Down the rabbit hole :Chpater 7: Runaway Witches

Clarity rubbed her eyelids open. Her little sister Lya, was curled up in a small ball, barely taking up any space. Clarity smiled as the light of the bright sun seeped through her gossamer white curtains. Instantly heating the hard wood floor. Clarity slowly lifted her legs out from under the duvet and onto the hard wood. She tiptoed to her wardrobe, where all her gowns and blouses and skirts hung on hangers and racks. Making it easier for organism.
It didn't take long for her to choose a sea foam green tired dress thatended at her ankles. She didn't bother to reach into her stockings drawer. She didn't wear stockings. They got all bunched up at the end of the day.
SHe slipped it on with ease, hoping Lya hadn't awoken yet, and tiptoed out of the room. The bedroom hall was silent, and each door was shut air tight. A light snoring came from the guest room Uncle Alan was staying in. He could sleep 23 and half hours a day if he wanted to. The other half was for eating frosted chocolate cakes. Clarity's stomach gurgled sadly.
Clarity gentily placed her foot on the first stair-step, knowing they were creaky, she didn;'t want to wake anyone up, knowing it was quite early.
She grinned at her silent accomplishment and skittered herself past the den and into the warm kitchen .Knowing that freshly made bagels, jams and maybe a few butters waited for her to munch lovingy on them. But instead, their was a quiet sobbing. She flattened herself on the wall beside the kitxchen doorway, not wanting to disturb the cry. She rocked her head slightly towards the door, hoping that she would catch sight of the sobbbing relative.
She saw her dark haired, rather stocky aunt Rowena. HEad down, sobbing into the table cloth. What wass he doing here? She was supposed to go back to Scotland right after MErri's birthday. She was a principal, after all. Clarity's stomach gurgled sadly. Each beat a syllable feed-me-clar-it-y.Sl owly, she turned on her heel. HEr full figure taking up all space in the doorway, but Rowena took no notice and continued to sob. Clarity approached with sheer caution, and tapped her aunt's shoulder slightly. Rowena's head perked up, and whirled around.
" Oh, Clarity. I'm sorry, it was just..I recieved a letter. From my husband, something happened to our daughter."
Rowena said shakily, her voice craking suddenly and her eyes stained red. Clarity put her hand on her aunt's shoulder consollingly.
" Is she..." HEr voice dark.
" No, no. Not dead. She just ran away, quite far away. Albania. And she brought a very prescious item along with her. Rebelious child, that Desdemona ."
Clarity scrunched up her features. Albania? Why run there? She had almost forgotten about her cousin Desdemona. She was away at school since she became 11. It was odd, really.
" What did she take?" Clarity asked, curiously. Her aunt's eyes looked a bit surprized, but she answered unwillingly.
" Just..my...old notebook. I am sure your father had one too long before we met Mavis.."
Rowena instantly sounded more brilling than before. Clarity nodded. A diadem. A crown. Interesting.
" Well, i'm guessing your far too hungry to continue this conversation. So, why not lt me make you some breakfast. Bagels? jam?"
Rowena asked, Clarity nodded eagerly. She loved Bagels and jam.And so the two outcasts ate their breakfast together.
" You know, that Merri's a lucky lady. Marrying Gildoery! she'll be pampered and rich!"
Aunt Rowena said, nautingly. Clarity had never thought about what her cousin's fiance' was like. She thought of him just as "Gildorey", Merri's beau.
" And that Brielle. What a charming face, but her buttery voice doesn't produce buttery words. I think it was last night, you were off helping Lya with the beddings, that Brielle and Ginnie were quarreling. Nasty, venomous words being spat. But Brielle had brought out the biggest weapon! Her be-"
" Morning! Everyone! what a lovely villa, chez Trembul, no?"
Bollocks.

