The crazy part was that they were all in their 90s and still looked 45, and yet, they were practically the oldest in the room. Everyone else seemed to be in their 30s. It was strange, but I didn't dwell on it too much. I just shrugged it off.

Then my mum began the introductions, formally introducing me to strangers who, just earlier, she had said were my cousins. I didn't know what to think at that point. It all felt like a blur.

I later found out that the pervert I had encountered in my room earlier was Aunt Everson's first child, Emerald. After everyone introduced themselves, we all sat down to eat the food my mum had prepared earlier in the dining room.

Once we finished the meal, my mum calmly called me, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Evelyn Everlon," she said.

I froze. It sounded so formal why was she using my full name at that moment? Normally, she would call me by every pet name under the sun.

"Do you know why the whole family is here and not one of your friends?" she asked, her voice steady.

I didn't have an answer. I'd been wondering that too.

"No," I managed to reply.

"Well, this is the right time to tell you what you need to know," she continued, her voice now quieter but firm. "We come from a bloodline called the 'Everlons.'"

My stomach dropped. "The Everlons?" I repeated, trying to process her words.

"We are among the most powerful witches in the world," she added with a seriousness that I hadn't expected.

It was like a dream unraveling, and I didn't know how to respond.

"We chose today to tell you this because it's part of your rite of passage. You're meant to inherit the power we possess." She paused, her eyes intense. "And your father didn't die in the military. He never worked in the army."

I was stunned. All my life, I had believed a completely different story. My father a hero. The military man. But now, my mum was telling me something else.

"Wait, Mum. A bloodline? Witches? A rite of passage?" I stammered.

"EVE! LET ME SPEAK." She snapped. Then, in a gentler voice, she continued, "Your father wasn't human. He was a vampire. And each of us here is like me a witch, with powers of our own."

She pointed at the man beside her. "He's a pyromancer. He controls fire with his mind." She gestured to the next person. "She's a healer. She can heal with her thoughts." She went on pointing at others, explaining their abilities: hydrokinetic, earth witch, and so on.

"But you're different," she said, looking directly at me. "The book chose you."

"The dream you had? It wasn't just a dream. The people you saw were your ancestors, the previous handlers. Only you can see them when you concentrate."

I felt the weight of her words. My mind was racing.

"They can speak through you. You have all types of magic," she said. "Your primary power, though, is telepathy just like me. That's why you can tell when someone is lying."

I stared at her, trying to process everything. "But... I'm special?" I whispered, not sure what to think.

"You're not just a telepath," she said. "Your father's vampire DNA passed down to you. You're the first-ever vampire/witch hybrid. A heretic."

I froze. The term "heretic" felt strange coming from her lips.

"Unlike us, when we cast spells, we grow weak. But you? You have vampire strength. It helps you in ways we can't even imagine."

I struggled to absorb it all. It was too much.

"The way to unlock your vampire emotions is if you kill a human." Her voice was matter of fact, but the words hit me like a slap in the face.

I recoiled. "Kill... someone?"

"You're not just a heretic, Eve. You're a miracle baby. Vampires aren't meant to procreate, yet here you are." She sighed. "With all this power comes great responsibility."

Everyone was silent, listening to her words. Not a single person interrupted not even my grandpa.

"You're meant to be a protector, Eve. Your grandparents call you princess because you're destined to become the queen of all supernatural beings. You're the one who will bring peace to us all. And that's a heavy responsibility."

"I know it's a lot for you to take in," she continued softly, "but you can do this. Tonight, under the full moon, you'll access all your power."

She beckoned everyone to stand and follow her. We all walked outside into the backyard.

There, we gathered in a circle, hands linked. My mum's voice was barely above a whisper.

"Clivo, do your thing."

Immediately, a small redheaded girl stepped forward. Her voice low, she began to chant, weaving a spell in Latin.

"Circulum arboris, forma virens, fronds rotunda, ad caeli vertens," she muttered, causing a ring of trees to grow, their branches curling around me.

"Emerald, you're next," my mum called out.

Emerald stepped forward, his eyes glowing yellow. He began his incantation: "Ignis Luminis, formis arcana, pentagramma ardere."

Suddenly, I felt the heat intensify as a fiery pentagon surrounded me. Then, my mum's voice pierced through the heat.

"Eve," she called, "concentrate. Close your eyes. Raise both arms to the moon, palms open and facing upward. Visualize the light of the full moon filling your body with power. Repeat after me, slowly."

She began the incantation, "Lunae fulgens, magicae mea, expanse arise! Noctis potential, lumen Arcanum, voco te."

I repeated each word with care, feeling a strange dizziness as my nose started to bleed.

At that moment, my family began chanting in unison: "Per lucem lunae et gratiam astrorum…"

The energy around me grew, and before I knew it, I found myself in the dream I had experienced. Everything was just as it had been, except now, beside the book on the altar, was a jug filled with a purple liquid.

"Drink the elixir, handler," a voice said.

I lifted the jug, my hand trembling, and took a sip.

As soon as the liquid touched my lips, I knew my life had changed forever. I had no idea what lay ahead, but I could feel the immense power inside me the power that would shake the foundations of the supernatural world.

I had thought turning 18 would be the most unforgettable night of my life, but I now realized this was only the beginning of a dark journey that would force me to face the truth about my family's past. My mother's words echoed in my mind, "You're not just a witch, Eve. You're a heretic."

And with that, everything I thought I knew about my life and the world around me unraveled.