Chapter 9: Violet

It was pitch black in this room. The small amount of light that I had was from a crack in the bookshelf that seeped in a small stream of light. My arms were shackled to a chain that was attached to the floor in the back of the room. My wrists were starting to turn red and throb, the shackles were too tight. The chain wasn’t long enough for me to stand. I curled up against the back wall, letting the tears continue to fall as I sat there hopeless.

“How did I get myself into this mess?” A shiver went down my spine. I wasn’t wearing a sweater, and this room offered no warmth. The cement floor stole whatever warmth I had.

The turning was going to happen in a couple hours, and I was chained to the floor, and I didn’t know what to expect. I was alone and tomorrow I was betrothed to the worst possible person. A person I hated. The person that killed my family and friends. If I was this powerful witch maybe after the turning, I would be able to take Eli out? I imagined using magic to slice his head off and mutilate his minions in tandem. I smiled at the thought. He deserved every ounce of suffering I could give him.

My stomach growled. I hadn’t eaten since yesterday. The rations were becoming smaller and smaller, and I wanted to give my portions to those who really needed them. I was young and healthy and could afford to miss a meal or two. I only slightly wished that I had a couple bites of the elaborate meal that Eli had prepared. But he could have potentially tampered with it. I was better off hungry.

I heard a click and the shelf shifted having light shine into the small room and made me flinch. Eli walked in holding a glass of water and a plate. “My dearest, it pains me to see you in this state. If you only just cooperated, you would be free.” He sat down the plate and glass in front of me.

“I will never cooperate with the likes of you.” I spat at him and kicked over the glass and spilled the food onto the floor. I stood up and leaned as far forward as the chain allowed me, a mere few inches away from Eli’s face. “You are a pathetic excuse for a witch, and I hope that the pain and suffering that is coming your way lasts for the rest of your life in this realm and the next.”

“You insolent little bitch!” Eli screamed, he took his hand, and struck the right side of my face. This blow crumpled me to the floor. Dark spots drifted across my vision. There was a sharp pain on my wrists. I looked down and the light from the doorway shown that with the jerking of my chains the shackles had cut into my wrist. Blood dripped down my hand and onto the floor.

“I suggest you take the next couple hours to think about your future and how you would like to live it. You can be by my side or here.” He jerked at the hem of his robe straightening it and walked out.

I let the darkness take me. Maybe this was just a bad dream.

***************

“Honey?” I heard a familiar voice through the darkness.

“Oh shit, she’s out.” I heard another familiar voice through the darkness.

“Honey, you need to wake up now! We don’t have much time!”

I started to open my eyes. “Ow my head.” I lifted my hands to my head. I looked at my wrists, they were no longer in the shackles. “What’s happening?” I looked at Myrtle and Tomas, they stared back at me. “What is he doing here?”

“He’s here to help. He told me what went down and wanted to help. We don’t have a lot of time.”

“Time for what?” It took me twice as long to process what they said. I had to have concussion, there was a ringing in my right ear, and I had a dull throbbing pain in my head.

“We have to get you out of here,” Tomas said.

“Yes, Eli is in a different part of the manor and Tomas was supposed to be guarding you. He came to me and let me know what was happening. We are here to save you.” Myrtle patted my shoulder. “You need to get up and we need to move quick.”

“How are you out of bed?” Still confused at what was happening.

“I cast a strength spell before coming here. This old dog still has some tricks up her sleeve. Now you must get up,” she said as she pulled my arm.

I staggered to my feet.

“Ok, I have pulled around one of the older Jeeps to the back door for you.”

“I packed a duffle bag that is in your room, it has money and everything else you will need for the turning.” Myrtle said as she pushed me toward the door. “If any of us are going to get out of this we need to make sure you are safe. I fully believe that you are going to save us.”

We made it to Eli’s office door.

“Tomas, you stay here and I’m going to have to hit you…pretty hard to make it convincing.”

“You what?” Tomas said as Myrtle threw a punch to his eye socket. He fell backward landing hard. He was out cold.

“I tried to warn him.” Myrtle shrugged and pulled me to the door. She peeked around the frame to make sure that no one was coming. “Let’s go.”

We made our way through the hall; we stuck close to the walls. Paused anytime we heard a sound. Since the uprising, the halls of the manor no longer had people mingling. Now at all hours of the day there were no people, only the occasional minion.

I looked at Myrtle. The fragile woman that I saw earlier didn’t compare to the woman who was sprinting down the hall. She looked twenty years younger, and she looked ready to fight a war on her own. I hadn’t noticed that Tracy followed closely at Myrtle’s heels as we made it to my room.

We slid in and closed the door behind us. She leaned down and grabbed a small duffle bag from under my bed.

