Green Witch: A Timberhall Trial

Part 3

Night drew in with a chill that was surely brought on by everyone's dour moods. Jaime shoved her hands into the pocket of her hoodie. Her footsteps sounded especially loud and she regretted not changing out of her boots. When she reached the main house she paused. There were only three steps up to the porch, then the front door loomed above her. Jaime had spent the afternoon hiding in her bedroom pouring over book after book. She desperately hoped there was an obscure rule somewhere that would disqualify her. But here she stood no closer to making a case for herself. Someone brushed past, almost knocking Jaime over. She almost protested but her voice died in her throat when she noticed it was Dusk. He gave her a brief look over his shoulder. There was none of the sympathy he showed earlier. Despite his name Dusk had hair that was a lighter brown than either of his parents and, until now, Jaime couldn't recall him ever being gloomy for long. Dusk's hand was on the doorknob when Jaime finally found the confidence to speak.

"What is going on, Dusk? Your father is just mad right?"

 "We'll see won't we." 

Dusk swung the door open and strode in as if his parents weren't planning to disinherit him. Jaime followed but she closed the door as quietly as possible. The Timberhall home was out of place by anyone's opinion. A home made of imported wood in the style of a long cabin stood out among the townhouses that lined the street. Being inside under these circumstances made Jaime realize just how much of a target the family had on their back. Jaime inched her way down the hallway to the door under the stairs. They were narrow and she'd never felt comfortable going down them. At the bottom a weight settled firmly on her shoulder. She saw that the meeting room was almost empty. She caught a glimpse of Blair who was pacing in and out of sight. Her hair was turned into a fiery orange in the firelight. Jaime stopped in the doorway, not wanting to draw attention to herself sooner than necessary. Callen was an imposing figure staring down at his son. Dusk didn't flinch back from Callen's gaze. Two other witches were already there and when she recognized the woman standing closest to Dusk Jaime felt such relief she almost called out to Deanna. At that moment Blair noticed her and simply pointed to where she wanted Jaime to stand. The only acknowledgement Deanna gave was a slight squeezing of Jaime's hand. 

"I won't waste time with ritual. We are here to determine if any of you are capable of being our family's chosen."

Hearing the words felt like a blow to Jaime's chest. But no matter how loud and joyous Callen's laughter was on a normal day, everyone knew you didn't turn down any opportunity handed to you. 

"And just what make me unfit?" Dusk asked with a dry laugh. "Tell them why they're actually here."

Callen pressed on as if Dusk hadn't spoken. 

"We will test each of you until it's proven that you'll uphold our family's standards." He glared at Dusk. "Always."

Dusk opened his mouth to interrupt again but Blair stormed over to where he was. The storm in her eyes daring him to interrupt her. Though she addressed the chosen candidates her eyes never left Dusk.

"As soon as you leave this room, assume you're being watched for any infraction. We will no longer be so lax."