The Goddess's Chosen

Sanctuary

We drove for hours before needing to stop for gas, luckily, I had my bag with my wallet and my moms credit card. Mom. I thought sadly. Fighting tears, I pumped gas and went inside to pay. I got some strange looks for my outfit and ruined hair and makeup, but I didn’t care. After paying, I brought my bag into the bathroom and got changed. Jeans were much more comfortable than the dress, but I folded it neatly and placed it in my bag. I grabbed some snacks and drinks and went back to the car. Ava and Rachelle were sleeping soundly in the back seat. Normally, you could tell them apart because their personalities were so different but sleeping you could hardly tell. They both had heart shaped faces with identical amber colored almond eyes and the same long straight black hair. Rachelle had her nose pierced, but that was the main difference in their appearance. Clara was sitting in the passenger seat with her head on the window, trying not to fall asleep. I opened the driver's side door as quietly as I could manage. “Hmm...” Clara mumbled and sat up in her seat, trying to look as though she was not falling asleep. “Cas....I can drive.” she said, trying to stifle a yawn. “I’m ok, you get some rest. I wouldn’t be able to sleep any ways, and I got this.” I held up a can of energy drink.” not moms potions, but it'll do.” I manage a small sad laugh and open the can and take a sip. “Want some?” I offer the can to Clara, and she nods and takes a sip. “Where are we going?” she asks. I use my powers to start the car again and pull out of the gas station. “My mom told me about a sanctuary where witches could go to escape hunters. It’s warded against anyone but our coven, but it is in Canada.” Clara nods. “Where in Canada?” she asks. “Nova Scotia, we can get it to by ferry.” Clara’s eyes lit up. “FAERIES?!?” she got excited and yelled, waking up Ava and Rachelle in the back seat. I laugh, “No, a ferry, as in a boat for cars.” I glanced at Clara, who now looked bashful and made an ‘O’ shape with her mouth. “What about faeries?” Ava yawned. “Not the flying ones, but the boat for cars.” Clara said, as if she had known what I meant the whole time. “Well, that’s disappointing” Rachelle said. The car ride carried on like this for a while longer. Our Coven was located in Maine, so it is only a short distance to the ferry that will carry us to Nova Scotia. We got to the ferry and were asked to present our passports. s**t. I thought. I pulled out my ID and showed the woman at the gate. Her eyes got big, and she bowed her head. “I am so sorry, high priestess.” she said. I shook my head, “no, I’m not, my mom...” her head came back up and she had tears running down her face. “Ms. Green, your mother once told me that if you ever showed up here without her, that she....” and she broke down into tears. I felt my heart sink and tears begin forming in my eyes. I already knew, but this only makes it more real. “What is your name?” I asked her, trying not to cry myself. “I am Lavender.” she responds. I nod. “Lavender, that is a pretty name. My mother had once told me about a sanctuary in Nova Scotia. Hunters attacked us at my ascension last night, and we are all that is left of our coven. Could you tell us where to go?” She straightened her back and stood up straight, “of course, high priestess.” and she pulled out a sheet of paper and wrote the name of a town on it. New Glasgow, it read. I thanked her as she let us through. We parked the car and walked to the seating area and grabbed some coffee and breakfast. I was starving and had not had real food since breakfast yesterday. The last meal with my mother. I took a deep breath to keep from crying, remembering her slender face, her small nose and her brilliant blue eyes, and her warm smile. Remembering how she took care of me my whole life and now she was gone. Reunited with my father. That is the only thing keeping me from breaking down completely. I know how much she missed him, and now she can be with him forever, and one day, I will reunite with them as well. I look forward to that day. Sighing, I look down at the breakfast sandwich before me. I looked good, but I realized I had not appetite, and looking around, it seemed that my 3 sisters did not have much of an appetite either. Ava was picking chocolate chips out of her muffin, Rachelle was moving bits of quiche around with her fork, and Clara was poking her pancakes. “We should eat, we may need our strength. I know this is hard, trust me, I know, but we have to keep strong. Once we get to the sanctuary, we can discuss our options further.” I spoke, sounding more confident than I felt. They all nodded and began slowly eating their breakfast. The ferry ride would have been magical, except for the unsettled sea and the harsh winds, which I could not help but feel was my fault, that my emotions being so raw right now were causing my powers to behave without my consent. I have heard of this, my mother would tell me stories about the witches who experience loss and their powers run rampant and turns wild and untamable. Those witches often died at their own hand from their magic causing so much chaos and destruction, and the ones that lived were never the same. They withdrew from society, leaving their covens and became solitary, wild witches. Living in cabins in the woods for fear that their powers would harm others. Some witches delighted in the chaos and destruction that came with their wild magic. It made them feel powerful when everything else was taken from them. My mother told be about one witch in particular. Selene Whitlock. She had met a man, got married, got pregnant and gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, which is rare among witches. She knew he would not have powers, but she loved him any ways. One day, her husband used one of her sleeping potions she had made to help her sleep during pregnancy, to put her into a deep sleep, he took her son and made sure she could never find them, using so many of her own potions to keep her from tracking them. She went mad with despair. Her powers turned wild and destroyed her village along with her coven. After eight years of searching, she finally took her own life. My mother said that she and Selene had been friends, and that it broke her heart to see her turn wild the way she did. She even tried finding the father and son herself, but to no avail. This was about ten years ago, and I vaguely remember Selene. She had come to the house a few times for a potion my mother had made to suppress her powers to keep her from harming anyone else. It was heartbreaking. “Cas...” Clara reached across the table and broke me from me reverie. “You ok?” she asks. I nod. “I was just thinking about my mom and her friend Selene.” Clara nodded knowingly. “Whitlock?” Ava asked? I nod in response. “I remember her visiting your mom sometimes. It's sad what happened to her.” Rachelle said. “Why were you thinking about her?” Clara asked. I sighed and took a sip of my coffee. “Well, the weather, what If its me? I mean, I can’t control my powers and I am so messed up right now...” Ava pulled me in for a hug, and Clara and Rachelle joined in. “Stop, we won’t let you go wild.” Clara muttered, and Ava and Rachelle agreed. “Thank you, guys, I am so lucky to have you.” I said, the tears I had been fighting finally spilling down my cheeks. “You saved my life, literally brought me back from the dead, I am eternally grateful for you, Cassandra, and I will always be here to help you.” Ava said, hugging me again. “You gave me back my sister, you kept me from turning wild, I will do the same.” Rachelle added. “Cas, you have always been my best friend, no way in hell will I ever let anything happen to you. Period.” Clara added and they all gave me another group hug. I started calming down, and as to confirm my suspicions, so did the weather. The rest of the ferry ride went by peacefully as I leaned back into a chair and took a nap.   

