The move and the new house have completely devastated the family funds. The top floor hasn't even been finished when they arrive. It's just an open air area above their heads.
Most importantly, the family arrived intact. All of the aunts, uncles and cousins arrive in Storybrook County safe and sound as well.
Amira has mixed feeling about the new house and the new town. All this open country is a bit unnerving. No late night trains speeding past the house anymore. It is weird.
Boxes upon boxes. Items upon items. Everything of importance has made the move to the new home and now it's just a matter of finishing the rooms so that the items can rest in their new places. That will require more funds than the Van Hofwegens have at the moment.
They left Twinbrook right after Vera's young adult birthday. She didn't even have a chance to figure out what she wanted to do with her life. It's crunch time now and she needs to decide immediately, her family needs her and the simoleons she can bring in.
At least they won't starve. The house comes with a bee keeper box and a chicken coop. Eggs and honey for all. Yum!
Vera unpacks as much as she can before it gets too late. As the day approaches a close, she has made a decision and rides off to fulfill her destiny.
Dahlia and Jolie meet Vera at the school.
"I might as well make sure you two get enrolled," she says.
"I can't believe I have to go to a new school. I have less than a week left before I complete my credits," Dahlia whines.
Jolie wrings her hands in worry. "Is this going to be safe?"
"Don't worry, Jolie. I'll be here with you everyday," Vera assures her. "I won't let anything bad happen."
"We made the right decision," Claude says. "Staying would have meant destruction for all of Twinbrook."
"How can we be sure that this place will be different?" Michael asks.
"We can't be sure," Varinia chimes in. "but the alternative wasn't an option so we have to do our best to make this work."
While everyone else is freaking out about jobs and funds and this huge move and freaking ALIENS, Jolie makes dinner. She needs to feel useful instead of this impossibly heavy, stone-like guilt that sits squarely on her chest and makes it hard to breathe.
The move has already had severe impacts on her extended family. Aunt Leila and Gilberto broke up. Bruce and Diana have been having fights regularly. They have barely settled in to this town and everyone is talking about how often Diana and Bruce are at each other's throats. To top it all off, Edwin has become an insufferable bully. No one is safe from his torment.
Amira spends the night casting concealment charms and protection spells over her daughters. She can't get rid of the sinking feeling she's had since Jolie went missing back in Twinbrook.
In the middle of the night, Jolie finds herself on the back deck. She's not sure how she got out here or why but she feels oddly refreshed and rested for her first day of high school.
Vera checked in on her every hour at school. Michael is waiting for her as soon as she gets home.
"How did it go?"
"It's high school, I guess," she says. "It went okay, classes and teachers and other students. No one bothered me or stared but then again the room was full of weirdos. A couple of them had wings!"
"Don't call them weirdos," Michael scolds.
"I'm a weirdo too so it's ok."
"You're not a weirdo," he insists.
Jolie just stares at him with her unblinking, coal black eyes.
"So you want to focus on your powers?"
"I think I could make a big difference in the witch community if I dedicated more time to my skills," Dahlia admits. "As soon as I'm out of high school I'm going to focus on my magic. This seems like the perfect place to do it."
"There are plenty of resources for you in Storybrook," Claude agrees. "Certainly more than you would have had in Twinbrook."
Dahlia wastes no time and begins practicing.
"I know this was the best thing we could do but I feel like a giant saucer is going to pop out everywhere I go. I can't shake the feeling that they're still on to us."
Amira nods her head, "Me too. I don't know if our magic is going to be strong enough to protect us."
"What happens when she moves out? We're not going to be able to protect her."
"Let's just hope we make it till she becomes an adult and then we can worry about what comes after."
"I can't lose her, Amira. I can't."
"We won't, I promise," she says as she pulls him into her arms. "I promise."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jolie Van Hofwegen
Frugal
Light Sleeper
Slob
Vegetarian
There you have it, I think I've saved everyone I wanted. Sadly, this is a fresh town and there's not a whole lot of history. For story purposes anyone Claude would have known is probably dead anyway considering he's living a double life thanks to Maeve's Young Again potion.
Generation 2 still has some goals to complete. Gen 3 is taking over. Vera is our heir.
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