◖𓈈﹗ ﹙ chapter fifteen ﹚
❛ ▬▬ you're a witch lilith . . . ❜
Once again Lilith found herself wrapped in a dream. Her consciousness awakened in the infinite darkness of emptiness, with only a door in the distance from which emanated a bright red light. She was tired of that dream! She hated not being able to wake up immediately. She had already tried before. Lilith walked towards the door with discouragement, feeling stuck in a boring and tedious loop. She knew the story from beginning to end: as soon as she tried to cross to the other side, she would wake up as if cable companies interrupted the best part of a movie with commercials.
She placed a hand on the golden doorknob and pushed it just a few centimeters. It was the farthest she had ever gotten. With adventurous eyes and more curiosity than fear, she ended up opening the rest of the door in one motion. Wow! So much intrigue for nothing! On the other side, another infinite room awaited her, occupied by very bright fluctuations of light. It was a disappointment for the young girl; she thought there would be something more exciting. She ventured into it, exchanging darkness for light, and continued on her way assuming that she would eventually find another door. However, upon closer inspection, what was dancing around her did not seem to be light. Its consistency resembled flames: in the center, she could make out a whitish core that degraded into the brightest red. It reminded her of a photograph she had seen of plasma state - if she wanted to give it a more scientific meaning - because her first idea had been magic.
"Isn't it beautiful?" the voice of an adult woman sounded around her, taking her by surprise. Lilith looked for her but couldn't find her.
"Magic?" she asked, it was a dream and she was very aware of that.
"Yes, beautiful. Do you like it?" confirmed the woman.
Lilith tried to catch the fluctuating magic, wanting to see how it looked emanating from her own hands, but it had a life of its own and escaped.
"Yes, I like it."
"Magic is a gift, a privilege. Many covet it, go crazy for the feeling of power that they are capable of doing atrocities for a meager drop. Those who obtain it indecently will never know the special bond that arises between a natural witch and magic, the same one that I am showing you. I want to help you grow in this world, and if you give me the opportunity, I can answer all your questions, especially the one that is causing you so much suffering."
When she momentarily left her childish excitement for a dream that involved magic, she swore she felt a horrible chill in real life. She was no longer enjoying the dream at all; she wanted to wake up. After the altercations with the witches, she would not tolerate her mind playing perversely.
"I know I'm dreaming," she scolded nothingness, "and you're not going to tell me where my mom is."
"Not a dream, Lilith. Let me show you a part of yourself you haven't seen yet. If you want to return to your mother's arms, you'll need me, and all I'm asking is that you trust me. When you wake up, don't be scared. Have the courage to have a private conversation with me, without your hunter friends. I don't want fights, I don't want to hurt anyone. It's your choice.
Lilith woke up in the motel room with a thick cold sweat covering her skin. Through the window, she could barely see the sky slowly turning into clear blue, it must have been around five o'clock. She turned her body to comfort herself in her best friend, who was resting very peacefully after a tough night. Sam was with her. It had been a good idea to swap rooms with Dean.
The damn dream had left her disoriented, with nervousness tormenting her heart. Lilith repeated that it was just a dream, a nightmare, really. She had to calm down and go back to sleep, right? Damn it! It hadn't been a dream! Behind the window, there was a small bright red spot held in the air, just like in the dream. She blinked a couple of times to make sure it wasn't residue, her imagination... and there it was, urging her on. Lilith retreated towards the headboard, clutching the blanket and about to scream for the brothers. She turned to Sam ready to wake him up, but Lilith stayed silent and went back to the magic spot. Suddenly her whole world stopped and only she and her desires existed. The dream with the witch... the crazy woman was out there waiting for her! An ocean of questions invaded her head, making her even more desperate, opening uncertain paths that she was terrified to cross. Wasn't that why she had cried herself to sleep so many nights? Finally, an event with new material for her search for the truth was presented. Lilith was petrified, sinking her hand into an object hidden under the pillow: Dean's gun. In a quick and silent move, she unloaded it to verify - possibly - her worst idea. She was armed with witch-killer bullets."
