"Angelica! You're back!" Agatha Wildspark dried off her hands on a towel and tried to give her daughter a hug, but Angelica dodged her. "Angelica? Did something happen?"
"You mean aside from that nightmare last night? What else could be more wrong than that?"
"Sweetie..." her mom said. "Whether you're a witch or not doesn't matter to me. You will always be my daughter, and you will always be a Wildspark. You are not the first to not receive a witchmark, nor will you be the last."
"But why, mom? It's not fair! I'd always counted on becoming a witch and getting my powers. I don't have a backup plan!"
"Sweetie..." her mom said again. "When you have one mortal parent, like you and Jezebelle, there's always a chance the witchmark won't manifest. Nine Hells, even with two witch parents, there is a chance it won't manifest. As for the rest--we'll help you figure that out. There's no rush."
Why did it feel like her mom was downplaying what happened? Didn't she care at all that her daughter's life was ruined?
Well...it would've been ruined if that old witch hadn't intervened. But that wasn't something Angelica could ever tell her mother.
Unlike the silvery witchmark on the nape of Jezebelle's neck, Angelica's witchmark needed to be kept hidden. The inky mark was on her left breast and would only be visible to anyone who saw her topless--which would never include her sister or mother, not if she could help it.
She would also have to be careful about how she used her magic, since she wasn't supposed to have any. Thankfully, the old witch had woven in a concealment charm into the witchmark to help make everything she did less noticeable, but it wasn't absolutely foolproof.
But, at least now she wasn't powerless. At least now she could fight for what she wanted, and she could get back at those who had wronged her. Jezebelle, for one, will soon learn what it feels like when things don't go her way for once. She'll learn what it feels like to be an outsider in their very own family.
Did Angelica hate Jezebelle? No...she didn't think it was hate. Resentment, possibly. Maybe even some jealousy.
After all, Jezebelle was dating THE Orion Locklear, the guy Angelica had crushed on even longer than her sister had, Jezebelle didn't have to study and cram for hours to get mediocre grades--she was a naturally gifted academic, nor did she struggle to make (and keep) friends.
Not only that, but their company, Twin-Z's, had been her brainchild. Angelica knew her only value to the company was being the twin of the creator: without her, there would be no 'twin' in Twin-Z's. It went without saying that Jezebelle certainly didn't need her brains to keep things operational. Still, she was nice enough to create a position that somewhat catered to Angelica's strengths, making her feel like a somewhat capable and responsible Co-CEO.
But all of that was going to start changing very, very soon.
