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I woke to the sound of singing coming from my bathroom. "What the hell is that?" I grumbled as I pulled my comforter over my head, trying to block out the noise. Tarja's ears flattened against her head as she lay curled beside me, her silver-tipped tail twitching with annoyance.

" Your appliances appear to have developed musical aspirations, " she projected dryly into my mind. But the racket continued. What sounded like a tone-deaf duet of "Don't Stop Believin'" filtered through my bedroom door.

For a moment, I thought I was still dreaming.

Then I remembered yesterday's magical tattoo adventure with the divination and groaned.

Hauling myself out of bed, I waddled to the bathroom to investigate, Tarja padding silently behind me.

My electric toothbrush and hairdryer were the culprits.

They were enthusiastically performing a morning concert.

What was happening now? Had my pregnancy-enhanced powers decided to turn my bathroom into a reject from America's Got Talent?

Or had the powers behind my magical tattoo decided to torture me?

"Journey? Really?" I muttered. The symbol on my belly pulsed in response like it was giving me a thumbs-up for my musical taste. I relieved myself, washed my hands, and brushed my teeth. "At least pick something from this century," I said before leaving the bathroom.

The electronics switched to 'WAP' and I nearly choked on my spit. "That's not what I meant!" I yelped before I made my way downstairs as fast as my pregnant ass would allow, Tarja keeping pace beside me, her mental amusement clear despite her concern.

The sight that greeted me in the kitchen was pure chaos. Mom was trying to wrangle a spatula that had developed a passion for interpretive dance. Nana was squared off against the refrigerator, which was doing its best impression of a club bouncer.

" This magic feels... playful, " Tarja observed, leaping onto the counter to avoid a pirouetting whisk. " But there's something ancient underneath it. "

"Phoebe, darling," Mom called from the counter, "something's wrong with the appliances. The coffee maker just sent a message to my entire contact list."

I peered over at the coffee maker, which was humming strangely while Mom's phone lit up with notifications. "Since when can appliances text?"

"They're not supposed to," Aidon said as he frowned at his phone. "Just like they're not supposed to be moving independently."

As if to taunt him, the microwave door swung open and closed by itself.

The toaster popped up, but there was no bread in it.

Above us, the pots and pans were doing lazy loops around the light fixture.

Occasionally they clanged together like an amateur percussion band.

Mythia watched from her spot next to Mom.

She'd abandoned her usual breakfast preparations as she studied the strange behavior with narrowed eyes.

Tarja's tail swished thoughtfully as she observed the chaos. " The symbol's energy is influencing everything electronic, " she projected to me. " It's like it's awakening latent magic in ordinary objects. "

"This makes me think of adolescent powers gone awry.

I've seen many witches come through here asking Hattie to give their kids something to stop them from bringing chaos everywhere they go," Mythia observed.

"Only there's more behind this. There's old magic at work here.

It reminds me of the way ancient Fae enchantments feel.

Except this is playful but with purpose. "

"This has Lyra written all over it," Mom insisted as a colander drifted past her head. She tried unplugging appliances as she went, but they continued their performance regardless. "Who else would target us like this?"

Nana shook her head firmly, her coffee cup forgotten on the counter.

"No, this isn't Lyra's style. That witch makes big moves, not parlor tricks with kitchen appliances.

This feels different." She gestured to my belly.

"Maybe it's connected to that symbol. The timing's too convenient to be coincidence. "

Tarja's whiskers twitched in agreement. " She's right. This magic carries the same signature as your mark. "

Nina and Selene burst in from the backyard. They were both soaking wet. "We've got bigger problems," Nina announced, wringing out her shirt. "The wards are acting strange. They're not failing exactly, but..."

"They're pulsing," Selene cut her off. "Like they're responding to something. And the garden hose has developed a personality. It's making it impossible to check the boundary lines." She gestured to her dripping hair.

"The wards are pulsing?" I asked. My hand automatically went to my belly, where the symbol had been doing the same thing all morning. Tarja pressed against my legs, her presence reassuring.

"It's the same rhythm as your symbol," Mythia noted. Her sharp eyes missed nothing. "That's not a coincidence."

