Days passed since the Council meeting, and Ivy was far from figuring out the truth. She couldn't get a hold of her mother, which wasn't uncommon. Occasionally, Gale disappeared and sought refuge in remote places. She and Ivy had done that while growing up in between moving from place to place. Ivy just wished she hadn't chosen now to do it.

"Almost ready?" Marina called from the living room. "Aura and Ella will be waiting on us."

"When are they not?" Ivy poked her head out of the bedroom and shot Marina a mischievous grin.

"Okay, yeah, you're right." Marina giggled, running a hand over her braid. She took a sip of her water and leaned back into the armchair.

Ivy went back to picking out an outfit for the town-wide memorial service. The mayor had caught wind of what had recently transpired, aka Calliope's death, and wanted to honor her – even though it wasn't related to the other murders. He wanted to use her death as a way to mourn everyone who had already passed.

"I always forget about the humans in Malachi," Ivy thought aloud. She slipped on black slacks and pulled a light gray sweater overhead. Her curls popped out of the neckline with a poof, some still getting caught under the edge of it. "It's so easy to sometimes."

"We're all so involved into our own little worlds." Marina's boots padded against the floor. She leaned in the doorway of the bedroom, crossing her arms. "Calliope did a lot for this town, even beyond the magical community."

"What do you mean?" Ivy asked. She spun around to give Marina one last look. She gave Ivy a thumbs up and rolled out of the doorway to let Ivy pass. "I thought most witches stay under wraps."

"No, no, they do." Marina pushed off the wall and grabbed the purse from a side table to sling it over her chest. "Calliope was an art teacher at Malachi Peak High School. She touched a lot of hearts there."

Swiping her black duster from its hanger, Ivy opened the front door to usher them out. "Weird. I never pictured her as an arts teacher. I knew she taught in the coven, but I thought that was it."

"Gotta make a living somehow," Marina said, walking a few steps ahead of Ivy down the hall.

Nodding in agreement, Ivy locked the front door and caught up to Marina. Ivy sent a jolt of power to the hallway's plants in passing. They perked up as she swept by and arched their stems in her direction.

"Someone's getting her powers back," Marina sang. They pulled up to the elevator, and she pushed the ground floor button.

"Slowly but surely." Ivy glowed, her smile beaming. She smoothed down the front of her outfit and played with the corner of her purse. A quiet ding signaled the arrival of the elevator, and the two stepped into it. "It started the day after the Council meeting. My vines started answering me again."

"Have you been drinking the tea?" Marina jolted back as the elevator came to an abrupt stop and steadied herself on the inner railing.

The doors slipped open to the building's small lobby. A few chairs and tables dotted the window lines, but other than that, the entryway was bland and blasé, complete with off-white paint. Ivy rarely hung out down here unless she was killing time to meet one of her sisters. More often than not, she was the one running late so they'd be the ones down there.

"Yes, the tea has been helping, even if it doesn't taste the best." Ivy rolled her eyes and grinned at Marina's motherly smothering. "I drink it twice daily per your instructions."

"It's not going to taste good. Trust me, I tried many variations." Marina opened the lobby's glass door that led to a small set of steps before they arrived at an iron gate. Marina ran her hands down the metal for half a second longer than necessary and tilted her head at Ivy. "How'd Hunter get past these bad boys?"

"I don't even know at this point." Ivy shook her head and followed her out. She stayed up late the past couple nights racking her brain on how Hunter had hid his fairy side from her. It still didn't make sense.

"Hmph." Marina tucked a hand into her jacket pocket. "That Council meeting was beyond weird..."

"Oh you know it," Ivy said closing the gate behind her. "Pretty sure Diana is my grandmother."

"You said that the other night." Marina stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, mouth falling. Ivy kept walking but slowed down. "And I'm still confused."

"You're telling me," Ivy laughed uneasily, "I literally just learned of her existence two nights ago. I've been trying to get ahold of my mother, but she's doing her Houdini act again."

"That's some serious...holy crap." Marina closed her mouth and caught up to her sister. They returned to their normal pace so their trek to the town center wouldn't take too long. "Have you thought about talking to Diana?"

Ivy looked at Marina under heavy-lidded eyes, her way of saying 'are you kidding me.'

"Okay, I see," Marina relented with a giggle.

