Truthful- Book One: Work Hard

-"Shh"-

Penelope could not believe how skilled she had become at lying. Sneaking the grimoire out of it's hiding place had become easier and easier as the days went on. And, it seemed that the more often she took it, the more distant Lucky became. He didn't know of Penelope's actions, at least she hoped he didn't. Lucky had specifically told her to not use the grimoire. 

Do not use it. It is your responsibility to keep it out of the wrong hands, he had told her with his color-changing eyes. 

Penelope had used all sorts of spells. A pie for when she was hungry, a new pair of boots (which she lied to her father about and told him she found them in the woods), the healing of a wounded bird, so on. The more she fed her guilty pleasure, the more she wondered if she was the "wrong hands" that Lucky had told her to stay clear of. 

The more the grimoire was used, the more complex and sometimes sinister the spells became.  Mind control of a hare, killing a mouse with the snap of your fingers. Penelope had become curious and tried to control the mind of the hare, and it worked. She became too scared to explode a poor helpless creature such as a mouse. 

Today, Penelope went to a secluded part of the woods and sat against a tree, then set the grimoire on her lap. She inhaled deeply, feeling some sort of comfort as her hands touched the cover of the book. It was just her, the grimoire, and whatever animal dared to venture to this part of the woods. 

As a few birds stirred up into the sky, Penelope opened her book to the page she left off on. A new spell. She smiled, but it quickly turned her mouth to a straight line and her brow furrowed in sync. She read the page. "Freeze a human being's movements". Penelope tilted her head a bit. Why would she want to do that? 

Penelope heard a rustling in the bushes. She slammed the grimoire shut instinctively and shoved it inside of her satchel. As she scrambled to her feet, she peeked around the oak tree she was now hiding behind. Three men with large guns and backpacks were climbing through the undergrowth. By the look of the motionless deer on one of the men's back, Penelope could tell they were hunters. 

HERE'S YOUR CHANCE, the grimoire yelled at Penelope, making her ears ring even though the voice was only in her head. USE YOUR NEW SPELL. DO IT! DO IT! DO- 

Penelope took her hand off of the satchel that contained the book. She would not use her spell on innocent men, no matter how much the grimoire pressed her. 

She crept back through the woods, hoping the hunters would not mistake her for an animal and shoot her. 

As Penelope could see her house getting closer the faster she went, she ran lopsided, due to the heavy book weighing down her shoulder. She hid it in its respective place, and ran inside her house as though she never left. 

***

The Caligo Festival was tonight. Penelope had not went back to her place in the woods after the incident with the hunters. She found a new place, next to a large puddle in the woods that resembled a small pond. The more she learned, the stronger she felt, the more confident she was, the hungrier she was. Hungry for power. She wanted to use the grimoire so frequently now, using  it as soon as she came home from school. Even the kids stayed clear of her, not even passing insulting notes to her during class. She felt better than she had in a long time. 

But now, it was time for the festival. She thought about how much candy she would get, how much she would be able to do. Maybe she could even play with the other kids, thanks to her mask. 

All tonight, only tonight.