" The resonance is perfect, " Tarja added silently. " Like they're speaking to each other. "

Stella, who had been unusually quiet, started pulling ingredients from the cupboard.

"It could be, but we can't forget that Phoebe is in an unprecedented condition being pregnant with Aidon's babies.

Maybe we should try a reveal spell? Something to show us what's causing this?

" She dodged a floating whisk. "Before the kitchen decides to put on a full Broadway production. "

"It's worth a try," Mom agreed, joining her. But before they could start mixing ingredients, every drawer in the kitchen flew open at once. Spoons and forks rose into the air like a metallic tornado.

"Okay, that's disturbing," I muttered as we watched the cutlery arrange itself into what looked suspiciously like a choreographed dance number. Tarja's fur stood on end as she sensed the surge of magical energy.

"We need more help," Selene said firmly, ducking under a pirouetting spatula. "This is beyond regular magical interference. Between the symbol, the wards acting up, and now this..." She gestured at the kitchen chaos. "We need the coven's collective knowledge."

"A coven meeting," I murmured, rubbing my belly where my kids kicked me. "I should have thought of that sooner." But reaching out to the coven wasn't my first instinct. It probably never would be. Even after Hattie had given me my magic and I had joined their ranks, I rarely thought of them.

"You and me both," Mom said, giving up on her attempt to restore order to the kitchen. "Phoebe, call Lilith. This can't wait."

I pulled out my phone, but before I could dial, it started playing "Calling All Angels" on its own.

"Really?" I muttered and dialed Lilith's number.

Tarja's tail twitched with amusement as she settled closer to me.

" At least your magical appliance rebellion has a decent playlist, " she projected, trying to lighten the mood. She answered on the first ring.

After hearing about the symbol and the morning's events, she immediately agreed to call an emergency meeting.

"I can’t guarantee we will be able to give you answers, but everyone needs to hear about this," she had informed me.

"They need to be prepared should the disturbances spread.

Otherwise, you will be inundated with calls.

Be at the sacred circle by three. I'll contact the other elders. "

I hung up, mulling over Lilith's words. Even after everything we'd been through together - battles, magical crises, and more supernatural emergencies than I could count - there was still that edge to her voice.

That hint suggested I was an outsider who'd stumbled into Hattie Silva's magic and I wasn’t her rightful heir.

Sure, Lilith had become an ally, and had even helped protect me and my family multiple times, but it always felt like there was an undercurrent of judgment.

Like she was waiting for me to prove I deserved the power that Hattie had given me.

Then again, maybe I was being oversensitive. Pregnancy hormones had a way of amplifying every little thing. Still, it would be nice if, just once, she could treat me like a full-fledged witch instead of some magical charity case who'd lucked into power.

"Well," Nana said, interrupting my silent pity party, "at least we know one thing for certain. Life's never boring with this family."

“No, it never is, Nana,” I agreed.

The next hour was chaos as we prepared to leave.

Nina and Selene made one more attempt to ensure the wards were functioning properly.

Stella and Mythia worked to contain the more enthusiastic appliances.

Mom and Nana gathered some magical supplies, arguing the whole time about whether this was connected to Lyra or something else.

"Pack the protection crystals," Mom called as she dodged a floating measuring cup. "And the herbs. We might need to make a potion."

"Already on it," Nana replied. Her arms were full of supplies. "I added some of my special herbs, too. Whatever's causing this, it's powerful enough to affect both magical and mundane items. We need to be prepared for anything."

I watched from the doorway as my family worked together, feeling simultaneously grateful and worried.

The symbol on my belly pulsed steadily. Part of me felt like it was a countdown.

That could also be my pregnancy hormones making my thoughts run wild.

Regardless, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were running out of time.

Aidon appeared at my side. His presence was solid and reassuring. "I'm driving," he said firmly with his hand on my lower back. "Pregnant women under the influence of ancient magic shouldn't operate heavy machinery."

My phone chose that moment to start playing ‘Highway to Hell’. "Apparently, my phone agrees with you,” I replied before rising to my tiptoes to press my lips to his.

Mom’s voice interrupted what promised to be a heated kiss when she asked, "Everyone ready?"