4. Obstacles & Epiphanies
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=:= Samantha =:=

"I can't believe it's actually worse now." Jessica grumped.

Samantha sighed. She'd talked to a few people at City Hall yesterday to complain about the religious protesters blockading the front of their building.

The protestors were still there today, but now they'd been joined by a couple uniformed police as well.

Jessica's feeling, and Samantha suspected her sister was correct, was that the cops were just going to scare off anyone who might have been willing to brave the bigots.

"Look at them!" Jess glared. "The cops are getting all friendly with the bigots. They're joking around with them! Fuck!"

Sam sighed again. "We just have to be patient, sis. They'll get bored eventually, when they figure out we're not going anywhere."

"I don't think they will, Sam." Jess shook her head. "They're planning on shutting us down. The guy in charge of that group thinks he can out-last us."

They were both sitting in the reception area this morning. It was Wednesday, and they'd let Kelly and the other volunteers know they probably wouldn't be needed for a week or two at the earliest, due to the way things had been going. Samantha was sitting behind the front desk and Jessica was slumped in one of the guest chairs.

A few minutes later Kara came in from the back, with a ladder under their arm. The tall enby set the aluminum ladder up in a corner, then disappeared into the back again. They returned a minute later with a toolkit in one hand and a small box in the other.

"Kara?" Sam asked. "What are you up to?"

They had the toolkit open now on the desk, as they replied "Installing some security cameras. I'll have one on the front door and another on the window. Between them that should give us a good view of what's going on out front. I've already set the other two up to monitor the emergency door and the back of the building."

Jess and Sam glanced at each other, then the redhead asked, "Uh, why? The place is all warded, nobody's going to break in or anything."

Kara shrugged, "I know they won't get in. But if anyone tries, I want to know about it. And if we can catch that lot outside doing anything illegal, it'll give us some ammunition to help get rid of them."

Samantha smiled, "Good thinking Kara."

They just nodded, and started up the ladder with a cordless drill and a mounting bracket.

While Kara was working on that, Jessica asked "Hey Sam, did Maria say why she couldn't come in today?"

Samantha sighed, "Yes. When Maria was called away on Monday, it was because Jenny and Beth were both targeted by some school bullies. Someone said something transmisic to Jenny, and she lost her temper and fought back. Then Sadie and Amanda stepped in to try to calm everything down. In the end, all four girls were suspended. Maria was going to talk to the school board today, to try to get things cleared up."

"What?!" Jess asked, sounding outraged. "They were the victims and they got suspended?! What about the bullies?"

"They didn't get in trouble, but the one who was instigating and using slurs didn't escape unscathed," Samantha replied. "Apparently Jenny broke his nose."

"Good for her." Kara said from the top of the ladder.

Jessica grinned, "Ok I guess that explains Jenny getting suspended. What about the other three?"

"Guilt by association, I suspect." Samantha sighed.

Jessica frowned and looked at Sam. "I hope Maria has better luck with the school board than you did with city hall."

Samantha sighed again. "Me too Jess."

=:= Maria =:=

"All right, I understand. Thank you for your time." Maria did her best to keep the frustration out of her voice. She hung up and set her phone down on the kitchen table, then let out a long weary sigh. She'd been making calls all morning, trying to get somewhere with the school board.

She'd had to work yesterday but Maria had set aside all day today for the four teens. She was hoping to get their suspension reversed, but that was starting to look like a lost cause.

"No luck?" Sadie asked, calling from the living-room where the four girls were sitting together.

Maria stood up and walked into the living-room as she shook her head, "I'm afraid not. I think we're just going to have to accept the suspension. You'll all be back at school again next week, and hopefully we can just put this behind us and move on."

Sadie and Amanda were sitting on the sofa while Beth and Jenny were in the two wingback chairs. All four girls were supposed to be reading or doing homework, but Maria had a feeling they'd all just been listening in on her calls this morning.

Jenny sighed, "I'm sorry aunt Maria... I didn't think everyone would get in so much trouble. I just wanted to shut that guy up, get him to stop bugging Beth and me."

"It's ok Jenny, it's not your fault." Maria sighed. "You shouldn't have hit him but apart from that, none of you did anything wrong. And I'm proud of how you all looked out for each other."

