Coven meetings were always held on the first Monday of the month, and since Emily didn't usually have many plans in the evening, she was bound to go whenever they were scheduled. It wasn't that big of a deal. She would have used going out with friends as an excuse to get out of them, but she didn't have friends to use. She'd had a recent falling out with the closest thing she had a friend, Avery but she wasn't important. Or at least that's what she tried to tell herself to forget the hole in her chest every time she thought of the betrayal. 

Truth be told, Emily was used to not being the exciting person. She would have used after school events, but she wasn't in high school anymore. She had been out for a few years now, and the only thing she really had to fall back on was her college class, but she was good at keeping up on her homework, so she never had anything to do. 

Besides, it wasn't like she was trying that hard to get out of them. She actually liked going to the meetings anyway - and this time, it was important. It was more than a typical gathering they had. Everyone was here. Her parents, Marilyn and Gale, were able to make it with her, and Aurora and Bridger, her younger siblings, were dragged there as well. The little ones were still a bit too young to really understand what was going on, but they had to go because their parents told them to. It was a whole family affair.

Emily liked spending time with her family. She felt safest when she was with her parents, and maybe that wasn't a normal thing for most people who had just turned twenty, but she didn't care. Her existence was a simple one — She liked staying out of trouble, knowing that she was safer if she just followed the rules and didn't break the law. She wanted to be left alone, and keeping to herself was the best way to go about it. 

So, really, Emily was content following her siblings around, keeping a watchful eye on them. Her parents often made her the designated babysitter out of convince, but she didn't mind. She liked being the responsible one. She walked with a notebook in hand, sketching aimlessly as she tried to piece together the images in her head. She wasn't a very good artist, but she liked to draw. It was a good way to pass the time, and she hoped that maybe some day, she would make something of it. Maybe she could even sell her art, but that was a dream she would work on in the future.

Emily's eyes flickered toward Aurora and Bridger, watching as they ran ahead. She tried to keep up with them as they hurried out the front door, disappearing from sight. It was a little annoying that they were faster than her, but she had lost the sprint in her step long ago. She didn't know why her parents had decided to have children who were so much younger than her, but it was her problem now. 

"Dammit," she sighed in frustration. She was torn for a moment between going back inside or chasing after them. She couldn't shake the feeling of missing out on something important as she tried to keep up with her younger siblings.

"Come on, you guys," Emily called out, her voice a blend of urgency and resignation as she followed them further away from the building. The uneven rhythm of her footsteps mirrored the conflicting emotions within her. "We need to get back inside. The meeting is starting soon."

"Who cares?" Bridger replied with a nonchalant shrug, his twelve-year-old demeanor displaying a lack of concern. She wasn't surprised. Not much held significant meaning for him at this point in life, except for the thrill of collecting cards, the freedom of being outdoors, and occasionally, the company of his sisters.

Aurora, the vivacious nine-year-old, seemed to have boundless energy as she sprang toward her. How could she be so damn hyper all the time?  "I wanna stay outside! It's boring in there." 

Emily sighed, shoulders slumping. "You know you can't stay outside during the meeting. It's important, and we need to be there. Come on, let's head back," she urged, her words tinged with a mix of authority. She hated being the one to shatter their joy, but her patience was running thin. It would be different if it wasn't so serious.

Emily's gaze swept across the churchyard, her senses still on high alert. Everything already felt tense, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Like someone was watching them. She was just being paranoid, she thought. 

Something wasn't right. 

An eerie sensation settled in the pit of her stomach. The playful laughter of Aurora and Bridger became distant echoes as Emily's vigilant gaze shifted to the surrounding trees. 

And then, she saw them—two vivid crimson orbs, like smoldering embers, pierced through the darkness of the woods. The red eyes held a strange, hypnotic intensity, fixed on her with an unrelenting focus. Emily shivered. She wasn't sure what to make it of it at first, but as soon as she blinked again, trying to focus on it, it was gone. 

Of course. Whatever it was, it wasn't natural. It was one of them, a creature that went beyond the natural order. It wasn't right, and she knew with each second that passed, they were in more danger. They were being watched. A sense of panic kicked in, and she knew she had to protect her siblings. 

"Bridger, Aurora, we need to go back inside now," Emily called urgently, her voice carrying a tremor of concern. She hoped she didn't sound worried enough to make them panic, either, but hey had to hurry. She could still remember the way those eyes had pierced right into hers. She didn't trust for a second that they weren't planning something. 

Thankfully, they didn't seem to question it as they followed her back to the church. As they retraced their steps Emily couldn't resist casting cautious glances over her shoulder, half-expecting to catch a lingering glimpse of the mysterious watcher. Nothing was there anymore, but she was quite certain it wasn't her imagination. Something was going on. Did she tell someone? 

Part of her thought maybe it was best to keep it to herself, but the other part of her remembered that they were all guarded right now. Kailee would want her to tell someone. 

Emily felt a wave of guilt. Poor Kailee. She wished she had been there to help her, maybe if she did then she'd still be alive. But what was she meant to do? It wasn't like she was around her twenty-four seven. Now she couldn't be around her at all. 

Emily felt relieved once they were inside the church, but that didn't make her feel entirely safe. She found it challenging to shake off the residual unease that clung to her. Nothing was completely safe right now. 

"There you three are," their mother, Marilyn, exclaimed with a mix of disapproval and relief as they entered. Her gaze swept over them, a subtle furrow forming on her brow. "Where did you run off to?" 

"We were playing lava outside," Aurora eagerly informed her mother, her eyes sparkling. "There was still so much! But Emily said we had to come back inside."