Down the rabbit hole :Chpater 6: Nightmares and trading

Clarity pulled her lavender duvet over her head, and curled up in the warmth. She stared into the humid, blackness, thinking over what had happened. HEr cousn's soon to be marriage, her old friends returning to England after 12 years, Brielle, sayin gthat Clark would propose, how quiet Portia got and how much Ginnie seemed to care about Clark. Alot of emotions fludded through Clarity's mind. Confusion, excitment, happiness, and the odd urge to dry heave.
HEr thoughts soon trailed off into dreamland, where Clarity llived u to her best potential. HEr dream started out with her, stumbling through an endless field of short cut grass, with no sign of ciivilization. She fell to the hard earth. Ready to give up, when something flew past. The speed of lightening, the colour of a passionate fire. She ran after it, her beacon of hope. The beacon began gliding, lower, lower until it was close enough to the Clarity for her to put her arms around it and to carry her away.
It was a bird, with feathers the density of ice,and the colour of autumn leaves. It's talons prodded out below it's stomach, glistening golden. It's beak, opened slightly, curved at the edge, just enough for it's lavender tounge to sprout out. Clarity had a notion to name it Clarence.
Clarence the fire-bird flew over the endless fields of bright green grass, and hovering, over a dark, dank forest. The gnarly tree branches curved around each other, each tree giving the other one a hug. They bare no leaves, and the wind blew them all around frantically. Clarence, leaned to one side, and larity's sweaty palms began to loosen grip, panicing, she began to scream, but the bird just kept leaning, untill Clarity's soaking fingers slipped off the last glass feather. Tumbling through the freezy air, down and down and down until the earth was inched from her face. She could hear the bird, cackling her name, Clarity! Clarity! Clarity!
" Clarity!"
Clarity opened her eyes, quickly, to see her sisters and mother surrounding her bed. Nyree, hiding a snicker in her red and violet silk pajamas.
Alice sat on the side of the bed, and ran her thin fingers through her middle daughter's hair.
" You were sreaming. You probabley woke up the whole house."
She said, smiling lightly. Alice stood up, and Clarity noticed her mother was properly dressed. Holding a suit case.
" Where are you going?" Clarity asked. HEr voice was groggy, and it made Lya jump a bit.
" Were trading with China in three days. I need to get on the boat as soon as i could've. I'll be back, your Grandmother, and Uncle Alan are i the house abd Aunt Gabrielle will be coming everyday. I'm guessing Portia, Ginnie and Clark will be coming too."
Alice said. Scruffling up Lya's hair, and kissing all three of them goodbye, she departed out of the room, down the stairs and away intot he night.
Nyree sighed heavily, and made her way tot he door.
" G'night. I NEED my beauty sleep."
Lya rubbed her hands together tentatively. Looking up at her sister.
" Did you have a bad dream too, Ly?" Clarity asked, concerned. Lya, surprizingly shock her head. She never spoke much.
" I don't want you screaming again. Can I sleep in your bedroom?"
Clarity smothed a coulic on the top of Lya's hair. " Yes, hop in."

