Three kids, four cores

Aria nodded with a stiff smile. "Sure," she replied. "I don't think it's safe for you all to stay here. As much as I want you in my sight, I can only let you go for now," Mrs. Andrews gestured to the other side of the shield. "Do you trust them?" Aria looked at them. Because of the shield, their figures were just moving blobs. Could she trust them? She had no choice but to; they are in the same boat. Could they trust Selena? That is another question; gods and goddesses are known to screw their subjects over. But even though she barely knew them, she felt at ease around them, like their being together was only natural. Then again, it is expected after nine lives working together, even though they couldn't remember any of it. "I trust them... with my life." Her mom seemed surprised. "Your life? That is a big one. How long have you known them?" "A short few days, but it feels like ten lifetimes." "Days? Aria!" "Mum, trust me, I know what I'm doing." Her mom stared at her, then she stood up. She walked to her small closet and opened it. She waved her hand, and a small section of the wall opened, revealing a small space with a small brown box in it. She removed the box and waved her hand to hide the opening. She walked to Aria with the box. "What's that?" "It's something I took from you kids when you were young; it was essential to the whole hiding your witch identity." She opened the box. Inside were four glowing orbs the size of a thumbnail. Even by looking at it, Aria could feel the pulse of magic. Her mom began, "When I gave birth to you and Sue, I expected one of you to be a Norm. Immediately, Sue came, I knew she had magic, but when you came, I felt magic within you too." "What's a Norm?" Aria asked. "Ah, a Norm witch occurs when twins are born, the balance of magic is tilted, and one twin inherits all the magic while the other is left powerless." Aria frowned. "That's awful." "Yeah, it is. I feared it would happen to my baby, but... But you had magic," she laughed. "It didn't matter though; I was planning to block your magic, so I took these." She pushed the box towards Aria. "These are your cores, the center of your magic." Aria looked at the orbs; her hands fluttered over one, and it glowed even brighter. "I guess this one's mine." Her mom chuckled. "Yes." "How do I tap the power? Do I eat it?" "Pfft, no, you just need to hold it to your heart—no, not here. It will cause a small energy surge, and that will alert Unity. Wait till you get out, let Sue and Jerry pick theirs." "Who owns the last one?" Her mom snickered. "Oh, that, I stole it from Unity; they confiscated it from the kid over there." "Oh, Garsam's friend?" "Mm, yeah." Mrs. Andrews mouthed a spell. The shield shook and disappeared. Ares and Garsam turned to them. "You finished?" Garsam asked. She was ready to leave before Ares puts Sinbad in permanent sleep. He had woken up twice, and Ares had knocked him out each time. "Yes," Aria answered. Mrs. Andrews turned to them. She was facing both of them, but her attention was on Ares, especially since she thought they were dating. "Take care of them, keep them safe, please." "I will, with my life," Ares swore. Mrs. Andrews gaped at him as she remembered what Aria had said. Her daughter trusted them; all she can do is hope they can all be safe. "Leave now." It was time to go, and Aria was hesitant. She didn't want to leave her mom. Suddenly she remembered something. She drew close to her mom and whispered. "In Everburn, I met someone who looked exactly like you. I asked her who she was, but... she told me to ask you." Mrs. Andrews froze. Aria could feel her stiffen. "It's... all in the past; don't worry; you'll never meet her again." "Who is she, Mom?" "Just someone; there's no time for this; you guys have to leave; it's almost time for my shift in the lab, so go." Aria could tell her mom was hiding something, but she didn't want to pry; even if she did, there was no time as her mom motioned them to a wall. Garsam was left to carry Sinbad. She placed her hand on the wall. Glowing lights were emitted, then the wall creaked and slid open to reveal a forest. "It's the back of the building, stay out of sight and return to your siblings." "Mom," Aria called. Her eyes were a bit red. "It's okay, love, I'll be done here soon, and we'll be back together. Stay safe; I love you." The wall closed up. Ares made them invincible, and they made their way around the fence to their camp spot. The chief had a quaint table set. He and Ivy were enjoying a cup of tea. Aria wasn't sure why the liquid was blue, though. Was it even tea? "Welcome, is this the famous... friend of our dear Garsam?" He teased with a cheeky wink. Ares stared him down. The chief shrugged. "What? I didn't say anything." "Get me a tent or bed or a hospital; I need to put him down; he's bleeding." The chief snapped his fingers. "How about a hospital bed." Garsam laid Sinbad down. Aria walked over. "Woah, that's a lot of blood." Her neck turned cold. "What the hell did they do to him in there?" Jerry walked out of the tent; he bounced over. "What are you all looking at? Who's that?" Ares pulled Aria away just as Garsam removed Sinbad's burrito blanket wrap to treat his wound. "Oh?" Jerry gasped. "Isn't he..." "Handsome?" Garsam interrupted. She shoved him away. "Go get me a bowl of water and some bandages." Jerry frowned at being ordered around. "Where am I supposed to find that? Should I ask the nice people in the building over there?" Aria rolled her eyes. "Tell Chief Lev to summon it." She turned to Ares, who was holding her in place. "Let go; I wanna help Garsam." "She doesn't need your help; your sister is alone, and you should give them the cores." Aria paused her struggle and looked at him with narrowed eyes. "How did you know about the cores?" He had eavesdropped. "I can feel the magic in the box," he replied with a straight face. Aria frowned, still a little suspicious. "Okay." "I can help you absorb it; it should help your sister wake up." "...Really?" Aria asked urgently. They entered the tent; Sue was covered up in a thick blanket, and beads of sweat lined her brows. Aria scowled; that Jerry! Aria placed the box beside Sue and opened it. Two cores glowed brighter than the rest. "Lay down," Ares instructed. Aria lay beside Sue. Her hand reached under the blanket to hold Sue's. "It will only take a second." Ares placed the glowing orbs on Sue's chest, then on hers. Aria took a deep breath as she felt a warm current flow through her. Her body warmed up, and she felt fuzzy, then the feeling disappeared. She looked down at her chest; the orb was gone. "Is that it?" She asked. "Yes, your power will be at full potential, and with practice, you can control it better... I'll teach you." Aria smiled. "Thank you." She turned to Sue. "Will she wake up now?" "Give her some time."