"What should we do if someone starts picking on us like that again?" Jenny asked.

Sadie spoke up, "Use our phones and record it. Like say that happens again? One of us should help whoever's being picked on, and the other two should be recording everything with our phones. Then the principal won't be able to ignore us, and if he does, we can go to the school board. Or the news."

Maria couldn't help but smile at the brunette teen. She knew Sadie didn't want to go back to law school again, but the teen still seemed to think like a lawyer at times. In a way, Maria was glad to know that the girl's twenty-plus years of legal experience hadn't been lost.

There was a sigh from Beth, and Maria could see the youngest girl was looking a little troubled again.

"It's nearly lunchtime... Sadie, Amanda, could you two start working on that?" Maria asked. "And Jenny, would you mind setting the table and getting drinks out for everyone? I'd like to have a word with Beth."

The three sisters all nodded and got up, going through into the kitchen. Maria then took Jenny's place next to Beth, in the empty wingback.

She asked quietly, "Beth, how are you doing? Is everything ok?"

The girl shrugged a little, staring down at the floor. Speaking quietly, she said "I don't know. I feel like it's my fault everyone got in trouble..."

"It's not your fault Beth. Not at all." Maria said, trying to sound firm but reassuring.

Beth nodded slowly, but she was frowning a bit like she was still concerned about something.

Maria hesitated, then asked softly "What else is on your mind Beth? Do you want to talk about it?"

The young teen nodded slowly. "There's a lot of stuff I don't remember, stuff I should know. And there's other stuff that doesn't really make sense to me."

"What sort of stuff?" Maria asked, keeping her voice calm and level. Inside though, she was worried for the girl. In the weeks since Beth had been returned to them, Maria had slowly pieced together exactly what the Goddess did to her.

Maria knew from the start that she wouldn't remember her previous life, as mother to Jenny and the twins. What soon became apparent was although the Goddess obscured all the memories of Beth's old life, She hadn't provided the girl with any new memories to replace what was missing. As a result, she basically had full retrograde amnesia, and was struggling with her new life because she had no context for any of it.

Speaking softly as usual, Beth said "I don't remember my parents at all. I know they must be dead though, or else I wouldn't have to come and live here with all of you. I don't remember where I used to live, or anything else about my life. I know stuff though... I know who you all are, and when I first came here the whole house was familiar."

Her expression shifted to a slight frown, as Beth continued "There's stuff that doesn't make sense. Like I have the same exact name as my cousins' mother? And my birthday is on the same day their mom died. And there's stuff I remember, about Jenny and Amanda... Like I remember when they were younger? I remember more about their lives than my own. Not Sadie though, I don't remember as much about her."

She hesitated, then added "It makes me wonder if somehow I'm really that other Elizabeth, the one who died. Except I know that's impossible."

Maria sighed. "I'm sorry Beth. I wish I had some answers for you, but I don't... Is there anything we can do for you, that would help you feel better?"

Beth shrugged slightly, then said softly "I was thinking maybe I shouldn't have the same name as their mom.... I like being Beth but... Instead of being short for Elizabeth... What if it was short for Bethany?"

"We can do that, if you're sure." Maria gave the girl a friendly smile. "Think it over, and maybe tomorrow we can talk about it again. If you're positive, then we can go ahead and change it for you."

Beth smiled slightly, and Maria asked, "Is there anything else that would help you feel better, Beth?"

The girl looked like she did have more she wanted to say, but for now she just shrugged and looked down at the floor again.

Maria watched her for a moment, then said "If you think of anything else, please tell me. I'll do what I can to help."

Beth just nodded, still staring at the floor.

From the kitchen, Amanda quietly said, "Aunt Maria? Lunch is ready."

Maria suspected the other girls had been listening in while they were making lunch. Things had been a little too quiet in the kitchen while she and Beth were talking.

She nodded, "Thanks Amanda. Come on Beth, let's go get something to eat."

Amanda and Sadie had made tuna-fish sandwiches for lunch. There were glasses of milk for the younger girls, the twins were drinking soda, and Maria had a glass of water. The three sisters talked a bit as they ate, mostly about missing having lunch at school with their friends. Beth remained quiet through the meal, just focusing on her sandwich while the others talked.

