The Devlin Family

The lights flicker and darken and the shadows in the corner dim to the deepest blackness. So dark, impossibly dark, it nearly broke your already struggling mind just to look at it. You then sense more than see movement within the shadows. Black moving within black. Something crawls forth and slithers over the back of the couch your mother sat at. A tentacle. Inky black and seeming to swallow any light that hit it. Another comes up along the arm. And another pokes out the bottom and wraps gently around your mom's ankle. More spill out at the edges of the shadow sliding up the walls and along the shelves. Your mom pets the appendage at the arm of the sofa. "There's my girl."

"She came!" Your big sister Devany whispers, awestruck. "That's it Ves. Come meet your brother."

Then, at the very center of the shadows, you see an alabaster pale face appear, as if surfacing through dark oily water. It is a face unlike any you had seen. Perfectly oval, with six glimmering obsidian black eyes in two vertical rows on either side of a narrow nose. A small slit for a mouth seemed to...smile at you. What humanity you can recognize in the creature you see as a girl's face, a woman's face to be more precise, a hauntingly beautiful woman of about 21 years old. Time seems to stand still as you look into the alien visage of your twin sister.

Your father moves very slowly with his hands at the ready, seeming to be ready to defend you if need be. "It's your brother." He whispers softly. "It's your brother Jacob."

Though it had no obvious pupils you could sense the thing they called Vespera kept her attention fixed firmly on you, peering at you and into you.

Trixie chirps loudly, shattering the agonizingly intense moment. "Happy Birthday Ves!"

In the blink of an eye the tentacles withdraw back into the shadows, the face disappears, and the illumination of the room rises back to normal. Everybody turns to your little sister. "Trixie!"

"Sorry!" She says as her purple head sinks all the way down into her shoulders. Her lips moves to the surface between her breasts and she says in her defense. "I was just sayin Happy Birthday."

The room groans as gripes and banter are lobbed Trixie's way. These creatures might be monstrous freaks yet the familial chemistry between them was so very familiar.

***

You stagger to the nearest chair and slump down into it. Covering your face with both hands you shake your head and try your best to wake up from this nightmare. This couldn't be real, none of this could possibly be real.

Your father says to the others. "Go, leave us for a time. I have to speak to Jacob alone."

There is the shuffle of movement and a strange squishing noise that must have come from Trixie.

You keep your face covered as one at a time they pass you by on their way to the door.

First your grandma's warm soft human feeling hand. "Happy Birthday dear."

"Happy Birthday Master." Ciara says as she flutters by with her dragonfly like wings.

Then the cool touch of the undead grips your shoulder. "Happy Birthday." Devany whispers. You hear her take in a deep breath through her nostrils, savor it, then let out a long sigh. She leaves with uncanny silence.

After her a huge heavy mitt slaps down roughly and the smell of dog fills your nose. "Happy B-Day normie. Ha!" His claws click on the hardwood as he exits the library.

Then a weird warm splat of solidified goo over your back and over your shoulder. "You da man bro! Da hu-man! Get it? He he he! Happy Bappy Birthday!" Beatrix giggles and squelches out of the room.

Following her is the feather soft touch of slender fingers and a sweet floral aroma. Lucian says nothing though you feel his hand lightly massage you then slowly slide down your chest.

"Luci." Your mother says sternly. His touch pulls back and lets out a disappointed sigh. You sense him leave.

Next you feel your mother, but not your mother, kneel down beside you. Her hand lays over your knee and her hot breath whisper in your ear. "You are still my son. Tonight doesn't change that Jacob. I love you my son." She kisses your cheek with very warm very soft lips, though her forked tongue adds a most unmotherly tickling little teasing flick to your earlobe. With that she stands and leaves as well. You hear the door click shut behind her leaving only your father and you in the room.

He settles into his seat, minutes pass by as he allows you to grapple with what had just happened.

This was the big surprise? The big moment? The thing you'd waited all your life for? Your family were a pack of monsters!? This couldn't be real. This had to be a dream. But it certainly didn't feel like dream.

You look up at your dad. "What...was that?"

He peers across at you, his fingers templed in front of him. "That was your family. Your real family."

"No. No it wasn't."

