Bewitching Waters

Chapter 3: Family tree

The days that followed after that were as much of the same day-to-day as Saorsie could manage. The work on the farm kept her from her thoughts. As right now, they lingered on a newfound hatred for werewolves, especially that Bloodfang pack and their Alpha!

Who could be so cruel to take a mother from her child?! It was because of them she didn't know her mother, or family history or lineage or anything about herself until now!

In many ways, she felt like her whole life was a lie... but surely she could just continue living it like this forever, right?

"Oh, Star," she always spoke softly to the horses, "You are so lucky to know him." As she piled the last fork of horse muck onto the wheel barrel outside.

The horse whinned and bumped her shoulder with its muzzle. As if it could understand her, but they had always been like this around her and many of those that bought horses from them spoke of how they always seemed to sense emotions. She never thought anything was unusual about him.

The little black foal also came up to her as she turned around, "You are just so adorable." Saorsie cooed to him and giving his neck a little rub, "You'll be such a strong little horse. I can tell these things by now." There was a smugness to her words but she had earned it over the years.

She put the pitchfork to a side and went to wheel the barrel out before saying, "I'll be back with some fresh bedding and then food to follow after that."

In response the little foal stomped his front two hooves in happiness.

Its exactly what she did. Continuing her farm life as normal. The chores helped but the horses did too, they never really had any judgement and she always felt like they listened to her.

For once though, she didn't vent her thoughts to them like usual if she was struggling with something.

She finished up with Star, her last horse that she had chores to do with. The 4 others were taken out to the field and the stud was given a field of his own, for now.

It was only mid day and the chickens had been fed and the coop cleaned out. The beehives had had some honey taken from them. For now, she was somewhat stumped at what else she could do or even needed to be done on the farm.

When her stomach grumbled loudly, placing her hand on her stomach she laughed a little, "Some things are still normal. Guess grandpa will need something to eat too."

Soarsie left the stables and went back into the farmhouse, "Who wants lunch?" She called.

Jackson didn't answer right away, this was normal these days. He took his time to reply.

The old man came to the door and a small smile could be seen on his weathered face. "You better wash up quickly, then."

"Huh?" She responded, it was then that she caught the smell of something good cooking in the kitchen, just beyond the living room. "Feeling up for lunch I see?"

Jackson didn't always have the energy to cook these days and it was a shame. He had taught her how to cook and he was pretty decent at making delicious food.

"Go wash up, the soup will be ready soon." The small smile never left his face and with that he hobbled back into the kitchen through the living room.

Saorsie indeed went to wash up, leaving her boots on the front steps. Jumping into a quick shower, because she had just mucked out stables after all. She would rather be clean for lunch after such a thing.

Feeling refreshed she returnd to the living room. The fold out tables where already up and the soup already set out. She took her seat on the sofa, just as Jackson called out weakly, "Would you like your coffee as well?"

"Yes, please, grandpa." He brought two cups out with him from the kitchen. Placing one on her own table and one on his at his arm chair.

They dug into their soup, although it was closer to a stew. The chicken was well favoured and not too dry, the mushrooms added to it as did the onions. "I've missed your cooking." She said between mouthfuls. It was the truth. She was mostly doing the cooking now, and really taking care of him a lot more these days.

Jackson chuckled, "My granddaughter learned from the best!" They continued eating a while longer and once they were done and the coffee was drank, she began to pick up the plates and took them to the sink to wash up. Grandpa Jackson had already done enough by cooking.

As she walked by the bookshelf on her way, she faltered for a second to stop and look at it.

Jackson caught her, "This farm is yours and all it's land. It has been in your family for generations, everything in it is also yours. If you want time to go down there, assuming all the work is done for the day, why not go read some of the Grimoires?" He wanted to encourage her to explore what he had kept from her and he felt selfish for having done so, even if she had understood why.

At that Saorsie had continued walking and done the dishes. It seemed that all of her energy in avoiding her mind was making her more efficient. She thought about this and laughed to herself.

"We need some groceries and we're running low on some supplies. I'm going to take a trip into town." He said, as he grabbed the truck keys, "I'm not that old I'm useless to this place yet, do you want anything?"

"Some chocolate, please?"

Jackson laughed as he left, "You always did have a sweet tooth." With that he was gone.

Leaving Saorsie to herself.

She was curious about the books though and in a way felt happy there was some connection to her mum and grandma down there. Perhaps she could learn more about them? Grandpa did say that they wrote out their experiences in their grimoires. Maybe it was like a journal? Maybe mum wrote about who my dad is and where I might find him.

At this thought, she decided she would go and have a look.

Walking over to the bookshelf and pulling on the rock gardening book, the shelf sunk into the ground and she began walking down the staircase.

The lights flickered on as she approached them, as they had done with Grandpa previously.

The same notion filled her and began to grow stronger as she got closer to the bookshelf. It felt like a pull towards them, it seemed instinctual but she wasn't sure if it was something more.

She found her grandmas grimoire.

Taking it in her hand it felt heavier than it looked and it caught her off guard for a moment. The same urge and pull was now impossible to ignore or resist any longer.

Despite there being a little worry in the back of her head. Grandpa had only seen blank pages. What if that is all I will see? In spite of this the pull remained, the book felt warm in her hands, like it was alive, noting this for a second. She braced herself for nothing and opened the front page:

[Lilly Ravenwood]

Was scrawled in pretty black and fine writing.

Underneath was a family tree, it was an odd one however. There were no men included.

Below Lilly were red lines showing Rose Ravenwood to the left, as she was oldest. To the right was Heather, her mother. She paused looking at this for a moment. Her hand moved to reach and touch her mothers face... she realised how how similar they really looked, as mother and daughter, when they were at the same age.

It also showed Lilly, it was a younger picture and one different to any she had seen, or the locket.

Lilly seemed to have no siblings beside her. Yet, directly above her was a face she had never seen. A young woman with brown eyes and mousey brown hair, Rosetta Ravenwood. Her great, grandmother. Three other names were listed beside these, sisters but all to her right. Rosetta had been the oldest. Derdrie Carlisle was the 2nd oldest, it struck Saorsie to find a different name beside someone as her family didn't seem to take the names of their men. Violet Barlett was the 3rd, again a different name to Ravenwood, but why? Lastly, another Heather Ravenwood. Yet this one had Blue eyes but the dark Ravenwood hair.

Saorsie then looked over the Grimoires, curious as to who they belonged to and which to who. There were at least 10.

Just how far back do these go? She wondered.

She accepted that she may be down here longer than planned as this felt important. It couldn't be explained why and so she committed to her research on more family history.