Season of the Witch

The city of New Orleans is where I live, a town that is famous for the infamous witches, ghosts, and other horrors. Yes, I'm a witch and so is my family, well supposedly are witches. According to my mother, the magical bloodline on her side of the family has been dormant for generations, until mine and my twin's birthday, but I'm getting ahead of myself. My name is Prue Devoe and I'm seventeen, about to be eighteen years old, and this is the story of how our lives changed forever.

It was a typical chilly October morning and our birthday was coming up. Unlike like my sister, I was dreading the day. Eighteen, legally you're an adult. Which mines, I could vote, join the military, donate blood, I could get a tattoo or piercing without my parent's consent, etc, etc.

Should I be excited right? No.

I kept getting this weird feeling as if something terrible was going to happen. Like the universe is watching and waiting. Now my sister Penny on the other hand was the exact opposite. Ever since it hit October, Penny has been talking about our birthday nonstop. Take this morning at breakfast as an example.

Mom finished cooking and Dad was just coming down the stairs fixing his tie when Penny came skipping in. She wore a sage green sweater with a white collar sticking out, tucked into her light blue cuffed denim jeans, white socks, and shoes. She sat down next to me with a bright grin on her face. She was bouncing up and down a little bit in her seat and she let out a small squeal.

"Guess who's throwing a surprise party for us in the Withering Woods?" Penny asked, leaning in towards me.

"Our birthday is a week away,"

I took a small bite of my eggs and shrugged. The smile on Penny's face widens. She glanced around the room, checking to see if mom and dad were listening.

"Zoya Park,"

I rolled my eyes. I don't have any problems with Zoya Park, after all, she is my sister's best friend. It's the party in the Withering Woods I was worried about. Grouping up, my sister and I were told not to go into the woods. The Withering Woods was full of dangers. Faeries, dark witches, you name it. I could picture the looks on their faces if they found out.

"We'll be back before midnight," Penny reassured me. Leave it to Penny to get us into some trouble that was easily avoided.

"We better,"

We finished our breakfast and dad drove us to school. He parked the car near the school and smiled at both of us. He was dressed in his usual black pinstriped suit. His round speckles sat on the bridge of his nose. Probably going to a council meeting today.

"Leo will pick you guys up earlier from school,"

Penny and I perked up. Leo was our older brother who was three years older than us. He's currently studying abroad in London, and Penny and I miss him so much.

"He's coming!" Penny claimed with excitement.

"His plane just landed," he said, "considered this as an early birth present."

Penny and I bombarded dad with a lot of questions about Leo.

"You'll see him when he gets home," he said, "now out the car."

Dad jokingly rushed us out of the car. He waved goodbye to both of us. As I watched dad's car get smaller and smaller, Penny threw her arm around my shoulder.

"Just several more hours to go," she said.

School finally let out and my class ended before Penny's. The hallway was slightly crowded but crowded enough that it was hard to get to my locker. I opened my locker door when I got a weird feeling. I couldn't describe it, but it caused goosebumps to form on my arms. I felt a panicky sensation run through my body, causing me to grip my locker door tight.

"Prue?" I heard a voice gently call.

"Prue!" The voice shouted. I snapped out of my daze and Penny was leaning against the locker next to me. I tried to hide that I was shaken but my sister could read me like an open book.

"Are you okay?" Penny asked. For the first time (and it definitely won't be the last) I hear the concern in Penny's voice.

I waved my sister off and put on a smile.

"Yeah, I'm okay,"