"I can, I can," she whispered, reloading the gun once again.
Just a few hours ago, Lilith had promised Dean that she wouldn't get involved in supernatural affairs anymore, not any more than she already had. Though her promise had been sincere, the more rational and selfish part of her didn't mind breaking it for an opportunity like this. Witches had thrown her plans into chaos, and the damn letter that had sparked everything had lodged itself in her soul like a thorn. Fear for her mother's life had given Lilith the courage to meet alone with the woman from her dream, a witch herself. After the kidnapping and everything she had read, the alarms were obvious: she didn't trust them, and she didn't need to get close! It could be a trap, but... what if it wasn't, and it led to the Winchesters? Goodbye to her chance to be with her mom. Screw it! Lilith would rather be dead than never have tried. She got out of bed so delicately that it seemed like she was about to commit a crime. She took Dean's brown jacket that was lying on a chair and also hid her own phone in her chest, so they could locate her if she was taken.
The point of reddish magic appeared in front of her eyes with the autumn breeze and the young blonde was amazed. Instinctively, moving like a puppet controlled by her primal impulses, she tried to touch it. The ball moved away to the other end of the street, having crossed the parking lot. Bare feet chased it with so much adrenaline. Her heart beat anxiously with the violent omen on her back, the weight of her conscience: she was being irresponsible and putting herself in too much danger. Her thoughts didn't quiet down as she walked away from the motel. Magic led her through several blocks, taking her away from the central streets - although there were no signs of other human life at that hour. Lilith walked to a park with large trees and a path where people ran marathons or cycled, she also saw a children's area with swings and slides, and a beautiful fountain right in the center. She had come too far to back down. The crimson point continued its journey until it inserted itself among bushes off the main path, and eventually disappeared into the hand of a hooded woman.
Lilith stopped walking a few meters away, silent and alert to any sound around her. As a precaution, she took the gun out of her front pocket and aimed it at the woman. The witch revealed her face from the heavy cloak dyed in an intense funeral burgundy, which hid a long, elegant dress of almost the same tone. The pale face of an adult with red hair with slight waves that brushed her waist smiled at her with some kindness. Lilith didn't dare to take another step.
"Hello," the witch said softly, as if trying not to scare her. "It's a pleasure to meet you in person. I'm glad you've made the right decision. You can come a little closer, Lilith, I won't do anything to you. You don't have to be afraid of me."
"I don't want to," Lilith replied, tightening her grip on her gun. "I shouldn't be here alone, and I don't trust witches. They've hurt me a lot."
"I'm sorry that's your opinion of us, but it was the others who hurt you. I don't hurt my sisters. I told you not to bring your hunter friends because I don't want to start a fight and have to hurt them in self-defense. So you can put down your weapon and come with me for a walk. I want to talk to you."
"What others?" Lilith wondered, remembering how the witches hated each other by species, as Bobby had told her. Some witches were more powerful and believed themselves to be superior.
"No," Lilith refused. "I've already been kidnapped, and this could easily be another trap or attempt. I just came here to ask you where my mom is."
"I can see you love your mother very much, and you have her strong character in your genes. You know, I told Regina that a good name for her daughter would be Lilith, and I feel like it fits you perfectly," the witch said, which surprised Lilith so much that she couldn't hide it. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to resort to this, but since I'm a cautious woman, I brought this so you could trust me. Living with hunters has made you see us as enemies, huh?"
The witch pulled out a rectangular, worn piece of paper from inside her cloak and used magic to bring it so close that Lilith almost shot her. Fortunately, she didn't, because she never expected to see a picture of the same witch with her mother. Lilith's impression felt like a bucket of cold water, as if for the first time she was seeing the reality of things, of almost her own existence. After having made a thousand and one theories about her mother's relationship with the witches, imagining even the craziest scenarios, she was still surprised at how far a secret could go. Suddenly, the letter made sense
"What does it mean?" she managed to say, staring fixedly at the photograph. It was her mother as a teenager, unmistakable. They looked so alike, and she had seen enough photographs in her grandparents' house to recognize her. "Why do you know my mother?"