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“Cassandra” a feminine voice with a thick Greek accent called my name. “My daughter, come to me.” She said again. Without thinking I followed her voice. It felt like home. “My child,” A woman came into view with out stretched hands. She was very tall, at least 6’0”, long flowing black hair, thin face with high cheekbones and a strong jaw. Her eyes were a bright, penetrating blue, and her skin was as white as moonlight. I recognized her at once, as the Goddess Hecate. “Mother of witches, Goddess...” I say and bow my head. “Stand, my child, and come closer.” I do as she says. It is dark, wherever we are, with only two large candelabras on either side of the Goddess. Looking at her, she only has one head, but her shadow shows three, with the two on either side looking in opposite directions. I walk closer to the Goddess and reach toward her out stretched hands. “My Cassandra.” She says, with a smile. “Your earthly mother, Endora, took such great care of you, look how you have grown into a beautiful young woman.” she coos. I look at her, unafraid, and strangely comfortable. One would think, if met face to face with a Goddess, they would be afraid, nervous, or even too shocked for speech, but I wasn’t. I stood in front of her, humbled, yes, but not afraid. “May I ask why you have shown yourself to me, it has never been recorded you doing so.” I ask. Hecate smiles and gently caresses my face. “You are truly special, my daughter.” she says matter-of-factly. Confusion no evident on my face, she continues, “Cassandra, during your ascension, did you not see all of what came to light for you?” she asks, not pausing for an answer she continues, “You have so much yet to learn, and you will, in time. For now, you must focus on the enemy. The hunters.” Her tone turning more serious. “They seek war, you have been prophesized to bring our kind to greatness, to unite us all, making us that much more powerful, and they fear you. They want you dead, they do not want you to know what you are capable of. Trust your sisters, they will always be by your side. You will succeed if you follow this path. They will keep you aligned with goodness and light. Now go, your friends await you.” she said with a sad smile, and in a flash of white light, I am alone.  

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“Cas, wake up!” I hear Clara’s voice and feel her shaking me before I open my eyes. It was Just a dream, but it felt so real. I could still feel her warm touch on my cheek, and instinctively I lifted my hand to the spot she touched. “You ok, Cas?” Clara asked, I nodded. “Ye..yeah, I think so.” I mumbled. “You were dreaming about the Goddess?” Rachelle asked. “You mentioned her name” Ava finished. “I think, she spoke to me...” I said. “Well, we need to get to the car, apparently we have another four hours to drive, which I am doing, need you to start it though.” Clara said, and we all followed her downstairs to where the cars were. Once I got into the passenger seat, I reached over and started the car, getting more comfortable with my powers, then leaned back into my seat and waited for the gate to come down so we could drive. “So, Hecate spoke to you?” Ava blurted out, once we had pulled off of the ferry. I nodded. “What did she say?” Clara asked. Before speaking, I turn in my seat so I can see them better, “well, she said I am powerful, mom took care of me, and to trust you girls, that you will always be by my side.” “Hell yeah we will be!” Clara said, reaching over and patting my hand. Ava and Rachelle reaching up and grabbing my hand in agreement. “She also said that the hunters seek to start a war and to kill me...she said they are scared that I will unite the witches and we will become more powerful than they are, and that scares them.” I said, sobering the mood a little. “That won’t happen.” Rachelle said. And I nodded, hoping she was right.  

