the next head of the family?" Abuelo asks worryingly.

"Me!" Diego shouts and places a hand on my shoulder. "I'm taking Claire and Tía Ophelia's place to become the next Head of the Family." He says proudly.

More silence echoes through the room. Diego and I look at each other. Diego gives me a wink. He mouths, 'I'm proud of you,' and grins. I smile too and mouth 'thank you.' Diego tilts his eyes and head to where my friends are right and winks again. I know what he means. I run up to Jim and wrap myself around him, clutching his shirt tightly.

Jim reciprocates and holds me close. "Claire, what's the matter? You're trembling. What is your grandfather talking about?" Jim whispers with concern while stroking my back.

I'm still shocked by my dream last night but scared about what will happen next. I need to be brave. "Jim, I'll explain everything soon, but you're going to have to trust me," I mumble in his ear and pull away to look at him. I'm taking a risk I'm willing to take. "Kiss me," I demand softly. Jim blinks in confusion, but I lay my lips on him before he can answer.

I hear people gasp and muttering around us, but I don't care. I want my family to know who I love and who cares for me. I feel Jim return the kiss and press his lips to mine. I wrap my hands around Jim's neck and thread my fingers in his hair. I feel Jim wrap his arms around my waist, pulling each other closer. The kiss isn't deep or passionate but tender and intimate. I break the kiss, and we stare lovingly into each other's eyes. I look at my shocked elders' widened eyes and open mouths. Jim and I let go of each other. Jim sends me a proud but worried look in his eyes. I give him a reassuring smile before turning around. I take another deep breath and straighten up. "Abuelo, Tía Olivia, Tío Lucas, and all my family here; this is my boyfriend, Jim Lake," I say confidently. "Ever since I was born, I loved this family, but I don't belong here. I belong with my parents and friends in Arcadia. I have different plans than what you have for me. I want to go college; I have ambitions of an exciting career, traveling around the world and deciding when, where, and who I want to marry. I don't want to have my every movement monitored. I don't want to miss the joys of living my own life. I don't want to marry someone I've never met or liked at age 18, have many kids, and live a miserable life. I want to make my own decisions and write my destiny." I explain proudly. I glance back at my friends. I find Diego, who smirks proudly and nods his head. Jim looks stunned, but his eyes suddenly widen in fear.

"¡Cómo te atreves a desobedecer a tu familia que malcriaste mocoso!" I hear Olivia scream behind me. I quickly turn around, and I'm rewarded with a complex and painful slap to the face.

I take a few steps back not to lose my balance. The injury stings but quickly settles. "What the hell, Tía!" I shout in anger as I cover my slapped cheek. Blood rages quickly through my veins.

"¡Cómo te atreves a deshonrarnos así! Al igual que tu mamá, ¡te dimos todo! Amor, un lugar al que pertenecer y una familia que te ama. ¡Dero ambos lo tiraron todo para elegir la vida gingo sobre nostotros!" Olivia screams louder at me. "¡Ahora mírate! ¡Eres una puta vergonzosa con una criatura gingo que deshonró a tu familia!"

My stomach flipped, and my anger rose more. "How dare you talk about my mother and boyfriend like that!" I snap. "Jim is an amazing person and caring boyfriend! I was born in Arcadia! It's my home! At least Mom made the right decision by leaving this hell and attending college before having me!"

Olivia grows angrier. "¡Cómo te atreves!" She grabs my right wrist, pulls me to her, and squeezes my arm tightly, but the adrenaline in my body masks the pain. "¡Muestra respeto a tus mayores!"

Olivia raised her left hand, but before she could hit, slap or strike me again, Mom grabbed her arm, pulled me behind her, handed me to Jim, and stood between my insane aunt and us. "Keep your hands off, my daughter Olivia! If you touch, hit, or threaten her again, I swear you will never see us ever again!" Mom shouts at her sister, her eyes burning with fury.

"¡Aleja a tu hija de ese gingo! ¡Es malo para ella!" Abuelo shouts at his daughter.

"No! Jim is good to my daughter. He protects, loves, and cares for her, instead of you, who treats her like a trophy!" Mom hisses at her father. Jim and I glance at each other in shock. Did Mom just defend Jim?

