Unbreakable Bond

Chapter 8: The Explosion Part 2

Emma had the house smelling like pine and roses. Earthy scent when she was cleaning. The girls were helping their grandmother make potions and started a spell book. Cora did not need a spell book, for she knew all the spells even when they were new. Her mind held them all but she knew one day the girls would need the spells. Cora and Dorothy wrote some spells to get the book started years ago. Grace was doing the most writing now, because she wrote better than her sisters and She wanted to see her handwriting in the book. Aria was reading all of the ingredients and collecting herbs she needed because making potions was her favorite thing to do. Paige was sitting on her grandmother lap talking about the doll her father just brought her. Pink with ribbons, her favorite.

"Paige come help me", Aria called for her sister, while still looking for a specific herb.

"No thanks, I am happy here", she said back to her sister.

"Well how will you know anything if you to not do anything?", Aria asked her looking at her now.

"That's what you and Grace are for. You guys can teach me, right now I'm staying in grandmother lap", she snuggled into Cora's body. 

Aria rolled her eyes continuing to look for her last item. Grace was laughing while she listened to her grandmother Dorothy tell her the spells she knew.

"Is anyone excited about the carnival?" Emma asked walking into the cabin looking at them all.

"Of course we are mother", Grace said looking up at her mother.

"Yes all the rides are going to be fun, especially now that we can all get on most of them", Aria said.

"Yea cause you were so short but Paige was scared", Grace laughed, looking at her sisters.

"Yea well this year we will be on them all, right Paige?", Aria asked finding her last herb and crushing everything up in her bowl.

Paige was quiet, she was not sure she wanted to get on all the rides, compared to eating all the cottoncandy she possibly can or popcorn and the funnel cake.

 "Eating sounds better", she said after a few moments.

Everyone laughed. "No way Paige, we are getting on the rides this year. We talked about it", Aria, trying to convince her sister. "You promised you wouldn't be scare", she finished.

"Fine fine, okay I'll get on the rides but as soon as I want to eat I am eating. Deal?", she stuck her hand out the Aris for a shake. 

Aria shook her head. 

While Grace grabbed both her sisters hand and said "Deal. I love cottoncandy". They all laughed again.

Later that night when bedtime was near Aria was putting on her nightgown, thinking about the dream she been having recently. She was not sure why it kept replaying or why it was somewhere she never seen before. She knew it was a dream, even though it felt so real. She wondered how could something like that happen? She wanted to tell her grandmother but she did not want to while everyone was there so, she never got the chance to. 

Emma was at her door watching Aria sit on her bed. Aria didn't know she was there as her eyes were clouded over as she was seeing the dream replay once again. Emma knocked on the door.

"Aria are you okay?" she asked curiously.

"Oh yes mother, I am fine", she stopped for a moment, thinking if she should tell her mother. Then continued with "Can you get grandmothers for me? I need to speak to you all", she said playing with the end of her gown.

"Sure baby, is everything okay?" Emma asked once again.

"I am not sure mother", Aria said with a sunken expression.

Emma left her room and went to get her mother and Dorothy. Dorothy was speaking with Frank about going back home. Cora was going over the spell book, smiling at how creative Grace was. She added drawing to it as well.

"Mother it is urgent. Come quickly please Aria needs you", Emma said with worry in her voice.

"Let's go then", Cora walked swiftly behind her daughter up to Aria's room.

"Aria sweetie what is it?" Cora asked as soon as they entered the room.

"I keep having this same dream. It's been going on for two days now. It feels so real grandmother", she said crying now.

"Calm down sweetie, tell me what happened in this dream", Cora said rubbing her back.

Aria took a deep breath.

