I did not see that coming...

"I think Nikki and I should go to Forks to live with Charlie," Bella brought dinner to a screeching halt. Phil and Renee were staring at her in surprise. Nikki was looking between the three of them with slight interest. She took a piece of her chicken and fed it to Salem, who was lying by her feet.

It had been quite easy to get Renee to agree to letting Nikki have an 'emotional support dog' to deal with her 'amnesia.' Honestly, Nikki was sure she hadn't needed to sweeten the deal but in a raw sense of either sympathy or manipulation… Nikki still couldn't decide which it truly was.

************

"Manipulation," Kai smirked from where she sat next to Nikki at the table. Chair backwards with her arms crossed over the top. "Mutually Beneficial Manipulation but… well, you can paint stripes on a horse, smack its ass and call it a zebra but that doesn't change the fact that it's a horse."

"Why are we smacking a horse's ass?"

"I prefer sympathy," MyAnna shrugged, her fingers playing with Nikki's under the table while she dropped a soothing kiss onto the furrow in the young writer's brow to soothe the irritation caused by Kai. "It means a lot to her that you called her mom. You got something out of it, but you both did. She got a slice of her long-lost daughter and you got to keep Nyx. It was a win/win situation."

*****************

Calling Renee 'mom' had been…weird. Especially when the older brunette had, once again, broken down into tears and threw herself at Nikki repeating, 'my baby is back.'

Nikki thought it was a bit presumptive but hadn't gone out of her way to correct the woman. When Renee had finally stopped crying and pulled herself together enough to remember Nikki's question, Renee had been ecstatic and thankful toward the 'dog' who had hidden his true appearance behind his canine form. A very large pure black, Great Dane.

That same day they had went to the mall to get anything you could need for a dog; even if Nikki felt uncomfortable having someone buy anything for her. She was used to having her own money, to being independent. The only person she had ever let herself rely on before was Kai; this was a feeling she didn't like or appreciate. She would find a way to remedy it as soon as possible.

It was even easier to get Salem licensed as Nikki's emotional support animal; including his customary blue harness labeling him as such and allowing him to go anywhere Nikki goes. Dr. Michaels had thought it was an amazing idea and seemed a little downtrodden that he hadn't thought of it himself. Salem passed all the customary tests with flying colors, of course, and since then has been incredibly smug about it all.

"What brought this on?" Phil asked, grabbing Renee's hand to comfort the woman who was looking between her daughters; her eyes lingering on Nikki whose attention was pulled back to the table by his question.

"I-I just think it's time that Nikki and I spend some time with Charlie," Bella anxiously played with her fingers while she gnawed her lower lip. "Nikki doesn't even remember him; shouldn't she spend time with him too?"

Renee and Phil's eyes flicked to Nikki who was glaring at the fidgeting teen for attempting to use her in her scheme. Instead of ignoring her glare, Bella looked at her with a pleading gaze. Nikki could practically hear her voice, 'just go with it, I'll explain later.'

"Bella, baby, there is no need for this." Renee insisted, but even Nikki knew there was. Phil would be traveling now that Nikki was 'on her way to recovery' and Renee would have to stay here with the two of them. "We don't want to overwhelm your sister."

"I'm not sure a change of scenery is the best right now…" Phil spoke slowly, and Nikki ignored his eyes on her. She didn't have to look to know he was remembering their conversation; or the one-way conversation where he had begged her to come back to 'life' at least for Renee's sake.

"Nikki will be fine! Won't you, Nik? I'll be there and so will Charlie! We'll look out for her." Bella attempted to sound reassuring, but she lacked the confidence for it. The pleading was no longer just in her eyes, but in the sound of her voice. "And – And if anything happens, we can always come back?"

"I don't mind going to Forks to see Charlie," Nikki interrupted Renee, who had just opened her mouth to respond. "This gives you and Phil a chance to travel while Bella and I get reacquainted with our…'dad'." The word tasted like vinegar on her tongue. Only Phil seemed to notice, sending Nikki a sympathetic and encouraging look.

"See, mom. It's what we want," Bella turned her pleading eyes onto Renee. "This is what's best for everyone involved. I know you're worried about Nicola, but I'll look out for her, I swear!"

Nikki only just managed not to choke on her drink, which didn't go unnoticed by any of them. She shot an incredulous look toward Bella who looked sheepish, her face rapidly turning red. "I'm sorry... Worried about who, now?"

"Uh…I – I mean, I was… It's just..." Bella stuttered before sending Renee a look for help. Nikki turned her attention toward Renee, who looked like she was holding herself back from glaring at Bella. Phil was taking a long sip of his drink looking anywhere but at Nikki.