"If you calm down and come closer, you'll find out for yourself," the witch replied.
Lilith lowered the gun and looked at the photograph, seeking help from her young mother. She approached the uncertain woman, but with an inexplicable attraction. With the tree branches swaying, they both heard the breaking of a twig and footsteps that stopped abruptly. The witch cast a spell around her hands and looked around, while Lilith thought it was her moment to run because she was going to be kidnapped again.
"It must have been some animal," she said after a moment. "Don't worry, no one's going to take you. I insist, I'm not going to hurt you. I only came to help you and for that, I'm going to remove some chains that don't let you be who you are. Allow me."
Frozen in place, she accepted the touch of the witch on her wrists and, she had to admit, was expectant and impatient for what she declared. Pandora's magical hands covered some slight sparks of purple color that in a sequence were recreating some chains of the same purple magic that bound her down to her feet. They were long and dragged on the ground without making a sound, but there they were: extensive unions floating, imprisoning her. Lilith spun around observing how the chains moved in unison, and her eyes widened in surprise, her brow furrowed even more.
"Your mother decided to chain you up so that your magic would not manifest and you would have the possibility of living a normal life, without the constant fear of being hunted by hunters or other witches. The gift of magic is powerful at its natural level, but training is necessary to enhance your abilities. It's not enough to just have it, you need to study, learn, and exercise magic."
"Stop," Lilith ordered. The information overload had been enough to take her breath away. "Are you saying that I...?"
"Yes, Lilith, you are a witch and a very powerful one. You come from a long line of natural and prestigious witches. Many historians have the theory that your bloodline is from the first witches, simply marvelous. It is an honor that your true last name is part of my coven.
'What true last name?' Lilith asked.
'You know well that your mother was adopted by the Arduenn marriage, and I do not doubt what your true family is, but your mother's real last name is Morningstar. A witch bloodline that we have lost track of. You don't know how happy we were to find your mother.'
'A witch!' Lilith gasped, observing the chains disappear like mist. 'My true last name? My last name is Arduenn,' Lilith said. 'How do I do magic?'
Just the desire to see a flaming magical spark in her own hands was enough to make it real. Lilith was bewitched as she watched a bright violet wave dance around her hands. For a moment, she could only think that she was still dreaming. Seeing herself doing magic brought back her inner child. Lilith's face went from shock to excitement; a smile transformed her mood. She was a witch! She could do magic! It was what she had always wanted! How had her mother been able to hide this wonder from her? Now everything made sense, and it felt so good!
"The witbrum iron knife is useless against first race natural witches," Pandora explained. "Wow! That's it! It's just a matter of feeling the magic, accepting that you have it, and letting it manifest. You need to learn to control it. You won't want accidents, and if a human sees you, no matter how understanding they may be, they're always a danger," Pandora said with a bright smile on her face that complemented the brown of her eyes. "Isn't magic beautiful? Your color is purple, just like your mother. It's characteristic of your branch."
"Then my mom is with you," Lilith asked, obsessed with her magic and the idea that she was a witch. "What is she protecting herself from? Did she leave me for safety?"
"No, dear," Pandora said with a grimace, and Lilith's illusion disappeared. "As you know, tension between witches is in a serious situation. Witches like us have always escaped from the others. We are more powerful, but there are very few of us left. For decades, we have preferred to hide in our homes, and we would have continued to do so if it weren't for the others. They want our power, and unfortunately, they found your mother. They kidnapped her, just as they tried to do with you."
Lilith's heart shattered into pieces. The purple magic ceased, but tears streamed down her rosy cheeks.