Down the rabbit hole :Chpater 5: Sneaks and Principles

Clarity wrapped herself up, all cozy in a lavender duvet. Lovely, rainy Fall was aging into cold, brisk Winter.
The after-party party had completely died down, only a few family members remaind, tering, and drinking while their childeren were upstairs. Suffering from the heatless, dry, upstairs bedrooms.
Clarity sat, hunched on her four-poster bed. Tuning in and out of Ginnie's release-rant.
" I knew it! I knew that when i buggered off to Scotland everyone changed!"
Ginnie steamed, she was pacing around Clarity's bedroom, picking up small trinkets, or heavy novels, weighing them in her hands, and angrily stuffing them back in place. Clarity couldn't help but wince, very loudy when her father's book of poetry was slammed into the bookcase. It was hand-sewn, and very old. It needed to be treated with delicate fingers, not ones filled with rage.
Portia sipped quietly at a mug of hot cocoa from downstairs. She was also able to sneak up some strawberry frosted cakes, cucomeber sandwhiches, ginger-beer, and grape lollies. Clarity nibbled at the side of a sandwhich, trying not to get the crums on her bed. Ginnie seemed to be too frustrated to eat, which was terribly unlike her usual face-stuffing ways.
Then again, Clarity,Portia, Clark and Ginnie's adventures as Clear,Potion, Click and Ginger happened 12 years ago. Before they all "Buggered off" to Scotland, school and France.
Clarity stopped daydreaming right as Ginnie stopped talking, breathing heavily into a strawberry frosted cake. The room was quiet enough to hear into the other room. Nyree's room.
Ginnie and Portia both noticed, and if they were all telepaths, each of them jumped off of their seats and ran to the right wall, pressing their ears air-tight againest the wall.
The unatural high-pitched giggle only to be Brielle seeped through the wall, followed by Nyree's chuckle.
" I'm sure he'll propose very soon!"
A voice, unnameable said, exictedly. Ginnie's facxe began to flush, only guessing who "He" was.
" Oh, I know he will. I've been having this, sentiment d'amour, tuant tout autour de nous"
Brielle oozed, her perfect french causing Ginnie to gag. Clarity held back a giggle. They were to continue listening, when the door opened, loudly hitting againest the wall. Clarity jumped, Ginnie gasped, and Portia choked on her cucomeber sandwhich.
" Girls? What in the world are you doing?"
The heavily scottish accented, woman asked. Her eyes a piercing, electirc blue, and her feathered long hair the colour of ink.
" Oh, nothing, just...listening for..rats."
Ginne said, nervously. Portia laughed slightly, as the dark haired woman rolled her eyes, smirking. `Listening in on Nyree?
Clarity opened her eys, quite shocked that her aunt Rowena knew her so well. Rowena had been off in Scotland, principlaing a school with her 3 colleagues. Clarity LOved the idea of that. She too, wanted to a be teacher.
But for a strange reason, all the family members resented Rowena, and they didn`t want any of their childeren atending her school. She only scoffed, saying none of them were `qualified`soteven be sent an accecptance letter.
Auntie Rowena Ravenclaw was even to much for Alice to handle at times.

Down the rabbit hole Chap 4: A possible brain Vacancy

The tightly shut, white painted parlour door burst open in a flurry. Silk gowns and coloured locks tangled all withen each other.
Portia gasped, Brielle let a slight shreik out, and Uncle Alan began snoring even louder than before.
" Nyree, please have some manners. You know it's unpolite to enter a room without knocking."
Alice said, sternly to her eldest daughter. Who's looks of excitment slowly turned to confusion and shame. Nyree scuffled into the room, two girls wafting in behind her.
" I'm sorry mother, but I had gotten ever so exicted after i heard that my best friend Breel is actually back!"
At the sound of her ( horribley misthronounced) name, Brielle waltzed over, as if walking on air and landing at the feet of little blonde mess.
" Nyree! It's been forever hasn't it? England sure did pay it's toll on my meilleurs amis, I did miss you whilst I was studying my days away in.. France"
Brielle said, saying the word " France" as though it was charming, amazing and the best thing that she had ever came across. It probabley has been, too.
One of the girls behind Nyree began to nibble on the side of a cinnamon frosted cookie, as the other one sat, uncomfortably beside uncle Alan. Trying her best not to let her silken covered thighs touch his.
Nyree and Brielle began chittering about useless things, as they sat down beside Clark on the auburn chesterfield.
As the room seemed to simmer down, the door yet again opened. Slowly, and steadily though. Creaking slightly as the profile of theperson was revealed from side to side.
An elderly woman, with a moth-eaten, blue knit shawl sprawled across her shoulders. She wore many beads around her neck and wrists, and a scarf tied loosely around her whitened threads of hair. She had a glazed, look, her eyes filled with pure dottiness.
"Hello mother, I didn't see you at Merri's garden-party."
Gabrielle said, slowly and casualy.Alarica Burns Trembul, was Alberto Trembul's ex-wife. She mothered most of the Trembul cilderen, and was treated with utmost respest in Trembul house-holds.
" Please sit down Alarcia, have some tea."
ALice said, motherly to her mother-in-law. People treated Alarcia delicately,even though she was strong for a 80 year old woman. Nyree's friends looked at Alarcia up and down, odd looks upon their faces, as though it was appalling to become old.
Clark, after many minutes of silence had finally spoken, mainly addressing with woman withen the room, other than Clarity, Portia and Ginnie.
" Grandmother, Aunt Alice and Gabrielle, this..is my beau, Brielle. I was meant to introduce her earlier, but i had been distracted by Ge-somethings around the room.
Gennie's teeth grinding, and Portia's anxcious finger taping were drowned out entirely by the ringing sound in Clarity's head caused by the sight of Brielle and Clark....SNOGGING.

