Evanora didn't know how it happened, but she froze. She froze up when her grandmother slapped her, just like that. All what was said after that, went straight past her. When she woke up, she didn't know how she got outside. She didn't know why she was standing beside an unknown black car. But she knew that Kayne was chanting something, tears started to stream over her cheeks. Never before in her life had she cried. Not when Medea humiliated her in front of the interschool, this was not the first time. Not when her grandmother destroyed her mother's cherry tree, not even when her father gave her a spanking for practising her magic inside the house. Kayne wrapped his arms around her, it was something she was not used too. It was nice, warm, comfortable and something she has being missing out off all her life. Her father never hugged her, nobody had done that. Which made her cry even more, and she didn't care that anybody could see her.
"Kayne, why is the girl crying?" An unknown woman's voice asked.
"I do not know?" His voice vibrated and calmed her slightly. "What I do know that Madam Razor, not only slapped her. But also put her under some sort of stunning spell." A stunning spell. "And I think it was not the first time." He might be right, but she was not sure. The woman behind her sighed.
"I warned your father about this. When we moved to the other end of the country, to be closer to his parents. Alani made me promise to take care of her black witch." She said. The woman knew her mother? How, to her knowledge the Le Rouge family always lived at the other side of the country. But what did she know, she didn't even know that she was attacked by her own grandmother. "Get in, we are going to the Razor estate. To collect Evanora's belongings."
"Why?" Kayne asked.
"Because I have reason to believe that she is no longer save there. And I want to have a stern talk with Bevan Razor." She said. Evanora didn't hear Kayne respond, but he slowly pushed her off him and guided her inside the car. She had the whole backseat to herself, still able to feel the stunning spell. But also feeling it wearing off, which was scary. A stunning spell was not a small spell to cast, but wearing off shouldn't take this long. So Kayne was probably right, this was not the first time. And she found it odd that she never figured it out before, would she be this obedient if she was not under something to control her. But her father wouldn't stoop so low, her grandmother on the other hand. She was not so sure about her, it was no secret that she hated her, but still to put her under a stunning spell. Kayne turned around in his seat.
"How are you feeling?" He asked, softly. She wanted to tell him that she was fine, but that would be a lie. She was not fine, not fine at all. "There is no need to answer." His voice was soft and calming. "Mom, she is really out of it. Maybe you should stop the car and try to lift up the spell a bit more."
"There is no need for that, you have done an amazing job. Now she needs to do the rest." His mother replied. "She is a strong witch, and she will be fine when we reach the estate. Once there, I want you to go with Evanora to her broom closet. I suspect that it is not much bigger then that, and collect everything she has in the bag, that I have in the back."
"Will the bag be big enough?" He asked.
"Silly boy, I put a spell on it." She said. The two became once again silent, leaving Evanora alone with her thoughts. His mother was right, she was a strong witch and she needed to get passed through this spell on her own. And she almost was passed it, when the car stopped right in front of her house. Her father was already waiting for them at the door. That was strange normally he would be at work, her father worked for the Ministry of Magic Regulation. Well worked for it was a big stretch, he owned his own company with reinforcers that aided the Ministry. "Wait a second." Kayne's mother said, before getting out of the car. "Bevan Razor, it is being too long."
"Not long enough, Lilac. How is Dillon?" Her father asked.
"He is doing great, the move back did us all well." She replied, and now that the small talk was done. It was time for the big talk. "I am here to for fill my promise to your wife." He nodded.
"You are going to take my daughter from me." He said, as dry as possible. Did he care about her at all, why was he not mad or sad?
"Daughter, that is a nice way of putting it. Do you not mean punching bag? She is being bullied by Medea daily, she was just being slapped by your mother right in front of me and my son. Not only that, but my boy just lifted a pretty strong stunning spell from her." Kayne's mother didn't light up. But her father once again showed no emotion whatsoever.
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"And your point is?" He asked, instead. Tears jumped right back, he those not care.
"Well, if that is the question you come up with, then there is nothing left to say." She said, turned around. "Kayne, you know what to do. Evanora, can you show him to your room?" Evanora nodded, Kayne and she got out of the car. He walked to the boot, opened it and got out the single bag. She didn't make eye contact with her father as she walked past him, he didn't stop her or said anything to her. Cementing the feeling even more. "What has got into you?" Kayne's mother screamed at him. "She is your daughter, Alani's little girl."
