The meeting at Sarah's place last night was a very terrible meeting to be honest and I'm irritated with myself for even attending in the first place. From the time I walked through that door to the time I left, everything had gone to shit.

Sirius and I finally made it to Sarah's place, which was a large Victorian style home with a wrought iron fence. The house was very well maintained and the yard was very clean cut as well due to Sarah's husbands constant maintenance of the house. Sirius followed me as I made my way towards the house and up the stairs. Before my hand could even touch the door, it swung open to reveal Sarah's oldest daughter, Mary, who has had a distaste of me since Sarah had taken me in when I was child.

I didn't understand why she didn't like me at all, but I could only guess that it had something to do with the fact that Sarah used to praise my fast learning skill when it came to magic and because of who my mother and grandmother were before they died. Since she disliked me, Mary made it her mission to rub in my face the fact that she had children and a husband a hundred years before I did, which I found to be quite childish due to how old she is.

"Oh. It's you," She scrunched up her nose in disgust. Mary also didn't try to hide her distaste for me when she saw me in person, and this was without her mother around. Sirius growled at Mary who glared him coldly and hatefully.

"I'm not late am I?" I inquired.

"No. You're just in time for the tasting," She answered without moving out of the way.

"May I come in?" I asked as politely as I could.

"No," She responded. The door was slammed in my face and soon I heard the sound of the lock click. I tried to use my magic, but Mary had used hers to make sure that I couldn't use mine to enter the home. She even put a barrier around the house. Mary really pisses me off when she does childish shit like this and she pisses me off when she allows her petty dislike for me prevent me from even being included in events that the community held.

"C'mon, Sirius. We're not welcome here," I said to my companion. Sirius growled at the house and followed me. Just as I was about to exit through the gate, a familiar voice called my name. I turned around to find Violet, Sarah's second and youngest daughter, standing on the porch.

"Sofia, come back!" She called out to me. Sirius bounded happily over to Violet causing me to sigh and shake my head. A smile came over my face as I sauntered back towards the house where Violet was petting and complimenting Sirius.

"Sorry about Mary," She apologized.

"It's quite alright. She must be on her period or something," I assured her.

"If that's the case, then I guess she's been on her period for almost a hundred years," Violet joked. We both laughed.

"Let's go inside before my mother skins us both alive," She chuckled. I nodded and followed after her with Sirius.

"So how have you been lately?" She asked.

"I'm alright. I've just been relaxing at home for a few days while my shop gets repaired," I answered. When it came to my occupation, I owned a bookstore, but not just any old bookstore. Well technically it was an old bookstore and it was filled with old books, especially ones that I've collected over the years or were given to me by friends who are long gone now.

Violet and I continued to converse with each other as we made our way to her mother's living room. As soon as Sarah laid eyes on me, she went quiet causing all eyes to fall on Violet and I. Sarah's scarred face broke out into a huge grin while Mary just rolled her eyes with a scowl. Sarah stood up from her chair that was in the center of the room right in front of the fireplace. Many of the people in the room got up from their chairs and all of a sudden they started to kneel with their heads down.

"Oh no," I mumbled under my breath. Violet let out a small chuckle.

"With the way you act, no one would guess that you were literally royalty," Violet teased.

"Oh shut up," I hissed lowly. She laughed and I glared at her before turning my attention to everyone else in the room. I cleared my throat loudly.

"Everyone, you can stand up already. You don't have to do this every time considering how Sarah has the title now," I told them.

"Sofia is right," Violet chimed in, "She's a little uncomfortable." Hesitantly, they all stood to their feet and I sighed in relief.

"Thank you," I softly murmured to Violet.

"No problem," She responded.

"Like Sofia said, I have the title," Sarah spoke up with a sense of authority in her voice, "As the one with said title, I must ask you, Sofia, as in to why you failed to show up to our last meeting." I knew she would have my head about the last meeting I didn't come to and it was for good reason as well, but there was no point in explaining myself because it would just upset her even more and embarrass me as she berated me in front of everyone in the room.

