The Cromwell Sisters

A Witches Calling

Friday has finally arrived. The Cromwell household have all risen from their beds, showered and have got dressed ready for the day. A sleepy Salem can be seen laid at the end of Darcy's bed curled up into a ball. He has nowhere to be and he loves it. Darcy brushes her long brown hair and ties it up in a high pony tail. She is so relieved it is Friday today and the weekend is finally here. She kisses Salem goodbye and prepares herself for the monstrous Faye Harper. Darcy hugs her mother Elizabeth goodbye then snatches an apple from the fruit bowl. Her little sister Alice follows her out the front door with school books in hand. The sky is a bit gloomy today. The wind gushes into the girls faces and blows Alice's beautiful locks everywhere so she cannot see.

Alice blows her hair out of her face . Luckily Darcy tied hers up today. Darcy was very quiet this morning, quieter than normal. Alice could sense something was wrong with her big sister and asked what is wrong with her. Darcy looked down at her shoes and said she did not want to talk about it. Alice sighed and hugged her sister goodbye when they reached the school gates. This made Darcy smile. She loves her sister even if they argue a lot. Darcy could feel the dread building up inside of her as she entered the hell hole called Westend High School. She felt so alone yet the halls were crowed with people. Some school kids could be seen play fighting with each other whilst others giggled by their lockers. Darcy rushed to her locker before the bell rang for first period.

Opening her locker which was covered in stickers of wild animals such as Elephants and Dolphins, she heard footsteps behind her. She was ready to face the evil queen from hell. As she braced herself she was greeted with a friendly familiar smile. It was her bestie Amelia. " Heyyyy Girl", Amelia smiled hugging Darcy. Amelia has light fair hair which was almost a ginger colour with a tone of red in. She also had fair skin and very white perfect teeth. "Hi Amelia. You ok?", Darcy asked returning the hug. Amelia and Darcy have been best friends since they were six and knew everything about one another. " I'm ok . Just soo tired today. So glad its FriYAY!!", Amelia shouted for everyone to hear. Some people gave her a funny look and others cheered along with her. Darcy smiled at her best friend who is crazy. They grabbed their books and headed for their History lesson. Their History teacher Mrs Hall ordered the students to take their seats. Darcy pulled out her chair and went to sit down.

All of a sudden the chair was pulled away from her and she fell to the floor.

All of the students in the classroom turn their heads towards Darcy, who was now laid on the floor holding her head. A group of girls were sniggering on the table behind her. Darcy turns towards them and shouted " Who pulled my chair away!?". She scanned the group of girls and found the culprit. There sat Faye who was trying to hold in her laughter. "Do you think thats funny, Faye?" Darcy screamed rushing toward her. Faye stopped laughing and sunk in her seat. She has never seen Darcy like this- full of anger and range. Out of nowhere Faye's seat started to violently shake, as if somebody was moving it. This startled Faye who shot up and looked around her. The girls in her group all stopped laughing and stared at Darcy. A few gasps can be heard from her classmates then the room became silent. Faye had a look of horror on her face. The atmosphere had changed and suddenly everyone feared Darcy. Mrs Hall returned to the classroom from the reception and as she shut the door behind her, Darcy's mood changed. Darcy swung around to find Mrs Hall staring at her students. Faye's chair had now stopped shaking.

"Can someone explain to me what is going on here? Why are you all staring at Darcy?" Mrs Hall questioned her students looking confused. The other teens all looked around at each other speechless. "Well!?" Mrs Hall demanded. Darcy picked up her chair and placed it at her desk and took her seat. "Sorry Mrs Hall, We were just talking about what we had planned at the weekend" Darcy replied with a shaky voice. Mrs Hall nodded and told her students to get back to work before calling Darcy to her desk. "Young lady, I have never thought you were the one for trouble. When I say no talking it means no talking. Do I make myself clear?" her teacher asked her with a stern, serious look on her face. Darcy gulped and nodded her head. " Yes Mrs Hall. I understand" Darcy answered. She walked back to her seat where she could feel eyes slowly looking up at her then quickly looking away. Her best friend Amelia has not said a word to her. Darcy does not understand what just happened. Why did Faye's chair shake like that? Was it a prank? Why was everyone staring at her? Darcy felt really uneasy and could not wait to go home.

When the last bell finally rang Darcy darted out the school gates. She could hear Amelia calling her to wait. When Amelia finally caught up with her she questioned everything that had happened in History class. Darcy explained to her best friend that she didn't know what happened and thinks Faye had set the whole thing up. "Darcy, you do realise the whole school was talking about you at lunch, Faye said you were a freak and made her chair move!" Amelia told Darcy everything that was said about her. "Amelia , you saw me. I was not stood anywhere near her chair and I wasn't even touching it, so how on Earth could I have moved it like that!?" She asked looking at Amelia for an answer. Amelia shook her head.

