Haunted and Holy

Principium

"You remember the boy's name, correct? And you know the name of the city?" Emilia, Ambers adoptive mother, asked, her tone full of anxiety and something else Amber couldn't pinpoint.

She nodded her head yes, not trusting her voice. Her heart hammered against her chest, her palms sweaty, her stomach full of butterflies. What if she failed? What if the boy she was supposed to find didn't listen to her? Would she return here a failure?

A cool morning air settled around them, dew dotting the plants and the trees towering above them. They'd gone into the forest, finding it easier to open a Portal in these woods.

"You'll know it's him when you see him, so I don't have to show you a picture," Emilia explained, dragging Amber out of her thoughts.

"Ok."

"You have everything packed?" Emilia tilted her head towards the satchel Amber was carrying.

Her long, pale blonde hair was pulled back in a braid, small hairs falling in her face. Her bronze eyes shone against her tan skin, and she wore a plain blue dress that came down to her knees, it's gossamer fabric swishing when she walked.

She thought for a moment before nodding her head. She'd gone through it about a hundred times, making sure she had everything she needed– clothes, potions, you name it.

She'd Portaled to the other dimension many times before with her mother, but this time was different.

This time, she was going alone. And she wasn't coming back.

"Well, I think... you're ready to go," Emilia choked out, sadness lingering in her voice. Though she wasn't Ambers biological mother, but she'd raised her as her own and taught her everything she knew.

A few weeks before, a strange man had appeared in the middle of the night and told Amber that she needed to go to the other dimension and get a boy named Zachary Jones (but to call him Zac for short).

"It is your destiny to keep him safe," he had told her, his voice soft and carrying an accent she wasn't quite sure of.

The mans face had been shrouded by a hood, so she couldn't get a look at him. Emilia, on the other hand, seemed to know, though she wouldn't tell Amber no matter how many times she begged for information.

"Time to go," Amber said, bringing herself back to reality.

Emilia smiled sadly, tears building up in her eyes. She reached forward and pulled her into her arms, giving her one last hug.

Amber hugged her back fiercely, tears streaking down her cheeks. Though they didn't say it out loud, neither of them were sure if they'd ever see each other again.

And with that, Amber pulled away, reaching for the ruin on her necklace, looking back one last time at the woman who had raised her from childhood.

Then, without another hesitation, she said the enchantment that would take her to where she needed to go; a place called New York.