I was born during what is known as the “witching hour”.

My mother was quite proud of my timing, always going out of her way to say it was a “special time for a special girl” (given our heritage, any witch born during the witching hour was known to have powerful magic). Reah, my older twin, was always angry and irritable after she would say that. “ I’m more special! I was born first, firstborns are always more powerful…right mamma?” (which in any witching family is totally true) she would glare accusingly at me before glancing up at mum sweetly, as if asking if she was correct though we both knew the answer. mamma always gave the same response no matter how suddenly or how many different ways Reah worded it, “ honey, we won’t know the answer to that until you're both older.” Reah would always throw a fit after those words. Mother and father would be so immersed in getting her quiet and calm that they didn't care what I did, as long as I was well behaved  and out of the way. Then, right when our parent’s backs were turned Reah would give me the dirtiest glare she could muster before pulling at her eye and sticking out her tongue. I would always frown at that, not knowing what I had done to make her hate me so much.

         After growing into our ears and (for Reah) faces we began to distinguish ourselves as little people. Reah and I attended a daycare for those with witchblood and met another set of twins. They were named Laina and Leana. The twins were born from a high-standing fae father and a beautiful elf mother that had graced them with long chestnut brown hair that curled sweetly over large brown eyes and smooth faces. At first Reah would have nothing to do with them, but as we got older the twins proved that they would do anything for her favor and we found ourselves sharing a table with them. 

            Though Laina and Leana were the same in many ways, Laina was by far the nicer of the two and we became fast friends. She was funny and kind but easily bossed around by Leana. Far too soon we hit middle school; Reah, Leana and Laina manifested their magicks and I began to feel left out. Reah reveled in my lack of manifestation and took the time to point out my lack of magicks to our parents and anyone who would listen. I grew distant, trying with all my might to do just one simple spell while my friend Laina slowly found herself immersed in learning magic without me. I slowly retreated within myself as Reah was so thrilled at my lack of magic that it got to the point where my parents had to bind her mouth shut with a spell when we went out so she wouldn’t expose us.

I didn’t think much of my lack of magic until one day as I walked by the parlor I overheard my parents talking. “She’s just a late bloomer,” mother whispered to my dad. “She has magic, I know because I felt it when I was in labor. She might have your great-great-great-great-great grandmother, Josephina's gift. She was a late bloomer too, but she turned out to be really powerful and you know that some gifts like to skip several generations.” Dad looked a bit saddened by this. “Yes but my parent's said she was driven mad by her power. It caused her to do terrible things to people, she even ended her own life once it started to consume her!” Mother sighed before she straightened, a determined look in her eyes. “yes, that’s true but she didn’t have the guidance of her mother, rest her soul, she died before teaching Josephina. She never learned to control any core magic! she wasn't centered....I will teach Rhiannon.” Mother assured Father and after a moment of silence he nodded solemnly. This was great news! If you didn’t know witches can only earn core magicks two ways; by either being infused with the magic of a maternal witch at the end of their studies or finding a powerful artifact and crafting it into whatever shape suited their core needed for it to center them. The only problem with this was that there can only be one person to receive core magic from the maternal witch and it was very (and I mean near impossible) for a witch to find an artifact as you would need to achieve a level 6 in the elements (which meant if you couldn't control six elements, you didn't get an artifact(most witches were a level 2 while even the strongest witches were only a level 3 or 4). I felt the floor groan and in fear I rushed back to the room I shared with Reah before I could be caught snooping.

                  Before I could even close the door I heard a horrifying scream. tracing it back to the parlor I bust through the door and scream, “What’s happened!?” Reah was standing in the middle of the room, mother and father were laying on the floor looking as if their souls had been sucked out of them. their bodies were pale but I couldn't tell if they had passed out from exhaustion or what. I looked up at Reah. “what happened. Are they dead? Mom?...MOM! dad!? DAD, MOM…wake up. I slump down to my knees and start shaking them violently while screaming, “ WAKE UP! WAKE UP! WAKE UP! Reah why aren’t they waking up!?” she hasn’t moved from her spot. “ Reah?” She remained unresponsive and completely still…I was getting anxious. Before I could think to get up and shake Reah out of her trance mother grabs my wrist. “ Mom? Mom are you ok..are you hurt. What are you doing?” She ignores me as her lips begin to move, I can feel the charge of magic in the air as I feel her power seep into me painfully. Reah sways slightly before she blinks back to life, I’m seconds away from screaming as the magic starts to feel like lava flooding my veins and Reah fully awakens from her trance. She starts toward us but before she can reach us I feel the magic hit a crescendo and my mouth opens in an earsplitting scream that seems to shake the whole house. Reah covers her ears before passing out. I remember seeing blood leak from them. It finally settles somewhere deep inside and I feel myself sway before everything slowly fades to black.

~

            The news was upsetting, with our parents dead we had no choice but to leave our home. The police contacted a distant relative that Reah and I were completely unaware of; Aunty Giana, she was as nice as a someone forced to take care of her sister’s kids could ever be. She fed us and gave us what we needed without a fuss. Giana’s home was as welcoming as it could be for the first year before she sent us to Katnarry Fortuna Academy, a secret academy for mythics of all types as well as some wealthy or extremely intelligent humans. It was here that we began a whole new life.