The Two Alphas' Fated Witch

You're A Witch, Ali

"We don't have much time. Please come in." Mrs. Santiago ushers me into the new room. Cassie had already walked through, leaving me to stare at this strange enigma of a door.

You don't have to ask me twice! Coming through the threshold, I find myself in a strange room indeed. It's as if a scientist decided to set up their lab in a wooden shack. Beakers, jars, test tubes, and other sciency stuff I haven't seen since highschool fill the wall-to-wall shelves lining this octagonal room. There are few empty ones, but most hold different concoctions, herbs, and tablets, from a jar with what looks like sparkling raspberry jam to a shaker containing blue and white crystals. Only one wall remains free of shelves, besides the entrance. The top half is taken up by a window, which doesn't seem to be letting through any light, while the bottom half is split between a sink and some sort of stove. In the middle of all this resides a small, circular table, littered with papers, pens, notebooks, and a few other containers. Three chairs are arranged around it. Cassie has already taken the one nearest the window, while Mrs. Santiago closes the door and sits beside her. She motions me to the final free chair. "Please, sit down"

I do as she asks, though my eyes continue to wander throughout the room in wonder. "What is this place?"

"This is my workshop. I make most of my remedies in here." Mrs. Santiago takes a stack of papers and organizes them a little.

"Remedies..." I snap towards her. "Like my migraine medicine?"

She nods nonchalantly, pointing to a jar of them behind me, three shelves from the top. "That, and other things."

"Though those weren't really migraines. At least, not normal ones." Cassie helps her mother a little, stacking some notebooks together.

"What do you mean? And why have I never noticed that door before? And why are you two acting like this is all completely normal?!" My mind is begging for answers.

Cassie giggles, which infuriates me. "Because it is normal. For us anyway."

Mrs. Santiago clicks her tongue. "That was not always the case, hija." Finally, she stops cleaning the table and looks to me. "Let's start from the beginning, shall we?"

I nod and wait.

She smiles and states "We are witches, Ali."

That was not what I was expecting. My eyes widen as things start clicking into place, though. "Like, real witches? With magic and stuff?"

"What other kind do you think there are?"

Mrs. Santiago ignores Cassie's remark and continues. "Yes. Real witches. We can do things other humans cannot. We can manipulate our environment, ourselves, and other people through what people commonly refer to as magic.

"When I was a little girl, my mother told me about our kind. She taught me about these fantastic powers I possessed and how to use them, as well as many other things. How we were different. Special. Unique. How we had been born with abilities many humans cannot even dream of having. We can connect with the world around us, altering it in various, sometimes extreme, ways. We have powers that have the potential to do great good or terrible evil.

"Many of our kind, in ages past, had chosen the latter course. As such, we became hated, despised, ostracized, and were ultimately hunted down. All because of the mistakes of our ancestors. Thus, those of us living in today's world must remain hidden, and keep our magic from the eyes of the populace. Hence why that door is usually not in my kitchen." She points to the passageway behind me, then continues. "This is also why I kept my abilities from you.

"No one knows I am a witch. Not my husband. Not my son. Cassie didn't even know until she started showing signs of being a witch herself."

"You should've seen how freaked out I was when I first saw that door." Cassie shakes her head, chuckling. "I almost jumped into the ceiling!"

Mrs. Santiago smiles, reminiscing about that day, I assume. She also shakes her head, but then comes back to me. "The point is, no one must know about us. It is imperative that the public not know we are here. Especially the werewolves."

The entire time she was speaking, I sat still, silent, waiting for her to finish. Listening to her entire story. I don't doubt what she tells me is true. It actually makes a lot of sense. Hells, I used to jokingly consider the idea of her being a witch. Even with Cassie, some things start to make sense. She always knows when I'm in a bad mood, and wherever she goes, she lights up the place with her brilliant personality and charming good looks. If she hadn't been my best friend all these years, I probably would've been jealous of her. It's almost like a part of me already knew their secret, deep down. That's probably why I'm so calm right now after gaining the knowledge that the two women I care for most are witches.

So I calmly nod as she waits for me to respond. "I understand."

Mother and daughter share a glance before returning to me. "You do?"

I nod again at Cassie's question. "Of course. Like you said, witches have been hunted down for centuries now. Especially by the werewolf packs. Hells, before today, I thought all witches had been driven out of the city years ago."

Cassie sighs. "Yeah, that was a scary time for us."

I can imagine. Eight years ago, the Packs of Crescent City went on a full-out witch hunt. They knocked on doors, searched through homes, and killed anyone they deemed a witch on the spot. I remember when they came to my house. I will never forget that day...

A cold shiver rakes through me as the memories of that day start flashing through my brain. The wolves combing through our living room. My brothers crying while squeezing my hands. My father shouting angrily. And my mother...

A hand on my shoulder causes me to flinch, until I realize it's Mrs. Santiago. Her kind smile reminds me I'm safe now. I relax and sigh.

Suddenly, a thought comes to mind. I turn to meet this woman's warm brown eyes, curious. "If you don't ever tell people about this, about you, then why are you telling me? Especially with the mark you just saw, shouldn't I be one of the last people you'd tell?"

Cassie sneers and glares at my shoulder. Gods help me when she finds out there's another!

But Mrs. Santiago doesn't seem to notice her daughter's reaction. Her eyes are too focused on me. "Although that is an issue we will have to address, that does not negate your right to knowing the truth about yourself."

My right? About myself? Her words freeze me instantly. Oh no, she doesn't mean...

Sure enough, her lips part, letting the words I did not want to hear fill the room.

"You're a witch, Ali."