"Yes." He says in a firm steady voice. "Yes it was. I told you to prepare yourself for anything." He studies you closely. "Do they scare you?"

"OF COURSE THEY SCARE ME!" You scream. "THEY ARE FREAKS!"

His eyes narrow. "Keep your voice down boy! You will not make them feel bad just because they are different."

"Different!? Different!? Devany is a vampire! Bron is a werewolf! I don't even know what the rest are!"

In a calm yet stern voice he answers plainly. "Your mother is a succubus, Beatrix is a slime, Lucian is a half Incubus, and Ciara is a Pixie."

"Dad, those things don't exist. Not for real."

He leans forward. "Good luck convincing them of that." He holds his hand up to stop your response. "Let me explain." With a sweep of his hand and a few swift gesticulations of his fingers an image of your mother, your 'real' mother, suddenly appears upon the floor between you and him. She stands at about half her real size and slightly translucent. Her perfect body strutting sensually covered by naught but a skimpy negligee and for a second you swear you notice a bulge where one ought not to be on a woman's body before the illusionary woman turns to display her round ass and swaying tail. You sit there confused, wondering how he had achieved this seeming miracle. The image moves with his words as he tells the story with both pictures and words. "Magic and monsters real Jacob. Rare and hidden, but as real as you and I. You have to accept this fact before any of the rest of it makes sense."

You nod slowly, your eyes flitting about trying to find an explanation to the 3-D hologram right in front of you.

"I was a young and foolish warlock when I first summoned your mother." He lets out a humorless laugh. "My first summons of a true demon and I choose Lilith, THE Lilith." He sighs. "I was so arrogant, so sure in my abilities. I never stood a chance. Over the course of many weeks she, inevitably, ensnared me with her charms. She brought me under her spell without me even realizing it. I fell in love with the one creature in all the realms you should never fall in love with." The hint of a smile plays at his lips. "But it was love that saved me in the end. You see...she fell in love with me too. When I let her loose of my binding circle she could have ended me there. Instead...she took me as her own and I took her." The illusion shows the moment of their first passionate kiss.

"Dad, this is insane. This is impossible!"

His face sours as you interrupt the pleasant memory. "Clearly it isn't. Remember, an open mind." He continues. "The thing I never knew about Succubi, the thing nobody knew about them because it had never happened before, is that when they choose to breed with a human their children could be anything. Any monster, any fey, anything." He lets out a huff. "Let me tell you it was a hell of a surprise to me when Devany was born already bearing fangs. Not a demon, not a human, not a cross of the two. But a vampire." He reaches up and rubs his neck as the illusion shows your eldest sibling as a baby suckling not from her mother's breast but her father's neck. "I loved her of course, as any father would, but I was shook. It was over 30 years until we decided to have another."

"Wait...30 years? What do you mean 30 years?" You knew Devany, despite looking younger than him, was only a bit older than Bron. Or you thought you knew.

He sighs. "So much to tell you. Yes, your sister is over 60 years old. 66 to be precise. She stopped visibly aging at around 30 years of age."

"66!? What? But then...how old are you!?"

"I'll be an even hundred later this year." He motions you to settle down. "I am a Warlock son. My power inherited from my mother Belladonna, your grandma. She's over 200 believe it or not."

"I don't."

"You will. The saddest part of it is that I will outlive you, assuming nothing happens to me." He continues in a somber tone. "When you and Vespera were born, a labor which almost cost your mother her existence, which is saying something for an immortal demon, we were surprised to discover our twins could not more different from one another. Vespera is a mystery. She is a being of great power. The nearest record of what she might be only found in mad indecipherable scribblings of insane cultists." He clenches his fists, even now frustrated at his lack of information. The images between you are jumbled, just jumping glimpses of dark tentacles and that porcelain white face. "Even your mother's father doesn't know what she is. She disappeared soon after birth, only reappearing now and then on...special occasions. If you see her come find your mother or I. Don't interact with her alone. We have no idea what Vespera is capable of."

You ponder a moment. "My mother's father?"

"Yes. Satan of course."

You roll your eyes. "You are telling me my granddad is Satan? Come on Dad!"

He shrugs. "It's true."

"Stop it."