"Nikki, sweetheart. We were getting around to telling you..." Renee gave a rather awkward smile with an uncomfortable chuckle to go with it. "And since it seems to be something you both want, I see no reason why I shouldn't call Charlie and arrange for you both to be enrolled in school."

Nice Try. "Telling me, what?" How Nikki managed to keep the bite out of her voice was anyone's guess.

After a long silence where both Renee and Bella looked as if they swallowed a lemon, Phil sighed. An exceedingly long and drawn-out sigh. "Nikki, your full name is Nicola Marie Swan," Phil avoided looking at Nikki while he spoke and as soon as he was finished; he was back to taking a long sip of his drink.

While Phil anticipated a negative reaction; Bella and Renee were staring at her imploringly. Salem was both amused and concerned and had lifted his head to also stare at her. Nikki for her part didn't know how to process this latest information.

Nicola Swan. Nicola Marie Swan. Why should she be surprised? She'd never heard of the name before but she supposed it was simply a female version of 'Nicoli.'

Vampires, existed.

Shapeshifters, existed.

Werewolves, existed.

Witches, existed.

Her 'twin' was named Isabella.

It only makes sense that Renee would have named her something similar.

Isabella and Nicola Swan.

Why not?

Nikki more than anything wanted something alcoholic. A Tequila Rose or A Strawberry Lemonade Vodka Cocktail. Hell at this point, she'd settle for a glass of her favorite wine.

Nikki was up to her neck in resigned hilarity at the absolute absurdity that was her 'life.' Her lips twitched; a giggle escaping her before she could stop it. A giggle turned into a chuckle turned into a full out belly laugh. And once it started, she couldn't stop. She laughed so hard she was clutching her side and tears were falling from her eyes. It was a bought of mania, hysteria, absolute insanity; and the lost looks on those surrounding her only made her laugh harder.

She doesn't know how long she laughed; she wasn't even sure if she was laughing because it was funny or because it was just so damn ridiculous.

"Nik…" Bella reached out to her, hesitated, and then let her hand fall. "Are you alright?"

A few more giggles left her while she used her napkin to wipe her eyes, "You know Bella, dear… I think I'm becoming rather neurotic."

*****************************************************************

{Nikki!}

Nikki groaned, pulling the blanket over her head. "Go away…Five more minutes," She mumbled before sighing in contentment when she was only met with silence.

{Nikki! Nikki, wake up!}

"Salem, I will neuter you." Nikki warned before adding a pillow to try to further drown out the noise. In her sleepy state, it completely slipped her mind that she could only hear his voice in her mind.

{I'm going to ignore the fact that you just threatened to cut my balls off, and insist that you wake up! I found your grimoire!}

"You what?!" Nikki sat up in bed with a jolt, blinking rapidly to try to get any lingering sleep out of her eyes; not to mention so she could see in the very dark room.

{I thought that would get your attention} She didn't need to see him to hear the smug tone in his voice.

"Salem you had better not be joking, we've been looking for that for like two months!" With a wave of her hand the lamp beside her bed was on. Salem had forgone his canine form in favor of his giant bear like wolf body that was draped over the end of her bed. His tail wagging with a 'thump' 'thump' 'thump.'

At his deadpanned look she conceded; "Alright, you've been looking for over two months while I've provided emotional support but…" She made a dismissive wave gesture. "…semantics."

{Right.} Even as a wolf Salem often managed to roll his large, orange-colored eyes at her. {Anyway. Yes, I found it but…}

Nikki narrowed her eyes, "But?" She had a feeling she wasn't going to like what he had to say next.

{You must come with me to retrieve it. Only you can.} He visibly hesitated... {Wear Jeans…and bring a shovel.}

She was right. "A shovel?" She whisper-yelled, "What are we digging up a body?!"

Salem was silent. His tail had dropped to hide between his hind legs and he was avoiding eye contact.

"Salem, please tell me we aren't digging up a grave…"

{No!} He hastened to assure her before he paused... {I mean…I can't exactly rule it out but I'm thirty percent sure it's not a body we'll find. Uh...no... well…thirty-five percent?}

Nikki stared at Salem blankly before nodding slowly. She climbed out of her bed, throwing on a pair of Jeans, socks, a t-shirt, and hoodie. She quickly pulled her hair into a messy bun before sliding on the only pair of converse she owned in this life. "Salem?"

{Yes, Nikki?}

"Where the hell are we going to find a shovel?"

**************************************************************

Finding a shovel had surprisingly, or unsurprisingly, been the easy part. A quick silencing spell and they were able to sneak out of the house and find more than one of them in the shed in the backyard. They were new and the tags were still on them. Nikki figured it was most likely Renee's father who was repeatedly buying her shovels she never used.

Getting to one of the many cemeteries in Phoenix was also easy. Salem had simply laid on his stomach and allowed her to climb on his back. Needless to say, riding on the back of a wolf was exhilarating.

