058 Friends Among Enemy

Kitty took a step back away from Winnie with unbelieving eyes: "Is that true?"

Winnie sighed heavily, but she didn't reply.

"What are you looking for here?" Erebus said, and the young wolves started closing on the three people in a standoff.

"..." Winnie pressed her lips together, staring at him. It looked like she wanted to just leave, but her eyes glanced at Emma time after time. She couldn't leave when she was so close.

"Let me help you." Erebus said. He nodded at Metis, who just got off from her car, and covered him up with a huge cloth just as he shifted back into human form.

"What do you mean?" Winnie asked with a bitter smile.

"Emma is NOT the daughter of The Master," Erebus came out of the cloth with all his cloth on, "Kitty is."

"What?!" Winnie exclaimed, and at the same time--

"That was for changing your cloth?!" Kitty gasped.

"There's ladies present." Erebus laughed resignedly. Amazed at how she coult still pay attention to him putting on cloth when he just said that she was actually a witch.

"You, are, SOMETHING!" Kitty exclaimed.

"I can indulge your curiosity later if you are interested." Erebus finished with his last button and took a step closer to Kitty so there was little room between them.

"It's okay, thanks..." Kitty mumbled, forgetting to breath for the nerviousness of being so close to him with the image of him naked he just put in her head.

"She can't be!" Winnie was in a real panic now. She didn't even complain about their totally off topic joke.

"But she is." Erebus turned to look at her, "You said you could trace The Master's blood once you are in here? Do it, see for yourself."

Winnie grabbed the twig she just gave the three young wolves for tracking Emma from Metis and give it a little toss into the air.

The twig dropped about an inch and floated in the air, but then it started to spin and finally dropped on the ground.

"No, no way!" Winnie gasped, mumbling in panic, "S-she is not the daughter!"

She was pointing at Emma this time.

"That's correct." Erebus nodded.

"The daughter is no longer in the city! How could it be?!" Winnie was in such a shock and was looking around in blank as if seeking for some one to help her.

"What if you have NOT been tracing the daughter?" Erebus said calmly, not at all as if he was asking a question, more like a teacher leading a puzzled student to the right answer.

"I'm tracing the blood of The Master! The only way that the spell is NOT pointing at the daughter, is that The Master is still alive!" Winnie yelled at Erebus, losing whatever self-control she had.

"She is surely no longer in this world." Erebus said as he glanced at Kitty, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I've accepted that idea for some time now." Kitty shook her head slightly.

"But," Erebus turned back to Winnie, "The Blood Tracing Spell won't be tracing the heir, if--"

"If her soul or any part of her soul is somehow preserved in this world!" Winnie took a sharp intake of breath.

"What do you mean?" Kitty asked.

"Whatever you were tracing, it WAS in the city. But now it's gone, and Emma is still here, meaning--" Erebus was cut off by Kitty:

"Oh my God! My mom's watch! I gave that to Emma!"

"A watch?" Winnie murmured, as if she just lost all her strength to talk, or think.

"My mom gave her watch to me," Kitty said, "She came in my room one night, and said she wanted me to have her watch. I have always wanted it because it was a beautiful watch and she was NEVER without it. I was thrilled when she did that."

"Why did you give it away?" Erebus asked softly.

"Emma wanted it. She wanted that for a while, and I saw myself in her, in the way of wanting something to connect with the person you admire, just like I wanted it from my mom, so I gave it to her. It was a pocket watch with a chain, and Emma wears it around her neck." Kitty told him.

"I guess that's why Phosis chose you..." Winnie mumbled in pain as if she was about to burst into tears, "I should have known... W-what have I done..."

"Now, you can tell us everything." Erebus said to Winnie, no longer with too strict a look.

He was still upset that Winnie chose to endanger Kitty, but he was sure Winnie’s loyalty to The Master, so at least, she was not an enemy.

"My specialty is the crystal ball; I've only seen one witch who was better than me." Winnie paused, looking at Kitty.

"Lilith." Kitty murmured.

"That's right," Winnie nodded, "She beat me, so easily. She didn't even know it was me, until I told her. And I have been tracking her ever since, to get her to match with me, but she never did..."

Winnie's eyes were wet in the reminiscence of her old friend.

"She avoided matching with me, always, but she didn't avoid me. She had this way with people that made you feel comfortable, and light as there is nothing that can bother you in this world, because there was nothing that can bother her."

"She's always laughing, with everyone at everything. She was like this fairy dropped into this world that didn't meant to have such an adorable thing."

Kitty listened to Winnie's mumble, knowing that it was definitely her lovely, mischievous mom, and she couldn't believe this person could have lied to her all these years about her real parents.

"But I WAS registered under another couple," Kitty said, confused. She had already accepted the "fact" that she was NOT Lilith's daughter now.

"I don't know about that, but if Lilith gave you that watch, then you are definitely her daughter." Winnie said in a firm tone, "Because that watch was how she beat me."

"What? That watch was magical?!" Kitty exclaimed. She had never noticed that.

"Yes, she put a spell on an ordinary watch and gave it the ability to see into the past, AND the future."