III

All Rights Reserved ®

Shelby Crouch

January 2013

Chapter III

I stared up at him, the scars on his face made prominent by the firelight. I remembered him, him carrying me, holding me, laughing with me. I also remember the day they took him away, in handcuffs.

Two days later, mother was checked into the mental asylum and I was moved into Gram's house and I was never told about why both my parents were gone.

Years later, I had found an old newspaper article about my father being a murderer. When I had confronted Grams, she said nothing. Now I knew why.

I stared up at his face, was he the real reason why my mother was where she was? Did he try to kill her?

“What did you do to my mother?” My voice was filled with anger. She was an empty shell of the bright young woman she used to be, and it was his fault.

“Nothing, I would have never have hurt her. Even though she is what she is. You on the other hand, are not her. And I will bring you down.” His dark eyes narrowed at me in hatred.

“I thought you said you were at a dilemma because of who I was.” I was trying to distract him, obviously he didn't have a problem with torture or murder or anything similar.

“Oh, you are. But I will still kill you. You see, I cannot let you live, although I would like to. You are a threat to mankind, you would see it destroyed, and I can't allow that to happen.” He pulled the metal rod he was using to stroke the fire with, and he came towards me with it.

“Now you will tell me the answers I wish to know, or you will suffer great pain.” He raised the rod at me, its gleaming red tip bright in the dark room.

“How many of you are there?” I may have just met them, but I wasn't about to betray them to my psychotic father.

“No answer?” He ran the hot tip of the rod along my arm. Me being able to channel fire, apparently didn't come with the perks that it should have. The rod felt like it was melting my skin, and I screamed, a bloodcurdling scream that should have been heard by everyone in a ten-mile radius.

My father smiled down evilly at me. “Now, I'll ask again. How many of you are there?”

Suddenly the door bursted in, slamming against the far wall. Xavier stood at the front, his hand raised and his necklace glowing bright white.

“Why don't you ask us yourself?” Ace growled at him, her necklace beginning to glow very bright. Green magic swirled around her, and she released it and it went after my father, slamming him up against the wall. His head hit the wall behind him, and he slumped to the floor, unconscious or dead, I didn't know.

“Rum ligare.” Ropes tangled around his legs and arms, binding them together. Christian was next to me, silently undoing my bonds. He never said a word to me. Once my bonds were undone, I stood up, rubbing my wrists with my hands.

“Thanks.” Christian nodded his head, and then he ushered me out the door, following close behind the others.

“Do you see now why you can't run away from us? Besides the fact that we are connected, it's dangerous. Witch hunters won't leave us alone now that we have a full coven. We have to stick together.” Ace looked at me, now that I had seen her do magic, I was kind of frightened of her.

I shook my head at her, “You're wrong. I can't do this, I don't want this. You're just going to have to find someone else to finish your coven.” I turned and started to walk down the road, I didn't want to be a part of any of this.

I was at least halfway up the road before I heard the almost silent footsteps of someone walking behind me.

“Ace, leave me alone.” I turned around and saw Christian standing behind me, he was hard to see in the low light of the night, the only way I saw him was because he was smiling, showing the whites of his teeth.

“This won't be the last time that you have to escape from someone nearly killing you, the hunters are out there and no matter what they will want you dead.” His smile had faded and he seemed to sink into the shadows.

“Why can't you just leave me alone? I don't want any part of this, never have, never will.”

“You don't trust us, do you?” His smile came back and he walked closer to me, he held out his hand, waiting for me to place mine in his. I gave him a funny look, and tightened my hand into a fist.

He gave me an impatient look and grabbed my hand. It felt like tiny electric pulses were going through it. “Do you feel that? That's my power connecting with yours.”

I looked into his blue eyes, and for a second I thought about it. He leaned forwards, his face coming closer to mine. My lips parted as he came closer, then I snapped back to reality, jerked my hand out of his, and took off down the road feeling his eyes bore into my back the entire time.

I got home without an other incidents. I had only been out for a few hours according to the grandfather clock in the living room. I walked past Grams room and didn't hear anything. I was half tempted to knock, but knew she wouldn't talk to me, so I didn't.

I went to my own room and flung myself down on the bed. I rolled over so I was once again staring at the ceiling.

I turned over on my side and turned the light off. I closed my eyes and tried to fall asleep. The burning pain in my arm had gone away, one of the others must have done something when I wasn't paying attention. Or maybe it had been Christian.

Christian. He was so strange. Dark and mysterious, yet sweet and charming. There was something about him, the way he held himself, so sure yet not arrogant. Maybe that was part of his gifts.

