Why Does Everyone Know More Than We Do?

Peyton

I'd been dreading this all day. All week really.

I glowered at the outfit hanging on the closet door.

Jade came over earlier and helped me pick it out, I should have been leaving to go meet her at her apartment to get ready, but I didn't want to leave my bed. In my bed I was safe from other people, there was no anxiety and constant fidgeting to make sure every piece of me was perfect at all times. There were no short skirts and exposing shirts.

But tonight was the party that the famed warlock, Caspian Steel, was hosting that Mayline was forcing us to go to.

I grunted and reluctantly pushed away from the covers and got up.

I tugged on my sneakers and grabbed my bag of shoes, jewelry, and makeup, and the hanger of clothes.

I walked down the hall and stopped when I heard Mom and Dad bickering in the living room.

I turned and walked into Auggie's instead.

He was laying his stomach on the floor, his legs crossed as he scribbled an orange crayon on a piece of paper.

He looked up and gave me a smile when he heard me come in. He was missing one of his front teeth, and he knew that it added to his cuteness, so he made sure he smiled at everyone lately.

"Hey Buddy, mind if I hide in here for a second?" I asked setting my stuff on his race car bed.

"Only if you sharpen my crayons," He smiled and looked at his big pack of crayons, each one was short and stumpy.

I smiled and nodded.

He has hated sharping his own crayon ever since he accidentally cut his finger on the blade, now he makes us do it.

I grabbed his sharpener and started on his crayons, he went back to his scribbles.

"So," I start with a raised eyebrow. "How long have they been fighting?"

Auggie didn't look up as he answered.

"Mommy says they don't fight. She says that Daddy just likes to give her a hard time,"

I rolled my eyes, of course, she did. I guess you can never be too young for her gaslighting.

"Fine, how long had Dad been giving her trouble?" The words were ash in my mouth.

"Uhhh, like two to fifteen minutes,"

I looked over at him with a blank expression.

"Thanks, buddy that was super helpful," I muttered and grabbed a new crayon.

He looked at me over his shoulder with his toothy smile.

"Your welcome! I've been getting a lot better with time! Hey, what's that,"

He jumped up and went to my stuff.

"Just clothes," I muttered, and put the crayon back and drew a new one.

"Why are you leaving with clothes? You already dressed," He stated as if he were the smartest person in the world.

I gave him a fake stink eye.

"Well, Einstein, they are party clothes, but I need to go to Jade's first and I can't walk down the street in them,"

"Why not? They're just clothes," Auggie picked up the shirt and scrunched his nose then set it back down.

Umm because I don't want to be mistaken for a prostitute?

I sighed and looked up at him.

"You have a lot of questions today,"

He shrugged, then his face lit up.

"Are you going to a birthday party? Is there going to be cake!" He was bouncing on the tips of his toes now.

I gave a breathy laugh and shook my head and handed him his freshly sharpened crayons.

"No, I'm going to a birthday party, and I don't know about the cake,"

He had one of my shoes in hand now.

"Oooh," he squealed and started to slash the long heel around like a weapon, he raised high and I snatched it from him.

"And that's enough of that,"

Auggie groaned and flopped onto the floor.

"Urgh, no one lets me have any fun!"

I narrowed my eyes and my mouth parted as I looked to the corner of his room that was piled high with lightsabers, nerf guns, and play swords.

Outside the door, Mom shouted something at Dad then I heard their bedroom door slam shut.

That was my cue, I went to Auggie and squatted down to meet his eyes.

"Ok now, if anyone asked about the party, I'm not there got it? I'm spending the night at Jade's okay?" I told him with wide eyes.

"But what about-"

"I'm spending the night at Jade's," I waved two-finger in front of his face. "There is no party,"

He followed my fingers and then slowly nodded.

"There is no party," he repeated slowly.

I ruffled his hair and he broke out into a laugh.

I stood up and grabbed my things, I opened his door then turned back to him.

I drew a line on my lips then a motion to imitate a key locking, he smiled as a did it back.

I winked at him then disappeared into the hall.

I made sure to be extra quiet as I walked past Mom's room and when I peered into the living room, kitchen area there was no sign of Dad.

I walked on my tiptoes as I made my way to the front door.

"Okay, bye, heading to Jade's," I whispered and slipped out the door.

