ARADIA

Chapter 8: Missing

Author’s POV

Aradia was weak, in a state of disbelief, frustration and breeding anger. She'd been told everything about her existence from even before she was born. The prophecy, her mother's disobedience and escape, her predicted future.

If her relationship with Xavier was not put to an absolute stop. Her mind and heart were a whirlwind if confused emotions. The witches had left her or so they tried to make her believe. Left her to her privacy so she could process her emotions and all the new information unleashed to her.

She had cried and cleaned her tears and cried and cleaned her tears and paced and cried some more again. She say on the floor and rocked herself gripping the roots of her hair.

Everything was turning upside down. She never planned for her life to turn out this way,she never asked for these powers, or to be Xavier's mate or for this prophecy. She never even asked to be born!

A lone last tear rolls across her cheek.

The ground shook startling Aradia from her confused state.

And she scrambles to her feet wiping aggressively at the next bout of tears threatening to roll down her cheeks. That irritable cackling is heard again and Aradia prepares herself mentally because it spells the arrival of the coven's head witch she's sure. And nothing good ever came from her.

Aradia’s pov

The room felt charged with that negative energy again and I knew that the head witch was here or at least close by. I never in my life felt anything like her.

Her mere smell, her presence was so...so evil. I thought I prepared myself mentally and emotionally for whatever new information the witch would be bringing to me. I couldn't have been more wrong...

Claire's pov

I had spent what felt like forever struggling with the person who had my tied up. I had always said to myself that if I was going to go down in life, I would not do that without a fight. My assailant would not be having it easy when it came to me.

So immediately I woke up from an apparent brutal faint and realized I was probably abducted, I had kicked and jumped and struggled ... to no avail tho. But it was worth trying. I would never go down without a fight.

I was hanging from the shoulder's of a person. A female it seemed and a small one too buy the way her arms and shoulders felt although I still did not understand how strong this person felt.

We'd been walking...rather she'd been walking for what felt like miles and not once did she stop to rest which halted my plans of escaping neither did her pace seem to slack at any point in time. Which was why when she suddenly stopped I was taken aback.

I was dropped on the floor, a cold floor with my hands and legs still tied and a blindfold still over my eyes.

Everywhere was eerily quiet.

I began to hear footsteps approaching and my instincts kicked in.

"Hey, who's there"? I asked even as I struggled to free myself from the impossibly tight handropes.

"Don't come near me, I've got a weapon and I'm not afraid to use it". I tried sounding intimidating but I knew that came out more like a squeak.

I was beginning to panic and so I dragged myself crawling on my belly to seemingly the end of the room and whoever was coming at me.

I heard a strangled gasp. Like how a scared person would sound. Was i probably with other victims then?

My mind was going haywire and for the first time today I was truly scared at what awaited me if I took of this blindfold successfully and looked to the other side of the room. All the "what ifs" assailed me. What if I was never found, what if I was captured by a cannibal, a potential r****t, a murderer, what if Aradia was never found as well, what if whoever took Aradia was the same person who took me, what if I had never gone to that stupid forest? I turned to my side and sniffled.

Soon the little sniffles became full blown tears and I began to cry for all that was and could have been.

Aradia's pov

"Claire" "Claire" I whispered. Suddenly she struggled to get up on her feet and fell back to the floor with a loud "thump" "ouch" she said and I laughed.

I rushed to where she was and hugged her from behind. That was my best friend all right. She elbowed me in the gut and I backed off.

It came to me that probably she hadn't yet figured out that it was me not a stranger hugging her from behind would be all shades of weird I struggled to take off the cuffs from her hands and legs but they weren't budging, funny enough she stood still, I gave up on trying and pulled the blindfold from her head and this time hugged her again.

I placed my head on her shoulders her body was shaking and a drop of water landed on my head I tried to figure it out till I realized it was Claire, she was crying. I cannot have imagined the crazy things she's had to go through, I mean I was here locked up in a place I didn't know and with crazy women who turned out to be extremely powerful witches whom I didn't know and I felt overwhelmed, afraid and injured. And yet Claire was only human, her emotions must have been multiple of how I felt.

I hugged my friend and cried with her as well rocking to and fro although it was in quite an awkward manner since her arms and legs were still basically handicap.

"It'll be okay Claire, I'll get you out of here; I promise" I kept assuring to my dear friend. But deep down in my heart, it felt more like I was trying to convince myself.

Author’s Pov

Claire finally raised her head up, she'd been crying for what seemed like hours now but it was barely minutes, she had been overwhelmed, from walking in the woods for hours looking for her

best friend and then being kidnapped by whoever she didn't even know and being manhandled to thinking she was going to get killed and then to realizing her best friend was just in front of her, healthy and...alive.

She couldn't control her emotions, she let it all out and not surprising Aradia let it all out with her. She wondered what exactly her best friend had gone through, she had been missing for over a week now and when she had hugged her her body felt weird.