Down the rabbit hole Chap 3 A tight knit reunion withen well known strangers.

Clarity rest her fingers on a small, unblooming rose bud. She was crouching, in behind the hedges. The party had died down after the proposal, and only a few guests remained. Happily fleettering about their weekends, now that their least favorite relatives were long gone.
Clarity never talked to her cousins, even though she had many, whom her company was always wanted. She turned them down everytme, to play with spiders or read a novel. Rumours had been sparking up that Clarity spoke to ghosts. That wasn't true, even though Clarity would enjoy talking to someone with experience in life, unlike her many, clueless cousin. They could have Nyree.
" Clarity,"A small, soft voice only recgonizable as Clarity's cooky mother Alice. She approached her middle daughter without caution, croutching down next to her slightly.
" Would you like to join your family in the tea parlour? We have some nice freshly made coffee, i know it's expensive but-"
" I prefer tea."
" We have vanilla frosted cookies too."
" I prefer chocolate."
Her mother shook her head, smiling. Alice stood up stooping over her yellow clad daughter.
" You are the fussy little one aren't you?Nyree loves everything you hate, and Lya doesn't care.."
Clarity nodded slightly as her mother trailed off. As Alice strode off, she called out to Clarity
" You ca join whenever you want to!"
Clarity ignored her mother, and stayed crouched in the bushes as the entire garden seemed to claer out. Running away from the family reject.
Clarity stayed their, searching for spiders as hard as she could, but no luck. She decided to just go join her family. No one had spoken to her in monthes. Striding off into the tall grass that led to her white stoned home. It wasn;t very small, but it wasn't a palace either.Just as she reached the cobble stone steps, some ran past her eye. A mouse? a rat? something small. And grey. She shrugged it off and continued inside.Her usually eerie, queit subdued home was interupted by bustling men women in light coloured gowns, childeren, her age and younger were running up and down hallways, in and out of rooms and all the way upstairs.
They better not touch dad's study room Clarity thought bitterly. She made her way into the tea parlour, and to her surprize, it was full of her favorite people.
Aunt Gabrielle, her father's younger sister by 2 years. She was a very intriguing woman, if she had a feeling, she felt it through her entire being.

Uncle Alan, he was about sixty, one of her oldest uncles. He was a jolly man dressed in tie-less suits and unbuttoned jackets. He was known creating his own alchoholic concoctions and passed out after consuming them. Never married for some reason, though.

Cousins Portia, Clark, and Ginnie. They were the most understanding cousins. And the most fun. None of them were sibling though, but their ages all matched. Back then, when Clarity liked to spend time with her family, they four would go on treasure hunts and ocean adventures. Burrying some of Aunt MAvis's most important items in the backyard was Clarity's absoloute favorite activity.

" Glad you could join us!"

Alice said, behind her daughter, coming in through the doorway with a tray covered in vanilla,strawberry and cinnamon frosted cakes, and cookies, two teapots, one filled with tea, and another with coffee. Alice smiled meakly towards her daughter, trying to please her desperately. She placed the tray down on the raised table. Everyone reached for the tray at once.

" Hey Clear!"

A phlegmy voice excled joyfully. Clarity turned to find a wide eyed brunette, gangly and stalky, towering over everyone else. She had a growth spurt over the spring, Clarity thought. She was taller than Uncle Alan!

" Potion! It's been ages!"

Portia smiled, revealing two rows of perfectly placed, white teeth. She always was the pretty one.

" I know, hasn't it? I haven't been having a picnic since I went off to school thoguh. No one really likes me."

Portia said, referring to St.Atome's academy for young ladies. Portia's father, uncle Albert, insisted Portia be seperated from the boys. Apparently, Boys are trouser deamons! Bad influences and struck in the head. Stay away from them! Or you will loose all your merits and acheivments. Just ask your mother!

Albert never really did like any male friends Portia socialized with. He a bit shaky even with his own nephew.

" Clear? Is that you!"

A pair of piercing, tea green eyes only to belong to a member in the Felisus family. Ginnie, a short sized, short-tempered red head. Always the leader in our many adventures.

" Ginger! yes, yes it's me."