Oh, Aurora. Emily sighed, wishing that it could be that easy. She wished the lava was her biggest concern. 

Marilyn sighed, her initial worry giving way to a gentle smile as she patted Aurora's shoulder. "Well, I'm glad she did. We're just about to start, so we better find our seats." 

****

"Mom," Emily began, still reeling from her earlier unease. She wouldn't have brought it up, but she couldn't shake it. It clung to her like a stubborn shadow. She had to speak to speak up. She didn't care if she was dismissed, but she had a responsibility to at least tell someone. Maybe it wouldn't make a difference at all, but she was hoping it might take her mind off it. 

"Yes, honey?" Marilyn responded, her attention shifting from a casual demeanor to one of focused concern.

"I feel anxious," Emily admitted with a heavy sigh, unsure of how to express it. She picked her words carefully, not wanting to cause too much concern while still being honest. "I thought I saw something watching me outside."

"Emily, you know that this is a trying time for all of us," Marilyn began, her voice both soothing but tense, as she chose her words with deliberate care, just in the same way she had. "We're all on edge right now. It's natural to feel a bit paranoid, but if you genuinely sense something, we'll take care of it."

Emily nodded, grateful and more reassured. It wasn't enough to entirely ease her worries, but it was good enough for now. As the meeting continued, the air in the church seemed to crackle with a blend of anticipation and unease. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, but she wasn't going to start going on about it like a crazy person. She didn't want to seem like she was just saying things for attention. 

Just as the meeting began to reach its conclusion, Emily felt a sudden twist in her stomach. The previously propped-open large doors of the church hall creaked shut on their own, a subtle but undeniable movement that sent a ripple of tension through the crowd. An anxious murmur spread among the coven members, a collective realization that something unusual was happening. The twist in Emily's stomach tightened. She felt like she was going to throw up. 

She could feel her mothers hand tighten around her own. She had been holding it throughout the last hour. It brought her a sense of security, but right now that wasn't enough to help either of them. 

Emily, gripped by a sense of urgency, decided to inch away from her seat. She looked around, seeing Mary Beth nearby. She approached her amidst the quiet murmurs. "I'm not imagining things, Mary Beth. I felt it again," Emily confessed, her voice barely rising above a whisper, as if afraid the air itself might carry her unease. "Something is not right."

Mary Beth met Emily's gaze with a shared understanding of the inexplicable disquiet that had woven its way into their reality. "I feel it too, dear," she acknowledged, her respoded. "Stay here. I'll go see what's going on."

As Mary Beth gracefully navigated through the thinning crowd, Emily remained in the subdued atmosphere of the hall, her senses on high alert. The flickering candles cast dancing shadows on the walls, accentuating the uncertainty that lingered in the sacred space. Emily's gaze followed Mary Beth's figure until it disappeared through the doorway, leaving her alone with the anticipation of revelations yet to unfold.

A sudden eruption of commotion shattered the lingering tension like glass breaking. The once-muted conversations ceased abruptly, replaced by the crackling sound of flames licking at the air. Panic rippled through the gathering like a shockwave as a wayward candle toppled, igniting one of the intricate banners that adorned the sacred space.

A collective gasp, part horror and part disbelief, filled the air as the fire eagerly embraced the fabric, casting an eerie glow over the room. 

"Emily!" her mother's urgent call pierced through the clamor. "Get Aurora and Bridger. Take them out, no matter what happens. Don't worry about me and your father." 

"Mom!" Emily exclaimed, a mix of exasperation and determination evident in her expression. She wanted to reassure her, to tell her nothing was going to happen, but the fear was overwhelming, and she found herself at a loss for words. All she could do was follow her orders. 

Aurora and Bridger. She kept repeating their names in her head, it was the only way to stay focused on what she needed to do. Her heart was racing so hard it felt like it was going to burst through her chest. 

"Bridger! Aurora!" Emily's voice rang out, both urgent and frustrated. She couldn't see them anywhere in the crowd. Where the hell were they? Did they run off again?

Damn kids.

Then, she saw them. Not the children, like she had hoped, but worse. The outlines of figures moved almost faster than she could comprehend, and a chilling realization settled in—vampires. She was right all along, they were being watched. It wasn't like there was anything she could do about it now, and she felt frustrated with herself, as if she could have been the one to stop this. 

They were feeding the fire, allowing it to swallow up anything in its path. Emily managed to somehow push herself through the crowd until she was in the lobby, where watched with horror as the doors slammed shut. Her heart raced, her eyes widening with horror. Her parents were still in there. 

How did they shut so fast? The question echoed in her mind, the realization settling with a gut-wrenching certainty—vampires were behind this. Who else would attack a church of innocent witches? Of course it was them. 

"Mom! Dad!" she cried out. Her outstretched hand reached for the brass handle, but the material was too hot, leaving a painful mark on her skin as she recoiled in pain. Panic intensified, and Emily frantically scanned her surroundings for an alternative, anything. Had they never planned an escape rout for anything like this? 

The nearest fire extinguisher stood across the hall, a cruel irony amid the growing flames that now devoured the once familiar space. Smoke began to fill the air, a choking reminder of the impending danger. She couldn't get to it, not with how quickly it was growing. She would be eaten up too if she tried.

She wanted to stay. She wanted to get her family out of there, and everyone else, too. But as her instincts kicked in, Emily knew she only had a matter of minutes left to escape if she wanted to get out alive. Her life would be worth nothing without her family, but she didn't want to die, either. Not now. Not like this.