"I wanted to talk to her after the meeting, but she was gone before I could find her." Ivy stuffed her hands deep into her jacket. Her fingers ran across the cool metal of spare pennies and nickels lining her pockets. "If she is my grandmother, this gives credence to what Tatiana said."

Marina tapped her chin and linked arms with Ivy. They turned onto the street block heading directly for the middle of town. Ivy could see her shop's sign from here. "I don't know much about Diana," Marina hummed. "The name is vaguely familiar, but the face wasn't recognizable. She could have worked primarily behind the scenes."

"Can you do some digging? See what you find?"

"What about Ella or Aura?" Marina gave Ivy a sideways look, her lips pulling at the corner. "They're better at research than I am. It does make up most of their jobs."

Ivy shook her head, her curls flying wildly. "No, no, I wanna keep this on the DL."

"First Griffin, now this, you can't keep hiding things." Marina straightened up, plastering on a smile at the sight of Ella and Aura walking their way.

"I will tell them," Ivy reassured her under her breath. She mimicked Marina in painting on a smile and spoke through clenched teeth. "I just want to understand it myself before I bring more in. This could lead to nothing."

"Griffin isn't nothing." Marina dropped the grin for a moment and faced Ivy.

"Griffin, what about him?" Ella asked as she intercepted their path. "Nice of you two to be on time. Oh wait, you're not."

"I'm never on time for these events," Ivy shot back, ignoring the Griffin question. She felt Aura's inquisitive eyes scrutinizing her, but Aura said nothing and nodded in agreement.

"I'll just be sure to tell you that events start 10 minutes earlier than they actually do from now on," Ella teased, rocking into Ivy. The group headed for the chairs on the lawn.

"Now that you told me, I'll be onto your plan," Ivy countered with a wink. They slid into their seats a few rows from the back. Ivy sighed in relief. She hated sitting in the front and having the feeling of eyes watching her. It didn't help that after the Council meeting, she heard whispers as she passed other creatures. Attention followed her everywhere.

Ella never got the chance to respond. Marina gasped, the quick sound pulling their attention toward her. Ivy followed Marina's gaze to the front of the wooden gazebo. Portraits of those fallen from the year stood in a line. Front and center was Calliope's smiling face along with a wreath of roses hanging over it.

Marina's eyes glazed over, a tear running down the side of her cheek. Ivy grasped her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. She looked at Aura to see how she was handling it. Aura started straight ahead, her spine straight as a rod. She clasped her hands in her lap until her knuckles blanched. Sighing, Ivy let Ella do her best at consoling Aura while she focused on Marina.

A figure dashing into a row across the aisle captured Ivy's eye. Before she registered the person, warmth gradually settled over her. Without seeing their face, she knew who it was: Griffin. When would her body stop having these types of reactions, she wondered.

Sensing her stare, Griffin peered over his shoulder. Ivy moved her eyes to her lap, a blush climbing up her neck. When she glanced up, he had his sights on her. She gave him a nod of acknowledgement; she'd been caught. No bother hiding now. His lips twisted into a smile, his face lighting up. His infectious energy reached her, and she couldn't hold back a grin.

"Thank you all for coming," a voice boomed over the microphone. Ivy halted the moment with Griffin and shifted her attention to the podium. "Our town, our community has been hit with a devastating amount of loss. Countless souls have perished."

"Who's that?" Ivy whispered, leaning toward Ella.

"That's the mayor." Ella shot her the side eye.

"Whoops," Ivy muttered tuning back into his speech. She thought she knew who the mayor was. Evidently not. The mayor gestured toward the row of photos with a sweeping arm and continued his speech.

The faces of countless creatures stared back at the crowd. Ivy recognized some from them being patrons of the shop. Each picture reflected the person. One photo of a werewolf showed her smiling without a care in the world as she leaned against a tree trunk. Another, this one a fairy, had him sitting across the table with a teacup in hand and a knowing smirk on his lips.

Ivy dragged her eyes over every face to commit them to memory. She wanted to remember those who had fallen for when they eventually found the monster responsible for this. As her gaze landed on Calliope, her breath caught in her throat. The elder's photo placed her in her house, the mantle and bookcases giving it away. The background was too blurred to tell, but Ivy was sure some of the books she had scooped up from Calliope's place were up there.