As I walked to the bus station I tried to keep my thoughts light, thinking about my parent's recent fight would just put me in a bad mood for the rest of the night.

Light shone off the metal bracelet and I chewed at the inside of my cheek.

I wonder if I could in a sense use the force. Make people forget things. My Jedi dreams seemed more possible now.

I laughed at myself and got on the bus.

When I got to Jade's she was halfway through with her makeup, her lips were a dark red and her eyes swirled with black and red. Her brown hair was pinned into a mess on top of her skull, she was still in sweatpants and an old band tee.

"Hey Dad's at work, so it's just us. Hale should be here soon, I told Ryker we'd text him when we are ready," She greeted and lead me to her room.

I sat my things on her bed which was already a mess of her own clothes and shoes.

"I'm almost done, then I can get started on your makeup,"

I nodded and laid down in the one corner of the bed that didn't have clothes sprawled on it.

Jade

I sat Peyton on the vanity stool and she tied up her auburn hair up so I could work.

I had all my pallets open and brushes were everywhere.

I picked one up and brushed it along a light grey.

As I worked we talked.

"Have you gotten any flowers since yesterday?" she asked, trying to keep her eyes closed.

I bite at my lip and sighed.

"No, nothing. Just left the creepy feeling that he's here, knows where we are and were just supposed to live with that until we can do something about it,"

I patted the color into her inner eyes then switched to a shade darker.

"I still don't see how going to this party is going to help," she grumbled.

"Because this Caspain Steel is from our coven and supposedly has intel for us. Plus we deserve to go out and have some fun,"

I felt her eyes roll and lightly stepped on her foot.

"Ow," she muttered. I gave a sneaky smile that she couldn't see.

Her tone changed to a lighter one and she straightened her back.

"So, Liam seems nice,"

It was my turn to roll my eyes.

"Yeah, sure, annoying is more like it," I muttered.

Peyton laughed.

"Yeah sure, do you know how much you blush around him?" Peyton teased.

"I do not!" I shot back.

"Oh yes, she does. She was beyond red when she came home the other night,"

I turned to find Hale at my doorway smirking like the devil she was.

Peyton's eyes flew open, surprise and excitement in her wide eyes.

"Wait what!" she looked between the two of us.

I scowled at Hale and she just kept her smirk.

"Low, so low," I muttered at her.

Hale raised her hands in surrender.

"I don't know what you mean,"

Peyton swatted at me.

"What happened? tell me, tell me,"

I gave a defeated sigh.

"Fine, but we have a lot to do so sit up and close your eyes," I told her and raised the brush up in my hand. She complied and waited for me to start talking.

I drew lines of dark grey out from her eyelids.

"The other night Liam showed up and wanted to take my mind off my nerves so he portaled us to some nightclub in France,"

"You went to France!" Peyton blurted.

"He didn't give me much of a choice. I was only going to stay for one dance but then one thing led to another and then we were in this hotel and-"

"Holy shit Jade! Are you serious?" Peyton was on the edge of the stool now.

"Sit back down and stop interrupting," I laughed and flickered her nose.

She gave a restless sigh and readjusted.

"We were in the hotel and we spent most of the night there," I finished vaguely.

"And? How was it?" Peyton probed.

I couldn't help but smile.

"Good, really, really good,"

Peyton was beaming even though she couldn't see me, I shook my head and spread a natural color of lipstick across her lips.

"Okay done. I not very good at hair though," I admitted and let her look over my work.

She smiled as she took herself in.

"Thanks, Jade, It's amazing,"

Hale came over and undid the bun Peyton's hair was in and ran her fingers through it.

"I can do it if you want," Hale offered and Peyton nodded her head.

I got dressed as Hale pinned and twirled her hair.

I looked myself over in the mirror once I was dressed.

A cropped red shirt that highlighted my curves and a skin-tight black skirt and heels of the deepest shade of the red that was almost black.

Peyton was starring at me, I followed her eyes to my highlighted chest.

"Your so lucky," she frowned.

I laughed.

"Your welcome to take some, they kill my back,"

"Deal," she giggled.

Peyton looked beyond beautiful. With her eyes down in shades of grey and hair that was braided into a bun, the braid wound itself around the pinned hair.