"She is not Alani's little girl, Medea is. She is the reason why Alani is dead." Her father said. Evanora had one foot at the bottom of the staircase, and froze. She knew that her mother died during childbirth, caring twins as a witch comes with a lot of risks. But it was news to her that her father blamed her for it. Medea was also part of the problem, or did he forget that being a twin means that there are two.
"Are you kidding me, she just looks like her when Alani was her age. The same dark cherry red hair, the same silver eyes that can light up the world with just one smile. Not that the girl smiles that much, now that I think about it. The only difference I see is her magic, Alani was a white witch, just like the rest of your family." Kayne's mother said. It was nice to know that she looked a lot like her mother, there were no pictures of her and she knew better than to ask her father. She always wondered how she looked like. Kayne placed a hand on her shoulder, he was so sweet and carrying. He didn't know her that long, they only met each other on the bus today. And he was more worried about her, then her own family was. They entered her room, and Kayne's mother was not far off by calling it a broom closet. It never bothered her that much, until now. Was that an effect of the stunning spell, they, she now included her father in this, used on her? She didn't know and once she was somewhere safe, she would spend a lot of time looking at the side effects of it all. Kayne placed the bag on the bed and started to grab the books closest to him.
"Leave, the laptop. I will give you my old one, who is a lot more modern then this piece of junk." He said. She wanted to say that the piece of junk worked just fine. But she wouldn't mind an upgrade, now that she thought about it. Was she ever happy with the thing, it could barely keep up with her. Not able to have too much open, and it was slower than a snail. She turned to her closet, the one set of clothing was waiting for her. Another school uniform, didn't she had any more clothes. Something to wear in her free time? She looked at it, apparently not. Why has this never bothered her until now? She didn't have enough clothes, the laptop was indeed a slow piece of junk. Her room too tiny to sleep or breath in. The only thing she had enough off, were books. Not only magic books, but also normal reading books. She frowned, was this really her life? It was, and she hated it. No wonder that she has being praying to be able to escape after the semester ended. But now she wondered, would she ever be able to do that. Or was that just another lie her father told her to keep her calm and obedient. She didn't want to know the answer, she collected the stuff from the closet and dumped it into the bag.
*********
Kayne refused to let her carry the bag on their way down. His mother was still at the front of the house, together with her father and now her grandmother. But when her grandmother saw Kayne, she lost it.
"What is that boy doing inside my house?" She screamed. "Bevan, are you out of your mind? He is the one who attacked our sweet little girl."
"There is nothing sweet, about Medea." Kayne snorted. "She is a spoiled rat, and I am here to help your other granddaughter. The one you are constantly placing under a stunning spell." Her grandmother looked shocked. "But never mind, forget that I was ever here." He grabbed Evanora by the arm and softly pulled her away from the people who were supposed to love her. The once she should feel safe by, a fake feeling she once had. Her grandmother turned towards Kayne's mother.
"You did a bad job, raising him." She snapped.
"I raised him just fine. He protects those in need, he tells the painful truth. So I did my job well." She replied. "But now I need to take Alani's daughter away from here. Before the likes of you getting her killed." Evanora looked at Kayne's mother. "Or am I wrong about that?" What was going on here?
"Come on, Lilac. You are not stupid enough to believe that." Her father said.
"Alani believed in it, and so do I. So should you, or were those claims about her being the love of your life or your best friend a lie?" Lilac snapped at him. She raised both of her hands. "You know what I am wasting my breath. Alani made one big mistake in her life and that was marrying you. And when my time has come and I meet her again, I will tell her just that." She turned around. "Evanora, sweetie. Get in the car, please." The sweetie and please, were enough to make her do just that. The door behind her slammed shut, and she waited for the car to be in motion before she asked.
"Can you tell me what has being going on?" Lilac looked at her through the rear view mirror.
"I will tell you after dinner. When I have cooled down a bit, but know that I meant every word of it. Your mother made one mistake in her life and that was marrying your father." Lilac said. Her voice was still filled with heat. "I am going to keep you two from school for a week. Do not worry, you will not miss out on much. Because I am going to teach you how to use your magic, properly. Something tells me that leaving you defensless was part of their master plan." Evanora, still didn't know what was going on. But she nodded, she sat back and looked at the world passing by. Before her eyes fall shut and she was taken over by a deep sleep.