II

All Right's Reserved ®

Shelby Crouch

January 2013

Chapter II

(Three Months Later)

In the past months, Grams had grown steadily away from me, she treated me differently, like I was a plague that she might catch. I had started to wear the necklace, as a reminder of my mother. She was dying and we all knew it, it was just a matter of time. Ever since my visit, she hadn't been doing very well.

I walked to school, the familiar feeling of the backpack on my shoulder made me feel normal for the first time in the past three months.

I walked up the steps and pushed open the heavy metal door that led into the high school. I walked up to my locker, and entered my combination into the lock that was there.

Opening it, I felt eyes on me, it made the hairs on my neck stand up. I looked around the hall, but no one seemed to be taking any interest in me at all.

I rubbed the necklace around my neck as a worry habit, because I knew someone was watching me, but I couldn't see them.

Taking a notebook out of my bag, and stuffing the others in my locker, I shut the door, trying to shake the feeling.

I walked somewhat faster than usual to my next class. I sat down in the front of the classroom, and waited for the rest of the class to file their way in.

One boy walked into class, a blond-haired girl with him. She was flicking her hair behind her shoulder in a flirtatious way, smiling at him. He stared at me, his eyes narrowing as they focused on the necklace around my neck.

My eyes locked with his light brown ones, he sat down right next to me, and took out his notes. His eyes would glance my way every so often, and always he glanced at my necklace. It made me feel uncomfortable, so I tucked the necklace under my shirt collar, hiding it from view.

Then he pulled out a phone from his pocket and while the teachers back was turned he began to text. I couldn't help but glance over and see what was being written.

'She's here. Necklace and all.' I snapped my head back towards the front, and pretended to take notes on what the teacher was saying.

There was a light knock on the door, and a girl with blond hair came in through the door. “Mr. Conner? Principal Everwood would like to see Xavier.” She smiled brightly and Mr. Conner waved at Xavier to go with her.

The boy next to me stood up and gathered his things. With one backwards glance at me he walked out of the classroom with the girl.

I stared back at the board and tried to concentrate on what the teacher was saying. But for some reason, the necklace around my neck was beginning to grow hot. I pulled it out from under my shirt, but I could feel its heat through my clothing.

I placed the pencil against the paper, and began to write, trying to ignore the heat coming from the necklace.

That's when the voices started. 'Seek us, come find us. Come, come find us.' The necklace tugged against my neck, I ran out of the classroom, pretending to be sick. The teacher didn't even give me a second glance.

I stood out in the hallway, waiting for the voices to begin again. If this was what being a witch was like, no wonder my mother had gone insane.

I looked down the hall and I saw something faintly glowing on a wall. I walked towards it, the necklace growing cooler.

The glowing symbol on the wall became clearer. It was the one the man was standing on, in my dream, the one I had been having ever since that night.

It was glowing on the front of an unmarked white door. I glanced back and forth down the hall, no one was there. I reached for the door knob, and grabbed it with my hand. I hesitated before I turned the handle, what was I even doing here?

I let go of the door knob, and turned to walk back down the hallway. But my necklace pulled backwards, nearly choking me. I turned back to the unmarked door, and reached for the handle once more.

I turned it and wasn't all that surprised to find that it was unlocked. I pulled the door open and walked inside the dark room. It looked like a normal janitor's closet, brooms and mops stacked in disary in a corner. Cleaning supplies lined in a row on shelves.

But I heard noises coming from what looked to be a small cabinet, several voices in fact. I walked towards it, ready to have myself committed to the asylum when I didn't find anyone.

My hand shook as I neared the door, the voices sounding like chanting more than just people talking now.

I really was going insane wasn't I? I reached for the handle and tugged the door open. Inside was not what I would have expected. It wasn't an ordinary little cabinet. It was a room inside, filled with four people who had no idea that I had just walked in.

They stood on the bright blue star with the circle around it, with a burning candle on the empty point on the star. The others all had their eyes closed, all chanting in unison, the necklaces around their necks all glowing bright colors, black, blue, white, and green. My own began to glow a bright red.

“We knew you would come.” The girl with blond hair who had taken Xavier away from my science class, look at me, the green of her necklace dying slowly.

“I don't know any of you. Why would you think I would come?” I looked around at the four faces, I really didn't recognize any of them, except maybe the girl with dark hair who had the blue necklace.

“We knew your necklace would guide you here.” Xavier said, tucking his white necklace under the collar of his shirt.

“I don't want any part of this. I never have in the short time I've known about this. Leave me alone.” I tried backing towards the exit, but suddenly Xavier was behind me.

“You can't leave yet, you don't even know our names.” The girl with the dark hair in the back smiled at me, but it was a cold smile. I got the feeling that she didn't really like me, why, I had no idea.

The blond girl stepped forward, she pointed to each of them in turn, “This is Christian.” He had the black necklace, and he smiled at me, before turning to talk to Xavier. Next was the girl with the blue necklace, “Scarlett.” She gave me another fake smile, then turned away to look at something in a book. “You know Xavier, and I'm Ace.”

