The thing that happened next
was quite possibly the most terrifying moment of my life. I met darkness. Not the kind that fills your room at night,
or the kind that puts the world to sleep.
Not the kind of darkness any of you have ever seen before. No, this darkness was something no blanket or
mom can protect you from.
This darkness was alive.
And it was staring me right in the face.
She appeared in front of me,
hatred rolling off of her in waves so thick that it nearly suffocated me. I stood there frozen to my spot on the marble
flooring. Her figure was cloaked in an
intricate black lace cloak. She began to
circle me and I spun in place, never letting my back face her front.
Abruptly, she stopped. She unbuttoned the button at her neck and
spread her arms wide, the cloak falling from her shoulders.
She had at least six inches
on me in the heeled black boots she was wearing and I had to crane my neck to
look at her. Her eyes were completely
black just like a spider’s. The paleness
of her skin made her look like a ghost and her blood red lips made her look even
fairer.
A black dress that looked like a wedding gown
in reverse came just above her knees in the front but flowed far behind her in
the back.
“Dear, dear, dear,” she
crooned softly, her voice deep and strong, “Quit your trembling, I won’t kill
you… today.”
“You won’t ever touch me!” I spit out, nearly choking on the poison
in my words, “You are evil, and evil will have no power over me. Now or ever.”
My mouth was babbling freely now, as though I had said these words
dozens of times before. She laughed in a
laugh that would match every description of an evil witch’s laugh you have ever
heard.
A fury ignited in my chest
that slowly unfurled into something large and fiery and passionate.
“Oh darling girl. So ignorant for someone so confident. Of course we can’t harm you yet. We have to wait for your powers to be
unlocked first. Then you will become my
little pawn, and when we’re through with you, you will be burned at the stake.”
“Man. I have no clue how I could pass up that
offer, but…” she struck me hard across the face and I involuntarily let out a
shriek.
“How dare you speak to me in
such a casual tone!? You should be
bowing down at my feet.”
I should have really kept my
mouth shut, but I just couldn’t resist putting my foot in my mouth once more,
“Umm, no thanks. You might be a queen,
but that doesn’t mean that your feet smell good or anything.” If her eyes could
have gotten any wider I swear they would have fallen right out of her
sockets.
“You stupid, insolent little
girl,” she made a fist with her hand and suddenly I felt my throat tightening
and my breath came in short gasps, causing the witch to smile.
“Let. Me.
Go!” I choked out. Then my throat
was released and my breathing slowly became easy and quiet.
“Shut up! I am the master and you shall listen to me!” The
master… Where had I heard that? Ms. Lacey.
Ms. Lacey had said that.
“Not as easy to catch as you
thought, am I?” I smirked, shoving every shred of self-preservation and common
sense I had right out of my mind, “You sent those leather men after me.”
She inhaled sharply, “That
was simply a test. To see if you were as
good at protecting yourself as they said you would be.”
“What, was sending back my
dead principal to test my mental health?”
“You could look at it that
way.” She grinned.
“What do you want?”
“Simply to see you… before
you become my most useful tool ever.”
“Are you pleased? Maybe a haircut or something before-hand…”
She seemed to ignore my last
comment.
“You must return to your
world now. I’ll see you soon.”
“Not if I have anything to do
with it you self-serving, malevolent,” - my long string of insults was abruptly
cut off as I was jarred back into my hallway, landing on my rear end.