"I apologize, Sarah. There was no excuse for me to skip out on it," I bowed my head.

"You're right. There was no excuse and yet you didn't even contact to tell me why," She scolded. I could tell that Mary had a smug look on her face because of the way her eyes were burning holes into my head and the way Sirius was growling lowly at her.

"I apologize again, Sarah. There is no excuse for my incompetence," I responded.

"No there isn't, which is why we should kick her out of this meeting. Since she didn't want to come to the last one, then she shouldn't attend this one as punishment," Mary sneered.

"And how about you just rot in hell?" Violet snapped. Mary gasped and looked at her Mother who was still burning holes into my head.

"Mother, are you going to allow her to talk to me like that?" Mary cried out like the spoiled brat she is.

"Real mature, Mary," Violet scoffed with a roll of her eyes, "Crying to mommy like the big baby you are and always will be." Many in the room snickered at Violet's insult.

"You little-"

"SILENCE!" Sarah's voice boomed throughout the house causing it to shake a little. The lights flickered a little from the impact of her voice. The entire room was so silent that you could hear a mouse piss on cotton. Sarah looked at Mary with a piercingly narrowed gaze that caused her to flinch as if she had been struck.

"If you are going to act like a child, Mary, then leave. I will not tolerate your childish behavior or your little suggestions on matters that are between Sofia and I alone. Do you understand me?" Sarah reprimanded in a dangerously low hiss.

"But-"

"Do you understand me?!" She thundered causing the house to shake again and the lights flickered once more.

"Yes, Mother," Mary replied. Sarah turned back towards me.

"Lift your head, Sofia," Sarah said. I did as told and lifted my head only to meet her cold, gray-eyed gaze that almost caused me to flinch away.

"We will discuss the matter of you playing hooky like a common, incompetent child later. For now, sit down and join us," She ordered.

"Yes, ma'am," I nodded. Violet led me over to where her and her family were sitting. I could tell that they had kept a seat open for me and me only, which I appreciated. The seat was placed near a window and there was enough space for Sirius to lie down next to me.

"Nancy, continue what you were saying before our most recent guest had arrived," Sarah said. The way she said guest sent a chill down my spine. It was so venomous that it made me feel like I was in the room with a snake.

"You're really going to get it," Violet whispered to me.

"Mhm," I hummed in response.

"As I was saying before, the organization is picking us all off one by one with each passing day and the amount of people within our community that they have slain is rising with each day, Our meetings used to be so full to the point of where we had to go to a much bigger house, but now, and no offense to you, Sarah, we're able to just fit in this living room without any conflict of having enough seats. Not to mention that the classrooms are becoming smaller and smaller as well," Nancy explained.

"Nancy is right. They're killing us off rapidly than they have in the past and it's very nerve-wrecking," John, a warlock within our community, agreed as he stood up, "Not only that, but my co-workers have gone missing as well and so have those at my wife's place of work."

"The organization is only able to do this because those they have killed have given out names," Violet's husband, Lysander, spoke up, "And I have a feeling that Carrie, the one who was recently murdered by those bastards, talked."

"Actually, Lysander. You're wrong," A voice spoke up. The fireplace roared to life and soon the woman, her two kids, and husband from the newspaper stepped out of the fireplace. Collectively, everyone in the room gasped at the sight of her.

"How did you manage to escape?" Violet inquired.

"Well I knew that the organization would come for me because one of the girls ended up using her magic on accident in front of one of her classmates, who has a father that's an informant of the organization," She explained.

"So how did you manage to trick them?" I spoke up causing everyone to turn their attention to me.

"Copies. I made copies of each of us that looked, sounded, acted, and thought like us," She answered, "They were very much so tricked into thinking the copies were us and believe that they have killed us."

"What will you do now that you're 'dead'?" I inquired.

"We, along with our children, are going to Elizabeth's dimension," She responded, "She visited me two weeks ago to tell me that Carmen Gonzalez had given out the names of me and Linda Johnson."

"So I'm next?" Linda asked.

"Yes," Carrie nodded.

"What do we do?" Linda inquired.