“Ace? Like the card?” I asked her, and instantly wished I hadn't. It sounded so rude, much ruder than when I had been thinking it.

“My full name is Jaceanna Lynn. I prefer 'Ace'.” She started to nervously tug on her green pendant.

I didn't really want to be involved in this, but I had to know about the necklaces, why did we all have them? “What's with the matching necklaces?”

Ace looked at me, dropping the charm back against her chest. She was small, her tiny frame seeming to be swallowed by the blackness that surrounded her.

“All witches have their element that they channel. Mine is Earth, Xavier is Air, Scarlett is Water, Christian is Spirit, and you are Fire. Being around that element when you perform a spell will make your magic more powerful, plus it won't take you as much energy to cast it.”

I stared at Ace, who had walked over to Scarlett and were both examining what must have been a spell-book.

I shifted my weight nervously, then wondered to myself, what was I still doing here? I turned to leave, only to come face-to-face with Christian. His light blue eyes looked at me curiously, and he was smirking slightly.

“You can't run away from it, trust me, I've tried.” He stepped aside to let me pass, but when I turned around, he was giving me a strange look.

I walked faster, and headed back to my first hour class. The teacher didn't glance up from his work grading papers as I passed his desk. I sat back down, closing my notebook and leaning back in my desk.

I heard a soft squeaking noise and realized with a certain annoyance that Xavier had come back as well. I turned to look at him, and gave him an annoyed look, he didn't look at me again after that.

The rest of the day passed with no more excitement, for which I was thankful. I shoved the books in my locker and started the walk home. I knew when I got there that Grams would be locked in her room, with supper already waiting for me on the table.

She didn't want to see me, ever since I had begun to wear the necklace, she had been ignoring me. I could hear her sometimes crying in her room, I tried a few times to talk to her, but she wouldn't let me in.

I glanced up from the sidewalk which I had been staring at and froze in my tracks. The man in the black hoodie was back, and was coming for me swiftly.

I turned and ran, taking as many back roads as I knew. Suddenly someone grabbed me, I tried to scream but a hand was clamped tightly over my mouth.

I heard the faint whisper, 'Somnus.' Then the world spiraled out, fading into dark.

I woke sometime later, I knew that because it was now dark. If a day had passed or many, I wouldn't know. I looked up groggily and saw the man in the black hoodie was stroking the fire. His hood was down, but he back was facing me.

My vision was fading in and out, making what I was seeing blurry. “Don't worry the effects will fade in a few minutes.” The man turned around and I saw his scarred face. The scared face looked familiar to me for some reason, but I couldn't place him.

He stepped closer to me. “You wear the necklace of the coven, and have the Mark of the Chosen. Who are you really?” His gaze pierced mine, and I had to look away from him. I stared at the fire instead. Ace's words came back to me. 'You are Fire.'

If I really am Fire, then help me. Save me from this man. I was pleading with fire now, the room next to my mother's would probably be a nice place for me. All the comforts of home.

My mother, bright sunshine through a window, paper gowns, three meals a day, and all my furniture nailed down to the floor. Not to mention the handy little pills that would keep me nice and sedated so I couldn't hurt others or myself.

The fire kept burning it is fireplace, never once seeming like it was going to help me. Well that's a bust.

“Who are you?” He repeated, he was close to my face, his dark eyes glinting with the reflected light of the fire.

“I am Fire, and you will fear me.” I struggled against my bonds, and hoped for something epic to happen but nothing did.

He laughed at me. “Do you really think you stand a chance? Your bonds are laced with the marietis flower, it prevents magic from being used you little witch. Now for the last time, what is your name?”

“My name is Peyton Grayson.”

Anger appeared on his face, and he shook his head in disbelief. “You cannot be...” He backed away from me, his face showing different sides of anger and disbelief.

What was he rambling on about? Maybe this whole town belonged in the asylum, I mean with witches and kidnappers running around the place, why not just lock everyone up?

“You are lying to me, you cannot be who you say you are.” He shook his head, then he slammed his fist against a wall, his fist going right through it.

“Why can't I be?”

“Silentium!” He scram at me, and I felt something strange happen with my voice. It was like it had been disconnected from my body. I opened my mouth to scream, say something, but there was nothing. Just empty air coming from my mouth.

He sighed and snapped his fingers, and I felt my voice come back to me. “You are a nasty little witch, you know that? I can't stand your kind.”

“But you're one of us, you have used magic on me twice now. How can you say that when you are one?”

“I'm not like you, I hunt down your kind, and if you are who you say you are, then I am met with a great dilemma.” He paced the room, muttering to himself. I was getting really angry at his little conversations that involved himself.

“Who are you and what do you want with me?” I finally screamed, fed up with the lack of anwsers he was giving me.

“I am your father, Peyton Grayson, and I will be your downfall.”

Reviews

[ReaderGirl21]

This is fantastic! Keep writing!