The cemetery was uncomfortably huge. Nikki can admit the only cemetery she had been too was the one in her hometown and while she had assumed that was large; it didn't hold a candle to this. She supposed it made sense. Phoenix was twice the size of her hometown; maybe more.

Despite it being 1 am, Nikki had no trouble scaling the Panacea fence. It wasn't her first time breaking into a cemetery. When Kai and Nikki were teenagers, they used to break into the local cemetery in their hometown often. There was nothing else to do and if you wanted to use a Ouija board to try to talk to ghosts; well, it was best to do it between midnight and 3 am. Better known as the witching hours. To this day they had never been successful in contacting anything despite the many ghosts that were supposed to have inhabited the place, including the glass lady. A statue that was preserved inside glass of a young woman who was rumored to have died on her wedding day. Stung by a bee and she was unluckily allergic. The legend was you could hear her wailing for what she had lost and wandering the cemetery in search of her lost love.

The thought hit a bit too close to home for Nikki and she forced herself to focus on landing smoothly. As soon as her feet touched the other side of the fence Nikki stumbled. The fall hadn't been rough, if anything given the smooth terrain it was easier than it was when she was younger but she was hit with a blast of energy that nearly knocked her off her feet. On the outside of the cemetery, you could feel nothing; but inside the absolute raw power that saturated the cemetery was nearly overpowering.

Sensing her struggle, the magical energy began to coax her. In the back of her mind, she imagined it was the magic's way of 'cooing.' Assuring her that it meant no harm, that it was safe. It was enchanting; teasing; comforting; assuring and her magic was just a little too desperate to connect with it. It thrummed through her veins like electricity she could feel under her skin. A constant vibration that burned through her body like hot chocolate on a winter's day.

It was wild, untamed, and addicting.

{It's called a ley line; also referred to as a force line or mana line.} Salem answered her unasked question, carefully monitoring his charge. {They're invisible power lines that conduct magical energy. The more magic in the land the ley line was built upon; the more magic is saturated into the earth. It can be used as a conduit for spells. To power crystals, amulets, athames, moonstones and or other wiccan pendants; or it can be used to empower a witch. Casting on a ley line allows you to tap into the powers of nature itself without having to use your own power reserves.}

"How are we supposed to know where my Grimoire is?" Nikki's words were slurred and she had to shake her head a few times to focus. The power was still thrumming through her veins and making her lightheaded. "This place is filled with thousands of graves."

{Don't fight it. It's going to take a few minutes for your body to adjust but this is pure magic. Your Grimoire is buried here. The magic is accepting you as one of its own. Once you're connected, you will be able to sense everything in a hundred-mile radius; furthermore, any ley line you come across in the future will automatically sense and attempt to connect with your magic.}

The magic continued to 'coo' at her, wrapping around her own magic; pushing and pulling it until it was pliable and compliant. Nikki could feel the entire process. Her head was fuzzy, her eyes were heavy and her body was thrumming with energy but still somehow encumbered. The world was moving in slow motion; or it was moving fast and Nikki was the one moving in slow motion.

But as quick as it happened it was over. She could still feel the magic welcoming her own, encouraging it but it was no longer affecting her. If anything, she felt invigorated. She closed her eyes to try to center herself and was floored by the world around her.

Salem hadn't lied; not that she thought he would, but she could feel everything. She was surrounded by nature and yet somehow part of it. She could feel the many animals that were scattering, slithering, or crawling through the land and grass. The wind blowing through the trees. The earth that reverberated beneath her feet. She could count every tree, rock, and blade of grass.

"This is amazing..." She breathed aloud, feeling Salem come up and nudge her fingers with his snout. It reminded her that they were here for a reason. All she had to do was think her intent and the magic pointed her in the right direction. "That way,"

Nikki pointed to the right and didn't wait for confirmation before she started to walk. Each grave she passed she could feel faint traces of energy from some and clear traces from others. As usual, Salem could feel her curiosity without her having to speak.

{Everything has magic, but not everyone can access it. Witches and Warlocks are born with a natural affinity for magic. They can feel it, touch it, use it, bend it to their will. Some mundanes are able to sense the magic in the earth; if they had proper training and knowledge, they could use the ley lines to power amulets, moonstones and crystals allowing them to perform 'magic' of their own or at the very least create different potions. The traces of faint magic you feel comes from mundanes that had dormant magical aptitude…}

"And the clear traces of magic are from witches or warlocks?"