"I can do yours too if you want," Hale offered to me and Peyton switched places with me and she started to get dressed in her jeans and long-sleeved grey crop top and strappy black heels.

I watched from the mirror as she brushed out my hair and curled it then sections the front and braid them then wound them into two small buns while the rest of my hair laid in loose spirals down my back.

"Thanks, Hale now sit, you turn," I stood up and forced her to sit.

Hale was easy, I gave her painstaking detailed smokey eyes, cursing at myself as I drew her eyeliner into long points. I looked away as she removed her nose piercing so I could contour her nose and she laughed at me.

"It pretty in but I don't want to see it come out," I whined. That only made her laugh harder.

I shook my head as lined her lips in black too.

"There, done," I huffed and examined my work.

She turned and started to do her own hair, which just consisted of her braiding two braids from her right side and pinned them at the middle of her head, and let all her long black hair fall over her left shoulder.

I handed her clothes, ripped jeans, and a black tank top that parted down her torso that exposed her pierced belly button and her open-toed-heeled boots.

"How do you have your piercings?" I asked as she got dressed.

She shrugged.

"Just know the right people,"

I nodded and Ryker knocked on the open bedroom door his eyes were closed.

Peyton laughed.

"It's ok Ryker were all dressed you can open your eyes,"

He did slowly.

Ryker surprisingly cleaned up nice. Even though he was just in dark jeans and a teal v-neck, his short brown curls were well maintained.

"We have to get going," He said and showed the time on his phone.

My heart raced.

We were going to be late.

Hale

At the sight of Ryker's phone, I pulled out the one Lev gave me.

"Hey while were here, I need your phone numbers,"

Jade and Peyton looked at me with confused expressions.

"Since when do you have a phone?" Peyton asked looking at my hand.

I rolled my eyes and thought of last night.

"Part of the terms and conditions of living with Lev," I grumbled and shook my head.

Even Ryker gave a surprised stare at that.

Oh here we go.

Peyton and Jade blurted their questions out at the same time.

"You're living With Lev?"

"You took my advice?"

I just held out my phone. Peyton took it and started tapping.

"Yes, I moved in yesterday, and no I don't want to talk about it,"

Peyton's head snapped up.

"But-"

I glared at her.

"No,"

"But Hale!" she started again and I narrowed my eyes. I could see her bottling her questions in her mouth.

Jade took the phone from her, inputted her number then passed it to Ryker, when he was done he gave it back to me.

"We should get going," Jade sighed and shuffled us all out.

It was baffling that we never knew about these parties before.

Outside the lavish apartment complex, you could see at the very top colored lights flashing and the faint beat of the music.

"So we made it I think we can go home now," Peyton's words sounded constricted.

"Agreed," Ryker second and moved to hail down a new taxi.

Jade swatted him and cleared her throat.

"We need the information, come on all we have to do is find the guy talk to him then we can leave, how hard can it be to find the host?"

"Find him? Easy, to talk to him though? A little trickier," Ivory explained walking up to us.

She was all dressed up too. Her hair curled and piled ontop of her head. Converse and a black leather skirt, and lilac tight top. Her makeup was minimal but pretty.

I'd forgotten that she was joining us tonight.

"Follow me," she smiled and waved her hand to the entrance.

47 floors up and we entered the top floor penthouse. As soon as the door opened we walked right into the party. It was packed, people we pressed together, dancing, drink in hand.

It was almost impossible to hear each other over the music.

I looked back to my siblings, and Ivory. the only one who looked even remotely comfortable was Jade, and that was pushing it.

Ivory shouted to us.

"We're going to have to split up! I'll take this side Peyton go to the other. Ryker take the hall and balcony, Hale see if he's in that mob of people, I'm gonna go talk to our connections, see if they can help. "

We all nodded and got to work.

I shoved past people, the closer I worked my way into the crowd the louder the music got. This is where most people were going to dance. I was barely getting anywhere and was too short to see above anyone.

Hands snaked around my waist, wrapping, grabbing. bile rose up in my throat.

Shhhh, stop squirming, I said stop! Be a good little girl......

My elbow came back hitting whoever was touching me hard, they groaned and let go.

I was going to be sick.

There was a plant in the corner, I made my way over to it in time to hurl up my stomach contents.