     “I need a change of clothes.” Ava whined from the back seat. Smiling I turned to look at her, and really noticed for the first time that the clothes she was wearing had scorch marks and holes in them. Luckily, I had a change of clothes, while all of their clothes burned. “it says there is a mall coming up in Dartmouth, we can stop there and all grab something new to wear, I am buying, so don’t worry.” I said, nodding at Clara. “Yes ma’am” She responds. “You are my hero!” Ava squeals. About half an hour later we pull into the parking deck for the mall. We all get out of the car and walk inside, looking for a*****e that suits our styles. “Me first, oh please, Cas?” Ava begged. I laughed as her and Rachelle went back and forth, finally deciding that we could shop for Ava first. We went into some fancy store, that I couldn’t even pronounce, while Ava had a field day trying on all of the luxurious clothing. “Pick something, princess, we all need clothes, and we still have to get to the sanctuary.” Rachelle whined. Ava pouted and decided on ridiculously expensive jeans and a light pink blouse, with a pair of white wedges. She tried explaining to us why the jeans were so pricey, but I wasn’t paying attention. I just wanted to leave. Next, we went to a simpler store for Clara and Rachelle, called Rue 21. Clara got a pair of jeans with a white tank top and a light green hoodie with a pair of white converse. Rachelle got a pair of light blue jeans with tears in them, a blue long-sleeved top with holes cut out for the thumbs, and a pair of knee-high brown leather boots. Finally, for myself, we went to Hot topic, cliché I know, but I love the store. I had my clothes, but I wanted something clean, so I got myself another pair of black jeans, a pair of black combat styled boots, and a black corset top. We also went to a dollar store and grabbed some brushes and other hygiene products so that we could shower comfortably once we got to sanctuary. Once we were finished, we grabbed some food from the food court and got back on the road. My mother had told me that the sanctuary was an old schoolhouse that had been converted into an apartment building and was unoccupied. The coven bought it in case of an emergency, and we needed to relocate. She had said that it was so far away because it would make tracking us more difficult. It was covered in protection spells and wards against everything they could think of. Faeries, wolves, vampires, hunters, if it wanted us dead at some point in history, it was protected against. They took no chances. After another hour and a half of driving, we pulled up the school building. It looked abandoned and dilapidated, but we knew better. We parked the car and grabbed our belongings and walked to the entrance. “How do we get in?” Ava asked, rubbing her arms against the colder weather. “And why is it so cold?” She whined. “We are in Canada, its spring, and it is nighttime. It's going to be cold, princess.” Rachelle retorted. The bickered back and forth a little more but I wasn’t paying attention. My mother had never actually told me how to get into the sanctuary. “Ummmmm....so, funny thing, guys...” I started. “I may have forgotten that my mother had never actually told me how to get in...” Sheepishly, I looked at my boots, averting my eyes from the death glare from Ava. “WHAT?!?” She screamed. “First, I am caught on fire and killed, now I’m going to freeze to death?” She wailed. “Oh, don’t be dramatic, Ava, I am sure Cas will think of something.” Clara defended me. I wish I felt as confident about it as she did. I closed my eyes and sent a silent prayer to Hecate. Goddess, please, help me get in. My mother never told me, and since you are the Goddess and keyholder, I was hoping you could... and before I could finish my request, the front door swung open. “Thank you, Goddess” I whispered, before ushering everyone inside. Inside was about what you would expect from a school building turned into an apartment building and then abandoned. It was dark and kind of creepy, but clean, unusually so for an abandoned building. Once we walked in a bit more, the lights all flickered on, and the building seemingly came to life. It was quiet, but now we can hear the hum of generators and heaters kicking in. Now that we could see, we walked around a bit. The floors that would have once been tiled, are now carpeted in an ugly brownish green carpet, the walls were painted in an off-white color, and the doors were all painted black with large silver numbers on them, signifying which room they were. There were three floors and even an elevator, so that we did not have to walk up the stairs, which, let's be honest, I hate stairs. All of the apartments we looked at were basically the same, wood flooring, new marble counters, already furnished with black and grey couches, and large tv’s. The bedrooms all had queen-size beds or two smaller beds for kids. We decided that we wanted to all be in the same apartment, for safety, and because, quite frankly, we were scared. We took some time and moved the beds around in a few of the apartments so that there were now two queen sized beds in each of the rooms. One room for me and Clara and the other room for Ava and Rachelle. We knew this wouldn’t be permanent, and we were all ok with this set-up for now. Once we got all settled in, we ate our supper and decided to try to get some sleep and discuss next steps in the morning. Sleep did not come easy, but after a while, I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.