{Excellent deduction!} Salem yipped, a little skip in his step. He always got so excited when Nikki showed proof that she was indeed learning from his teachings. Even if her 'deductions' were obvious. {It would take centuries, even millennia to ever depower a ley line, so in a perfect world, everyone could have magic. It's why most, if not all of the 'witches' burned during the Salem witch trials were actually normal mundane women with a dormant magical aptitude and latent ability to access ley lines. There is no proof any of them were even using them or were aware of their own potential.}

"Most? How would they have even captured a true witch?" Nikki asked, baffled by the idea. Nikki could think of several spells that could maim or seriously injure anyone attempting to burn her at the stake!

{They wouldn't have been able to unless…} Salem trailed off mischief shining in his bright, orange-colored eyes.

"Unless that witch wanted to be caught!"

{Precisely. Not that they were truly burned at the stake. Most were bored and chose to be 'caught' in order to further mess with the men who went out of their way to accuse women of witchcraft for ridiculous reasons. Such as turning down their advances. The witch in question would allow herself to be tied to the stake only to use a spell or amulet allowing her to be resistant to the flames. Imagine the look on their faces! Though those witches were far and few between. Afterall; it only encouraged their paranoia when they were face to face with an actual witch. In the end, hundreds of innocent women died.}

"The same could be said for Carlisle, his father, and a lot of hunters alive during the 1600s. They were hunting vampires! How many innocent people do you think they killed?" Nikki groaned incredulously, now leading them to the left. "Especially given the fact that vampires in the twilight world are nothing like their mythical counterpart. Every time they celebrated staking a 'vampire' in the heart; they had actually just committed murder."

{I wouldn't recommend reminding him of that specific time in his life. You'll give him a complex.}

Nikki snorted, "As if he needs anoth - … wait, we're getting closer."

The magic was pulling harder now, it wasn't a jerk though, more like a tug in the right direction. She gladly let it guide her until it stopped.

"It's here," Nikki pointed and there it was. It was one of the best-looking graves in the area – made of pure white granite. It was tall and on the very top had a 'triquetra' symbol. Engraved on it were the words:

'Freya Thalia Brandon 1970 – 2000.'

'We are the granddaughters of the witches you weren't able to burn.'

"She was young… only 30 when she died." Nikki mumbled absently tracing the words with the tips of her fingers.

{I have a bad feeling about this.} Salem whined; ears flat against his now canine form head while his eyes continually scanned the cemetery.

"You feel it too? Like a sense of…"

{Foreboding…}

Nikki couldn't fight the shiver that went down her spine and she felt the magic of the ley line flare protectively as if reassuring her that everything was fine despite her bad feeling. "Let's just get this over with."

*******************************************

Nikki nearly collapsed onto the ground next to Salem when she was finished, practically ripping the hoodie she had on off her body and throwing it carelessly aside. She was sweaty, most likely smelled bad and her back hurt. "Well..." She panted with her eyes closed, "I can cross digging a six-foot hole in the ground off my imaginary bucket list."

{You know what I don't understand.} Salem's wolf like grin was just a bit too wide causing Nikki to narrow her already half-closed eyes at him. {Why didn't you just use magic to dig the hole?}

Nikki opened her mouth to respond only for any retort she had to die on her tongue. She closed her mouth with an irritated click of her teeth. "I forgot," She groused between clenched teeth, "And you just watched instead of mentioning that two hours ago?"

{I wanted to see how long it would take you to remember.} Salem gave a bark like laugh when Nikki's emerald, green eyes burned with annoyance.

"I hope you're proud of yourself because that is my 13th reason."

**********************************************************

"Look, I just want to make it clear that I wrote an entire best-selling novel on a teenage witch, and she never once had to dig up a grave." Nikki half whined, half huffed, getting an eye roll from Salem.

{Clearly no one thought to bury her grimoire.}

"No, she was raised …. " Nikki trailed off, head snapping up to look at Salem who was staring down at her. "If I'm a witch, why aren't Bella and Renee?"

Salem's eyes widened minutely, showing that he had never thought of that either. {And why is your 'family' grimoire buried with Freya Brandon?}

Nikki couldn't answer either of their questions and she could tell Salem had no answers either; with that in mind she held her breath and reached toward the clasp on the side of the black coffin. It was surrounded by surprisingly preserved bluish purple looking flowers.

{Nikki, wait! Let me do it... or use your magic to lift your grimoire out. Don't look.}

"What?" Nikki pulled back enough to squint up at a surprisingly somber looking Salem. "Why? What happened?"

Salem did not answer her, instead he jumped into the hole with her. In a quick and surprisingly swift move, he had shifted into his wolf form mid leap, ducked under Nikki's legs, lifted her onto his back and jumped out before she could complain or comment.

{Just … don't look.}

Salem's voice held a strange sorrow she did not understand and that's the only reason she listened to him. Instead of looking like her curiosity begged her to do; she moved to sit by her hoodie and wait. The sense of foreboding hit her harder this time especially with Salem's strange behavior.

