My sisters sobbed in pain.
I couldn’t dwell on the hole in my heart for long, though. I was the oldest, after all. It was my responsibility to protect us.
I let out a breath and wiped my eyes. Someone had to be strong. Someone had to hold us together. And right now, someone had to keep a cool head on their shoulders in order to figure out how to get out of this mess that could have been avoided had Mother been more forthcoming.
I shook my head. I had to ignore the conflict of emotions roaring through me like thunder across a heavy storm.
The bed my mother had been on vanished. My sisters shrieked.
I immediately stood. I grabbed my sisters up in my arms. This was going to be horrible, but we’d get through it if I concentrated properly.
I closed my eyes. The three of us crouched over, trying to get ourselves to be as small as possible on our feet. I began the protector incantation in a low voice. I needed to say it perfectly if it was going to work at all. A moment passed, then another. After a moment, the protection spell coiled around us tightly, shielding us from the chaos that surrounded us. I continued repeating the words over and over as my love for my small family beat with every pulse of my heart.
Courtney and Bella clung to me. They shivered, even though it wasn’t cold. Their shoulders hiccupped with each sob. I was probably going to be bruised, thanks to their grip. I held onto them tighter. I wanted them to know I was here for them, that I would always be here for them no matter what we faced. They screamed with terror, muffled in my clothes. Their eyes squeezed shut.
I wanted to calm them.
I wanted to run my fingers through their hair and tell them that all would be well.
But I couldn’t.
I didn’t even have time to explain to them what was happening.
All around us, the house we’d lived in our whole life crumbled, like a giant gingerbread house that had been stomped on and dropped. It was fragile, something a gust of wind could have destroyed. How had my mother been able to maintain such a thing?
Our beautiful big mansion. Our country home. Our bedrooms and library and spell room. The hardwood hallways Beth would scream down and Courtney would slide and find new ways to injure herself. The crook in the library where I could hide away from my sisters and my mother and lose myself in a world more captivating than mine.
Our servants, Sally and Elinor and Henry, all people I thought I knew, all people I considered part of our family. The flowers Courtney planted, the drawings Beth created and insisted we showcase like she was an actual artist. All disappearing.
The lush curtains crumpled, and the roof began to cave in. Sunlight from outside—the real sunlight and not one Mother had created for us–surrounded us. I was forced to squeeze my eyes shut, not used to the brightness.
“Ava!” Bella screeched as she grabbed tighter to my arms. “What’s happening?”
I continued to hold onto them both. I wasn’t quite sure what I could say to make them feel better. It was only then I realized perhaps I should not seek out a lie to comfort them. Perhaps it was time for them to face the cold truth. Perhaps they needed to grow up and realize Mother lied to us about many things, and one of those lies was about our home.
Instead, I avoided making that decision just yet. If we were going to survive this, I needed their cooperation.
“Hold on,” I said. “Don’t run. Don’t leave this circle. I’ve got you.”
I made sure to lock eyes with Beth and then Courtney. I wanted them to believe me. Just because our mother lied to us did not mean I would lie to them. In fact, I didn’t want any lies to pass between us. Not again.
The roof fell on top of my protective bubble, making a sound like thunder. It vibrated through my body. Judging by the whimpers coming from my sisters, I knew they felt it as well.
Courtney dropped to the ground, screaming. Both her hands clutched her ears, like she couldn’t stand the sound of everything we knew, everything we considered a home, collapsing to dust. I bent over slightly so I could grab her hand in mine before she disappeared along with the house.
“Don’t let go!” I shouted.
I wasn’t trying to be mean, but they needed to realize they couldn’t give into their fear or else they would be susceptible to the same magic vanishing away everything else. I wasn’t sure how I knew this, but it was a strong feeling that seized hold of me and made me believe it. Maybe it was my mother trying to send me a sign.
Was I a fool for believing in such a thing?
Courtney got to her feet finally, tears streaming down her face. My sisters continued to cling to me, and I wrapped my arms around their shoulders, pressing their heads to my chest.
I was almost afraid they, too, were part of the façade my mother had created. Their sobs rung in my ears as the house slowly but surely fell away. I didn’t even care that my ears pinched with pain because of their screams. At least it reiterated the fact that they were as solid as I was, that they wouldn’t be leaving me too.
The noise coming from the crumbling manor was the hardest thing to block out. I could close my eyes against the visions of our artwork turning to dust. As the farm we loved was no more. But the noise... it would haunt my dreams for years to come.
The sounds of wild winds, of ripping fabrics, of a building crumbling to the earth. Stone hitting grass. Ash fluttering in the sky. Even the smallest of things, the rustling of the leaves overhead, was emphasized. I could hear everything with clarity, like I was a wolf tracking my prey.