"Is she dead?!" she exclaimed, almost falling. "You come to tell me that now? Why didn't you appear months ago when my mom disappeared? You could have saved me a lot of time, and I could have done something..."
"Calm down, sweetheart. She's not dead," the witch said, squeezing her shoulder firmly. "If she were, I would have found out. She's being held captive, and we've known her whereabouts since she disappeared. My coven has made several attempts to rescue her, but as you can see, they failed. The other coven outnumbers us and has allies with other monsters. Regina would never forgive me if I involved you in attacks and put your life in danger."
Lilith felt a little better, wiping away her tears but still tormented. "Then why did you change your mind?"
"I have no other options, and you can be one of the most powerful witches in my coven," Pandora confessed, her eyes growing more mysterious and resembling those of a witch from a horror story. "Someone like you can balance the scales, and I can no longer protect you from a distance. I promised your mom I would look after you without you knowing, but girl, you're elusive. The leader of the other coven is looking for you and has sent an army of monsters. The hunters you live with can't protect you. I'm here to ask you to join my coven and teach you what you need to rescue Regina."
There wasn't much thinking for the young woman when it came to her mother. Lilith tended to be irrational. However, from the depths of her feelings, the condition of a witch bloomed, which had enamored her like Cupid's arrow. A blind and loyal love. Lilith wanted to learn witchcraft.
"I need a few hours to think about it. How can I find you?" she asked, actually needing to figure out how to tell her brothers and Bobby.
"Use the same photo, and message me when you're ready," Pandora replied.
As she turned the photo, her eyes almost popped out of her head. The seal! The damn seal that had driven her crazy! It was imprinted on the entire photo, in the center, with a tint as red as a ruby, and in the upper left corner was a number.
"What's wrong?" Pandora asked, seeing her so shaken.
"The seal, is it yours?" Lilith asked.
"Yes, it belongs to my coven, to witches like you and me. It's a very old seal. My family created it so we could communicate without others interfering with our messages. It's been with us for centuries," she explained naturally. "Put it on any paper, and it will deliver the message to the person you want."
Pandora disappeared into the shadows of the trees, vanishing with the last sighting of the moon before the sun began to shine, leaving Lilith completely dumbfounded. She had finally discovered the truth, and of all the things she had imagined, she found it laughable that her mother had hidden the nature of her being from her. Lilith wasn't angry with her, not even disappointed. She missed her so much that she couldn't have any feeling other than love, and now that she knew what had happened, she wouldn't stop until she saw her safe and sound. The magic that formed in her hands hypnotized the cerulean eyes. That's how she would save her! Pandora had told her she could be a powerful witch... one of the best...
"Ha! A witch?!" Dean bellowed, coming out from behind a tree and aiming one of his pistols, which undoubtedly had witch-killing bullets, at her. "Why did you go out alone to meet a witch?"
The young girl's face was an epic poem. If she had a certain fear of the dark, nothing she had ever been afraid of could compare to what she was feeling in front of Dean Winchester. Lilith always considered herself a woman of strong principles and impeccable dignity, capable of facing any man, but seeing Dean pointing his gun at her froze her muscles to the point of becoming immobilized and unable to defend herself.
"Leave me alone," she begged with a trembling voice. Her innate reaction was tears, as if that could stop a hunter from killing a witch... a witch, she reminded herself. Lilith mimicked Pandora and, with remarkable skill, used magic to disarm Dean's pistol. "Don't you dare aim at me again, you imbecile! Get out of here!" she paled.
"Lilith?" whispered Dean, bewildered. "I heard everything, I followed you as soon as you left the room. You should have told me that a witch was after you. You stole my gun and my things, let's go back to the motel, we have a lot to talk about." Dean tried to approach her casually, but Lilith backed away. "What's wrong with you?"
"Don't you dare come near me," she threatened. "If you already know everything, then go. Leave me alone."
