The Sacrifice of True Love

Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End

August 11, 1962


It’s been two months since Carter first proposed to me.  It was the best night of my life.  He took me on a stroll in the park and when we got to the middle of the park, he got down on one knee and said, “My dear Lilianna, since the moment we saw each other that day at the playground, we became instant friends and then the best of friends.  More than that, I’ve love you since that moment and I never want to let you go.  Will you be my eternal partner in life?” Tears filled my eyes as I nodded shakily and he slipped the ring on my finger.


Still, my parents have no knowledge of the proposal since they were against us the moment we became friends.  Even my brother, Thomas, and my sister, Bell, stopped talking to me.  That is the problem with witches and wizards, they think they’re the superior species and will never accept humans.  Well, they are humans too and they live in the human world.  So they might as well accept that humans and witches and wizards can get along just fine.  Carter and I did even though he only knew half the truth about my life.  The other half I will always have to keep secret because it’s part of the coven code. 


Carter is the love of my life and I can never love another even if he’s the same kind and I don’t have to keep secrets.  Carter will always be my one and only love and mother and father will just have to deal with it.  If they refuse to accept us, then I might as well refuse to be their daughter altogether.  I will always be welcome at Carter’s and I will stay there until they learn to accept that we don’t live in a world that is just witches and wizards but humans too.


I shut my journal angrily and popped opened the small black square box on the desk.  It’s got the golden ring that Carter gave me that night in the park.  “It must’ve cost you a fortune.” I said out loud as I did the night he slipped it on my finger. 


Carter is only nineteen and his only income came from the commission of his door-to-door salesman job.  His family wasn’t exactly wealthy either after his father, Mr. Thomas, was injured in World War II, his mother was forced to support the entire family with her part-time nursing job at the hospital. 


Meanwhile, my family is incredibly wealthy.  My father is a big-shot lawyer for witches and wizards while my mother serves as his assistant.  Together, they con humans of their money.  Both of them are hardly ever home.  She’s always in father’s office typing reports on her fancy typewriter.  So I often just shut myself in my room writing or spend my time with Carter. 


We live in a small suburban town outside of Buffalo, New York called New Janestown.  It was said the town was founded by a witch named Jane who, according to town history books, escaped Salem, Massachusetts during the Witch Trials and built herself a home here and then others followed and so on.  That is why our power is so strong here because according to my parents, we draw power from those who passed on.  In another word, we get our power from the graves of dead witches and warlocks in the cemetery. 


Slam, I quickly sat up as I was suddenly aware of the movement downstairs.  Someone has come home.  I turned off the lamp and walked out of my room.  “Thomas, is that you?” I spoke into the hallway, echo filled the space. 


Shuffling of feet followed by silence, a few seconds later, a dark-haired with sparkling blue eyes young man emerged from the dark.  “Who did you think I was? Your human boyfriend?” Thomas asked smirking. He’s two years older than me but he’s always acted like the dominant male in the family. 


“No, I just thought you were someone else.” I replied.  He scoffed and went to the hall closet carrying his trench coat and hat and walked by without a second glance.


I went back upstairs to my room where I heard a loud ping coming from the window.  Someone was throwing pebbles at my window.  It was Carter and he was wearing the new cap I got him.  I opened the window and smiled.  “Hey,” I greeted casually.


He smiled back, showing his brilliant perfect teeth, “I was just thinking about you.”


“Me too.  Hold on a moment.  Let me climb down.” I swung my leg over the window sill and onto the vine filled ladder.  Then I climbed down quickly, step by step, until I fell into Carter’s arms. 

*****

“I missed you.” I’ve been stuck in the house all day housesitting for my parents.  It was good to get some fresh air.


“I missed you, too.” He replied.  “Are your brother and sister still not talking to you?”


I nodded.  “It’s been two months.  How long would it take them to see that we’re right for each other?”


We sat down on the bench behind a large shade tree that blocked the view from the house.  “Why are they so against us anyway?”


I sighed, one of these days, I will have to tell Carter the truth but how, what if he doesn’t accept me for what I am.  I took his hand into mine, “It doesn’t matter what they think about us, all that it matters is that we love each other and we are going to get married no matter what.”


He nodded, “It just feels a little odd not having your family’s approval on our marriage that’s all.”


“Yeah, but you’re not marrying them, you’re marrying me. Besides, I don’t think my parents will ever accept us.  I don’t know why but I just know.  It doesn’t matter, does it? All it matters is how much I love you, right?”


He smiled and said quietly, “Yes, that’s all it matters, I love you.” He reached and put my hair behind my ears and slowly pressed his lips onto mine.  I closed my eyes and let the love course through me.  All that frustration and anger I felt earlier seemed to have melted away as he pressed harder. 


I was on my back now as Carter had somehow laid me down.  “I love you.” I breathed. 


The love that Carter has sent to me distracted me completely as I suddenly heard movement coming toward us and fast.  I shot up straight, “You have to go and fast.” His face turned into a frown and I knew he misunderstood me.  “No, it’s not that.  There’s someone coming, I think is Thomas.  You better go. I don’t want to get you in danger.  Please, for me.” I whispered quickly. 


Our eyes met for a moment and he could see the seriousness in my eyes.  He rounded the bench and took off for the forest behind the property.  A couple seconds later, Thomas appeared.  “What are you doing out here?”


“I was just strolling, getting some fresh air.” I answered as calm as possible trying to give Carter as much time as possible to get past the hedges to the gate.


He smirked, “Yeah, like I’m going to believe you.  I saw you and that human scum kissing from the house.  Honestly, I don’t know what you see in him.  He doesn’t have any of the power we have.  Can he light a fire with his mind? Can he make objects float in the air? Can he protect you when danger approaches?” He pressed.  “No, he can. We can do all those things but he can’t.”


“It’s not always about power, Tom.” I argued.  A tear leaked from my eye.  “Forget it, you will never understand.” I wiped the tears and ran back into the house.  My family will never understand love.  It will always be power to them.


That night, I didn’t sleep well at all.  The thought that it’s been two months since I got engaged and my family is still clueless made me anxious.  Eventually, I will have to tell them that I am about to get married.