Witch

Chapter Thirteen

"So tell me about what happened while I was napping,"  Mother asks.  She sets down a teapot after filling my cup with the sweet, minty brew.  Amethyst is gone now, saying she had business to take care of; she opened the window and flew out of it.  Limerick sits at her desk, studying something about the history of wizards. 

My mother and I sit in the kitchen by candle light.  I'm in my pajamas with a towel over my head, for I had just taken a shower.  I sip my tea.  "Tell me about what happened before I got here first."  I peer out the window, it's dark outside, and can't help but wonder if Amethyst is watching me out there.

Mother smiles.  "I could do that."  She puts the teapot away and sits across from me.  "I was cleaning up the dormitory.  But while I was dusting the shelves in here...she appeared."  Her eyes cast downward.

"What do you mean she appeared?"  I ask.

"Well," Mother starts.  She pauses a minute, then continues.  "It was quiet, except for the sounds of students walking to and from class.  I saw you walking back to the dormitory, so I turned around in order to unlock the door and welcome you back.  When I turned around, I saw something scurry across the floor --" She pretends her first two fingers are legs and makes them walk across the counter.  "--like this.  I though it was some kind of bug, or rodent.  I quickly went to it, and being the brave woman I am, and I tried to grab it.  It went underneath your desk, but when I looked for it, it wasn't there!  But then, there was a really bright light, and there she was.  Her skin was glowing a vivid white and she seemed to come out of nowhere.

"Now I'd seen a lot of drawings and artwork of the Goddess' daughter, and she was the spitting image of her.  I fainted, and I don't remember anything after that."  Mother recounted, staring downward.

"Do you think it was really her?"  I ask.

"Oh, there's no doubt about it," Mother takes a big gulp of her drink.  "But why do you think she came here?"

"She said her name was Amethyst, and her 'Mamma' wanted to test me...something like that,"  I look up to my mother and frown.  "It was all very confusing."

"She was a strange kid," Limerick calls over her book.  "But her wings were awesome."  She stands and gathers her things.  "I'm going to study in the bedroom to give you guys some privacy to talk."  She takes her leave.

I turn back to mother and say "She said that, we had the same Mamma.  Which is ridiculous, right?" I laugh a little at the thought.

Mother sighs, I see her hands tremble as she lifts the teacup and brings it to her lips.  Her eyes stay down the whole time.

"Is everything alright, Mother?"  I lean forward and try to look into her eyes.  "What's wrong?"

"There's something you should know, Willow," she starts, she opens her eyes toward me.  I can see tears brimming on the rims of her eyes.  "I knew I would have to tell you sometime, but I didn't know it would be under circumstances like this."

"What do you mean?"

"Willow,"  She leans in closer and takes a deep breath.  "You-- you're not my daughter, darling."

CRASH!  The teacup that was previously in my hand in now on the floor in pieces, the tea spilled over the linoleum.  I feel my entire body begin to tremble.  The line replays over and over in my head a thousand times, like a terrible echo. 

"You have to know that I still love you as any mother would,"  she tries to place her hand on my shoulder but I quickly pull away.

"No. You're lying," I say quietly and turn around.  I begin to feel my face getting hot, and immensely unpleasant feeling taking over my stomach.  My eyes begin to fill up, and it's impossible to blink back my tears.