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I hurried. “I’m sorry I lied to you all. I was scared if you knew the truth you wouldn’t let me stay and I also…” I shook my head, burying my face in my hands.

“So you’re the Snow White. The princess, Snow White. The Snow White that no one has seen in years and thought was dead.” As if putting all the pieces together, he slapped the table. “Well shit, that makes sense.” Enzo bellowed.

“There’s more…” I mumbled, taking in a deeper breath.

Gideon crossed his arms across his chest. I don’t know why I kept being drawn back to him. He was never kind to me- not rude, but never kind. It was like he suspected me from the beginning, but he never said anything and now was proven right.

“I don’t know where to begin with this next part.” I looked up, hoping something would give me inspiration or encouragement. “Part of what I told you was the truth. The dark Queen left me locked up in a room from basically the time she moved into the castle after my mother died until I escaped. I’ve been having dreams about my mother, but she was warning me. She told me I needed to find Persephone to learn the truth about me… about who I am… so that’s where I went.”

“The white witch?” Jace asked.

“Who are you?” Enzo asked, sitting forward, excitement filled his eyes like this was some fairytale and not my real life.

I kept my eyes glued to him, his stare giving me the silent reassurance I needed to tell the next part. “She told me I was born from magic, harvested for youth and hunted till death.” My lips pinched in a hard line. “I was born from magic. She told me that…” I felt a tear on the rim of my eyelid. “She told me the dark Queen is my mother.”

Everyone except Barrett gasped.

“I had no idea.” I tried to reassure them, feeling an uneasiness in the room. I ran them through the details of how and why I was born and why the dark Queen wants me dead. Once I finished talking, everyone stared at me for a moment without speaking.

Barrett stepped forward. “Scar- Snow. If you want to wait in your room, we will vote and let you know the outcome.”

I nodded, looking at everyone’s faces one more time before I left, hoping it wouldn’t be the last time.

I heard Enzo ask about Gage’s vote while I was walking up the stairs and heard Barrett say he had already given it. As I passed his room, I got the strange urge to just climb into his bed and cuddle up with this comforter, but I ignored the feeling and continued to climb the stairs.

I waited patiently, pacing around the room, and then decided to get my pajamas on. If they were going to evict me, they wouldn’t do it tonight… I hoped.

Some time later, there was a soft knock on my door. I opened it, expecting Enzo or maybe even Barrett, but instead found Gideon. I tried to get a read on his face, but he gave nothing away. Always so stoic.

I followed him silently down the stairs as my heart tried to beat a hole through my chest.

When we got downstairs, Gideon took his seat, and I walked in front of the kitchen island and put my hand on it for support.

“The vote was unanimous.” Barrett started, and my heart fell. “We want you to stay.”

“Wait, what?” I was shocked. Unanimous. Gage? Gideon? They voted for me to stay?

Enzo jumped up from his seat like a spring that had been forced into a box for too long. “Come here, girl! We aren’t going to let that evil woman get her hands on you! You are one of us and we protect our own.” He wrapped his arm around my neck, pulling me in for a hug.

I turned into him, burying my face in his neck as tears fell uncontrollably. “Thank you.” I looked up at the group. “Thank you all so much.”

Gideon, showing no emotion, warned, “You will need to watch the dark Queen. She will come after you.”

I nodded.

“She has spies everywhere,” he continued. I got the feeling it was from personal experience perhaps… is that why he is so guarded? Untrusting of others? Untrusting of me?

With Enzo’s arm still around my waist, he looked at me. “So since you’re a witch… what kind of powers do you have?”

“What he really wants to know is if you can make his dick bigger?” Calix chimed in.

“My dick is plenty big enough,” he defended, then cut his eyes at me and whispered, “But if you could… let me know.”

I laughed, then turned my gaze to the rest of the group. “I don’t know what kind of powers I have. The white witch mentioned something about being about to speak to nature, having a connection with animals, but aside from that, I have no idea. I asked her to help me, but she said she couldn’t.” I shrugged. “I don’t know why.”

“Because she’s a white witch, she can’t interfere with dark magic.” Jace interjected.

“I’m not though…”