OUT TO SEA

CH.4 LIFE, DEATH

CH.4 LIFE, DEATH   

          “Better, Oceane, better but you’re still lacking emotional drive. You have plenty of passion, but lack emotion.” Siren said during our piano lesson. “How can you have one and not the other?” I was so confused about piano. “Easily, you can have passion for what you do but no emotion for what you have passion for. Or you can have emotion in your work, yet no love, passion, what you do.” She explained looking through the music. “Here, play this while I sing.” She handed me a sheet of music called spring day. “I’ve never heard of this before.” I murmured, reading over the music. “I would certainly hope not,” she laughed,” I wrote it myself.” I laughed too. Then I began to play while Siren sung,”Flottant sur la brise monte joune le bourdon peu. Il rassemble en poudre sucre des fleurs. Voler bumble bee fly sevolent.”  “Better, but there’s not much emotion though there is some.” She said kindly, she was so patient. “Picture you are the bee.” I tried to be the bee. “You have it.” She happily exclaimed.

          “Kry, um, Jac has been wondering if you, um, would like to, um, go to Spain with him.” We were at the creek, washing clothes. “No, most definitely not,” Her eyes flashed. “What, why not?” “Because you love him, I won’t run off with him. No way, no how.” She set her jaw stubbornly. “No, for you to live and have the baby for your safety.” I said calming her. “Oh…… I would like that very much.” “When is the child due?” I asked softly. She mumbled something. “What?” She mumbled a little louder. “Pardon?” “The baby is coming, right now!” She yelled. “What? You’re only seven months!” “I’ve been using magic to hide my belly.” She whispered a spell, causing the air around her abdomen to shimmer. “Whoa, you’re as big as a cow!” I exclaimed loudly. “Thank you that really helps,” She groaned as she clutched her stomach. “Sorry.” “Get me to the coven quickly. I’m in labor, haven’t you noticed!” I grabbed her arms and began to drag she to the coven.”Help, please help us!” we screamed. Mere and Orleans came along with a few older witches. “What happened?’’ asked Orleans grabbing Krystale. She groaned and grunted, “My water broke.”  “Get her inside, we have no time, it’s coming!” They rushed her inside and laying her bed. “Bulle,” Mere commanded pointing at a cauldron of water. Thirty minutes later Matron, a medicine-skilled witch, went, “It’s time.”

          “Don’t let go of my hand, Oceane, please.” She held my hand tightly, for the first time she looked frightened. “I won’t, I promise.” She grimaced in pain and breathed deeply. She repeated this almost six times. Then flowed a river of blood and tiny cries, Kry took several deep breaths. “Is it a girl or boy?” she asked nervously, looking at the wet bundle. “A girl, Mere said handing the baby. “Kry, I’m sorry I knew you wanted a boy.” I said feeling dizzy. “No, she’s perfect. Absolutely perfect.” She breathed softly, rocking the baby. While new life enters the world, one can leave just as suddenly. I ran down a ship’s corridor away from the dark, green water. Dead end after dead end and I begin panicking as the water rose to my knees. The doors were either flooded or blocked. The rising water reached my hips. Was this a dream? I looked at my hands as I tried to clear debris from the door frame. They were Jac’s! I inhaled the salty water quickly, again and again; it worked its way into my mouth and nose. My vision went black and I fell into warm, black water. It felt like falling asleep. Little did I know I lost the most important thing in my life.    

“Oceane, Oceane!” People crowded around me, I felt dizzy and had a headache. “Did…. What happened?” I asked “You fainted, dear. Was it the sight of blood?” Mere asked coldly. “I guess so. Happened exactly, Mere?” “Get into bed, dearie.” Orleans and Matron lifted me into the bed next to Kry. After they left I whispered, “What really happened?” She held her baby closer, “Well, your eyes rolled back and you collapsed. You kept twitching and panting, when Matron threw water on you, you started screaming and writhing.” She said quietly. “Oh, so what did you name her?” “I haven’t decided, yet. But I only have till the end of the week to….live.” she whispered. “Wait, what?” “My trial is at the end of the week, Mere knew about Olivier. I’m stuck here too. I can’t walk because I just gave birth and she used a magic seal to bind me here.” She gestured to a gemmed bracelet round her wrist. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. You’re going to die, no, no; no I’ll vouch for you to get your magic taken away, but not death,” I began to cry. She stroked my hair, ”Shh, shh, calm down, shh. I need you to be strong, something happened that made you faint, and if I….die…I need you to support my girl.” “I… I ….. I um…um,uh.” I panted. She grabbed my hand tightly,” Promise me, promise me! Please, love her like she’s your own, please.” She was starting to cry. “I promise to raise her like my own child, my flesh and blood, my daughter. I promise to love her the way I love you, like family, I promise.” “Good, thank you.”