"I speak the truth whether you want to accept it or not. All demons are his spawn so it doesn't make her so unique. But yeah, technically, Satan is your grandfather." The image then fades from the crawling darkness to that of a wailing human baby. "You on the other hand were just as much of a surprise as Ves. You were...normal. Human. A perfect little bundle of pure humanity. You didn't even have the spark of magic within you. Born 21 years ago at 8:44pm. And this...is where the enchantment comes in."

"Enchantment?"

"The one that just ended." The next images show your elder brother and sister watching their baby brother far too intensely. "You must understand. You were a baby, a human baby, completely defenseless. We never expected to have a mundane human among our family. We never prepared for it. Bron hadn't been trained to contain his beastly instincts. Devany hadn't had to develop the discipline to deny her hunger. Even your mother admitted to very...inappropriate feelings toward her own child. You were their family and yet you cannot understand the temptation a normal human presents to monsters. You were in danger. Your grandmother and I couldn't protect you 24/7. We created a very potent enchantment and placed it upon you. An unbreakable enchantment which would fade on your 21st birthday. We figured this would give us time to ready the others for life with such a tempting and defenseless family member. Unfortunately the charm protected you not only from monsters but from the very knowledge of magic and monsters. The enchantment protected your innocence in mind, body, and soul. We couldn't even speak to you about the supernatural, not even vaguely, without the spell stopping our voices. You could not even see or feel magic cast upon you. You could not see, hear, or sense unnatural beings even if they were right in front of you. Nor could they touch you or influence you in any way. Your family's disguised forms only working because it helped shield you from the truth. So here, with magic and monsters all around you, you grew up as a normal human child. Oblivious to the reality around you. The enchantment even protected your friend Grace as long as you stayed together."

"That's why...she could only come over if I promised to stay close to her." The illusion shows you and Grace as children carelessly playing together out in the field as Bron loped by in werewolf form after a fleeing hare with neither of you the wiser.

"Exactly." He says.

You turn the words over in your mind. "Normal...mundane...human...defenseless." Here you had assumed all this time you were some sort of chosen one among your siblings, but the truth was quite the opposite. You were the one member of this household NOT special in some way. You weren't the favored child but the most pitiable and vulnerable. Your parents hadn't favored you, they were protecting you.

The illusion fades. Your father's expression softens into one of compassion. "I would have told you if I could. Listen to me my son. You have a gift none of the rest of us has. The opportunity for a normal life. A life out there, out in the open. A life in the bright light of day in the big wide world of humanity. Devany and Bron would give anything for what you have. Living as a monster in a human world has not been easy for them. For any of us."

"What about Trixie and Lucian?"

"They're young still. They are still learning. You know Trixie would love to be out there having fun like a normal girl. Do you think she stays home so often by choice?" He stands and crosses the room to lay a hand on your shoulder. "You are special Jacob. In some ways the most special of the Devlins. Don't be disheartened." He squeezes your shoulder. "And don't be afraid. They're your family Jacob. They love you. Stay alert and protect yourself, but know that they love you deep down." He puts his hand beneath your chin and raises your face to look at his. "If you need to leave I will understand. I will give you some money. But...I hope you stay. I hope you try to make this work."

"Make this work." You repeat the words flatly. "How does Ciara fit into this?"

"Ciara? A pixie. I saved her life back in my adventuring days. She's been a loyal servant of mine ever since. She'll be happy to return to her natural form that is for sure. Today is a big day for her too."

"Big day for her? Ohhh man, she has no clue. Big day indeed."

"Are you okay son?"

"Dad...I don't know what to say. This is all so...unbelievable."

"I can't imagine what this must be like for you. I was raised in the knowledge. What it would be like to have my eyes opened as a full grown man...I cannot imagine. You will be one of the few normies..." He grimaces as if he'd just accidentally let a racial slur slip out. "Sorry, one of the few mundane humans to know of the deeper reality of things." He looks the empty chairs and sofas. "Sorry about the dramatics. It was their idea. They wanted to surprise you. I don't think it went how they expected. And it was cruel to you. I apologize."

"I...I...I don't know what to say."

He gives you an understanding look. "Don't say anything. Think about it. Take as long as you like. If you have any questions come find me or your grandma." He motions around the room. "Do your own research if you wish." He gives you a gentle shake. "Hey, you'll see it's not so bad. Everybody thinks they have weird family. You just happen to have the weirdest of all. Trust me, okay? It'll be okay."

