Devils Roses 04 - Witch

plate and shook his head.
    The other kids started to pile into the kitchen where the table expanded as always. The small kitchen always accommodated everyone.
    Danny raised an eyebrow, “No more you and Hanna?”
    "Not so much."
    Danny shrugged, "I like Hanna. She makes me feel happy when I look at her."
    Sam coughed and changed the subject, "You guys all been in contact with your families lately?”
    They nodded. Sarah smiled a toothy smile at him. Her teeth had grown in too big for her small face, “Aunty Beth said to tell you she expects a visit sooner than later. She said she wants to talk to you about something.”
    He shrugged, “Okay. Maybe I’ll see if we can both go.”
    Sarah shook her head, “I don’t wanna go. I started a fire yesterday when I was mad at Danny.”
    Danny’s chubby face turned red, “She burned my World of Warcraft poster for the Mists of Pandaria.”
    Sarah looked down at her plate, “It was an accident. I said sorry Danny.”
    Danny glared at her, “And yet your apology didn’t bring it back.”
    Sam frowned, “Be nice both of you. It was an accident. Sometimes we can’t help what our powers make us do.”
    “Is that what you told Hanna when you apologized?”
    He turned to see Lydia standing in the kitchen with her arms folded across her chest and a truly pissy expression plastered across her face.
    “No. I never apologized. I’m not sorry.”
    Lydia shook her head, “You will be Sam. Even I can’t save you from what you’ve done. There was a reason I told you no witch would ever do that spell for you.” Her eyes burned, “We all know the cost of it.”
    She turned and walked away.
    He looked at the frightened looks of the kids at the table. Even Dawn looked upset. He picked up his fork and started to eat.
    After breakfast he walked into the sitting room where Lorri and Lydia had their heads pressed together.
    “Can I help?”
    Lorri glared at him, “You’ve done enough kid.”
    He sat beside Lydia, “Look I don’t regret it. It was the right choice. I’ve freed her.”
    Lydia sputtered something in hysteria and left the room.
    He looked at Lorri who cracked her bitter grin, “You fucking idiot.”
    “What? It was my choice.”
    She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, “Sam you have no choices. None. You are a slave to this fate just as we all are. When I fell I was terrified. I am not exactly a people person.”
    Sam snickered, “No kidding.”
    She glared, “No. None. Anyway, when God asked me to fall I had to trust he was making the right choice. I had to assume he knew best. If I had defied him where would humanity be right now?”
    Sam went to speak but she slapped him, “It was rhetorical dipshit. Humanity would be fucked. They would be up hellfire shit creek with no paddle and a vampire dry humping them in the boat. The point I’m making is Lydia told you ‘no’ because she knew what was best. You should have trusted her. Instead you defied her and have left us a giant goddamned pile of bullshit to clean up.”
    He shook his head, “How? I don’t want to love a girl. Big deal. It’s my business. It’s my choice. I still have freewill.”
    Lorri growled, “You don’t deserve freewill. You destroyed Hanna’s. You took away her choice to love you. You moron. Her mother matched once a long time ago. She hated her match. She made a mistake and asked Lydia to do the spell. Lydia did it not knowing what would come of it. Hanna’s mom committed suicide. She was tired of feeling nothing. It was a dark magic spell. Darkness is what killed Lydia's baby. You brought dark magic into Ophelia. Our fucking savior.”
    Sam shook his head as Lorri slapped his cheek again. The sting of his cheek was the only warmth he felt.
    “Don’t tell me that Hanna's mom committed suicide because of Marcus. It was never because of Marcus you tool. She had matched with Dr. Jekyll. The problem was that when he shifted into Hyde she lost her match. It was transferred. No one knew that could happen. Suddenly she loved Marcus and he loved her. Terrified of having an affair she went to Lydia. She struggled with the emptiness for years. Then they had Hanna. Imagine being a mother and feeling nothing for your child.”
    Sam felt nothing. He started to worry.
    Lorri nodded, “Now you get it. Marcus assumed she had chosen the doctor and threatened to kill him. She felt nothing for either of them though. She took her life before either of them was ruined from her