Maria was still worried about Beth, and decided she needed to talk with Sam and Nikki soon about the way the Goddess handled things with Liz. In the years since she first learned of magic and the Goddess, there'd been a few situations that made her wonder if their Goddess had a mean streak to Her. Or if She simply didn't realize some of the ways Her magic affected people.

After they were all finished eating and the conversation tapered off, Beth spoke up.

She wasn't talking to anyone in particular, as she quietly said "I wish I had a mom. I wish we all had a mom."

The five of them were quiet for a bit, sitting around the table. Sadie and Amanda were looking a little wistful, while Jenny and Beth were looking sad. Maria tried to think of something comforting or reassuring to say, but the right words were escaping her at the moment.

After a minute or two, it was Sadie who broke the silence with a question.

"Aunt Maria, you're our legal guardian right? That's the official term? You have custody of us four?"

Maria nodded, "That's right Sadie." She knew Sadie already knew all of this, so she figured the brunette teen was spelling it all out for Beth's understanding, and perhaps for Jenny as well.

"So for me and Amanda, that'll expire next August right? At our eighteenth birthday?" Sadie asked.

"Yes Sadie," Maria nodded again. "When you and Amanda turn eighteen you'll be considered adults, and won't require a guardian any longer."

Maria was watching her niece now, wondering where she was going with this. She could tell Beth was looking a bit more uncertain, probably worrying about what will happen to her when she turns eighteen in a few years.

After a few moments looking thoughtful, Sadie looked at Maria and asked "So... What if you adopted all four of us? I mean, right now we're all orphans. If you adopted us, that wouldn't expire when any of us turn eighteen. It'd make us all a proper forever family. And Beth would be our sister."

Amanda was looking shocked at her twin's suggestion, the blonde's eyes were wide and her mouth hanging open a little.

Maria felt her own expression was the same, as she stared at Sadie. After a few moments she looked at the other girls, trying to gauge their reactions. Jenny looked thoughtful, with a slight frown. Beth still looked uncertain, but perhaps with a little bit of hope in her eyes now.

It took her another minute or so to regain her voice, then Maria finally responded. "I suppose that's right, Sadie... Is that something you'd want? It would have to be something all of you wanted..."

Jenny responded first, asking "Would we have to call you 'mom'?"

"No Jenny," Maria shook her head. "You could keep calling me aunt Maria... Or just Maria." Looking at the others she added, "You all can just call me Maria actually, you don't have to keep saying 'aunt' all the time."

Beth asked quietly, "Would it be ok though, if we did call you 'mom'?"

Somehow that felt more awkward to Maria than Jenny's question. She nodded slightly though, "Yes Beth... If you wanted, then that would be fine."

They were all quiet again for a few moments, as all four girls were sort of quietly looking to each other, trying to guess how each other was feeling about Sadie's suggestion.

This time it was Maria who broke the silence. "I've honestly never thought about this before, girls. I'm sorry about that. Is this something you'd all want? I'd like to hear from each of you, but you don't have to decide right now. If you want time to think it over, we can talk about it again later."

Beth was staring down at the table but she nodded slightly. "I think I'd like it," she said softly.

Sadie nodded as well, "I would too."

Maria looked at the brunette with surprise again. Jenny and Amanda were also staring at her. Maria was still surprised that Sadie had even brought up the subject of adoption. She couldn't understand why the girl who'd gone from her older brother to her teenage niece was now asking to become her daughter.

Looking at all the surprised stares, Sadie shrugged slightly. "I think it would help us all feel a little more like a normal family. And I think it would help Beth a lot, to really be our sister and belong to a real family. And I want Beth to be happy, and to know she belongs here with us."

Maria nodded slowly. Sadie's reasoning made sense, Maria knew the girl had always been concerned about keeping her family together. Amanda and Jenny were both looking thoughtful now too.

"Ok." Amanda finally nodded. "I'm in. I like the idea that it'll bring us all closer, and make Beth our sister."

Jenny then said "Yeah, ok. Me too."

"All right." Maria was feeling anxious, but she smiled to the four teens. "I'll start looking into it, find out what we need to do to make it all official. It may take some time, but if this is what you all want, then this is what we'll do."