He wasn't in the hole for long. Nikki was sure he didn't have as much hesitation as she did most likely due to whatever he knew that she did not. When he finally came up, he was in his phoenix form; he was bigger than an eagle and just like his wolf form his color closely resembled the embers of a fire except for the tips of his wings and tail, that were blue. In his beak, he was holding a chest that had he not been a supernatural creature, he would not have been able to lift.

It was not overly complicated though it was the size of an ottoman and made of maple wood. On the surface it looked like nothing more than an everyday wooden chest with a lock and a handle, upon closer inspection it held the same 'triquetra' symbol that was not only on her shoulder but on Freya's headstone and coffin.

He set it down gently in front of her and in less than a second, with a flurry of bright orange flame, he was once again a wolf.

She opened her mouth to question him, and he shook his head and motioned to the chest with his paw.

Her eyes flicked between the chest and Salem before she swallowed and moved to kneel in front of it. There was a clasp for a padlock but the chest itself was not locked and with only the slightest pressure it popped open.

Nikki licked her suddenly dry lips and lifted the lid, a sharp inhale of breath leaving her at the chest's contents. It was filled to the brim with Jewels like some treasure chest. Gold, diamonds, rubies, and pearls.

"Name something that feels illegal but isn't…" She whispered, more to herself than to Salem.

{Technically, Grave robbing is illegal.}

Ignoring his quite unhelpful comment, Nikki instead chose to ask a question. "Why is my grimoire in a chest filled with pirate treasure?"

Salem gave a very human like snort, {It isn't pirate treasure. Your Grimoire most likely dates back to the early 15-1600s; maybe earlier. It was very common for houses to have hidden chests filled with their valuables. It isn't like they could use a bank.}

"And what kind of shady ass people had chests filled with gold, diamonds, rubies, and pearls?"

{Witches. I'm sure if you look a bit deeper, you'll also find several different kinds of crystals. Diamonds may be a girl's best friend but crystals are a witches.}

With a hint of intrigue, Nikki – very carefully because omg she's never even seen pure diamond or gold before! – shifted through the treasure trove of jewels and came upon another smaller chest. It was the size of a two shoe boxes but made of black glass.

{It's made of obsidian; how peculiar!} Salem exclaimed scooting closer to the strange obsidian chest.

She scooted back a few inches and then lifted the smaller chest out of the much larger one, nearly having a heart attack when several of the gold coins fell out of the chest with it. She hastily, but still gently!, put them back inside and shut the lid before her attention switched to the other chest.

Lifting the lid she realized, not that she was incredibly surprised, that Salem had been correct. Inside was also filled to the brim but with several different types of crystals; rose quartz, obsidian, amethyst, lapis lazuli, selenite and a few large, shaped rainbow crystals she didn't recognize.

"What's this one?" She questioned turning it over in her hand. It was as smooth as glass and even in the dark managed to sparkle like it was freshly scrubbed. There were 15 in total from what she could tell.

{Moonstones… those are rare. One of the rarest magical conduits. If you charge a moonstone with a ley line, it can give you the power of another witch.}

"How?"

{Say you wanted to perform a spell and you needed more than one witch to complete it; there are several spells that require more than one witch but that's more complex magic – the point is a moonstone will replace that witch. 15 moonstones, gives you the power of 15 witches plus yourself. Highly coveted. Especially considering they can be used multiple times. Should you drain the magic, you'd simply need to recharge it for another use.}

It was very easy to see the benefits of having access to fifteen different crystals that gave her power equal to a witch. After she replaced it in the chest, she noticed there was different types of knives in the obsidian chest as well. The first to catch her eye were two small daggers that she could fit in the palm of her hand. Obviously twin blades. The blades were wrapped in a black material that made it easier to grip and the tip of the handles had an engraving of another 'triquetra' symbol.

{Every wiccan family has a symbol that distinguishes them. Yours seems to be the 'triquetra', it explains the birthmark.}

Where the handle and the blade met in the middle there was a large blue crystal, lapis lazuli, and the blades themselves were a mixture of pink, purple, orange and blue. They were shaped like an arrowhead.

{Twin Athames, very powerful ones. Athames are used in blood rituals, sacrificial rituals, and for protection. If a witch stabs a mundane with an athame, the cut will not heal. As you can imagine they are easy to slip in your sleeve and stab a witch hunter in the hustle and bustle of a busy street. They would have bled out, only cauterizing the wound would have saved their life and they most likely would have died from shock anyway. However, athames are also very dangerous.}

"More dangerous than causing a cut that can't be healed?"

