Faith in Faith

This is the first story I am writing for Wattpad, and it is a very short story. It is one chapter, and that is all; I will not be continuing with this plot.

This is because its purpose is to size up my audience on this lovely site that I have solely been a reader for until now. I have since decided to try out my skills here as well, and actually contribute something to the site, rather than just eating up the skill it has been so gloriously filled with.

Therefore, if you enjoy this story, comment, vote, or whathavesyou to let me know. I won't set a goal for the amount of whatnots I want to continue writing things for you, but I do hope you all enjoy my writing, and can't wait to begin entertaining you some more.

Enjoy!

~Fox

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Faith in Faith

I suppose I should have know simply from her origin that she would be evil, but she seemed so innocent as a babe, harmless even. But I was mistaken.

The first time I ever met my niece, Faith Marie Aniston, was at her mother's funeral. The child had been brought about through my sister's adulterous acts, and her sin had taken her life in child birth.

As I stood there, watching, as the the faceless white form of my twin, Constance Tabitha Aniston, disappeared under each shovelful of dirt, the child lay silently in my arms, as if she understood what was taking place. She moved little, and her light green eyes looked unseeingly into the distance, seemingly waiting for them to mature enough for her to see her mother before she was gone forever. The year was 1673, nineteen years prior to the witch trials of our village, Salem, Massachusetts, but it wasn't until Faith was five years of age that I began to become weary of my niece and ward.

The child's hair lay in thick, strait rivers down her back, and when she ran, it would billow out behind her like the tail feathers of a bird in flight. Her eyes had matured to a eerily bright, forest green that seamed to see through your skin, strait into your soul, and sometimes even through walls.

I would have sent her to bed hours before my husband had business partners over, and the following day she would point out one of the exact same men in town and question on why he had said something the night before. I would worriedly wave off the inquiry with a reply about adult affairs, but her siren eyes would drift back to the man with a searching expression in her eye, then jump to something else with a look of satisfaction on her delicate face.

Ever since she was young she charmed all who met her, and it was not long before she had a swarm of young friends who were drawn to her presence. No one else saw, but I could see the twinge of condescension in her eyes when she looked at her friends when they spoke. She would walk ahead of the group like the alpha wolf, her pack trotting behind her, waiting to be given an order. Everyone, even my husband, adored her, and it sickened me. I saw what no one else could: her blackened heart, bought and sold to the Devil.

Not even the preacher, Reverend Parris, could see the evil within her. He loved her charisma and curiosity about God, but I knew she only wanted to know more about Him to help the Devil defeat Him. If only everyone else could see what I saw. How naive they all were, unable to see the evil in her soul. If I had not accused her, she would be leading our village to Hell.

As Faith grew, as did her charm, and so did her suspicious acts. She would sneak into the woods on full moons and not come back for hours. I often thought of stopping her, but I knew there was noting I could do for her any more; I had to think of the well being of the people of Salem. Once, I tried to follow her, but as soon as I had gotten deep enough into the forest to where I could not see the town behind me, I lost sight of the girl, and soon found myself stepping out of the woods in the exact same spot I had entered. Baffled, I tried again, but the same fate befell me, and I knew for sure what I was dealing with.

When the children began to fall sick and accusations of witchcraft were passed unrightfully, from person to person like a deathly illness, I knew instantly that the true culprit was my Faith. I went before Governor Phips' Court of Oyer and Terminer and accused her, but the Lieutenant Governors would not hear of it; all knew of Faith, and all but me loved her.

Returning home, defeated, I found my niece asleep in her room, a ghastly book open on her slowly rising chest. I had never laid eyes on such a book as this, and the strange symbol of an upturned, five-pointed star on the cover made me weary of the object. This strange tome ignited my determination for victory and that gave me the power to snatch the book up and flea the room as beautiful Faith awakened with a terrible, inhuman screech of rage, demanding her property be returned to her. She leaped from the bed as I closed the door, and clawed at the handle while I locked it.

"Aunt Prudence!" the creature yelled, pounding on the door with both fists, "Let me out, Aunt Prudence! Do not force me to do something I do not wish to do!" she threatened forcefully.

As she screamed, I could still feel the pulses of dark energy she emitted through the thick wooden door. I backed down the stairs in fear, eyes fixed on the shaking door, listening to the thing that once was my sister's child screech threats against my life, my husband's life, and even the life of the child I now held in my womb.

With trembling hands, I leafed through the demon-book, reading of horrible spells and incantations of unimaginable evil, but it was not long before the screaming stopped and I felt the demonic presence of my ward standing before me. Looking up in terror, I did not see my niece, but a she-devil with Faith's face. She glared down at me with eery black rimed eyes, her hair and dress flowing in a nonexistent wind conjured by her evil anger.

"You will pay for your defiance, Aunt Prudence, pay dearly." she growled, her claw-like fingers clenching into fists. With inhuman speed, she snatched the book from my hands and threw me to the ground, then hunched over me with an evil smirk. Her siren eyes drifting to my distended stomach, her lips widening into a toothy smile as she traced the shape of a symbol on my belly that matched the one on the front of her book .

"I cannot wait for the birth of this one." she purred with demonic affection, her eyes rasing to meet mine, "For she will be just like me," she said with a cackle, "but you will not be able to stop her." she finished in a whisper, her eyes glowing with delight. And before I could utter a word, she stood and with a shudder of wind, she disappeared. Just then, the child I was carrying kicked with extraordinary force, and I looked down at my stomach and saw the still smoking, singed design on my dress where Faith had traced with her finger in the shape of the pentacle. My husband came home to me staring fixedly into the furnace, watching as my soiled dress disintegrated in the flames.

Eventually I succeeded in bringing down my demonic niece, and even convince the Court to burn her at the stake instead of simply hanging her like the others. I feared if there was anything left of Faith's body, she would come back and take my life. Little did I know she had already taken so much more.

On the day of her execution, the whole town was gathered on Gallows Hill and I watched triumphantly amongst the crowd as my niece was tied to the stake and the timber piled around her. Once the fire was lit, everyone else left, whispering to each other about the "injustice" of the matter, but they did not understand, they did not see what I saw. They were still under her spell, I was freeing them.

I was so close to victory, so close to vanquishing this foul beast named Faith, but she got away. I don't know how, but Faith saved herself. One second the flames were licking at her feet, and the next the flames were so high and so dense, I could not even make out the shadowed form that should have been there. And when she flames had died down, she was gone. Nothing but the charred stake amongst the ashes was left, and I knew she had escaped. I knew she was still out there, pulling the strings of my life, and making it a living hell.

All she had threatened came true. My child, Purity Constance Aniston, was just like her. She even looked like her. She was Faith incarnate, and I could see it in those demonic green eyes, the soul of my evil niece now residing in the form of my beautiful little daughter.

And I couldn't even stop her. The trials were over, the Governor had pardoned the remaining accused witches, and they had yet to even catch the true, evil witch. I tried to accuse Purity of witchcraft, but no one believed me. They said that after what I had done to my niece, they would never listen to me again, that I had been in the wrong then, and was in the wrong now. All I wanted was to save them from the evil of Faith, but my fervent pleas got me nowhere but jail, for being insane. I had no choice but to sit and watch my evil child grow and prosper. I could not stop her.