"Hang on." Sadie said, "We haven't heard from everyone yet. Aunt Maria, are you ok with this? It's a big change for you, a much bigger commitment than you're already signed up for."

Maria nodded "Like I said, I've never thought about it before. But I think it's a good idea, Sadie. Thank you for suggesting it. And yes, I'm for it as well."

Amanda asked, "Even if it's not like, paperwork-official, since all five of us like the idea, can we just start acting like it's a done deal?"

"Good idea, sis." Sadie smiled.

Maria agreed, "Yes Amanda, good thinking."

Amanda got up and walked around the table, then surprised Beth with a hug. "Welcome to the family again, little sis."

Sadie and Jenny joined in as well, and Beth had a small smile on her face. She whispered "Thank you," while her sisters surrounded her in a group hug.

Maria stayed where she was for the moment, feeling a mixture of pride and fear. She did her best to hide the latter, and just smiled at the four girls. Her four girls. Her four daughters...

=:= Nathan =:=

Nathan watched as the photograph slowly emerged from his printer. It was a bit of an anachronism, he thought. It would be faster and easier to just forward the report he'd just received directly to Richard. But his superior preferred to be told such things in person, and he liked things on paper.

It was all a bit redundant anyways, Nathan thought. There was still a fifty-fifty chance Richard would ask him to forward the original report after they'd spoken. Still, Richard was the boss so he'd do it the way the boss liked.

He slipped the photograph into an unmarked folder, and was just about to pick up the phone to ask his boss for a meeting, when the alert popped up on the screen. Richard already wanted to see him.

Nathan took the folder with him as he exited his office. He knew there was a good chance Richard already knew about Jeremy's report, but at least he'd be prepared.

A few moments later he was outside his boss's office, and knocked at the door.

"Enter." Richard responded immediately.

Nathan did so, closing the door behind him. He stepped forward and took a seat.

As he settled into the large leather chair, his eyes were drawn to a somewhat unusual sight. There was a bottle of white wine on Richard's desk. The bottle was unopened, and appeared quite new. Nathan didn't know if the older man even drank, but he'd certainly never known his boss to drink while he was working.

Richard looked up and spotted the folder Nathan was carrying. "I see you have something for me. We'll get to that in a few minutes." He gestured to the wine bottle, "Have a look at that, tell me what you make of it."

Nathan set the folder down on the desk then picked up the bottle, taking a closer look at it, and its label.

He was no vinophile, but he recognized the bottle shape as being the kind he often saw used for German wines. The back label identified the contents as a blend of Gewürztraminer and Riesling, described in marketing-language how it should taste, and suggested what sorts of foods it might pair well with. The bottom of the label placed its origin as the Niagara region of Ontario, Canada.

Nathan turned it around to look at the front label. The winery called itself Divine Wines, and this particular blend was called Cadlais Haf. The winery logo was interesting. A wreath of grape vines surrounded a small pentacle, a labrys, and a wine glass and a bunch of grapes. Written along the outer edges of the label were markings that looked like decorative runes.

He frowned as he looked closer. The runes weren't just decorative, they were actual runes. He translated them in his head. The first half were gibberish, but he recognized the second half, and it gave him a chill.

The runes were part of an actual spell, using the 'Language of the Gods'. It looked like some sort of health or healing spell.

As far as Nathan could tell, there was no actual enchantment on the bottle or the label. Someone had put an actual spell on the label, but it had not been empowered. Even if it had, it wouldn't have been dangerous. At best, it would have had no effect at all. At worst, it might have enchanted the contents of the bottle and left the drinkers in very slightly better health than before.

As Nathan set the bottle back down on the desk, his boss asked "Well? What do you make of that?"

"Someone's stumbled onto something... I couldn't make sense out of part of the runes, but there is an actual spell on there. It's not empowered though." He hesitated, then suggested "It's possible whoever designed the logo just copied something they'd seen and liked the looks of? For the aesthetics?"

Richard shook his head. "Possible, but unlikely. I've already had it analyzed. The name 'Cadlais Haf' is Welsh, it loosely translates to 'Summer Merrymaking'. And the half of the runes you couldn't read were also in Welsh. Roughly, it says drink the wine and enjoy good health."