{Athame's are sentient to a degree, especially if they have been tied by blood to a certain family line. If a witch is stabbed with an Athame with intent to harm, protect or kill, it can and will steal their magic. It will then be stored in the gemstone and can be later absorbed by the witch who stole it.}

"Savage." Nikki snorted before she grabbed a rolled-up piece of parchment. There were two pieces. One appeared to be a note and the other read: Brandon Family Magic.

{Similar to your family symbol, every family has 'family magic' that is unique to their family.}

"And it's getting safer to assume my magic came from the 'Brandon' Family? But how? Are they related to Renee somehow?"

{Nikki…} He sighed, {I have a theory but I don't want to say it until we know for certain and we will know when we find your grimoire. I'm not purposefully keeping anything from you, its just a hunch right now.}

Nikki nodded with a furrow in her brow and first chose to read the note.

To my darling Samara,

If you are reading this, my daughter, by now you know what I have done. I understand if you are angry…be angry. I won't ask you not to be though I will beg you to remember that everything I did was for you. It was safer for you to grow up in a mundane family. It was safer to leave your heritage behind until you were old enough to protect yourself.

One day, hopefully in the far away future, you will understand what its like to be a mother. What its like to see your heart exist outside of your body. I did what I thought was best; and if you're reading this letter, than I was right in my decision.

Please, let me explain.

We were in danger. You were in danger. A witch hunter, named Ambrose Bathory has hunted our family for generations and he had found us. Your father… he died to give us the time to escape while I was still pregnant with you. We lived in a small house located in Virginia until we ran. We were around a small town called Forks, Washington when my water broke, and I had no choice but to go to the nearest hospital.

I was in labor with you for 48 hours but finally, you were born. Samara Rose Brandon, 5 pounds 11 ounces. Healthy set of lungs and the brightest emerald, green eyes; just like your father. You screamed and would not settle until they laid you against my chest and you heard my heartbeat.

I was a young mother, only 17…but I knew that I would do anything to ensure that Ambrose was not able to get you. He had no mercy for children, you would be nothing more than another witch to him.

The day after you were born, I was moved into a joint room to free up the maternity room. A woman named Renee Swan and her husband Charlie had just had twin baby girls. Nicola and Isabella Swan. It was bittersweet, as if the universe was giving me a way to save my baby girl. I cried for hours after I made my decision. After I realized how I could protect you. I have always loved you Samara, from the second I realized I was pregnant. I was terrified I couldn't protect you... and so the next morning I managed to switch babies.

I bound your magic so it would not become active until your 17th birthday, I signed an AMA and I left you behind while I took Nicola with me. He caught up with us a week later and she did not survive the encounter, but I had accomplished what I set out to do. He assumed she was you and would not look for you. You were safe.

I can never regret the decision I made, though I don't know if I'll ever forgive myself for her death. As your mother it was my job to keep you safe and if you're reading this, then I did something right.

'Now I lay me down to rest, I pray that all the world be blest.

Lady Moon and Sister Star, Watch over me from afar.

Mother Earth is always there, And keeps me safe within her care.

The Lord of Dreams will Dance and sing, and happy dreams will to me bring.

And when I wake to greet the day, may brother sun light my way.'

You father, Nathan and I used to whisper this blessing to you every night before bed. He loved you sometimes I think more than he loved me and he could not wait to be your father. One of my biggest regrets is that the two of you were robbed that chance.

Even if you do not think of me as your mother, or Nathan as your father, you will always be our daughter.

All of my love,

Freya

****************************************************

Nikki spent several minutes staring blankly at the note when she was finished reading it. She did not know how to feel, and she wasn't truly sure if she had a right to feel anything; but this was a lot…even for her.

"You knew?" It wasn't accusing or harsh. Merely curious. It explained Salem's behavior before she opened the casket; he didn't want her to see her mother's body. Samara's mother.

{I suspected when we realized that you were right, neither Bella nor Renee are witches and even more so when your grimoire wasn't buried with a Swan like Charlie or a Higginbotham like Renee, but with a Brandon. It's very rare for a witch to steal another's grimoire. Its an unspoken magical law and can have harsh consequences. If your family grimoire was buried with Freya, she was either a relative or willing to risk the wrath of nature itself by stealing a grimoire that was not hers.}

"She's a relative alright. So, she bound my – Samara's magic and switched her in the hospital with Nicola, who is Bella's true twin sister. But Nicola died in order to save my – Samara's life because Freya and Samara were being hunted by a witch hunter who had already killed her father."

{And most likely killed your mother.}

"Samara's mother." Nikki absently corrected.

{You are Samara, Nikki. I know you still feel that disconnect between the Swans and yourself but maybe that had nothing to do with your reincarnation and everything to do with the fact they are not your true family.}

"But they raised Samara, how can they not be her true family?"

