Family Matters

Through sheer **** of will, fueled by your love of twin and family, you make your way toward Devlin manor with Vespera at your side.

As you near you begin to realize something is amiss as a great dome of faint yellow luminance fades into view, flickers, and then bursts in a blinding flash. Lights begin to turn on around the house and you could hear raised voices inside. So much for sneaking up.

“Come on.” You say and hurry forward, rushing through the garden and up the stairs to the terrace Maybe if Dad wasn’t home you could still get to your mother and…

There is blue spark followed by the crack of a mini thunderclap. There, out of thin air, your father now stands not 20 feet in front of you. It is not the stuffy yet dapper father you knew though. The tall man in front of you now wears a long red mantled caped with a hood, sigils of power glowing along the hem and edges. In his hands he wields a heavy automatic pistol the likes of which you’d never seen before, it looked like something stolen from the set of a science fiction movie. Along it’s broad flat barrel there glowed more runes as well lights that looked more technological than supernatural. Emblazoned just above trigger are the distinctive block letters MT.

MT…Minamoto Technology? That was Grace’s family’s company. But they didn’t produce weapons…did they? You have no time to think about it as your father casts a familiar spell of protection. Blinding yellow light emanates out from his extended free hand.

“Dad, NO!” You cry as the wave of light washes over you.

Your fathers eyes widen as the light also washes over Vespera as harmlessly as it did you.

“Jacob!” He bellows in both anger and fear. “What have you DONE!?”

Just then the other members of the household begin pouring out of the house, summoned by the commotion and raised voices.

“STAY BACK!” He waves them away. “Lilith, get the kids back in the house!”

Grandma rushes to his side, similarly bedecked for battle with an elaborate robe and large domed goggles on her face, readying a long staff with a wickedly sharp whirling crystal contraption on the end of it. Ciara as well, her eyes glowing with orange-green power, flits forward to defend her true master.

Initially the others look ready to fall back at the prodding of your mother, until they see who it is the head of the family was squaring off against.

“Jake!” Trixie calls. You notice Bron immediately break off from the others, transforming into his hulking monster form mid stride, and moves to flank you and your twin.

Your mother turns to look with worry in her amber eyes. She sees the bruises and injuries over your body and gasps. “What has she done to you?”

“No, wait! Stop! She’s not dangerous.” You plead with them. “Let me explain.”

Vespera’s face darts from one person to the next, terribly confused as to what was happening here. You step out in front of her and hold your hands out toward your family.

“Get out of the way boy!” Your Dad levels the gun to point just above your head at your sister and begins casting a spell with the other hand.

“Daddy! Put the gun down!” Trixie shrieks, scared out of her mind.

You continue to try to calm the situation. “Please! Listen to me! She isn’t what you think she…”

BOOM! The trigger is pulled and the gun goes off. You hear the bullet whiz over your head. You look back in terror only to see the projectile had ricocheted off of her shoulder with barely a mark. She looks at you and you feel her bewilderment. You weren’t sure she even recognized the attack for what it was. She continues looking around with rising uncertainty.

Everything is happening so fast. Before you even have a chance to think of what to do your father’s spell activates and two huge snarling tiger like creatures appear on the other side of Vespera from you. With claws out and fangs bared they leap on your sister. This time there is no mistake, Vespera knew she was under attack. She turns and and tears the creatures limb from limb in a matter of seconds, their howls of pain fading as they disappeared back to where they come from.

“Bron! Get Jacob out of there!” Your father barks as he prepares yet another spell.

“On it!” Bron grunts as he circles in on you at a full lope.

You turn to prepare yourself though you hadn’t a clue how you could resist him. “PLEASE STOP!”

Devany moves to engage but is held back by your mother. “For God’s sake just listen to him!” Your older sister calls out.

But nobody was listening to anything. A great gout of jagged edged flames pours from your grandmother’s staff and engulfs your twin. The magical flames lick over and around sister, searing your skin and hair even from a few feet away, but it rolls off of her like water off a duck’s back. Ciara, now flying high above, shoots down at Ves with green bolts of energy. Again your sister does not seem affected.

Your grandma lets out a frustrated huff. “It’s no use Samael.”

“Fuck!” Your father spits. Their magic simply had no hold on your sister and they were running out of options.

Just then Bronwyn, his white eyes locked on his quarry, rushes in at you with incredible speed. Even faster though is Vespera’s tentacle as it snaps out and grabs him around the neck. She lifts him from the ground as he claws and bites at her. You had felt both of their great strength…Bron didn’t stand a chance. His eyes bulge as the limb tightens.

“Bron!” Your mother calls out.

“Ves!” You say. “Gentle! Gentle!”

She looks down at you then hurls him back across the garden to slam into the central fountain. He crumples against it with a loud yelp but he is still alive.

As you spin back Ves is already hurtling toward her attackers. “Stop!” You cry. “Everyone stop!”

As three tentacles come slamming down your grandmother with a blur of unnatural swiftness rolls off to one side, the **** of the blow shatters the cobblestones beneath where she once stood. One of Vespera’s arms grasp toward your father but with a blue spark and a clap he is gone before she gets a grip on him.

“Gentle Ves! Please! Everyone stop this!”

Your Dad reappears about 30 feet away and you hear him mutter something to himself. As Ves looks left and right, deciding which caster to pursue…your father raises the gun and points it straight at you!

“Dad?” You gasp.

“Samael!” Your mother begs, grabbing young Lucian’s head she turns his stunned gaze away. “Samael, don’t! Please!”

Ves seems to understand the threat. Even with her great speed she is too far away to protect you or stop him. She stops, her dark body trembling with pent up energy.

Your father’s eyes narrow as he stares into you. “You foolish, stupid, disobedient boy! Look what you have brought here!”

“Dad, please just…”

“It has used you to destroy this family. It is a harbinger for things that will destroy this world. You truly have no idea what you have wrought upon us.”

“And you have no idea about Vespera!” You shout back. “She’s not how you think she is. She is…caring and funny and sweet and loving! She wants her family! It’s YOU that don’t know!”

He scoffs, humorlessly. “And what do you think you know Jacob? A day ago you didn’t know about any of this, now you’re the expert?”

“I know my sister. She’s one of us Dad. She’s a Devlin.”

The look the comes over your father’s face is deeply pained. “I’m sorry son. You are her anchor. I have to protect my family.”

“Dad?”

The pain leaves your father’s eyes replaced by a grim acceptance of what he must do. As if in slow motion you watch his finger squeeze the trigger. Never did you think this would be how you met your end. You stand tall and face him, your eyes meeting his, showing him that in your last seconds that you were not afraid of him.

A moment before the muzzle flashes you see a purple jelly body reform from out around the garden plants to stand directly in front of you.