Ginnie hugged her best friend. They hadn't spoken since Ginnie moved to Scotland, but they did send a few letters.

" How's Clark doing?"

Clarity asked, awkwardly. She had always felt something between her and Clark. They weren't even cousins. Just extremely close family friends.

" He's...changed a bit. Since the lost days. He's not entirely himself."Ginnie stammered. Portia was lost in a gaze, as the three friends stared at Clark, questioningly. He had gotten very handsome over the years. He had changed personality wise too. Not the same boy Clarity used to chase around the garden, trying to put a spider in his ear.

" Hasn't anyone taught you, it is rude to stare!"

A shrill, high, unfamiliar voice chirped into Clarity's, and her friend's ears.

Brielle Evanswoode. Her father and Clarity's were working partners for a brief time period in france, and she's been invited to parties ever since. She was a goody-two shoes, and never approved of their adventures, even if she begged to join just 3 minutes before.

No matter how horrid she was, she had still been blessed with that heavenly face. Perfetly chizzled features, her eyes practically glowing in their sockets. It wasn't fair.

" Oh, sorry. We didn't notice that Clark was now your property!"

Ginni e steamed, Ginnie and Birella Hated each other deeply. But that hatred was just about to get stronger!

Down the rabbit hole :3 Chap 2 a Lovely birthday, and marriage by Gildorey.

The sun drifted away underneath the clouds to proove it's point that mid-day had ened and it was now 6 o'clock. Clarity had been dragged out quiet forefully by her crab apple of a step aunt, Aunt Mavis.
She was her dad's older step sister who was constantly critising her brother on his choice in wife and ways of raising his childeren. He was always in his study, writing non-sense, he didn't have anytime to teach his daughters anything! and his wife oh! always rambling on about rabbits, hats and roses! i must admit, if i didn't know any better i'd have thoughtthat dear Alice was insanely bonkers.
By what aunt Mavis meant was, she wanted neices that would be prim, proper, obeidiant and would give up their freedom by the age of 20 and marry a possibly horrid man. Clarity thought it was all a bunch of nonsense.
Everything at this birthday was extremly boring. There were 24 simply white tables with a boring flower arrangement of a single lilly./ The type that you would lay gently on a coffin at a funeral. All the women wore either a light peach or beige and all the men a light brown. There were only 8 guests per table, and everyone sat so stiffly and straight that Clarity thought that they had all shoved wooden boards up their backs.
Conversation was mild and dull and no one acted as though thy were friends or family. Clarity let out a moan and let her head drop on the hard white table.
" Ouch..."
Clarity whispered, only loud enough that her sister Lya could hear, but she ignored Clarity and just kept taking large gulps of the bitter tea. Clarity always thought tea tasted odd, but this tasted like bile. Then aghain, it was made by Step-aunt Mavis.
CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK! her eldest cousin Merrie tapped her tea cup with a spoon. All eyes except Clarity's were now on Merrie. Her smile was emensely large. So large that it must be fake.
" Thank you ever so much my welcomed guests. This had been a very nice birthday."
Yeah right Clarity thought.
" I would like to thank you all for the genourous gifts, like Aunt Adeline and this gorgeous rose coloured dancing gown, or uncle Horace and this beautiful china dinning set. I'll be so pleased to use them!"
Merri was layering the honey-tone of her voice on a bit too thick. You could tell her large toothy grin was forced, and Clarity knew that her eldest cousin was to bust snogging her Boyfriend Gildorey Rafiel to go out dancing or even dine.
" Oh Merrilee, you atill have one package left!"
Merri's mother, Aunt Molly said kindly. Aunt Molly was one of my favorite aunts. I had alot to choose from though! My father had a big family, of 6 boys and 5 girls, his mother, my granmother, had died and was replaced by a younger ( much younger) woman who bore 4 more childeren. all girls. All of them married, so i hav 30 aunts and uncles on one side, and 2 on the other.
Merri frowned alitte. More at the sound of her givin name, Merrilee, than the aspect of skipping a present.
She shook her head, no hair fell out of place.
" I don't see anything mother,"
Merri moaned, distraught. Her mother smiled sweetly as a man, with short brown curls waddled his way up to the long table where his true love sat, undistracted by the thought of an unopened parel.
" This-is your gift sweetums."
Gildorey said, softly, gently place a small robin egg blue box upon Merri's peach clad lap.
She undid the ribbon lightly, and threw it over her shoulder, hitting uncle Robert in the face in the process.
" Oh my goodness, Gildorey! It's beautiful!"
Merri shrieked in delight. She stood up, holding out her left hand. Happily pointing to the diamond encrusted wedding band upon her fourth finger.
" I'm getting married!"
Merri shierked. The garden erupted in soft appaulase, as Merri and Gildorey shared a pre-wedding snog.
" Merrilee is getting married. What a surprise."
Nyree spat, bitterly. Staring into t he dark brown bile that sat in a rose coloured tea cup.
Why would Nyree be upset? She's 4 years younger than Merri!