          I walked down the stone path to start a new day of work. The windows had black candles burning in them and some were covered with black clothes. A black ribbon was hung on the door. Siren opened the door, she was dressed in a long-sleeved, black velvet dress, a black veil covering her head, and her eyes were red and puffy. “Siren, what’s wr…’ I was cut off by a loud bang and a sudden scream from deep inside the house. Another maid ran down the stair, screaming and covered in blood. “Help, help me, the master he, he, he!” she screamed and ran out the door. Siren and I ran up stairs and threw open the door. She screamed at what we saw.

          It was Blasé, he was gray and ashy. Blood flowed from the missing parts of his head, there was a pistol in his mouth. His right hand clutched the butt of the pistol, while his left grasped a bloody note. Siren gently pulled it from his still-warm fingers. She began to cry and read aloud,” Dearest Siren, I love you. What I did was selfish and out of guilt. It is my fault he died. Jac had the credits to go to Spain, but I made him train harder. They can’t even find his body! I love you and I am so very sorry. Blasé.”  We held each other and sobbed. Jac was dead, I felt like a hole was punched through my chest. I never told him how much I loved him and that he meant he meant the moon to me. Siren was worse, she lost her entire family; her mother when she was young, her brother, and her father in less than a week.

          The days leading up to Kry’s trial, I was constantly feeling anxious and sick. Siren refused food and drink, refused to come out of bed, and wept until a man came calling. His name was Jack, he was a traveling artist. He and Jac were close friends at the marina. Jack had stick-straight red hair, warm golden-brown eyes, and a round button nose. He was a year older then Siren, but looked fifteen. He came to give his condolences but ending up staying for tea, lunch, and dinner. Siren had looked like a hollow shell, eyes glazed with sadness, but now flushed with now flushed with joy when they first talked. She jumped out of bed when he agreed to stay for tea-time. He went downstairs so she could change of her silk night gown.

          She dressed in an orange summer dress with black sandals. They talked for hours, walked through the gardens, drew and played piano. I was glad she was happy but knew it pained her. She knew I wasn’t going to be coming to work tomorrow, so she invited him back for tomorrow. Tomorrow was Kry’s trial, I visited her at night, for more my sake then hers. I held the still nameless child tightly while she explained the odds were against her no matter what I did. I had rallied the crowd to support her losing her magic and abolish the punishment of the stake.

           The high council met early in the morning to hold vote. Kry was bound and guarded waiting fate’s choice. Mere banged her gavel to bring the session to order. “The votes have been tallied. Krystale, do you plead guilty or not-guilty?” Mere asked knowing the answer. “I plead guilty,” Kry said quietly. “Good, Orleans please read the verdict.” Orleans got up the top stand, “The verdict is guilty twenty-nine to one.” Thirty-three people in the coven, Krystale and her baby couldn’t vote. I was the only one who voted for not-guilty. I stared at the people who plainly lied to me, also sent my best friend to the slaughter, at her mother who didn’t try to save her only child, at Mere for enforcing her death, and finally my stare rested on the baby who was going to be an orphan and in my care. I ran to Krystale but was restrained by the magic surrounding her. “I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry.” I choke out through sobs. Only if I protected her more, trusted Jac more, she might not be tied to a wooden stake with her baby in my arms. “Name her for me! She yelled over the crowd.

          “Wait!” Mere cried out. “We forgot this,” she brandished a bottle filled with a bubbly, purple fluid. L’eau lu croissance, aging potion. Age a traitor’s child to an age where it can hold memory, the first memory it has is it’s mother burning to death. That’s my first memory. They crammed a spoonful of the potion in the child’s mouth. Her hair grew long and curly, limbs lengthened, eyes widen, and she was the exact image of Krystale. “Claire! Claire, that’s her name!” I scream to Kry who mouthed,” Perfect.” “Young girl, the woman tied to this stake is your mother. She committed a crime resulting in your birth and her death. You have the chance to live, but if you follow your mother’s path you will end up facing the same fate.” Mere said, the same words she said to me. Claire wrapped her small arms around me and watched the green fire be placed under her mother’s feet