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chapter 5: ( the first shadysider )
❝ if we met at midnight in the hanging tree ❞
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No one in the Union slept that night. They were either participating in the witch hunt, or hiding in the comfort of their homes. It was mostly the mothers who decided to stay inside. Edmund was one of the very few men that stayed home as well, not only because he didn't believe Sarah was a witch, but to make sure his daughter didn't get tied into any trouble. He knew that she'd do anything to protect her friends, but she was the most important person in his life right now.
In the Salvatore residence, the two members stood against the wall as their home was ransacked. Edmund tried not to show his annoyance as Rosalind kept her arms crossed and glared daggers at all the men.
"This is very inconvenient," Edmund muttered.
Once they had finished, Caleb approached them, making Rosalind raise her eyebrows.
"We told you she isn't here," she snapped.
"We had to make sure," Caleb clarified and took a step closer. "We know how close you and Sarah were. Glad to know we didn't find her hiding in your sleeping chambers." His hand moved to stroke the side of her face as she swatted his arm away, spitting in his face instead.
When he went to retaliate, Edmund was already pushing the boy back against the wall in a defensive manner. "If you touch my daughter again, you'll be needing a new hand, boy."
Elijah patted Edmund's shoulder, making the man reluctantly step away and stand next to Rosalind.
"We'll tell you if we find anything," Elijah stated. "I doubt she could go far."
They all left the house as the family moved to sit at the dining table. It was completely silent. For once, the family felt utterly helpless. Edmund looked at Rosalind before looking at the empty seat in front of him. He could still see Caroline sitting with a bright smile on her face that she wore in the mornings, smelling of fresh loaves of bread she had baked for the town. His eyes moved to Rosalind, his sweet daughter that he almost could've lost. He felt like no leader, only a coward. He couldn't control the town during the meeting and now he felt lost on how to handle his emotions.
Despite her blank face, Rosalind felt desolate at the loss of her mother. Walking into the church and seeing her sitting there with the rest of the children was an image she wished she had never seen. Now, one of her friends was being hunted and all she could do was sit and wait. She turned towards her father to see his head in his hands from obvious distress. But then, she heard a small, muffled cry leave his mouth.
Rosalind kneeled by his side as Edmund let his tears run down freely now. "I'm sorry you have to see me like this."
"It's okay." She had her own tears forming now. "I wish mother were here too."
"She would know what to do. She...Your mother was a great woman."
Rosalind nodded, wiping a few of her tears. "I know. And you're a great father."
Rosalind had been hugged before, but never like this. There was something so warm, something that felt encouraging. She let her body sag, her muscles becoming loose. Edmund gave her the respect of an equal but cradled her like a cherished child. In that embrace, she felt her worries loosen their keen sting.
"I think maybe some tea should help right now." Edmund stood up to move to the kitchen while Rosalind stood up, ridding the rest of her tears that had fallen.
A knock came from the door that she went to answer. If it were the men returning, she was ready to yell at them to leave, but it was only a few of her friends standing with small fear on their face.
"What's wrong? Is Hannah alright? Have they found Sarah," Rosalind questioned.
"We couldn't stay in our homes no more," Lizzie started, walking in first. "Our parents...They don't believe us." She looked at her with watered eyes as her voice trembled. "My mother...she searched me for marks."
"Why don't they believe us," Constance asked. She stayed close to Abigail, their hands intertwined.
Edmund walked into the room, about to ask who was at the door until he saw the faces of the teenagers turn towards him. He let out a small sigh. "I suppose I have to make more tea."
The small group moved towards the kitchen and sat around the table. Rosalind sat in between Isaac and Lizzie, taking both of their hands supportively. Abigail, Constance, and Henry sat across from them, leaving the end seat for Edmund. The man set down the cups, pouring tea for each one of them.
"How's your father, Henry," Rosalind asked softly.
He shrugged. "He's locked himself in his room, didn't notice I left." He stared down at his tea before looking up. "Are they really going to hang them?"
She wasn't sure how to answer. How was she supposed to tell Henry that he might never see his sister again all because of a lie from a cretinous man? Apparently, her silence was answer enough as he looked back down.