"By the time the meeting is over, could with us," Carrie answered. Linda looked to her husband and teenage son before they each nodded.

"What about the rest of us?" Kurt Mckinnon, the owner of the local hardware store, asked, "Shouldn't we all leave as well?" Many in the room voiced their concerns about their safety and this caused them to overlap, which led to shouting matches and arguments. It was getting really annoying to hear it. The more they continued to voice their concerns, the more they continued to argue about who's safety took more precedence over who's, and the more they shouted over each other made me agitated by the second.

Finally, I was fed up.

"SILENCE!" My voice boomed over the others. They all went silent and their attention turned to me. I cleared my throat and stood up to face all of them.

"This arguing you all are doing is not going to help anything. You all need to shut the hell up and quit talking over each other so we can come up with a solution, other than going to another dimension," I snapped, "Now sit down and act like the goddamn adults that you are!" They all listened to me and soon they all sat down like obedient lambs. I sat back down while Violet and her husband snickered from beside me.

"You told them," Violet murmured. I rolled my eyes.

"Thank you, Sofia. Now, as Sofia had kindly suggested, we will come up with solutions that don't just involve us all running away," Sarah said.

"Why should we listen to her? She's been skipping out meetings for years and now all of a sudden she's the voice of reason?" Mary snapped.

"Can you set your childish dislike for me aside and at least contribute to the conversation with something other than mindless drivel that holds no value?" I shot at her in aggravation.

"Ooh," Violet and her husband chorused.

"Why you-" I flicked my wrist and she was suddenly mute.

"Quit acting like a child and actually tell us something of value," I hissed. As I began to lower myself back down into my seat, my body was suddenly thrown back against the wall causing me to break a picture frame in the process. Sirius became defensive and started to growl at Mary who was glaring at me. Mary used her magic to try and do the same thing she did to me, but Violet stepped in and overpowered her. Violet's husband ran over to check on me.

"You okay?" He inquired.

"No, but I'll feel much better when I kill that bitch," I spat. Quickly, I got back onto my feet and I stalked towards Mary with a murderous look in my eyes. She has really pissed off the sleeping giant now. Violet moved in front of me instantly and Sirius took a defensive stance in front of us while growling at Mary again. I moved Violet out of the way and took out a dagger that I had been hiding in my coat the entire time. Without even having to think about it, I froze time around us two and then started for her.

"Since you want to play rough, then let's play rough," I snapped.

"Bring it, you dirty nigger," She hissed. I charged at her with the dagger raised and she got ready to use her magic. Just when we were both an inch away from each other, we were thrown to opposites sides of the room.

"ENOUGH!" Sarah thundered angrily. She glared at us both icily.

"You two will stop this foolishness and act like the adults you are. I expected more out of you, Sofia. You have disappointed me tonight," Sarah scolded, "As for you, Mary. You have embarrassed me too much tonight and I will not stand for it. Your powers will be stripped for a week," Sarah snarled.

"But-"

"Shut it, Mary," She seethed, "This is your punishment for being an embarrassment to me tonight. It is more of your fault than hers that your argument led to this and it disgusts me to see a child of mine act like a belligerent fool with no home training." Sarah was really tearing into her ass and it made me wince with each word she spoke to Mary.

"For the rest of this meeting, you will both be silent. Is that understood?" Sarah glared at us both.

"Yes, Sarah," I nodded.

"Yes mother," Mary mumbled.

"Good. Now head back to your seats," She ordered. I stood to my feet and took my seat again. Time unfroze and I whistled for Sirius to come back to my side.

"Everyone take your seats so we can continue this meeting," Sarah instructed.

The rest of the meeting that night went smoothly due to the fact that Mary and I were both silent, but afterwards everything went to shit because Sarah tore into my ass about my behavior and about the meetings I didn't attend. Hearing her tear into me was just as bad as getting a belt across my ass and it wasn't a pleasant experience, but I deserved it for how I acted. Even though Sarah was ashamed of my behavior, I was ashamed as well because that's not how I usually am unless somebody provokes me to that point.