I heard a soft tap on my window, and jumped, my eyes flying open. The window began to be pulled open from the outside.

I jumped out of bed, feeling around for something to use as a weapon. I found a bat that I had used when I played softball this summer. I gripped it in my hands tightly.

Note to self: Remember to lock windows.

It was open and a pitch black figure began to climb through it. I raised the bat high, preparing to strike the person over the head with it.

The person tripped on something, making a low groan. I made my way slowly over to the wall closest to me, it had the lightswitch on it.

If I could get to it, I could flip it on and disoreint who was coming for me. I felt for it, praying that whoever it was couldn't hear me.

I found it and flipped it on, swinging the bat as I did so.

“AHHH!” I found Xavier, his hands raised and he was obviously using his power to stop the bat from hitting his skull.

“Xavier? What are you doing in my house?” I growled at him, lowering the bat and placing it back where I had found it.

“I came to see if you were alright, but I can see you're fine.” His eyes were still wide with fear.

“And you can't knock like a normal person, because..?” I waved my hand, waiting for him to finish the sentence for me. He turned a bright shade of pink.

“I-well, I-” He cleared his throat, and gave me a guilty smile, making a low laughing noise.

“Get out.” I pointed towards the window, my eyes narrowing at him. He left and I closed the window after him, making sure I locked it. Then I pulled the curtains shut and flipped the light back off.

Why can't they just leave me alone? First Christian, then Xavier. What was next? Was I gonna go to the bathroom and find Scarlett in my shower? Was Ace in the kitchen, waiting for me in the morning?

I lay down on my bed and covered my head with a pillow. And somehow, despite the madness going on inside my skull, I managed to fall into a nightmare filled sleep.

My father was there, and flames surrounded us. “I will be your downfall.” The words echoed around me, and my father was everywhere. In front of me, beside me, behind me.

He rose up out of the flames, and then with a wave of his hands, the flames began to close in on me.

I woke with a scream, and when I did, I saw a flicker of light. I glanced over at my desk, which always held a candle in case of a poweroutage.

There was a steady flame, bright in the darkness. I blinked my eyes a few times, trying to make sure I wasn't dreaming. I threw off my covers, and cautiously walked over to the desk.

I touched the candle holder around the candle, it was still cold, meaning that the candle hadn't been lit long. I quickly blew it out and walked back to my bed.

I lay back down and stared at the ceiling. I couldn't make out the ceiling from the rest of the darkness, but I couldn't sleep anyways.

Why was this happening to me? I didn't want to be different, I was different enough as it was. I was already stared at for being a freak because of my parents, I didn't need a real reason for people to think I was a freak.

I got up out of bed and began to walk towards the kitchen. I picked up a glass from near the sink, and filled it with water. I turned around and nearly dropped the glass. Grams was behind me, staring at me, but never saying a word.

“Grams you scared me.” She didn't answer, just like she always did. “Grams, can't we just talk? Why won't you talk to me?”

“Born of devil's fire, she shall rise,

The Mark of the Chosen upon her skin,

Foes in disguise,

Showing the person within.”

Grams slumped to the floor, and the glass fell out of my hands. “Grams! Grams, are you okay?” I shook her, but she wouldn't wake up, suddenly Christian was there hauling me up off the floor, away from her.

I saw Ace and the others, and heard the sirens and saw the lights. Christian kept me restrained, holding me back from trying to shake Grams awake again.

Hot tears fell from my eyes, but I barely noticed. I was too busy trying to break Christian's hold on me.

“Let me go!” I was screaming and crying, and I just wanted to fall and cry.

“She's gonna be okay, Peyton. Come on, let's get you away from here.” He began to gently tug me away from the EMTs that were leaning over Grams and loading her on a gurney.

He took me to my bedroom, where Ace, Scarlett, and Xavier were. Christian made me sit down on my bed, I was still crying.

“I told you to leave me alone.” I managed to say through my sobs.

“And you thought that after you were attacked by a witch hunter that we weren't going to make sure you were okay?” Ace sat down on the bed next to me. “We're your friends Peyton, and you're going to have to live with that.”

“I'm not her friend.” Scarlett's nose was scrunched up in distaste, she really didn't like me.

“Scar, now is not the time for the whole element hatred thing.” Ace shook her head at her, and Scarlett rolled her eyes and flicked a chunk of her dark hair behind her shoulder in annoyance.

“Peyton, what happened? You looked like you had seen a ghost?” It was Xavier. I thought about if I should tell them what she had said. They were all looking at me expectantly.

I wasn't going to tell them, because telling them meant I wanted to be who I really was, and I didn't want to do that.

“Absolutely nothing happened.”