"Lets just hope they don't find her," Abigail spoke. "Do you have any idea where she could've gone?"
"There's nothing out the Union. It goes on for miles," Isaac answered. "If we're lucky, maybe we can find her first."
"But then we'll die," Constance butted. Abigail threw her sister a look. "It's true! I know Sarah has done nothing wrong, but I don't want anymore of us to die. We should just stay hidden and hope she does the same."
"She's right." They were surprised at Henry's agreement. "I don't want your guys risking your lives. It's best if we all stay."
So, that's what they did. The seven people that believe Sarah Fier and Hannah Miller's innocence stayed together the rest of the night, trying not to dwell on the life or death situation. Whether they liked it or not, there really was nothing they could do.
A few hours into waiting, Rosalind felt her head begin to pound suddenly, making her wince physically and rub her temples. This caught Lizzie's attention immediately.
"Are you alright," she asked.
"Yes, it just must be a small headache." Rosalind tried to smile in hopes to convince her but she winced again when a sharp pain kicked.
Everyone turned towards her, seeing the affliction on her face. A ringing came into her ears making her squeeze her eyes shut and cover the sides of her head with both her hands. It felt like everything was buzzing around her and she was unable to hear the worried statements from around her. When her eyes opened, Abigail and Constance's face were in front of hers, but their was a familiar dark figure standing behind them, hook in hand and eyes hollow.
"Pastor Miller."
Abigail turned around, confused, seeing no one behind her. "Rosalind, Pastor Miller is dead."
"No," she breathed out. "He's right there." He took a step closer and she quickly stood up, knocking the chair over in the process. With every step forward he made, she took one back until her body hit to the wall. "No! No!" She closed her eyes again and could only hope that it was all a horrible nightmare.
"Rosalind!"
Isaac was in front of her, his hands on both her shoulders. Her labored breathing continued as she peered behind him to see that Pastor Miller was gone. Instead, the room was looking with worry at her outburst.
"I'm— I'm sorry. He was right there." A few tears had fallen as her body trembled in fright. "He was right there."
"He's gone now. He's dead," Isaac assured. "You're safe." He brought her into his embrace, feeling her arms tightened around him in comfort.
Edmund looked at the others in the room, all wondering the same thing. What had Pastor Miller done to Rosalind?
✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩
None of them expected where they would be right now. It was early morning, before the sun was even out and the skies were clear. The chirping of birds were replaced with the leaves crunching under the towns' feet and chains clanking ever so often. Everyone walked in a single line out of Union, farther into the fields where a large oak tree stood lonesome before being greeted with the company of the village.
Elijah stood up front with Hannah and Sarah beside him. The girls were covered in dirt and bruises, Sarah looking like she'd been through hell and back. And, if she could, she would have said she had.
"The penalty for practicing witchcraft is death by hanging!" The town yelled in accord with Elijah. "Confess! Confess your sins or burn in eternal hell. Confess!"
Rosalind gripped Isaac's arm fearfully, her other in Lizzie's as they watched the two girls stared at each other. Henry's jaw was clenched as he stared with dejection in his eyes, Constance keeping her hand on his shoulder. It was painful to watch, worse to hear as the town continued shouting for them to confess.
But Sarah was tired. She was tired of running. And even though she had learned the truth, there was no point since no one would believe her. The only thing keeping her going was the love in her heart for Hannah, but she would not let the girl go down with her for her mistakes.
"I confess."
"What is she doing," Abigail whispered, shaking her head in disbelief.
"I confess!"
"She's lying!" Hannah's mouth was covered to prevent her from speaking. She struggled against his grip, her defense for Sarah being muffled.
"I walked with the Devil! I lay with him! I bewitched the good Pastor. And I bewitched...Hannah Miller. I clouded her mind...I clouded her mind. It was me...It was me! It was only me. It was always me. Hannah's innocent."
They let Hannah go despite her pleads. Rosalind held the girl back as she cried out. "I'm so sorry," she whispered to Hannah.
