Chapter 90

**MAE POV**

I fucking hate the fact that i allowed Dren to get under my skin, i shouldn’t have let his words bother me, but they did. It struck a nerve. A big one. I could have brought the house down with whatever witchy powers i have, which luckily i didn’t, but it could have happened. I could have hurt someone.
I mean shit, what more fucked up stuff can i handle?
I've had enough. I just want a taste of what a normal life could be like, just a little taste of what i could have had if i had been born to someone different.
But then, would i be who i am? I doubt it. Especially after everything i have had to deal with. If i were someone else, i would not be anything like i am today.
As much as people hate to admit it, including me, our experiences in life shape us into the people we are.
I flop down into the chair behind Mihai’s desk, wanting a moment to myself, just a minute to think all the shit through.
Maybe i should be nicer to Dren, he is my elder brother after all, but fuck, he can be overbearing as shit. He asks like i know exactly who he is, and the truth is i have no idea. I don’t know if he values family. I don’t even know if he accepts me as his long-lost sister.
I should try harder, i know that, i have been given a chance to start over, with a new family, so then, why can’t i stop thinking about the others? I killed Sean, and that will stay with me for the rest of my life, even into the beyond. But Mihai is right, i had no choice.
He would have killed me in a heartbeat, and he would have been praised for it by the council. He wouldn’t feel the guilt that i do. He would be proud of himself.
So maybe i should be proud of myself too, i survived. Against all odds. That has to mean something.
I rub my eyes with the backs of my hands, i am seriously starting to regret getting out of bed at all. I should have just stayed there for a while.
My nerves are shot.
I jump when a knock sounds at the door, my heart skipping a beat, “come in.” i shout, but i really want whoever it is to fuck off.
I'm not in the mood to be around anyone else.
Mihai pokes his head around the door, keeping it mostly closed, “I know you wanted some time to yourself, but this couldn’t wait.” he says, swinging the door open the rest of the way.
A woman is stood there, much older than me, with grey hair and piercing green eyes. She has a little hunch to her back, but she stands tall, proud.
She is a witch. I can sense it. I can feel whatever it is inside of me trying to burst from my chest. Like it wants to see her for itself.
“She can come in.” i say, “But why don’t you wait outside? I will call you if i need you.”
Mihai looks deflated, and a little annoyed, but he nods anyway, letting the woman past him and shutting the door.
I sit there, staring at the woman, wondering what she was thinking, was i everything she hoped?
“Were you the one in the woods?” i ask her, leaning my arms on the desk.
“That isn’t exactly a greeting.” she scoffs, “But you are young, you have much to learn.”
She is avoiding the question.
“I asked you a question.” i say, trying to keep my voice even, though i am not sure i manage it.
I’m fucking pissed. If the witches knew what i was, why didn’t they come forward sooner? I could have used their help.
She sighs, limping towards the chair on the opposite side of the desk, “That’s a hard question to answer, Mae, i was there, but i was also with my coven.”
I frown, not understanding, “How does that work?”
This is some really weird voodoo shit.
“It’s an ability i have.” she says, perching on the edge of the chair, “I can be in two places at once, but not fully, only an apparition of myself can move from place to place.” she looks through my eyes into my soul, “I knew as soon as i felt your magic who you were, we have been searching for you for a long time.”
I laugh coldly, “Yeah, there is a lot of that going round.” i clear my throat, “So how exactly is this going to work? How the hell are you going to teach me how to use this magic inside of me?”
“It is a long road.” she says, looking around the study, “And there will be many things that take you time to learn, this magic doesn’t obey you right away, you have to make it.”
“Is the magic alive?” i ask, rubbing my chest.
It sure as hell feels that way, it feels like it has its own place inside of me, just waiting for the right moment to make itself seen.
“It is.” she says, looking back at me, and leaning forward, “It has a soul, like you and i. but it isn’t from this world, we are only a vessel meant to carry it.”
“I don’t understand.” i say, heaving a sigh, “Though i suppose i won’t, not right away.”
She smiles, “You are smart for someone so young, tell me, what do you know of witches?”
I shrug, “Only what you told me, i guess.” i say slowly, “Only a female can be a witch, it comes from mothers to daughters.”
“It is much more than that.” she tells me, a smile on her lips. “We are born from the mother of the moon, she wasn’t originally from here, the gods brought her long before man was born, she gave balance to the word, mixed the light with the dark.”
I thought that was just a myth.
It was said that the gods made a bargain with the mother of the moon and in return for her bringing balance, they would give her many daughters who all carried the same magic. Witches.
My mother used to tell me that story.
“Is it all true?” i ask, “Does magic truly come from the moon?”
She nods, her smile disappearing, “It does, young one, and with the moon, darkness follows, some daughters do not follow mothers' plans, they go dark. Make deals with the wrong gods. Just like all people, we are free to choose which side we want to be on.”
“But how can i be both a nati and a witch?” i ask, i didn’t think such a thing would be possible.
The old woman looks sad for a moment, deep in thought, “there was one before you, a long time ago, but she did not choose the path of light, she threw away her responsibilities and retreated to the dark realm. I haven’t seen her since.”
“Was she someone to you?” i shouldn’t have asked, but i wanted to know.
I wanted to know everything i could.
She looks up at the window behind me, the moon high in the sky, “She was my sister.”