" I..I don't know Darcy. I know you didn't do it. But it was freaky that's for sure. You know they moved your chair and then you get all angry at her!" Amelia said scratching her head. " I know Amelia, I was there. It hurt when I hit my head, I just lost it!" Darcy replied turning to her friend who looked confused. Darcy could see her sister waving and running toward them. " Look let's just drop it now please, ok?" Darcy asked . Amelia nodded her head and agreed. The girls stopped and waited for Alice who was out of breath. Her checker scarf was hanging from her shoulders. " Hey guys" Alice said out of breath, wrapping her scarf around her. " Hey how was school?" Darcy asked her little sister. The girls continued to walk home. " It was ok, I am so glad it the weekend now. Dennis is throwing a Halloween party so I'm helping him arrange it all. " Oh wow cool. I love a good party, especially Halloween!" Amelia squeals. Darcy pulled a funny face . " Ermm Alice.." She hesitated. " I don't think Mum will be too impressed with that". Alice let out a huge sigh and looked over at her sister . She rolled her eyes. " It will be fine. I'm going to talk to her tonight and see when Dennis can come over for dinner". Darcy shrugged and did not want to argue with her sister. She hugged her best friend Amelia goodbye as they walked down their street. The sisters walked up the steps towards the old Victorian style front door.

The sisters were greeted by their Mother who was dancing down the stairs and singing to the radio. The girls gave each other a look and giggled. Elizabeth danced around her daughters then round in circles to the kitchen, where their dinner awaited them. “Hello , my sweet darlings, how was school today?” she asked her daughters as she turns the music of. Darcy plonked her schoolbag down at the bottom of the stairs and followed the delicious smell of dinner. “It was fine , I guess”, Darcy replied as she pulled out a chair at the dinner table. The smell of the lamb cooking in the oven with the roasted potatoes distracted her from the fact she had a horrible day at school again. “ That's good, what about you Alice?” they're mother asked , pulling out three plates from the cupboard. Alice took her blazer off and nodded her head in the direction of her mother. “Ok thanks Mum. Ermm, I need to ask you something.” Alice answered lowering her voice. Elizabeth stopped what she was doing and looked up at Alice. “ Ok sweetheart, What is it?” Elizabeth asked with such curiosity. Alice took a seat next to her big sister and took a sip of her coke that her mum had laid out at the table. “Well,” she continued, “ You know Dennis?” She asked as her mum nodded her head with no enthusiasm at all. “ He is throwing a Halloween party and I was wondering if I can go and when he can come round for dinner to meet you?”. There was an awkward silence that filled the air. An awkwardness that even the cat had to leave the room.

All that could be heard are the birds tweeting in their nests in the leafless trees. Alice cleared her throat and coughed . Elizabeth opened her mouth but no words came out. “Mum!?” Alice asked looking over at her mum who was now sipping her drink. Darcy could feel the tension and slouched in her chair. “ Yes darling I heard you. I don’t know if I am honest. I don’t like the idea of you having a boyfriend when you should be focusing on school.” Alice huffed really loudly to show her annoyance at her mum. “ But Mum everyone in our year is going, please!!” Alice begged . Darcy shook her head at her little sister as if to say don’t push your luck. But to Darcy’s surprise their mum said ok only if she was back by 11.

Alice jumped up out of her chair in joy and ran to hug her mum. “ Thank you Mum. I promise I will be back by 11.” Elizabeth kissed Alice on her forehead. “ He can come round this Thursday for dinner , as your Grandma is coming to stay with us for a bit.” Elizabeth said, checking on the dinner. The girls gasped and stared at each other with a huge grin on their face. “ Grandma's coming to stay? For how long!?” Darcy asked her mother with a sparkle in her eye. They adored their Grandma Maggie. She was so full of charm and charisma that everyone loved her. Elizabeth replied “ She is staying with us for a few weeks. As she wants to do something special with you girls for Halloween this year.” The girls shrieked with joy. They love Halloween and their Grandma is always so much fun at this time of year. She always has some folk law story to tell. The sisters cannot contain their excitement. The only thing is, Maggie can be embarrassing, she might end up telling a story too Dennis about when Alice was a baby.

Elizabeth served up their dinner. A succulent, juicy joint of lamb seasoned with Rosemary and Thyme along with a mixed melody of steamed vegetables. They shoved their food into their mouths in silence. Darcy stopped to take a big gulp off her drink before shoving food back into her mouth. All was silent at the dinner table apart from the clanging of knife and forks scraping along the plates. The family cat Salem was even eating his dinner and licking his bowl clean. He had devoured it in seconds and licked his lips clean before heading to his bed. Before any one at the table could take another mouthful they were interrupted by a huge thud upstairs.