Solomon Goode wrapped Sarah in the chains as everyone cheered, not hearing the words exchanged between the two. Abigail began crying softly as well as Rosalind while Henry had to force himself to look away. Solomon threw the rope over the branch and stepped back. The man pulled the rope once as her body hung in the air.
Rosalind felt her breathing stop at Sarah's limp body. She let Hannah fall to her knees in tears while Isaac comforted Rosalind, letting the girl cry on his shoulder. When she lifted her head slightly, she saw Henry looking at Sarah's body with tears down his face. Constance rubbed his shoulder sympathetically, not being able to look at the body.
They lowered Sarah and buried her, the town quietly observing until she was completely underground. Once they had finished, the town started walking back to the village. Hannah's mother attempted to pick up her daughter but stopped fighting once she figured she wouldn't leave, and left with the rest of the town. Rosalind and the other stayed in their spots, feeling unable to move.
Henry was the first to walk forward and dropped to his knees beside her. His head hung low as he started to sob. Constance went to his other side and let his head rest on her shoulder as he continued to weep. The other four kneeled behind them, their arms wrapped around each other as they remembered Sarah.
Sarah Fier was no witch, nor monster. She was a girl in love. But most importantly, she was innocent.
Later into the night, they all met together and walked out of the Union with lanterns and nightwear on, visiting the tree where Sarah was hung. Rosalind stayed by Isaac's side, his arm around her waist while the other holding the lantern. They circled around where the ground had been disturbed.
"We can't just leave her here," Lizzie stated. "Alone underneath this tree."
"She deserves a proper burial," Abigail added.
"Let's move her, bury her somewhere else," proposed Isaac. "So no one else knows where she is." He glanced at Rosalind, her head rested on his shoulder.
"Except us."
"I know where we could," Henry said.
They all started shoveling out the dirt until seeing Sarah's body. She looked so peaceful from an awful death. A few heads turned towards Hannah and Henry, but the two stayed silent. Isaac handed his lantern to Rosalind and kissed the top of her head gently before picking up Sarah. He felt odd having to do so and couldn't help but swallow the lump in his throat. He imagined in his head that she was asleep and he was looking for a comfortable bed for her to rest on.
Henry led the way out into the woods before stopping. "We used to play out here for ages. This spot specifically because at nightfall we would catch fireflies together." He sniffled and looked down. "They don't seem to be out tonight though."
"Perhaps they, too, are grieving her death," Constance replied gently. "They knew of her honor as well." He nodded, appreciative at her attempt to make him feel better.
Isaac perched Sarah on the boulder before they all started digging once more. It felt strange for them to bury her for good, but they all hoped she felt at peace where she was at. She was the last person that deserved a demise as horrible as this. Rosalind moved the few wisps of hair from Sarah's face as Hannah grabbed the lock on the chains and started to engrave 'Fier' on it. On a large rock, Henry engraved 'The Witch Forever Lives'. It didn't matter what she was, she was always going to be his sister.
Hannah grabbed the vined-crown decorated with red moss, setting it on Sarah's head softly. With that, they each started piling the dirt on top, saying goodbye for good.
"Will you be okay," Constance asked Henry.
"Eventually," he answered.
After they had finished, they walked back into town to their houses. Isaac walked Rosalind home as the others all departed ways. The two didn't speak but her hand fell into his as they continued to stride. She kept her eyes on the ground the whole way, trying to ignore the empty feeling in her chest. Once they arrived at her front door, he stood in front of her.
"Are you going to be alright," he asked. She nodded, not convincingly. "I know this may not be the appropriate time, but I do not wish to be apart from you, Rosalind. You are my everything." Isaac grabbed her hand, causing her to look up at him.
"You are right. It's not the appropriate time. But time seems to feel fleeting and I want to keep all my loved ones as close as possible." Rosalind move her hand to the side of his face, a soft smile forming. "Especially you."
"I love you, Rosalind Salvatore."
"And I love you, Isaac Santos."
Author's Note —
I'm gonna be honest, I got really lazy with this and the last chapter because I wasn't sure how to write the ending, so I'm sorry if it seems rushed.