Challenged Love

Chapter 24

Flashback: (Third-person POV)

Florence took one last glance at her bedroom before turning away forever. She knew her parents were waiting outside for her, so she needed to be quick. She held a duffle bag in each hand as she rushed down the stairs, heart racing faster than her feet. Although she was not quite there yet, each step towards the front door felt like freedom. 

Fourteen-year-old Jane stood near the front door, knowing what her sister was about to do. However, she held her own bag.

"What do you think you are doing?" Florence glared at her sister.

"I'm coming with you," Jane insisted. She was not asking. She was demanding.

Florence sighed. "No, you can't."

"Yes, I am!" Jane protested. "We need to go together."

"Jane, I wish I could take you. You know I would if I could."

"Please! Mum and Dad don't have to know. We're both magic, so it only makes sense that we both go."

They were both aware of how their parents felt about magic. Their parents claimed it was somehow "not real". For years, Florence and Jane were made to feel insane for their magical abilities by their entire family. They seemed to swap between therapists every week for a long time. Yet, odd things happened that their parents could not explain. When they had not been grocery shopping, food would somehow appear in their pantry. Lights would flicker on and off when either Jane or Florence was agitated. Sinks would randomly turn on and off. The mail would somehow find itself on the kitchen table without anyone going to go grab it.

Then, when Florence was eleven, she received her Hogwarts letter in the mail. Jane would receiver hers three years later, but their parents had already come to the conclusion that their daughters were cursed and demonic. Instead of seeing therapists, they began to see priests. Their parents were not even religious. They were controlling and narcissistic, doing anything they could to make their kids feel less than they actually were.

However, no matter how many prayers were said, nothing changed. Strange things still happened, and without proper education, the girls had no way of controlling it. The magic actually got worse. Clothes would shrink three sizes smaller. Water pipes and phone lines would break. Furniture would collect more dust than usual. Discipline began to be enforced if they did not stop the magic. The "discipline" became emotional and sometimes physical abuse. Then, the hatred that Florence and Jane felt towards their mum and dad would actually turn into this uncontrollable, crazy magic. However, none of them knew this yet. 

Florence feared what would happen without her at the house, but greater things lay outside for them. She could not take Jane along with her, but she would do this for the both of them. 

Almost ten months ago, Florence was hanging out in her town's library as she normally did after school. Then, she suddenly caught sight of a strange man.

The man was sitting in the most deserted corner of the library. He held the book with his two hands as he read. Florence would have thought nothing of it, except the pages of the book were flipping by themselves. At first, she might have blamed the wind, but there were no windows near him. Also, the wind was not smart enough to know whether or not he was ready to turn the page. She continued to pretend she was deep into her book she was holding, peering up at the man every minute or so. Then, she watched him pull out a stick from his pocket and point it at the book. She would have thought this was silly, but before she could have any second thoughts, the book began floating back to the place where he picked it up. Her eyes widened at the sight, and he noticed her. He removed the brown strands of hair from his face, his eyes meeting hers. Florence froze, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. The man immediately stood up and began walking out.