{Lack of magical ability. Unfortunately, to a witch it makes all the difference. She wanted you to grow up as a mundane and I can understand her reasoning, but it was dangerous to bind your magic, even more so to only bind it until you turned 17. Most of the time when a witch's magic is bound it is for life; I don't want to imagine what she had to do to ensure that it could be unbound at 17. Its nearly unheard of. I'm a bit horrified really.}

"What if that's the problem? Samara's magic should have been bound for life, but Freya somehow ensured it was only bound until she was 17. She grew up as a mundane and they said she had suffered seizures before I was 'diagnosed' with 'Amnesia' … what if the reason I'm here and she isn't, is because she couldn't handle her magic unbinding?"

{That's definitely a possibility.}

"As if things weren't complicated enough, now we're in a family drama that belongs on Freeform."

Salem snorted. {Do you want to keep looking for your grimoire, read about your family magic or just head home for the night? I did interrupt your sleep.}

"And while this was definitely a 'holy shit' moment, it wouldn't be worth it if we didn't keep going. Let's go with reading about my family magic."

{Are you stalling having to dig through the huge pile of jewels you just inherited?}

"Absolutely, with my luck one of those diamonds will be housing a thousand-year-old demon with a grudge against Samara's paternal great grandfather."

Salem chuckled, {Family magic it is.}

"This was written in Freya's handwriting; she must have wanted to make sure that Samara read it."

{Usually, family magic is taught by family and therefore its hardly ever included in a grimoire. It's a family secret passed down from mother to daughter.}

"Can men not to be witches or is the magical world sexist toward men like the mundane one is toward women?"

{It's not that they're sexist, its just that men don't inherit magic as often as females do. Male witches are called warlocks and I'd say one in every 4 inherit magic. Its incredibly rare to have every male born in a wiccan family line as a warlock, though sons are also rarer than daughters. The reason you took Freya's family name and not your fathers, is likely because Nathan was either a mundane or he was born into a wiccan family line but was not a warlock.}

Brandon Family Magic

The Brandon line of witches' dates back to the 900s; that's our earliest record, at least. Our particular brand of family magic is complicated and powerful. First, you should know that once or twice every century a very powerful seer is born as a result of our family magic. The last recorded seer was back in 1901. You can locate our family tree in the family grimoire, and it will give you a more detailed record.

You can learn to train your family magic on your own with the help of your familiar. If you have not yet found yours; there is a spell in our grimoire to call your familiar to you. Be very careful when you cast it, Samara. Your familiar is not the only one that will hear your call should it be performed incorrectly.

Next you should be aware that our family magic is called 'Mind Manipulation.' Or 'Memory Manipulation.' – the classification will depend on the power level of the witch in question. 'Memory Manipulation' gives you the ability to control the memories of yourself and everyone else.

You can modify, fabricate, suppress, influence, repair, restore, erase, detect and view the memories of yourself and everyone else. You can even cause amnesia, confuse someone, provoke nostalgia, or enter another's physic vision.

The difference between a witch in our family with 'Mind Manipulation' over 'Memory Manipulation' – is the added benefit of compulsion.

"No fucking way…"

{That's a slightly terrifying ability to consider a child or teenage witch possessing.}

"Agreed."

Should you find yourself possessing compulsion and therefore being a 'mind manipulator' – be aware that it does have limitations. One limitation is that Sometimes someone may be strong enough to fight the compulsion. If that's the case, its best to erase the memory of attempting the compulsion. Another limitation is certain supernatural creatures cannot be compelled. This includes Vampires, Demons, Crones, Monsters, and Familiars.

"Oh, Ok, so when you said the Djinn wasn't the only monster I'd likely face; you weren't joking."

{No. Sadly I was not.}

"Not like I could have used the ability to compel vampires or anything."

While they can't be compelled, you will be able to use the rest of your abilities against them.

{Well, you could always make a vampire forget that they knew you were a witch. Yes, I'm thinking of the Volturi and exactly what Aro will do if he finds out about you.}

"You've seen my memories?"

{Yes, I was originally going with the assumption we just had a powerful familial bond but it must have been an automatic response from your family magic accepting me.}

Just like with a mundane, when you use your ability and alter, erase, etc., a vampire's memory; it can only be undone by you. Until then, it will simply give them a sense of Deja-vu that they'll never truly understand.

Now, our family magic can quickly go from blessing to curse. This is important, do not skim this. Do not take it lightly. In the magical world, if you did not already know, soul bonds exist; though the stories of soul bonds are heavily wrapped in misconceptions spread by the mundane. Here are the facts, a soul mate and a twin flame are the same thing with one very real difference.

When a witch or warlock is bonded to another witch or warlock, a supernatural creature, or a werewolf; that bond is referred to as a soulmate bond. When a witch or warlock is bonded to a mundane; that bond is referred to as a twin flame. In each circumstance; it is love at first sight, an instant connection, a lifetime partner. You were made to be together and one cannot live without the other.