Go through it, out loud.

"I'm not there, I'm safe. I'm not there, I'm safe," I whispered the words over and over till I felt that I could leave the plant.

I needed a drink.

I stood up and looked around, a few steps away a waitress was holding up a tray of flutes.

I stood over and took two.

I was halfway through the second one when Ryker tapped my shoulder.

"I see you're looking real hard," He grinned.

I snorted and finished my drink and peered at the bottom.

"Would you look at that? He's not at the bottom of the glass, well, I tried,"

We both laughed and I set the flutes on a new tray.

"So no luck for you either?" I asked, the strobing lights were starting to give me a headache.

He shook his head.

"I was about to go the balcony when I saw you," He told me, his eyes looking uneasy at the sea of people.

"Look together?" I asked looking at the big glass doors.

He nodded and waited for me to lead before stepping forward.

Ryker

It was quiet on the balcony, most people were inside with the drinks and music, leaving the balcony untouched. Being this far up was cold and I started to wish I'd brought a heavier jacket. Steam rose off the pool, it must have been heated, not that I'd expect anyone to use it tonight.

Hale spun in a slow circle looking around, then shrugged her shoulder in defeat.

"Why is it so hard to find the person whos hosting the party?" She groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Perhaps because he doesn't want to be found," The voice came from one of the deepest corners, he seemed to walk out of the shadows, a slight shimmer moved around him.

His hair was spiked up with gel in colors of bronze, it went well with his mocha-colored skin, blue and purple lined his eyes, he seemed to be wearing a kimono of deep blue silk and dark pants, silver rings decorated his hands, a deep purple pendant hung at his neck. He was like a living piece of artwork, a canvas of color. He strode over to us with a confidence I could only dream to have.

His cat-like eyes ran over Hale and his brows raised him shook.

"Julia?" The name was barely a whisper as he outstretched his hand to caress Hale's cheek, she stepped back with a look of warning.

"No," Was all Hale said.

He seemed to find himself and gave a flashy smile and drew his hand back gracefully.

"No of course not, which makes you her daughter, and if your anything like her..." His words trailed off and he flicked his wrist, dark purple smoke twirled around her and she went completely still, almost catatonic, but standing.

I whipped my head to him, eyes wide.

"What did you do to her?"

He waved it off and went over to the fully stocked outdoor bar, grabbing a glass and a bottle full of an amber liquid.

"Don't worry about her, she'll be fine, just dreaming. Julia was a spitfire from the deepest parts of the underworld, I can't imagine her daughter is much better,"

He settled himself into a leather bar stool, crossing his legs dramatically and taking a sip from his drink.

I crossed my arms and rocked on my feet.

"So you are Caspain Steel," It was meant to be a statement but it came out as more of a question.

He put his arms out and bowed his head as some sort of curtsy.

"The one and only, how can I serve you Phrophted one?"

"Prophet one?" I questioned with a raised eyebrow.

He shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"Surely you've heard your own prophecy?"

I shook my head slowly.

Caspian threw his head back and groaned.

"By the Gods!" He looked back up and got to his feet, he waved his jeweled hand to Hale, and whatever trance she was in broke.

Hale looked thunderous, but I shook my head and angled it to Caspain. Hale seethed but didn't move.

"Where are the other two?" Caspian asked looking at me.

I cleared my throat.

"Oh - uh inside, looking for you,"

He smirked and went to the glass doors.

"Then we shall hunt them,"

He sauntered inside and I looked over to Hale.

She widened her eyes and shook her head at me with disbelief, gave a heavy sigh, and followed him.

It didn't take long to find Peyton and Jade, they had ended up together too.

Ivory was taking to someone, her eyes slipping to us. Once she saw Caspian she excused herself and joined us.

Jade looked Caispain up and down and opened her mouth but he cut her off.

"Follow me, best to have this chat somewhere a tad more... private,"

We followed him to a backroom in the center was a spiraling metal staircase, we followed him up to it and entered an office.

Caspian strode behind the dark wood desk and lounged in the chair behind it.

"So the children of Wood have come to visit me? I take it you want something?" He asked, his eyes almost shimmered purple.

Jade cleared her throat and took a step forward.