You sigh and shake your head. You didn't know what to trust anymore.

He pats your back. "Okay. When you're ready to talk come find me. In the meantime I assume you have a lot of thinking to do."

"Yeah. You can say that again."

Your father goes to leave but stalls for a moment. "Oh...and Jacob."

"Yeah?"

"Your mother is a Succubus. A creature of carnal lust and forbidden temptations. She is...reformed, but it is a part of her very nature. Over the years her influence has seeped into the very bones of this old house. You are not protected from any of it anymore. Your siblings are her children and...well..."

"And?"

"Uhhh...you see..." He shakes his head and says more to himself than to you. "No. It should be fine. They know better. They'll leave you alone. And you are a strong minded man. A good man. Never mind Jacob. We can talk about this later." He straightens up and gives you worried look. "Hey, happy birthday kid."

"Yeah...thanks."

With that your father leaves you with your thoughts.

***

Your Dad is a century old Warlock. Your Grandma a Witch. Your mother is a demon and your siblings a whole gamut of different monsters. Try as you might you couldn't make it all make sense. Despite what you had seen this simply couldn't be true. All you knew to be fiction is real and everything you thought real a falsehood. All those memories with your mother and brothers and sisters...all fake. All of them hiding beneath a disguise this whole time, the enchantment over you stopping you from seeing what was really happening. Were all the good times you had with them fake too? Your mind buzzes around and around in circles unmoored, afraid, and desperate for answers. What a lousy birthday this turned out to be.

You feel like you ought to run away and call somebody. The police or FBI or something. But who do you call to report monsters in your house? Even if you did know who to call, these things were your family. You had to give them a chance.

Strange as it was, what bothered you more than anything was the fact that you were the one "normie" in the family. The ugly duckling of the extraordinary Devlin brood. You didn't even have the spark of magic like your grandmother and father. You were just a plain old boring human. One of billions.

You sit there for over an hour wallowing in your confusion and self pity before at last you slap your knees and get to your feet.

You needed to look into this. You needed to talk to somebody. You needed to do something. If you sat her any longer you might just go mad. This might all be a crazy dream but you had do something in the meantime. It was time you learned what your family was really like.

***

Of all of the crazy things you had just learned the one that niggled at you the most was the fact that all this time nobody told you that you had a twin. You had a twin sister that you never knew about. A sister so strange that she made the others look damn near prosaic by comparison. It begged belief that that alien horror that had emerged from the shadows was not only related to you but your twin!

That haunting face, still and cold like a porcelain mask, surfacing from the shadowy depths simultaneously difficult to grasp yet unforgettable. Those six reflective obsidian eyes peering into your very core. The small straight slit of a mouth that almost seemed to smile as it saw you though you sensed a different emotional context behind it. And those tentacles! Flesh like a shifting void, as black and featureless as a starless night sky. You feel a chill run through you at the memory of your brush with the truly bizarre.

Thinking back to that brief yet unforgettable moment you recall the change that your hidden sister's appearance caused right through the family. Excitement, awe, and even fear gripped your other kin as Vespera coalesced. What kind of creature can make even a werewolf tremble? You remember how your father moved to protect you and how, later, he admitted to knowing very little about her.

You step across to where your mother sat. Reaching down you brush your fingers along the stitched leather armrest where you had seen one of Vespera's tentacles rest. You weren't sure what to expect but the area feels as it should. You look back to corner where she appeared and shake your head in disbelief. This is all too much.

"I can't handle this right now."

You turn and head for the door. Normally when family drama got too heavy you would call Grace but how in the hell could you explain all of this. She would think you were a madman and you were starting to believe that she'd be right. You march straight out of the library and barging right past a waiting Ciara. You shoo her away as she asks if you needed anything. Walking with speed and purpose you make your way back to the main entry hall where the paintings of your ancestors, great witches and warlocks all you were sure, looked down at their ungifted descendant with grim faces. You swear you could sense their disappointment. Taking the stairs two at a time you hurry back the way you'd come before the big reveal. You meet Trixie along the way waddling around as the video game character Kirby, clearly trying to get a laugh from you, but you just keep going with barely a glance her way.