All three of them froze. “What was that? Did you hear that!?” Alice asked frantically. Elizabeth put down her cutlery and put her finger to her lips. Darcy quietly put down her cutlery too. This was the same sound that she heard in the attic the other night. “Mum!??” Alice whispered. Alice went to get up from her chair. “ It was probably just Salem knocking something over” Alice suggested. Elizabeth turns to her youngest and sshed her as she looked up at the ceiling. Darcy then turned around in her chair to find a sleeping Salem in his bed curled up in a ball. Darcy got her sister’s attention and pointed to Salem, then shook her head to say it was not Salem. Their mother stood up from the table with caution, trying not to make a sound. “ Stay here please, I’m going upstairs to see what that was.” She said still looking toward the stairs. Both girls nodded as they saw the look on their mother’s face. They know when she is concerned and that was a concerned look she had on her face. Elizabeth tiptoed toward the stairs and then climbed up them ,taking each step one at a time so the floorboards do not creak. Darcy watched her mother disappear upstairs and with that she was out of sight.

Darcy and Alice sat quietly and spoke to each other softly . Their mum has been gone now for a good ten minutes. Darcy looked up at the grandfather clock and decided it was time to go find her to make sure she was ok. “ Darcy, Darcy” her little sister called to her in a whisper. “ Stay here, don’t leave me here alone please!” she had a worried and scared look on her face. Alice grabbed her sisters arm and pleaded her to not go. Darcy turns to her sister and replied “ It’s ok, I will be back. I won’t be long ok? Just stay here and don’t make a sound. If I am not back in five minutes call for help”. Alice nodded her head in an unsure manner. She sure hoped her mum and sister will be back soon. Darcy headed toward the stairs where her mum went. She gulped. She didn’t know if she should call out for her mum or just go find her in case she was held captive by burglars.

It was a weird atmosphere in the upstairs hallway. It was as if something was not right. Darcy searched all the rooms to find her mother nowhere to be seen. All but one room had been searched. The Attic. Darcy tiptoed to the direction of the attic door. When she reached it, she put her ear to the door and listened. She heard muffled chattering. Even though she couldn’t make out what was said, she knew for a fact it was her mum. Darcy reached her hand out to open the rusty door. She twisted the cold door handle and very gently pushed so it would not creek. Once the door was slightly ajar she stuck her head round the corner to listen further. Darcy could now hear clearly but it did not make any sense to her. It was her Aunt Wendy. “ Look ,I didn’t mean to come uninvited ok?” her Aunt apologised with a worried tone in her voice. “ I just don’t appreciate you dropping in like this with no warning!” her Mum answered sounding very angry. Darcy stepped in a little further to see what was going on . “ I know! I know! I just needed to come by to make sure everything was ok, I haven't had a bad feeling like this in so long.” Wendy continued. “ I had to make sure the book was safe”. Elizabeth laughed sarcastically. “ Since when have you cared? You left it with me and it is safe. Has been all these years. I haven’t heard from you in years and you don’t call to check up on the girls. Suddenly there was silence between them which was then followed by creaking on the floorboards when they shuffled their feet. “Liz ,I am really sorry. I should have stayed in contact but a lot has happened” Wendy said in a more relaxed tone of voice. She sighed and then said to her big sister “I guess I’m not welcome here. Say hi to my nieces for me”.

Darcy panicked as her Aunt said this as they would be coming down the stairs any moment now and would see her. She quickly rushed out the door and ran to her bedroom and closed the door ajar so she can peek through the gap. Her mother appeared from the attic and shut the attic door after her. But no Aunt Wendy. Darcy watched her mum go downstairs and she waited for her Aunt to open the door. Any second now. Darcy thought to herself. But nothing.

Darcy thought this is weird. Her Aunt said she was leaving. But she didn’t hear her come through the front door when they were eating dinner. Why did they end up in the attic? All these questions filled Darcy’s head and she had to go back up there to check on her Aunt and get the answers. She made her way quietly back to the attic door and climbed the dusty stairs. When she reached the top her Aunt was not there. It was like she vanished into thin air. Darcy checked behind all the furniture which was covered in white sheets. She could not find her Aunt Wendy anywhere. “ What on Earth? But how!??” a confused Darcy asked herself . She felt a strong breeze on her arm and realised the window was wide open. This was not open before. Darcy cautiously walked toward it so she can close it. Before she could, she was taken back by a snowy white owl sat on the window seal. The owl spun its head around and stared right at Darcy. The owl hooted really loudly making Darcy jump. Darcy had never seen a creature so beautiful and Majestic. She said hello to the creature and the owl bowed its head and flew away disappearing into the trees.