 "Okay so we are leaving the carnival and the black cloud covers the sky. We end up at some building I never seen before. In that building, is dad protecting us by fighting the people in lab coats and some of the faces are blurry. You know me and Paige and Grace are together with this shield around us. I'm not sure how but mommy you are doing it. I know you don't have powers mommy but that's how it looks. Then the building is crumbling down and hitting the shield, we are not hurt. Grace let go of my hand said she knew a spell and it will help daddy. I try to stop her but she just smiles and kisses me and Paige, which is gross. Then she's gone. She was helping daddy and me and Paige are chanting with her cause she was in our mind telling us to say it. But someone from the other side who was blurry and did not have on a lab coat hits daddy with an energy ball and it sends him flying. We all are crying and mommy you're doing magic but a blurry face grab you. Grace runs back to me and Paige but never makes it to us because the lab coat grabs her. Daddy wakes up, looks around and say he loves us as he destroy the entire building, which they all fall under ground. Grace tells us, 'stay there, they can't see you', then gone with the smoke. Mommy, you end up with daddy and you both never wake up". 

By the time Aria was done Grace and Paige were sitting in the middle of her bed holding her hands. They knew about the dream because it woke them up when Aria absentmindedly pulled them into her mind.

"There is nothing we can do", Cora said.

"You cannot be serious?", Emma said looking at her mother knowing exactly what the dream means.

"Emma do not start, we knew this day would come. I have seen only some of what Aria describe. You know her visions are certain. Now you and Frank need to enjoy tomorrow". Cora said walking to the door. 

She was not one to dwell on things she could not control. She had been looking for ways to get around it but only got it happening again just somewhere else. It was meant and she had to prepare herself to lose her only child.

"Mother they're only ten. How can the ancestors not stop this?", Emma said walking behind her mother.

Cora did not want to fight for she knew that was coming because Emma never let things go. 

"You think I have not spoken to them? You think I have not tried to do this differently? What exactly do you think we can do? Dorothy tried to warren you both", she was looking at Frank and Emma now, after they descended the staircase.

"Well we know something can be done", Frank said as Emma shook her head looking at him with tears in her eyes.

"It can't Frank. We have to nake tomorrow one for the books. It will be the last time we see our children", Emma was now in Frank arms crying.

"I will not do this over again. Our boys were taken, now we are being taken from our girls. Why can't the ancestors leave one of us, at least Emma", Frank was still trying to think of other ways.

"Because she will die the day after", Cora said rubbing her eyes.

"What?" Emma asked dumbfoundedly.

"Anything we do that will change what we have seen will still happen. The next day or a couple days after it is supposed to happen. Either way it will still happen". 

Cora walked out to the cabin, before she stepped foot out the back door of the house, she turned to see the girls sitting on the stairs silently listening. Aria was in the middle, as Paige sat on the step right below her with her head in Aria's lap, crying softly. Grace was above Aria rubbing her back when she saw her grandmother looking at her, with sadness. She straighten a little and gave a look of honor and pride. Grace always protected her sisters, she was the eldest it was her job to make sure they were comfortable. Cora smiled and was proud that Grace was not scared in her action but she knew she saw fear in her eyes.

Cora hated that she was losing her daughter, her only child. A blessing to her but she knew the outcome was bigger than the her and her daughter. They were just pawns in a game of chess. She knew the girls will have the world the way it was supposed to be and she counted on that. The future was not something she wanted to see but they had helped her with many things in the past. Aria was much stronger than the two and she will carrying that burden soon enough. Cora just hoped that everything she taught them will help them as they got older.

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The girls woke up in their parents bed with their mother, to the smell of their favorite meal. They each softly got out of bed, so they wouldn't wake her. She was already up, listening to them breathe.

"Tell daddy I'll be down soon", she said scaring them.

"Sorry mommy we did not mean to wake you", Paige said.

"I was already awake sweetheart", Emma said smiling at them.

Their father Frank had cooked everything they loved. Breakfast was everyone's favorite food honestly. Pancakes, french toast, eggs, bacon, sausage, fresh fruit from the garden, hand squeezed orange juice, and apple juice for Paige she was allergic to oranges. He heard fast feet on the stairs and Grace, Aria and Paige were before him in seconds. They were happy and unbothered as the day at the carnival will be a great one. They picked out their outfits last night, after they got Paige to stop crying. They went to their rooms and picked out the exact same thing and laughed.

"We'll always have each other", Aria said to her sisters. She was sure of that.

"No matter where we are", Grace assured them.

They all ended up in Grace room and falling asleep in bed together, chanting 'the bond that never breaks'.