"Let it not be in vain," he said, his voice firm and pulling Ivy's attention back to him. The sunlight sliced across the square and shined down on him like a spotlight. He looked young with salt and pepper hair and stubble lining his jaw. The wrinkles around his eyes gave away his age along with the heaviness in his voice. This was a storm he'd probably weathered numerous times before as mayor of Malachi Peak.

"And now we've lost one of Malachi Peak's dear, dear members, Calliope Laurent." He motioned toward her photo and rested a hand on the corner of the frame. Pausing, he inclined his head forward and rested his other hand over his heart. "The woman was incredible and out of this world. Many had the pleasure of being one of her art students, myself included."

Rounding the space, Ivy took stock of the amount of creatures who filled the rows. Even Griffin sat amongst other pack members. A sea of wild curls caught Ivy's eye. Diana Vale sat a few rows from the front, her legs crossed over one another. Ivy wouldn't let her escape so fast today.

"Her spirit lives on and she'd want us to keep painting, as she'd say," the mayor said. "Thank you, Calliope, for everything you've done for Malachi Peak. We didn't deserve a woman as amazing as you." As he finished, he paused to give her photo one last nod in reverence. He retook his seat on the stage and sipped from his water bottle.

The organizer hopped up and thanked the mayor. She called for an open mic, allowing anyone to come up and say a few words for the fallen. To Ivy's surprise, many people stood up to grieve publically. Stories flowed freely to bring the dead back to life in the way only memories can. All the creatures spoke vaguely and avoided mentioning any powers. No one knew if humans were in attendance. Nevertheless, the catharsis hung heavy in the air like mist on a rainy day. After the final person spoke, the organizer ended the event, and people spilled out into restaurants and shops.

"That was...nice." Ella fumbled for the words. Marina hopped up wordlessly from the spot, her face wrought with sadness.

Ivy kept one eye on Diana to see where she went. When the elder witch peeled off, she knew this was her only chance. "I'll be right back," she said distractedly. Ella protested, but Ivy had darted off too quickly for her.

Weaving in and out of the crowd, Ivy lost sight of Diana behind shoulders before she reappeared again. When Ivy was a few feet away, within touching distance, someone hit her shoulder in passing. Her nerve endings fired up as if she had been hit with lightning.

"Sorry about that." The mayor looked down at her. His irises were a light brown with flecks of dark hues interspersed. Shock reflected in his features, but he covered it up with confident smile, his eyes crinkling.

"No, no, it's okay," Ivy said hurriedly. She careened over his shoulder to see how far Diana had gotten.

"Have we met?" he asked, confusion mixing with his confidence. As the mayor, he likely never wanted to seem out of touch with his residents or come across as rude. Forgetting a face could be seen that way.

"Maybe at some other town event." Ivy didn't look at him as she focused on her target. She would have to apologize to him the next time she saw him. No doubt her distractedness made her appear rude.

"Probably," he said, falling further back into the crowd. "Have a good day."

"You too!" Ivy replied, but he was already gone. She dashed for Diana who had put almost a full block between them. Damn, did Diana walk fast. She was heading for the other residential part of downtown, the opposite side of where Ivy lived.

"Diana!" Ivy called, her shoes smacking against the pavement. "Wait!"

The elder witch froze at the mention of her name. She turned on a heel to come face to face with a breathless Ivy. Her eyes widened in alarm, but she kept her expression guarded otherwise.

"I'm sorry to be so forward, but I have to ask." Ivy tucked a hair behind her ear and played with the small loop earring. Her eyes remained downcast, unable to meet Diana's. "Are you my grandmother?"

Ivy dragged her gaze from the cement to look Diana straight in the eye, waiting for her reaction. Elation then sadness fluttered over Diana's features. Her mouth dropped open to say something, but she closed it seconds later. Diana shifted to her back leg, and her arms folded across her chest. Ivy feared she might have jumped to conclusions.

"I promised your mother I wouldn't say anything."

A/N

(10/27/2020) I won't lie. This wasn't originally written as a two parter. Chapters 40 and 41 were meant to be together, but then it would have been superrrrr long. Plus this way, I get to drag it out one last time :D

Teehee

Yes, that is the signal that the end is near.

This past month/month and a half has been rough. I've done a lot more reading but less writing. I started book two, but I'm not very far into it.

Thanks again for all your love on this story <3