Darcy just stood there, very confused. Her aunt was up here in the attic a moment ago so where could she of gone? She thought to herself she better get back downstairs before her mother questioned where she was. Darcy headed for the bathroom and flushed the toilet to pretend she needed to use the toilet. When she reached the dinner table she found both her mother and sister sat down talking. There was an awkward silence that filled the air and not even Salem wanted to be in the same room as his beloved humans.

“Where did you go?” Elizabeth questioned Darcy.

Darcy gulped hard and replied back with a dry mouth, “ Just to the toilet”. Her mother knew she was lying. She has always known since they were toddlers. “ Ok” her mother responded very bluntly. Elizabeth stood up to clean the table as she did not want to cause a scene. Darcy was not going to say anything but temptation just starting to eat away at her. She took a big sip of her drink and asked the question she was dreading. “ Where did you go, mum?” What was that noise?” Darcy asked looking up at her mother who has now stood still in her tracks. Elizabeth paused for a moment. “ It, it was just the wind blowing something over that’s all.” She quickly hurried into the kitchen before her daughter interrogated her any further. Dairy raised her eyebrows. Did her mother really just lie to her face? Even Alice could feel the tension between them. Darcy stood up and followed her mother.

“ Mum, how could it be the wind when all the windows were shut? You don’t like the windows being open when no one is upstairs because Salem gets himself stuck on the roof?” She questioned her mother again, this time with more judgement. Her mother huffed before slamming the plates into the dishwasher and slamming the dishwasher door shut. She glared right into Darcy’s soul. Darcy knew her mother was mad but she needed answers. If looks can kill, they would. Her mother started to get flustered and Darcy noticed sweat hanging off her top lip. She knew her mother was hiding something. “ Darcy”, her mother explained, “ I forgot to shut the window, ok? Now can we please drop this conversation and help me clean up” . Her mother continued to clean the dishes but Darcy was having none of it. “ So , who was you speaking to then , up in the attic?” Darcy asked her putting her on the spot. Elizabeth’s patience was wearing thin. Why won’t this girl just leave it be? “ Why were you listening to my conversation? I thought you went to use the bathroom? So you lied to me just now!??” Her mother raised her voice . Darcy can feel herself getting worked up . Her hands were getting sweaty.” What so it’s ok for you to lie to me?” Darcy raised her voice even louder. By this point both mother and daughter were rattled and angry towards one another. “ I was just on the phone to a friend ok, now stop this right now!” Her mother shouted at Darcy.

“ MORE LIES!!” Darcy screamed , she punched the kitchen counter .

“ How dare you call me a liar young lady!” Elizabeth shouted at her daughter, face growing red.

“ C’mon, tell me who was really on the phone? Let’s see if you lie to me again!, Darcy snarled grinding her teeth.

“ A Friend!” , her mother responded back.

“ Liar! Liar, LIAR! You are such a liar! I know it was Aunt Wendy!” , Darcy was even more angry than she has ever been. How dare her mother lie to her like this. Why won’t she just tell her the truth?

At this point Alice’s mouth was zipped shut as she did not want to get involved in all this drama and certainly did not want to be in her mother’s bad books. But as soon as she heard her aunt Wendy’s name she had to interrupt.

“ Aunt Wendy!? Is she coming over? I miss her” , Alice asked getting excited in her seat.

Before Elizabeth could get a word in , Darcy had told her sister the conversation she heard up in the attic. Both girls looked at their mother with blank expressions. An expression their mother never wanted to see. “ How could you tell Aunt Wendy to leave?” Alice asked trying not to cry. She loved her aunty , they both did. Elizabeth felt horrible and no longer wanted to argue . She ran her fingers in her long, thick hair before calming down. “ I never wanted you to hear that conversation. That is why I asked you to stay downstairs” Elizabeth explained with a soft voice. Darcy forgave her mother as she did not want to argue any longer either.

“ Why did you tell her to leave mum?” Alice asked in a soft voice. Elizabeth replied whilst pulling a chair out at the breakfast bar and taking a seat. “She is just trouble ok? She has not really been part of this family in a few years”. She could feel her daughters disappointment but she needed to tell them the truth. Darcy rolled her eyes to disagree. Elizabeth knew Darcy rolled her eyes at her. “ Excuse me , please do not roll your eyes at your mother!” Elizabeth said in a stern parent like voice. Darcy froze. Her back was turned from her mother so how did she know Darcy just rolled her eyes? She scanned the room for any mirrors or anything with a reflection . But nothing. Darcy gulped and found it hard to speak. Her mouth became very dry. “ H…ho..how did you know?” Darcy questioned her mother as she spun around to look at her. Elizabeth simply responded with a smile and walked out the room to go upstairs. The sisters looked at each other with a confused look on their faces. Darcy could not explain what had just happened. This has really been one hell of a strange day.