A bit skinnier, and her eyes looked sunken, like she had been crying for days and days. They hugged each other again and eventually drifted off painfully due to exhaustion.

Author’s pov

"Well, well, well what do we have here?" A voice said, it awoke Aradia and Claire immediately and the person smiled at Aradia.

She clung to Claire and pushed her best friend behind her, she wasn't muscular but she was a witch too and she'd do everything within her to protect her dear friend. The head witch of the coven laughed as she realized what Aradia was doing, using her body as a human shield.

Claire mumbled "Aradia, what's happening? Do you know these people"?

"Calm down Claire, the only thing you need to know is that you'll be fine, I'll explain everything else later" the witches laughed and the bright lights in the room started fluctuating again it seemed to begin raining outside as well as they could hear thunderstorms.

The witch sizzled from in front of them and they turned around wondering where she had gone. A scream tore out of Claire's lips and Aradia swung around prepared to attack but Claire was no longer by her side. She was trembling and in the hands of the witch whom her nails seemed to be hurting her. The witch laughed again and this time they heard it properly loud thunder rumbles. Aradia was fuming.

"Let her go, it's me you want!" " The witch spoke in a very soft voice even Claire struggled to hear, "I'm afraid that will not be happening darling, also there will not be a later for your dear friend Claire here" she chuckled. Aradia walked closely, close enough she could look the witch eye to eye.

They say the eyes see the windows to the soul, so why was Aradia seeing insanity, madness and evil? She wondered. She knew now the witch really had no intentions of letting Claire go except she agreed to her demands because she wasn't just evil she was insane with it, lusting for power and mad with disdain for Aradia and all she was worth. She really didn't care about Claire, it was just a ruse to get to her. Claire was just a pawn in her game.

"what is it that you want witch?" I am already mated to Xavier and by extension mated to his wolf pack. His people are mine now and I will not betray my people, I will not turn my back against the man I love and his people to avert some stupid so called prophesy "

the witches eyes widened Aradia had struck a nerve, she smiled. Good. "And even if your prophesy were actually true, it is not my fault I was born, I had no part in it, it's not my fault that I am a witch mated to a werewolf soon to be king.",

she looked to claire who was staring at her with wide trembling eyes still in the arms of the coven head. She sighed she would do Anything for Claire to save her. The witch looked at her boredly she seemed to have gotten her wits back and recovered from the shock of Aradia's words.

"So you mean to say you would let your " ~~_best friend "~_ die because of a man? Dear Claire she turned Claire to face her harshly and smiled, her nails digging deep into Claire's arms and blood began to seep through lightly.

"Dear Claire, it seems you mattered less to her than I thought, forgive my impudence" she smiled widely. I'll dispose of you now" her eyes went wide and Aradia screamed. "No! I wasn't done talking yet! Leave her alone" she tried to jump at the witch but the coven head waved her hands slightly and a strong sort of shield was erected around her which forced Aradia to back away and land on the ground with a large thump.

She stayed on the floor and with tears in her eyes and her voice trembling due to unshed tears.

"I'll give you anything, anything at all EXCEPT the head of Xavier or his wolf pack in exchange for Claire". "Good girl" the witch sighed contendly to herself.

"The talisman" "huh" her eyebrows scrunched with confusion. "Give me the talisman, I want it and I can let your little weak, human friend go, why I'd even put her to bed and serve her breakfast" the witch smiled evily. "That will not be necessary"

Claire spoke up for the first time since that day. All eyes turned to her. The witch looked at her and different thoughts seemed to go through her mind. Obviously deciding Claire was not worth her time she turned back to Aradia. "So yes, my talisman?" Aradia shrugged it off her head and stretched it towards the witch. The talisman began to sizzle as the witch drew nearer to it smiling. It seemed to be shaking with power.

It began to seem heavy in her aching fingers. "Wear it on my neck" the witch said softly "Aradia looked at her in confusion. "No , take it" "wear it on my neck"! She screamed. She knew the talisman would burn her if she attempted taking it again. So she wanted Aradia to do it herself. She believed the talisman would not fight her if Aradia did it herself.

Aradia placed it on her neck and she smiled. If it were madness in her eyes before now she had the heavens and earth clashing. The air around her seemed to reverberate. And Aradia pulled back. Claire was forced to the ground. And shielded her eyes.

"It's time for your end if the deal"! Aradia screamed. The witch turned to her and snapped her fingers. Claire dissapeared. "What did you do to her she screamed? What did you do to my friend? I did what you said!" The witch laughed"well, I only kept my end of the deal darling, your friend is home, safe and sound in bed, it's really up to you now to believe me or not." She said and then with one last look at Aradia, she disappeared.

"what have I done"? Aradia whispered to herself. She squatted on the floor and rocked herself shivering even when there was no cold.