Chapter 50

Divina shivered as the icy fingers of terror slithered up her spine, and she found herself backed against the dreary walls of the interrogation chamber. The interrogator's gaze burned with venomous loathing, and she knew that she was in for a rough ride.

"You heard me, witch." His voice dripped with contempt as he stared her down. "One of those crescent moon sorceresses." A cruel chuckle erupted from his throat, causing Divina's pulse to quicken.

The detective circled the interrogation table with a calculated and measured pace, his eyes never leaving Divina's. She struggled with the door handle, her nerves fraying with each passing second. And then, with a sudden jolt, the door flew open, sending Divina tumbling into the arms of an older man, rugged and weathered with age and experience. "Are you alright, miss?" he asked, steadying her with a firm grip. Divina's heart thundered in her chest as she peered back into the interrogation room, the detective's piercing gaze burning into her soul. "Y-yes, I'm fine," she stammered, stumbling backwards and making a hasty retreat towards the exit. She made it to her car, her hands shaking as she struggled to find her keys. And when they finally slipped from her grasp and tumbled to the ground, she knew that she was purely terrified . With a rapid burst of movement, she retrieved her keys and hastily slipped into the driver's seat, her foot pressing down hard on the accelerator as she zoomed out of the parking lot.

The detective wouldn't leave Divina's thoughts. It wasn't solely due to his behavior - it was the words he had spoken. Crescent Moon clan? She raced her car to her grandfather's house and burst inside, calling out for her father. "Dad! Dad!" she cried as she sprinted up the staircase and burst into his bedroom. He was sitting up in bed, his gaze fixed on nothingness. As Divina stormed in, he slowly turned to face her. "Dad, let's leave this place," she demanded, grabbing clothes from the wardrobe and flinging them onto the bed.

"What's wrong, honey?" her father asked, suddenly realizing his daughter was in distress.

We must leave this accursed town," Divina declared, flinging garments from the bed with a feverish fervor. Her father steadied her with a hand on her shoulder. "What has happened, my darling?"

"Everything!" Divina wailed, tears streaming down her cheeks like rain. She was powerless to stop the rush of emotion that poured from her. Her father drew her close, his arm a comforting shield around her. "All will be well," he whispered soothingly. As her sobs abated, she looked up at him through puffy eyes. "Who are the Crescent Moon Clan?" she asked, watching as her father's complexion paled. He gripped her shoulders as if to steady himself. "Where did you hear that name?"

"The detective," Divina replied, and her father's fingers dug into her skin. "What do they want?" she pressed, and her father released her before raking his hands through his hair and collapsing onto the bed. "They have found us," he muttered, his voice heavy with fear. "They are dangerous."

Divina gaped at her father as his words sank in. Found us? Dread coiled tightly in her stomach at the thought. "We need to go back to the city, Father," she urged, but he refused to budge. "Running won't do us any good now," he told her grimly.

Divina's mind raced with questions. Who were they? And why did her father seem so resigned to their fate? She couldn't help the exasperated cry that escaped her lips. "Who the hell are they?"

Her father's brooding gaze fixed on her. "The witch clan your mother was born into," he revealed. "She left when she found out she was pregnant with you. But it was only a matter of time before they caught up to us."

Divina's forehead creased in confusion. What could be so dangerous about this clan? "Why do they want me?" she demanded, her voice rising in frustration.

"Because you hold the key to opening up the portal to the magicae cadit realm, also known as Magic Falls," her father said, his voice heavy with worry. Divina's mind reeled. The idea of being pursued for her inherent magical abilities was both exhilarating and terrifying.

“I do not understand,” Divina said, perched upon the edge of the bed beside her father. “A score of decades past, a hex was laid upon the Crescent Moon Clan. Only a pair of twins, one bearing the light and the other shrouded in darkness, would be born. However, should a singular girl arrive, the one possessing the power to unfold the portal, the witches shall return to their native land.” She fidgeted with her fingers, pondering her father's words. “So they seek me to unlock the portal and let them return home. It does not seem like a terrible fate to me,” she explained.

Her father strode over to the bedside, flinging open the drawers with a flourish. His fingers delved within, rustling through the contents within until he extracted a prized possession. A photograph, the edges dog-eared with wear and tear, but still exuding a vibrant energy that pulsed through the air. With a deft hand, he passed it over to Divina, who accepted it with a small gasp of wonder. In the picture, a couple beamed back at her, their smiling faces lit up with joy and love. One glance at the woman in the shot was enough to send shivers down Divina's spine – she bore an uncanny resemblance to her mother.

Divina looked at her grandparents with a mixture of apprehension and curiosity. She longed to connect with her mother's family, but the warning in her father's voice sent a sharp shiver down her spine. "But they are my kin," she protested. "Surely they wouldn't harm me."

Her father's voice turned somber. "Blood is nothing to them, Divina. They care only for their own power and ambition, and they will stop at nothing to achieve it. Even if it means hurting their own flesh and blood." He paused, as if considering his words carefully. "You must be careful around them. Keep your wits about you and never let down your guard."

Divina nodded, her heart heavy with the realization that the family she yearned for could be capable of such cruelty and betrayal. But she knew her father spoke the truth, and she would do whatever it takes to protect herself from their dark influences.

“What do we do?” She whispered and her father sighed. “We must be prepared to fight.” Divina straightened her shoulders. “If that is what we need to do, then we will fight. We will fight for my mother.” She said and her father gave her a hug, kissing the top of her head.