Its important to know this because its important to know what happens when one loses their soul mate or twin flame; it results in a shattered soul bond. When a witch or warlock suffers from a shattered soul bond; it results in their death. Just as no supernatural creature can survive the loss of their soul mate (twin flame), neither can a witch.

Fortunately, in our family, the family magic can and will help save your life. Magic can be sentient; it understands things even if its witch does not. In our family we are very lucky that in the event that a witch in our family is suffering from a 'shattered soul bond' – their family magic will automatically activate whether trained or not, in order to prolong their life. It has happened thrice before.

"She couldn't have started with that!" Nikki nearly hissed. Her hands were shaking and her face had lost all color. The words reassured her though she didn't let herself feel any relief, yet.

{I don't think its going to get better…} Salem whined with his ears flat against his head. Nikki again felt he had realized something much faster than she had and took several deep breaths to prepare herself to continue.

They will feel like dreams, or daydreams. They may occur when they are asleep or when they are awake. In reality, it is their magic turning inward and using their own ability to create memories in an attempt to soothe the shattered soul bond.

"They're not dreams… it's not my imagination." Nikki's voice shook. Her heart was beating so fast, so loud, she could hear it in her ears.

{They're memories…}

"But they're not real!"

{They are real to you. Its why you felt as if you could feel them, smell them, hear them. You were remembering. That ability is scary effective and damn powerful.} Upon seeing that his charge was nearly having a breakdown, he wrapped his tail around her. {You have to hold it together, Nikki. You can't stop there. We need to know what will happen to you now.}

Nikki shut her eyes and nodded; her face hardened in determination. She would not break down! At least not yet...

Unfortunately, while it will successfully prolong their life; it will result in being driven to insanity, being unable to differentiate between reality and fantasy. The memories will look and feel so real that their mind will be unable to process that they are not. In the end they will die anyway but much slower while losing their sense of reality -

Nikki couldn't read anymore; she practically threw the paper away from her. Scrambling away from it as if that would somehow protect her from her fate. She couldn't breathe, despite the fact that she was in the open air of a cemetery; it felt like invisible walls were closing in around her.

{Nikki! Nikki, Breathe! You're having a panic attack!}

Nikki did not want to die. Not again. There would be no third chance. No MyAnna. No Tanya. No Kai. Even the 'memories' were better than not having them at all. It was cruel. It wasn't fair.

Strong arms wrapping around her startled her out of her panic. She struggled, once again forgetting she was now a witch. When she finally got free, or they let her go, she blinked rapidly through the tears that were still falling to try to see exactly who grabbed her.

"Nikki! Hey, it's okay. It's just me!"

She knew that voice, but it did nothing to ease her confusion. A Tom Holland look alike was kneeled in front of her wearing a white button up shirt with the top three buttons undone, a black sleeveless vest over it and a pair of black jeans. He had a somewhat guilty smile on his face and his hands were splayed in front of him to show that he meant no harm. The only thing that stopped her from continuing to freak the fuck out, were the bright orange-colored eyes that she had come to trust.

"Salem?! Why the hell do you look like 'Tom Holland'?"

"I told you I had a human form. My forms are all for you; A wolf is your spirit animal. A dog is your comfort animal. 'Tom Holland' is your comfort human." Salem shrugged helplessly, rubbing the back of his neck with a slightly lost look on his face. "You looked like you needed a hug."

And he wasn't wrong. Tom Holland was an adorable human being that Nikki adored, and she needed a hug, badly. It was hardly a moment's hesitation before she had thrown herself at him, her arms wrapped around his waist and her face buried in his neck while she tried not to burst into tears. He awkwardly wrapped his around her shoulders. It brought a small smile to her lips; it was very obvious he wasn't used to being in this form.

"You stopped reading before you finished," He whispered, "Do you want me to finish for you?"

She did not! But a small part of her knew that she had too. That maybe there was something that could help her, save her. So, despite her chest aching and her head pounding, she nodded. "I don't want to die again, Salem. Please tell me there is a way to save us."

And she did not need to elaborate. By us, she meant Tanya, MyAnna and herself.

"I think that depends on you," Salem answered ominously and before Nikki could question him, he was already reading.

There is one way and one way only to reverse the effects of a shattered soul bond. Magic is full of endless possibilities; but it is all about balance. There is a spell known as the 'life for a life' spell; it is self-explanatory. A life must be taken for a life to be returned and that life must be taken by the casting witches' own hands.

Silence and that silence was so loud Nikki was sure that Salem could also hear how hard her heart was beating.

"Like I said, it depends on you, Nikki. You have already died for MyAnna…are you willing to kill for her?"