"Let's go," Dean insisted, ignoring her threat. In a quick movement, he approached her and grabbed her arm. Lilith shook him off and punched him in the cheek. "Lilith! What the hell? Why...?"
"I told you not to come near me! If you touch me again, I'll kill you!" This time, Lilith felt completely terrified. She had never thought that being close to Dean would scare her so much. "I'm not going to give you the chance to kill me. What do you think I am, stupid?"
"How could you even think that I would hurt you? I'm not going to kill you, idiot!" Dean was desperate. "Lilith, please, you can't think... I was aiming at the witch, in case she came back..."
A sea of tears ran down her cheeks, and she could swear her face was all red. At that moment, Lilith felt confused because Dean looked sincere, bewildered by her reaction. Pain was evident on his face, and it made Lilith stop to consider if she had enough reasons to fear a hunter who had once been her friend.
"Please stop crying," Dean changed his usual tone to a deeper and quieter one. He tried to approach her again, slowly, and this time Lilith didn't push him away. "Don't be stupid, you don't have to be afraid of me. It's me!" he said, stealing her thoughts.
"What do you mean, 'don't be afraid'?" Lilith replied, more calmly and moderately. "A few weeks ago, you told me that witches were bitches, just another monster to hunt," she muttered, embarrassed. "After hearing all my life how you and your father hunted witches, I'm not going to be very happy to see you pointing a gun at me."
Dean lowered his head not knowing how to explain himself.
"I don't care if you are, I wouldn't hurt you. I've known you since you were an ugly, red baby. You are as human as I am, there must be a mistake or that bitch lied to you. Once I read about magic extraction... Let's go before any hunters show up, I know there are several here and if they find out about that witch...," he went to pick up his gun from the ground and then gently tugged at her arm, "For god's sake! Look, I'll leave the bullets in my pocket!"
Whether she was considered human or not, Lilith didn't care. What mattered to her was how her mom was doing, what those damn others were doing to her. Unlike what she had thought at the beginning of her arrival, Pandora's words were taken as absolute truths, she trusted her, and Lilith knew she was rushing things.
"What part of 'don't touch me' don't you understand? I walk alone, I don't need you pulling me or leading me by the hand. You walk ahead, I'll follow," Lilith said.
"Is that really how it's going to be? Are you afraid of me?" Dean snapped, hurt. It would be Lilith's fault now! He called a witch a bitch again and emphasized that the undeniable truth was the result of a mistake. Although Lilith had thought for a moment that it would be, it was then that she provoked her purple magic again. Her magic.
"I'm not afraid of you, I'm protecting myself," she lied. She was afraid of him, but she would never tell him.
"I'm protecting you, and I've been doing it for months. Don't you forget it?" Dean said.
"No," she admitted. Dean had protected her many times throughout her life. "Just walk."
Back at the motel after a few minutes of pure silence, Lilith wanted to lock herself in her room. She needed to be alone to calm down and think before making a decision. So Lilith threw her things at Dean, and luckily her room door was open. She quickly got in and locked it.
"Lilith! Don't be stupid! I'm going to find Sam, and you better open that door!"
Lilith rested on the edge of the bed, clutching the comforter tightly, and once again let the magic flow around her. She was fascinated, completely enchanted by what her eyes saw, and it was all her own doing. Her reaction to such a discovery was in a very small percentage of the population, even abnormal. Most would start to panic, much more surprised than Lilith - although not everyone had the certainty of the existence of witchcraft and the supernatural world, of monsters and demons -, still, for the young woman of almost twenty years old it was a revelation right in the depths of her soul. Since she was little, her interest in witches was awakened by watching Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and then by holding the first Harry Potter book in her hands, she felt a certain infatuation with magic, of course, she had always kept fiction and reality separate. With the recent events, she came to hate witches, but now... she was one, and she could be very powerful, according to Pandora's words! Lilith was not as frightened as Dean was, however, the news of her mother caused a break in her mind.
