Lies
997 Words
Emily stood completely still for a moment, her mind struggling to process the bizarre, frozen scene right in front of her. Then, reality snapped back like a broken rubber band.
Thinking she was just imagining things, she lunged forward. Her muscles stretched as she pulled Georgia out of the path of the speeding car. They both tumbled onto the side of the road, hitting the concrete ground hard.
Suddenly, the world switched back. Everything started moving again as if nothing had happened. The car’s tires screeched against the pavement, the driver screamed, convinced he had hit someone, but he immediately accelerated. He sped off into the distance, his heart likely hammering as he realized he had escaped a fatal accident by just a few inches.
Meanwhile, back in Emily’s house, the air changed. Lilian’s nostrils flared as she caught a scent that seemed to be burning—sharp, like ozone and old wood. She rushed upstairs, her heart sinking as she realized the smell was coming from inside the house.
She burst into the hallway, her eyes widening in shock. An old family portrait hung on the wall, but something odd was happening. Flames were l*****g at the canvas, but they were selective. The faces of her daughter and mother were burning, turning black and peeling away, while every other aspect of the picture remained perfectly okay.
Horrified, Lilian quickly put out the flames. Her hands trembled as she rushed into the attic to retrieve the old book Emily had seen her reading earlier. The air was thick with dust and the scent of dried lavender as she gathered a few herbs and ingredients, shoving them into a glass jar.
Her past was finally catching up to her.
She mixed the contents with frantic movements and began to mutter, her voice a low, rhythmic hum. “Protection may, protection hay, let thy holy light shine upon me.”
With the last little amount of magic she had left in her, she pushed her hands outward. A shimmering, invisible wave rippled from her fingers, settling a protective spell over the house like a heavy blanket. Exhausted, she immediately started calling Emily’s phone.
There was no answer.
Back at the scene of the accident, Emily’s ears were still ringing. “What just happened?” she whispered, her voice trembling. “How… wait… what…”
Georgia was in a complete state of shock, her eyes darting from the empty road to Emily’s face.
“I think I pushed your clumsy body out of harm's way,” Emily said. She hesitated, her mind racing. Should she tell Georgia about the frozen birds and the suspended car?
Before she could decide, her phone vibrated violently.
“Emily, are you okay?” Lilian’s voice screamed in a panic over the line.
“Mom??? Wait, Mom, how did you—”
“Come home. I’ll explain everything to you,” Lilian interrupted, her voice tight with urgency and dread.
“Okay, Mom. Calm down, I’m on my way.” Emily hung up and turned to Georgia. “Uhh, sorry, I kind of have to get back home.”
“Is everything okay? What’s wrong?” Georgia asked, still leaning against a fence for support.
“No, it’s my mom. I’ll update you on the situation, but I have to go right now.”
“Okay, Em. Talk to you later today,” Georgia said, watching her friend sprint away.
As Emily rushed back, the atmosphere around her neighborhood began to change. The moment she stepped in front of her house, the air felt incredibly heavy. It was like walking through a thick, invisible dome. She didn't know if it was just the shock from the accident, but she felt a strong, oppressive feeling, as if something was physically surrounding their house.
The door creaked open, and Emily walked in. Her mom was already waiting for her, clutching the same ancient book she had seen earlier.
“Sit down. I have to tell you something,” Lilian said, her face as pale as a ghost.
“Mom, is everything okay?”
“I’m a witch,” Lilian said.
Silence fell over the room for a few long seconds. Then, a sudden peal of laughter erupted, shattering the tension. It was Emily. She was genuinely amused by the words her mother had just uttered.
“Mom, I know you’re getting into the Halloween spirit early, but I didn’t know you actually wanted to embody it,” she said, still chuckling.
But as she looked at her mother’s face, Emily’s smile died. Her mom wasn't laughing. Her eyes were dead serious.
“Wait, Mom… you’re not serious?” Emily asked, her voice dropping.
“You said weird things have been happening to you. I need you to tell me exactly what those things are, right now, or we both might be in grave danger.”
“Danger? What do you mean by danger? From who?” Emily sat down, the gravity of the situation finally hitting her. She began narrating everything—the exams, the glitch, and the car that stood still in the street.
“Wait… what do you mean you stopped an accident by pausing time?” Lilian’s voice was a whisper of pure shock. “Emily, what you’re saying you did… that is something only a coven of witches could do. Even if it were possible for a single witch to do that alone, it would take years of practice and the help of a full moon or a lunar eclipse.”
Lilian stood up, pacing the floor. “And you don’t even have any experience with magic. Are you sure of what you—”
Before she could finish, a deafening roar shattered the silence. A huge blast of energy emerged from the center of the house, a wave of white light blowing both of them across the room like ragdolls.
Emily felt her body hit the wall, and then everything went black.
- Writer