Down the Rabbit hole Chap.1 A a death-filled birthday beginning

Down the Rabbit Hole chapter 1: Clarity watched in amazment as a tiny little eight legged being scurried up and down her arm. It tickled her wrists lightly as it scampered along it.  Clarity Trembul always had an interest in spiders. Of all sort. She was espicially found of the foreign ones that were extremely poisonous. They were always so beautiful. But mum never let her keep any. Said they were quite dangerous if handled incorrectly, and her sisters would be to petrified to enter their own house.  Clarity was "playing" ( she was actually hiding from the party guests) in the back hedges where bushes of red roses grew. When she was little, her mum said that she painted all the roses in the garden. At first Clarity though she ment on a canvas, until her mum rubbed a petal of the nearest rose and it's beautiful red had evaporated under her finger. Clarity's mum was a tad odd, but Clarity embraced her mum's quirkiness with open arms.  Well, the main reason Clarity loved the back hedges was because where there's plants, there's got to be aracnids. It was her eldest cousin's birthday party, since she was close family mum let her have it in the back garden. She barely knew anyone out there.Her cousin was richer, and muc, much older then Clarity or her sisters. But her sisters loved to socialize much more then Clarity did.  Clarity heard an approaching taptap taptap and a farther off pit pit pit pit . Someone was heading this way. She sated back down at the spider in her palm, and slowly let it crawl up to her shoulder.  " Why aren't you at the party Clar?" ( Clar, thronuced as clair)  Clarity left out a breath of releif and turned away from the hedge and to her sister, Lya.  " I'm just, taking a break from... the crowds."  Clarity said nervously. Her younger sister looking at her from her toes to her forehead.  " You recked your party dress."  She said, quiet and gloomily. Clarity looked down at her yellow party dress, and sure enough, there was a large dirt stain on the front and at the bottom hem.  " Mum won't be very pleased."  " Pleased about what?"  Asked a person behind Lya. Clarity almost choked on her saliva, just by the peachy beige coloured dress, Clarity knew it was her bossy, prissy, tattle-tale sister Nyree.  " Oh, nother really,"  Clarity lied badly. She could never tell lies. SHe always stutted and strained long words.  ' Yeah right! Let me see your full proflie!"  Nyree yelled at Clarity's turned back.  " No!"  But Nyree had already pushed Lya into a bush and speed wallked towards Clarity and spun her around by her shoulders.  " Your covered in dirt!"  Nyree yelled,with wide eyes and a diveous smirked on her face. Before Clarity could even try to protest, The little spider on her shoulder had appeared from out of Claity's Long gold hair and now jumped onto Nyree neck. It wandered around her throat, chest and chin, and then:  "IIIEEEEEEEEEEE !!!!!!!!! THERE'S A SPIDER ON MY FACE!!!! IT'S ALL CLARITY'S FAULT!! GET IT OFF ME!! IIEEE!"  Nyree was now having a horrible fit, stomping around and flaiing her arms around like someone gone completely bonkers.  " Don't-don't kill Nyree!"  Clarity struggled to pick the spider off of Nyre, but she was moving to swiftly. After moments and moments, the tiny brown spider fell on it's back, lifeless and still.  Clarity's emotions conflicted with rage,pitty, loneliness. Nyree and Lya had ran away screaming already, yelling for mum.  Clarity sat solemnly next to the dead spider and stared into the empty, open sky.