"¡Todo esto es su culpa Ophelia! ¡Usted es una madre inapta y una hija y hermana vergonzosa! Usted nos dejó en usted 18 años con Javier, fue a la universidad y en vez de quedarse en casa como mujeres se supone que lo son, usted es trabajo! ¡Usted dio a su hija la idea de dejar a su familia también y ser egoísta como usted!" Olivia shouts back.

"I gave my daughter a life better than mine! She has many friends, and an active social life, is a good student, and is a passionate and ambitious young woman with dreams of reaching the impossible! I never had that in my childhood, and I'm happy she has! Claire isn't selfish and doesn't betray her family! She is a kind, selfless, caring, and smart girl. But you only care about her stupid status as my first child and don't care about her as a person!" Mom shouts her voice with more anger than I ever heard it. I see her tense back and ball up her fists.

"¡Eres una hija decepcionada y una mujer vergonzosa!" Lucas shouts in anger at me. "¡Nos traicionas y te vas a tener sexo con hombres como una puta!"

I gasp in horror and clutch Jim's shirt tighter. Jim and I have slept together for months, but it was when we had armor on and never had sex before. "How dare you say that about Claire!" Jim shouts, gripping me tighter, but that only makes things worse.

"You shut your mouth and take your hands off, my niece, you pathetic white pig!" Lucas shouts back.

"I'm not sorry that I live in Arcadia. I'm not sorry I have friends who are white. I'm not sorry I don't want to become the Head of the Family. I'm not sorry I want to become an independent woman. And I'm not sorry for loving Jim!" I yell.

"¡Cómo te atreves pequeño mocoso! ¡Te arrepentirás de este día!" Olivia screams. Diego, Daniela, Maria, Tulio, Miguel, Elena, Aurora, and all my friends stand beside Mom and get in front of Jim and me. "You're going to have to get through us before you touch them," Diego says seriously. Soon, a loud argument starts between my cousins, friends, and elders.

I feel a hand touch my shoulder, making me turn to see my dad and Barbara looking worryingly at Jim and me. "Get to safety, you two!" Dad demands, and Jim leads me up the stairs with our hands intertwined. I hear screams and shouts behind me. Some yelled for me to stop. But I block them out of my ears. My eyes start swelling up with tears. Jim leads me to my room, opens the door, and we run into it. I quickly grab the knob and slam the door, sending a loud but brief echo through the room. I still hear the fighting over my heavy panting.

"What the hell is going on out there? I heard shouting and screaming. It sounds like a raid is going on out there." I hear NotEnrique say.

"Sorry, NotEnrique. Claire's family is furious at us." I hear Jim answer breathlessly. "Claire, are you alright?"

I freeze, refusing to turn away from the wooden brown door. Tears cloud my eyes, and chills run down my spine. Slut. Worthless. Brat. An unfaithful daughter and a disgraceful woman. Those words echo over and over in my head. No! They're not true. They're not true! I know it's not, but it still hurts. I can't believe my family said that. I know their reaction to me wanting not to become the head of the Family and dating a white boy would be wrong, but it still hurts. I close my eyes, releasing the tears. I start hearing non-coherent voices and flashes of evil in my dreams. I shiver as I feel Skrael's cold wind brush against me. My necklace glows purple. And I hear what Lucas said about Jim—a pathetic pig.

"I'm sorry, Jim... I'm so sorry..." I mumble and slide to the floor, softly sobbing. There's a brief silence moment. But I hear footsteps walking towards me, and I know it's Jim. I feel his arms wrap around my body, pulling me close to his.

"Shhh, shhh, shhh! It's alright, Claire... It's alright..." He mumbles softly in my hair. I immediately lean into the warmth and comfort of my boyfriend's arms. "I'm sorry what your aunt, uncle, and grandfather said."

Author Note: The draft was really messy during the fight. It took a while to get everything in order. There were some things I wanted to add in and some of them I couldn't because it didn't make sense. But I hopefully made a good confrontation between Claire and her family. And to all my English readers, I'm sorry about the Spanish text. And to all my bilingual and Spanish readers, I'm if it's not that good. I only have a high level education with Spanish and it's not my second or native language. I should've been clear with that before. Please review!