Witch Reality

The Awakening

Damn, why is there never enough time?! ~ thought Selene as she grabbed her heavy bag, slammed her locker shut & ran for the bus. She was tired from a hectic day at school & her mind swam with the mountain of homework that lay ahead, never mind the housework that was awaiting her return at home.
Only a few more feet ~ she said in her mind, thinking of how great it would be to just sit for a while doing absolutely nothing. Looking up she saw a young boy inside pulling a face & sticking his tongue out at her through the back window.
"Wow, thanks kid" she chuckled, as she bounded passed the window totally ignoring him & jumped inside the open door. The noise hit her like an explosion; all the kids yelling & shouting - then the stuffy heat enveloped her as if she'd just fallen into a hot bath, making her sigh in frustration.
Human sardines! ~ she mused, spying an empty seat near the back & jumping in it just as the engine revved into life. The young girl sitting across the aisle watched in awe as in one sweeping motion Selene grabbed her phone, connected her PATD earplugs & popped them in her ears, clicking the PLAY button just before the bus moved off on it's journey.
Phew, some well earned chill time before I get back to the prison I'm forced to call 'home' ~ she thought, as the heavy guitar started to bounce her eardrum & the angelic voice of Andy Biersack serenaded her heart. Closing her eyes, she sat back in the seat & relaxed...........
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It was pitch dark, she was out of breath & her heart was beating so hard she felt it would burst from her chest!
Her legs were burning as if they were filled with lava & the sweat was pouring from her pores like water, already soaking through her clothes. She was running fast, knowing somehow her very life depended on it, but she was struggling to see anything. A deep seated fear rising inside her, threatening to explode from her chest at any second, spurred her on as she hurdled another strangling tree root.
There was a swirling mist in the air that seemed to be cloaking everything, just as if it was trying to hide & cover her path after her.
Her legs seemed somehow restricted, so reaching her hand down briefly she brushed her thigh. It was a heavy cloth, soft to the touch & felt like wool.
A skirt?! She rarely wore them, definitely wasn't today!
What the freak is going on?? ~ she wondered as she grabbed the material in her hands, pulling it up to increase her stride. She heard frantic shouting in the distance & it struck terror into her heart, spurring her on through the dense , darkened woods. Sprinting like a startled gazelle, she bounded over roots & fallen logs. Her breath escaping her mouth & forming clouds in the cold air. Questions whirling in her head like a tornado.
Where am I?
                        Why am I running?
                                                           Where am I going?
Racing passed a huge Oak tree, she noted the crumpled bark gave the appearance of a old mans face. Unexpectedly she veered left, running through the undergrowth then vaulting over a large, grey stone that laid directly in her path.
OMG, how did I know that was there?! Where am I running to? ~ more questions building in her head, as she ran on trying to control her breathing & feeling as if her legs would explode at any moment. She heard horses hooves pounding the earth somewhere behind her, they seemed close & she could hear the snort as the horse gasped for breath.
A deep voice snarled "Which way the witch?!"
Panic sliced into her like a knife & she sprinted on, towards a large hedgerow.
"This way m'Lord......she be this way!" urgently shouted another voice, this time sounding even closer.
Her body tiring & drenched in sweat she neared the hedgerow, noting that it was huge & so thick that you couldn't see through it. Much closer now, she could see what it was yet there was no time to panic.
Cat Briar? More like barbed wire! ~ she thought as she resigned herself to being shredded like cheese in a grater.
Her legs so weak now & unable to slow her pace, they drove her like an Exocet missile straight to the very centre of the hedge. For a split second, Selene tensed in preparation then a burst of light stung her eyes...............