"We were told you have information for us, something that could aid in our favor against Edward,"

Caspian seemed to straighten his back taking in her words yet he looked at me, observing, it made my skin crawl.

"I know lots of things, particularly about Edward Woods, so maybe try a less painfully vague question,"

Jade bristled and Peyton took her hand, she glanced at Caspian.

"Fine, if you know as much as you claim then tell us how you know our father, why out of all the witches were we sent to you?" Her voice had a slight shake to it and a quick looked at my sister's adjoined hands told me Peyton was squeezing Jade's hand hard enough to break it. The fake confidence had its limits.

Captain nodded and finally took his eyes off me and just looked up at the ceiling.

"I was a sort of advisor to your father, part of his council. I informed him about the people. Though we were one coven we remained separated, to prevent crossing magics. No one liked the rule but we all understood it, to keep our coven safe we trusted our caste system, to protect us from creating something with too much power. We only intermingled if work demanded it, otherwise, we left each other alone. It was my job to tell the High Preist the news and rumors of the people," Captain explained, his eyes were dazed as if instead of looking at the world, he was watching old memories.

"The caste system went off strength and power. Mentel witches at the top, because they could sense of traitors and liars, Elementals below them because of their connection with the earth, next to the enchanting witches, because of the way they could trick anything into belief, and at the bottom the dark witches, because of their fondness for the dead, we don't have need for them often. Arcane witches didn't have a place they simply kept the balance. Between each four the strongest witch was named leader, Edward had held his spot for years, Julia as young as she was had been leading the dark witches since childhood, then about two years from the attack, a new elemental witch took over Kayla, she inspired Emma to try for leadership, it was close but she made it,"

A small tear slipped from his eye, he didn't bother to wipe it away.

"That's why Edward went after them because they were the strongest of their people?" Jade questioned with a cracked voice.

Caspian gave a small nod.

"Yes, and we all saw why it was warned that our magic should not be mixed, Juila promised them answers and they all spent most of their time in the shadow caves. The day they pieced together the prophecy is one I'll never forget. They dragged me down there with them and explained it all to me. It was the day I lost my faith in Edward and started to plan for the day you were all born,"

"You knew that there was going to be a massacre?" Peyton asked in a whisperer.

"It was in the prophecy. On the night of fire and blood, powerful Woods will be brought to this earth with the power to unite or destroy in the age of rebirth, they shall bring death and chaos no matter their side, the only way to stop them is if one was to die, should they choose light our magic will transform and there'd be peace for us all, but if they fall into darkness, they will leaving nothing beyond them but evil and corpses," Caispain repeated the phrocey as if he'd said them a thousand times.

"They planned to poison themselves to kill off themselves and you all with them, but it was too late, you were strong enough for your magic to protect you. Dark witches have the power of position and with your magic linking you, Hale was able to save you all. So they locked themselves in the shadow cave, our High Priestess with her newly heightened power had the ability to make everyone forget the location of the shadow caves, there they spent the rest of their time, until the uprising,"

This seemed to be the end of his story, we were stunned into silence. Somehow I was able to force the words out of my mouth.

"Then how do you still know about the caves?"

He regained his theatrical movements and gave a grin.

"Because I was the only one they trusted, I got to keep my knowledge of the caves, and where they're located,"

That there was the information we were sent for, we needed that location, we needed to see what else our mothers found out about Edwards plan.

For the first time in a while, Hale's voice cut through.

"How do you know all of this? You would have been a child at the time,"

Caspian stood up and straightened his clothes.

"No I was not, I believe I was one-hundred - thirty-six during all of this. Witches age much slower than humans,"

A loud banging of a clock made us all jump, Caspian smiled.

"Well look at the time, I must get back to my guests," He strolled over to us, his fingertip brushed over my shoulder as he walked past whispering to me.

"I do hope to see you again,"

Before I could say anything back he was descending down the staircase.

Jade walked to the stairs trying to catch him.

"Hey! what about the loc-"

Purple smoke danced over her hand and formed a folded piece of paper.

We all looked at each other, confused, stunned, tired, and most of all scared. Because we all knew the shadow caves were not going to full of rainbows and unicorns.

Ivory took the paper.

"That was easier then I expected," she mumbled.

She smiled at all of us.

"Let's get out of here. It's getting a bit crowded,"

No one has to tell us twice.