“I’m so sorry for what you have had to endure up until this point of your life. You are so strong, and I know that you will come back and save this coven.” She cupped my face in her hands and stared at me. “Make sure you only use your strength for good, you hear me.”

I nodded my head. “B-but can’t you come with me?” The tears started to stream down my face.

“Sorry, honey, I will only slow you down. And you are the future of this coven. I don’t have much longer on this strength spell, so we need to get you down to the car, ok?” Her eyes flooded. “I love you so much, I am so proud of you.” She kissed my forehead. “Let’s go.”

I nodded again. She put the bag on my shoulder, took my hand and pulled me to the door. We swiftly made it down the hall and to the stairway. We looked around the corner and saw Jeffers looming in the doorway to the kitchen. It looked like he was talking to someone but couldn’t see who.

Myrtle looked at me and put a finger to her lips and pointed toward the back stairway. We descended the stairs and saw the back door. Normally one of Eli’s minions would lurk at all entrances and exits but not right now. Our lucky day.

Myrtle pushed me to the door. I turned back and looked at her. She smiles. “I love you,” I whispered.

“I love you too my dear,” she smiled.

“What the fuck is going on?” Someone screamed from behind Myrtle. She turned to face them.

“Get back here now!” Eli screamed from further away. Eli, Jeffers and three of his minions darted toward us.

Myrtle turned back to me and pushed me out the door. “Go! Don’t stop!”

I jumped into the driver’s seat and found the keys already in the ignition. I turned the key, and the engine turned a few times before it roared to life. I looked through the still open doorway and saw Myrtle and Tracy begin to glow blue. They mustered up all the magic they had. I threw the Jeep in gear, pushed the gas and it lurched forward. I make it halfway down the driveway when a huge explosion came from behind me. On instinct I ducked below the seat.

I slowly turned around and saw that the back portion of the manor was in shambles. “She’s going to be fine. She’s strong. She’s going to be fine.” I chanted to myself. Tears still streamed down my cheeks.

I looked in the rearview mirror. I saw Eli and Jeffers in front of Myrtle who is hunched over. What happened? Tracy still glowed blue, she had magic left. Electric bolts hit Eli and Jeffers; it pushed them to the ground. Maybe they were dead. Maybe it’s over now and I didn’t have to leave.

I glanced at the road in front of me and swerved to avoid a branch in the driveway. I looked back to the mirror. Eli had his hand out and lifted up. Myrtle lifted in the same motion. Eli jerked his hand and Myrtle went limp.

“Noooooooooo!” I screamed through sobs. I took the turn in the drive that met with the highway. I lost sight of the devastating actions that happened behind me. I replayed Eli jerking his hand and Myrtle going limp in my head.

I continued to sob as I sped down the highway. Myrtle was family and now she was gone. I left the only home I knew, to go where? I had no friends or family on the outside. I was alone again. I drove down the dark highway.

I drove in the silent cab without stopping for a few hours. My tears stopped; I cried so much this last day that I had no more tears to shed. I stared at the dark road in front of me with swollen eyes. I didn’t know where I was. I knew I went north but I couldn’t say what city I was near.

My hands started to tingle. I looked down, a net of purple electrodes dance across my hand.

“What the?” I turned the car down a dark gravel road and stopped. Through the events that happened today I forgot about the turning. A time that was to be celebrated and shared with family and friends was now a sad moment in the darkness. Alone.

The net started growing across my skin. My chest became warm. I stepped out into the cool night and walked into the field next to the road. I didn’t want to do something that would compromise the vehicle.

The nets became brighter as it danced across my skin. A deep purple light protruded from my chest. This light didn’t hurt, it filled me with warmth and hope. The magic lifted me from the ground and levitated me three feet above the ground. The magic enveloped me and pulled at me; it shredded my old being into a new one. I could feel the energy as it pulsed through me. I felt my eyes start to glow, and I burst into a bright purple light. This was the best I have ever felt.

I took a deep breath; the light faded, and I slowly drifted to the ground. The net that once covered my entire body lingered on my fingertips. I stood in the field. I felt like I could breathe for the first time. Like a weight was removed from my lungs and I could really breath. My bare feet felt the energy of the earth as it pulsed happily against me. I never noticed that before. I took a step forward. The grass leaned toward me like a magnet, it brushed my legs as I walked.

All the energy around me assaulted my senses. Could I see better now? Everything seemed crystal clear. As if I got a new sight. Did the air always smell this sweet? I made my way to the car and sat down. Electrodes greeted the steering wheel; I turned the key, and it started without a fuss.

I looked into the rearview mirror; my eyes still glowed with magic. A bruise had formed on the right side of my face, from where Eli hit me. Little lightning bolts darted around my iris. I smiled at myself. “Things are certainly going to change.”