Page 27 of They Were Broom-Mates

Amelie shrugged. “I don’t know that nice would be the right word for it, but it is comforting, knowing that I have someone there who understands why I am the way I am.”

Hestia nodded and opened her mouth to speak again, but stopped short, her gaze pausing at the doorway. Amelie followed her gaze and came face to face with a tired-looking Delia, carrying several books.

“Delia.” Amelie straightened and walked over. “Did you find a solution?”

Delia avoided her gaze for a moment, running her fingers up and down the spine of one of the books in her hands.

“No,” Delia admitted. “I just…”

Amelie paused, waiting for the shorter witch to continue. Though when it became evident that she didn’t quite know what to say, Amelie stepped forward again, taking some of the death witch’s books.

“Come on. Dinner’s almost ready, and it makes sense for us to all be together just in case something happens.”

Amelie half expected Delia to fight her on her declaration, but when she looked back at the smaller witch’s expression, the relief she saw told her everything she needed to know.

Gesturing for Delia to follow, Amelie led her over to the table and placed the stack of books down next to the window.

“We were talking about siblings.” Amelie began. “My brother Rowen is a stubborn jackass, but I love him, and Hestia here is an only child.”

Delia snorted under her breath as she settled into the chair. “That doesn’t surprise me.”

“Hey.” Hestia retorted, a pout playing across her lips, but Regina placed an arm around the redhead and pulled her in as a distraction.

“I have two sisters.” Regina offered, running a comforting hand through Hestia’s hair. “Both older.”

“Would I have seen them around town?” Amelie perked up, mentally going through Pumpkin Hollow’s residents and trying to match any of them to Regina’s features.

Regina laughed, mouth behind her hand.

“No.” Shaking her head, Regina smiled. “I wasn’t actually born here; my family lives in a town further South of here, Raven’s Glenn.”

“I didn’t know that.” Hestia turned her head slightly so she was looking up at Regina from her shoulder. “How’d you end up here then?”

“Mmm.” Regina tapped her lips with a single dark finger. “That’s… complicated. My mother and eldest sister are very powerful Divination Witches and were both stationed as Seers. My mother was at Raven’s Glenn, and my eldest sister was on the West Coast in a town called Harvest Point. I was originally intended to take over my mother’s position in Raven’s Glenn, but my second eldest sister was placed on the Council, and she convinced them to allow me to take on my own post.”

“Wait.” Amelie stood up straight again. “Your sister is on the Council of Seers?”

Regina smiled with a nod.

“Why did she send you here then?” Hestia piped up.

Regina sighed deeply and pursed her lips in consideration. “She told me that she had a vision about my placement, but I think she just wanted to give me a chance to live my own life outside the expectations and shadow of our mother.”

With a shrug, Regina continued. “But the reality is that I will never know the truth; the fact that she told me that she’d had a vision about me at all was already abnormal, so it could have been a lie. Either way, I am eternally grateful to her, as had she not done that, I would have never met any of you.”

The kitchen fell silent for a moment as everyone absorbed Regina’s words, but then a soft voice was heard from the kitchen table.

“Do you think the people who make placements ever make mistakes?”

Amelie turned her attention to Delia, who was staring directly downward at a book, chewing her lip.

Looking back at Regina, Amelie watched as the Divination Witch’s expression softened. Getting up and bringing Hestia with her, Regina walked over to the table and sat down; following her lead, Amelie met them there and sat in the seat directly next to Delia.

Surprised by everyone’s presence but seemingly accepting of it, Delia just sat there, watching like a feral cat.

“I think.” Regina started, folding her hands in front of her on the table. “That the people who make the placements deal with many complex magics on a daily basis, including the strings of fate. So perhaps something that seems like a mistake may not be a mistake at all. Rather, an administrative blunder that put someone right where fate wanted them to be and vice versa.”

Regina shrugged, watching Delia across the table. “Who’s to say? I don’t think anyone knows. Why do you ask?”