Hell Bound Witch

A little girl is sitting in the middle of a chanting circle. Unsure of what the elder witches are chanting but we are told to trust our covens so that is exactly what the little girl did. She sat crisscrossed in the firm yet wet dirt, able to feel the fire lapping at her face. It was uncomfortably warm for many minutes while the witches surrounded her dancing and chanting as they did on many nights. Tonight the moon shone bright in the sky and gave the colossal coast redwoods throughout the forest alluring shadows. The leaves smiled green even in the snow, a grandiose sight for anyone to see. Suddenly the winds began to howl in excitement while the elders cackled in joy. The little girl is handed a dull stone blade that is covered in blood. She was never aware of what kind of blood was on the blade but she could smell the thick metallic. 'You know what you must do' whispers Gertrude to the little girl. Gertrude was the higher power of all witches within that particular coven. Her long slender body standing tall at 6 foot, jet black hair and eyes just as black to match. Her whole being screamed dominance. The little girl nods her head with compliance and determination, closing her eyes tight she slashes the inside of her palm whimpering in pain. Gertrude squeezes the little girl’s hand hard to help increase the blood supply pooling into the wooden bowl below. The little girl knew better than to open her eyes during the séances but this time she decided to peak she wanted to know, she was just curious. A black shadow stood in front of her and several witches began to scream in agony as they burned in thin air. She slams her eyes back shut and tears slowly trickle down her cheeks... this was her family, her coven, what has gone wrong that they are being punished!? I jolt up from my sleep, shaken up, sweating, and breathing raggedly. It has been a few years since I’ve had nightmares like that. I brush my Havana brown curls away from my face as I slowly get out of bed. I walk to my vanity and stare into my lapis colored eyes, fear suddenly struck my entire body. Chills ran up and down my entire body as my thoughts began to race. I haven’t dreamed of the coven in so long … so why now? Did it mean something more? Was it just a dream? I glance over to see the clock read 03:05AM. “Interesting” I mumble aloud to myself. I silently cast a protection spell over the entire village. While it takes a lot out of witch to cast spells this one was fairly simple to me as I do it almost every night. Better safe than sorry I shrug to myself, unable to decrease my fear and anxiety. The witching hour has always made me uncomfortable. After all it is when all ‘supernatural’ beings are their strongest. In my world we all coexisted, werewolves, elves, witches, hell even angels and demons were among us. Some got along better than others. Like in any world there is always the good, the bad, the beautiful, and the hideous. Wars are waged every day and if you didn’t have a side you were either slaughtered where you stood or enslaved for your powers. Sometimes having a side to fight on didn’t save you. I’ve seen it personally that all souls can be selfish and if it means sacrificing the other so one can live, so be it. I like to consider the little village of wolves I reside in to be good or at least they appeared to have good hearts. They had accepted me, unaware of who or what I was. I came here when I was just a little girl about 8 years old, running from the coven I was born into. I remember Alpha Sam’s face when he crashed into me running through the forest on that fated winter, starved and barely alive. It wasn’t anger but sadness I saw in his wolf’s eyes that night. He accepted me into his pack without any question and I admire him for that. Werewolves were the least selfish from all the creatures in this world. I don’t know if it is because the moon Goddess gave them a special bond to cherish or if it was just how pure their hearts actually are. I crawled back into bed and switched on the TV to adult cartoons. They helped me forget about the outside world even if the adults here didn’t approve of us teens watching it they allowed me to. I think it’s because they secretly understand it’s a coping mechanism to not only help me zone out but to help put me to sleep too. I stare up at the ceiling above my bed and count the leaves that were hand painted. They were painted to appear to be falling off the tree that slithered up my wall to symbolize autumn. Beautiful shades of yellows and oranges appear to dance along as if there was a drift throughout my room. One, two, three, and as I counted I slowly drifted into sweet slumber hoping not to be dragged back into another nightmare. "Jessalinaaa it's time to get up you have school to attend!" Marnie sing songed through my large oak bedroom door. I look at the clock that read 06:00 AM. Uhg, it didn’t feel like that long since my nightmare last night. I slowly stretched and listened as Marnie went to each of the doors in the pack house to wake the high schoolers up. Marnie was the Beta’s wife. She reminded me a lot of Gertrude. She was slender and only an inch or two shorter. Her hair was just as black but her eyes were a dazzling green. She was just as nice as the coven mother but obviously was a werewolf. I thank whomever placed her in my life as she was almost like a mother to me. I finally got up and threw on a pair of black stretchy leggings, a pink thin strapped tank top, and my black jogging shoes. I knew we were going to have training today because it was Friday. Training sessions were three times a week for us in high school. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, of course we could sign up for extra training classes but that was more for the wolves who wished to be warriors. I have no interest in exercising for ‘fun’. I made a face at even the thought of the idea. I normally just sat to the side and worked out the machine room. Depending on the day I would run on the treadmill, lift weights, or just stretch out and relax doing yoga. On occasion I got to sit on the bleachers and watch the wolves train in their actual forms. It was an adrenaline rush watching the students go after one another’s throats and stopping right before collateral damage, that must take some serious self-control. It does give me pointers and I do take mental notes of their weak spots. Since I can’t participate being a witch and all. Of course they don’t know that, to their mere eyes I am nothing more than a human. Oh if only they knew I am worth so much more I chuckle to myself. I rushed down the wooden stairway of the pack house skipping over the steps that creaked as to not wake whomever would be sleeping from running the NOC shift barriers. They did the sweeps in shifts around the village ensuring the surroundings were free of rogues and unwanted guests. However, they needed to change their rotations. They always worked like clockwork hitting the exact areas of the forest at the same time each night leaving many openings for attacks if they were studied enough by an enemy. They were unaware but I often found myself analyzing their patterns, it hasn’t changed since I first arrived here. It’s a pity considering how strong this pack is. It leaves itself weak by a routine of habit. I understand it has worked for centuries but given the proper opportunity this whole village would be turned into shambles. "Good morning Cynthia and Blake!" I chirped running to the dining hall looking at the table with a variety of food displayed upon it. Eggs, bacon, sausage, casserole, hash browns, so many other mouthwatering dishes to choose from I eventually settle on grabbing a piece of toast to munch on. The dining hall was always kept so organized and cleaned. The hardwood floors were nicely polished, the china cupboard free of dust, even the chandelier was spotless. Looking up I think of the ladder they probably had to use just to clean it. The pack house has ceilings that are well over 15 feet tall. The omegas impressed me with their daily chores. Many of them that were younger had to attend school like the rest of us but were virtually slaves to the rest of the pack. They weren’t treated horribly however a lot was expected of them. Sometimes I felt as though too much was expected of them. It always brought me a little joy when neighboring packs would come in search of their fated mate and it happens to be a higher ranking wolf to whisk off one of the omegas to live a better more luxurious life. "Morning" the twins grumbled together. They were the alphas' children born on the same full moon. They never enjoyed the morning hours. They were almost the same person, always talking at the same time or finishing each other’s sentences. Both stood at 5'10" (surely to grow even taller since they both just turned 16.) They both were the definition of Gingers. Red hair, blue eyes, and freckled face. A spitting image of their mother Theresa the Luna of the pack. I grabbed my book bag and headed out to school. It was only a mile from the pack house but it was a good run to start my day. Living with a bunch of werewolves can make you self-cautious over your physical strength.