CASTED BUT FOUND
1145 Words
Zenele’s pov
“Leave? Where?” My voice cracked as the weight of their words settled on me. “I have no one except you.”
“You knew that,” Remus said coldly. “Before you threaten our father.”
Leaving this hell should’ve felt like freedom, yet terror clawed at my throat. Where would I go? Still… maybe this was the sign I had been begging the Moon Goddess for, my chance to seek revenge.
Jamie stepped forward, eyes icy. “We’re not asking you, Zenele. This is an order.”
“No amount of pleading can change our minds,” Damien added.
I met Damien’s gaze, searching for even a trace of compassion. This man, my uncle who was supposed to protect me… he never cared, not once since I was a child.
A tear slid down my cheek. I wiped it away quickly.
“No amount of tears, either,” Damien said, almost bored.
“Fine,” I whispered. “I’ll leave tomorrow.”
Jamie snorted. “Tomorrow? No. You’re leaving tonight. Whether you have somewhere to go or not.”
My heart thudded painfully. “It’s late. It isn’t safe out there. If you let me stay till morning, I’ll…”
“Never!” Remus snapped as he began shoving a few of my belongings into a worn-out bag.
There was barely anything worth taking. Everything I owned was either torn or ruined.
I forced myself to stand, meeting their stares with a newfound, brittle courage. If tonight was my last night in this house, I refused to leave cowering.
“I’ll go tonight,” I said steadily. “But hear this, whatever happens to me out there… if I die… my blood is on all of your hands.”
Jamie made a move toward me, but Damien stopped him. “Let her go. Throwing her out is punishment enough.”
I walked toward the door.
“Take these,” Remus muttered, tossing the bag at me. I didn’t look back.
Outside, the cold night air wrapped around me. I glanced at the house one last time.
“I’m finally leaving,” I whispered. “Just… at the wrong time.”
I walked deeper into the woods, branches snapping under my feet.
“Moon Goddess, please guide me,” I murmured.
Eventually, I sank down beside a large tree, exhaustion dragging me down. My stomach growled painfully. Tears slipped down my cheeks as I struggled to stay quiet. Noise would attract attention; dangerous attention, I can't risk being caught and killed.
Something soft brushed my cheek.
I blinked as I saw a small butterfly had landed on me.
“Hello there,” I whispered, pretending its presence eased the ache in my chest.
It fluttered to my hair, then my tattered dress.
“Yes, I know I probably stink,” I muttered, wiping my tears.
Then it flew away.
“Wait…” But it didn’t stop, disappearing into the darkness. I watched it go, strangely disappointed.
I closed my eyes and prayed again. “Moon Goddess, please keep me safe… I don’t want to die.”
When I opened them, the butterfly was back on my dress.
“You came back,” I breathed.
It brushed my cheek again, then drifted forward as if urging me to follow.
“Do you… want me to come with you?” I whispered.
Slowly, I stood and followed its glow deeper into the woods until it stopped in front of a small hut. I hadn’t even known huts existed out here, indoors, I was never allowed beyond the yard.
The butterfly darted inside. I froze at the entrance.
“I… I can’t go in,” I whispered.
The butterfly emerged again, hovering insistently.
“I’m safer out here,” I argued weakly.
Suddenly, light shimmered around it and the butterfly transformed into a woman. A stunning woman, her hair flowing like silver mist.
“Oh my…” I gasped. Magic was something I’d only heard of in stories.
“Who are you?” she asked calmly.
“I’m Zenele,” I managed.
“And why were you lying beneath my sacred tree?” she questioned.
“Oh… I'm sorry. I didn’t know…”
“You don’t need to apologize,” she said gently. With a wave of her hand, two chairs appeared. She gestured for me to sit and I did, staring at her.
How…?
“First,” she said, settling into her seat, “tell me why a young girl is wandering the forest alone at night.”
“I was thrown out,” I said quietly. “By my cruel uncle and his sons.”
Her expression softened. “I’m Melinda; a witch.”
I shook her offered hand cautiously.
“Zenele,” she said, her tone shifting, “you possess something I want. And if you give it to me, I’ll grant you your deepest desire.”
“My… desire?” I echoed.
“Yes. Anything.”
Only one wish came to mind.
“I want to avenge my parents,” I whispered. “They were killed, framed for Luna Sierra’s death by Alpha Lucinda.”
Melinda nodded slowly. “I can grant you that but on one condition.”
My heart thumped. “What… condition?”
A smirk curved her lips.
“I need your body.”
“My… my body?” I stammered. “Why?”
She folded her hands. “My elder sister, Rena, has been dead for a long time. I cast a spell to bring her soul back but everybody we tried rejected her.” She paused. “Until yours.”
A chill ran through me. “How? Why me?”
“Her soul rests in the tree you slept beneath,” Melinda explained. “When you touched it, she accepted you.”
I swallowed hard. This can't be! No, I can't lose my body!
“If I refuse?”. I asked, anticipating her response.
“Then I can't help you. And if you must know the Moonstone pack is very ruthless, you'll get killed before you think of carrying out your plan”. She answered.
Wait if she gives me another body, maybe a better one; another identity.
With that I'll live a new life and begin again. Not one can recognize me, not even my uncle and his son.
“And if I agree… where will my soul go?”
Melinda clenched her fist and released it. A body materialized on the floor; a frail, wrinkled old woman dressed in black. Her skin wrinkled and sagging, as if life had already drained out of her long ago. Wisps of thin white hair clung to her scalp, and her lips were dry and cracked.
“This,” she said simply, “is the body you will take.”
“Hell no!”
- Writer
