The first time Elowen Ashcroft was called a witch, she was five years old.
She remembered the little boy's face more clearly than his name.
He'd been missing his front tooth, his cheeks red from the cold, a wooden sword clutched proudly in his tiny hands.
"You can't play with us."
She'd frowned.
"Why?"
"My mum said you're a witch."
The other children had laughed.
One little girl picked up a handful of dirt and threw it at her dress.
Another followed.
Then another.
Elowen hadn't cried.
She'd simply gone home.
When she asked Agnes what a witch was, the old woman had stared into the fire for a long while before answering.
"Usually..."
She smiled sadly.
"It's just a woman people are afraid of."
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Seventeen years later...
Nothing had changed.
The church bell echoed across Black Hollow as dawn rolled over the hills in sheets of silver mist.
Elowen pushed open the crooked door of her tiny cottage and inhaled the crisp autumn air.
The forest stretched beyond the village like a black sea, ancient pines disappearing into thick fog.
People said the Demon lived somewhere inside.
They also said he'd drag sinners into the woods.
Elowen had never met anyone who'd actually seen him.
Only people who claimed to know someone who had.
She wasn't sure which frightened her more.
The stories.
Or the people telling them.
She tucked a basket beneath her arm and started toward the village.
The dirt road was still damp from last night's rain.
Windows opened as she passed.
Curtains shifted.
Eyes followed.
She kept walking.
Old habits were easier than hope.
Mrs. Bennett was sweeping her porch when Elowen approached.
The woman looked up.
Their eyes met.
Immediately, she lowered her gaze and stepped back inside, shutting the door with a hard click.
Elowen smiled to herself.
"Good morning to you too."
A few houses later, two little girls chased one another through the street.
One spotted Elowen.
Her smile vanished.
She grabbed the other's hand.
Their mother hurried over, pulling both children behind her skirts.
"Come along."
The youngest looked back over her shoulder.
YOU ARE READING
She's Mine
FanfictionDARK HARRY STYLES FAN FICTION For twenty-two years, the people of Black Hollow have called Elowen Ashcroft a witch. Every failed harvest, every sickness, every disappearance has been blamed on the quiet young woman who has never truly belonged. As a...