Nathan nodded slowly. "So whoever designed that label knows magic. Or enough at least, to understand the spell they've printed on the bottle..."

Richard leaned back in his chair and asked, "You remember that Awakening from about four years ago? We never did locate where that was, or identify who had been woken..."

Nathan's eyebrows went up. "You think the Awakening took place in Canada? That's never happened before, has it? A European deity returning to Earth on another continent?"

His boss agreed, "That I am aware of, no. But Oracle reported the Awakening felt Celtic in origin, possibly Brythonic. Here we have an odd mixture. Runes, a spell, and Welsh language on a bottle that comes from Canada. And the name of the winery, this can't be any more blatant can it? Divine Wines?"

Richard continued, "We've already done some preliminary research. The winery is owned by a pair of women in their mid-twenties. Along with the winery and vineyard, they also own a 'spiritual retreat'. All of this is new, by the way. They've put together the businesses and the estate in the past couple years. They aren't from old money, this isn't an inheritance. All of this has been accomplished since that Awakening."

Nathan nodded slowly, staring at the bottle again.

"I want you to put together a team, Nathan." Richard stated. "We don't have anyone in Canada, but it's a former colony so I'm putting it under your jurisdiction. Standard protocol. Identify and eliminate the Vessel and the Priest, or Priestess in this case. With them out of the way, round up and dispose of all remaining cultists and destroy all evidence."

"Yes sir." Nathan replied. "I'll get to work on it at once, have a team on their way overseas by the end of the day tomorrow."

Richard nodded, "Very good. Now, before you get started, what was it you brought for me?" He looked to the file folder.

"Ah, yes." Nathan picked up the folder. "Just before you called me, I received a report from two of my men based out of Cardiff. They've been tracking a uh, 'non-human entity' travelling in south-east Wales."

Richard sighed, "What is it this time, another changeling? Or something demonic?"

"Not exactly..." Nathan pulled out the photo and handed it over.

His boss stared at it with a frown. The photograph, obviously taken with a long lens, depicted two young women. The shorter one was blonde and looked to be in her teens, somewhere around sixteen perhaps. The slightly taller one appeared to be around nineteen or twenty, and had short light-purple hair. She also had light-purple cat ears on top of her head, and a matching light-purple tail. The two girls were smiling, looking at something off to the left. The feline-looking one had an arm around the younger one's shoulders.

Richard scowled. "Nathan this isn't a 'non-human entity', it's a catgirl. Please tell me your men aren't patrolling some sort of anime convention."

It was hard to keep the surprise off his face. Nathan didn't think his boss knew anything about anime or nekomimi. He kept his expression serious as he replied, "No sir. That picture was taken at Grosmont Castle, in Monmouthshire. My man Jeremy confirms that the uh, catgirl is not wearing a costume or prosthetics. Her feline appendages are real and genuine. He also confirms that there are traces of magic in both girls' aurae."

Nathan watched as his boss frowned and took a closer look at the photograph. As he studied it, Richard asked, "What else do we know about them?"

"Jeremy has determined that they're tourists, visiting from Canada. The past three days they've been staying at a Bed-and-Breakfast near Grosmont, in a little place called Cross Ash." Nathan paused, then added "My men don't know yet what the girls' business is in that area. It's not exactly a popular tourist spot for young foreigners."

Richard was still staring at the photo, when he raised an eyebrow. "Two 'tourists' from Canada who have been exposed to magic, spending time in rural Wales." He looked towards the wine bottle, "And a Brythonic deity that has Awoken in Canada, and has some connection to the Welsh language." He looked at Nathan, "This is no coincidence."

Nathan nodded, realizing the connection his boss was making. "What would you like me to do, sir?"

Richard looked back at the photograph. "You said you have two men trailing them?"

"Yes sir." Nathan replied.

"Have them destroy the abomination and bind the blonde." Richard ordered. "I want her brought here for interrogation and processing. And get that team on its way to Canada immediately. Once we've pulled everything we can out of the
girl's mind, you can update your people accordingly. But get them overseas and on the ground ASAP, Nathan."

After a moment he added, "Dismissed!"

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