She looked at the photograph with a melancholic and sincere gaze. Seeing her mother's face made her miss her even more, and she was so young there, she must have been younger than Lilith is now. It had been a serious mistake not to tell her anything about what was happening among the witches, and even worse not to trust her daughter enough to tell her the truth about herself. She had the right to know and decide! She was no longer a child! Lilith regretted how things had happened. She had always been understanding with her mother and wouldn't let anger overtake logic and love... that was always how it had been. She never got angry with her-there was no reason to-but denying her the truth was not justifiable even with her noble motives, and she believed in them faithfully. The last thing her mom would do was hurt her, and if that was the way to protect her, she forgave everything just to save her from the others. She couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if her mom had explained everything to her in time, maybe they could have found a way to defend themselves together.
"Damn it!" Her heart raced nervously as she heard an argument behind the door. Her priorities were clearer than ever, and her stupid dilemma between college or continuing with her mother's case vanished in a second: she wouldn't go back. She didn't care what Dean or Bobby said, no one could stop her. She had decided to do everything in her power and more to rescue her mother.
"I also want the same as you, but there are other ways: thinking it through clearly and calling Bobby. You can't just dive into a coven. Please! You told me you wouldn't get involved in this anymore. Do I have to remind you what your mom wants? You already have a normal life, stick with that.
"I'm never going back to college, it's stupid what you're asking me! Why do you insist so much?" Dean exclaimed, leaving Lilith and Sam in silence. Dean seemed to regret what he said, but it was too late to stop talking.
"Because my dad ordered me to!" he shouted.
Sam was alarmed and even angry. "What do you mean?" he asked.
Dean surrendered. "Before he died," he began, "he told me not to take my eyes off Lilith, to take care of her, and not to get involved in our things. It was better to keep her away or... there would be danger. Those were his words." Lilith didn't believe the last part. She was sure John had told him to kill her or something. It didn't surprise her.
"Did he know what was going on with Regina?" Sam asked.
"I don't know, maybe he did."
"Well, Dean, I don't care about your father's opinion and he certainly can't dictate what's best for me. Plus, I'm not getting involved in a world that doesn't belong to me because this," Lilith made magic run through her fingers, "is not very normal. And I'll do what I want. And yes, Sam, I'm going with Pandora right now because I'm not going to waste another minute. You can tell Bobby the news because he's capable of locking me up in his basement."
" You know, that's a really good idea, no one leaves from here," Dean approached the door and locked it, then stood there like an idiot making a wall against the outside with his arms crossed and an ironic smile.
"Let's see," said Sam, being the only one in the middle, literally and in opinion. "Stop arguing for a second and let's try to..."
"No," she interrupted, "I've made my decision, I'm going to take a quick shower and you guys can leave."
Lilith approached her bag lying on a chair and took out a change of clothes. She needed to take a quick shower and dress appropriately. She had no idea where she was traveling to, but pajamas were not an option. Her feet were dirty, and after walking a lot, she smelled bad. She grabbed a black overall-shaped dress and a white sweater and was smart enough to lock herself in the bathroom with the photograph and a pen. The freezing water ran over her body; she didn't bother waiting for it to warm up in a rundown motel. She finished in a few minutes. She had been listening to the brothers argue since she left them alone, and when she finished getting dressed, they were still arguing.
"Bobby's going to kill us if we let Lilith go with a witch to a place she doesn't even know where it is! Dean, he's going to kill us, and he's going to be very angry with us."
"Don't keep going around in circles. When she's done with her shower, we'll ask her to call Pandora. She'll come, we'll kidnap her, force her to tell us where Regina is, and then we'll kill her. That way, Lilith stays safe with us."
The only one who was going to end up dead in this situation was the stupid monkey Dean Winchester. She couldn't understand how she had kissed him in the early hours for showing her support and, frankly, for showing her how her mother thought. Nothing justified his hateful behavior, still skewed by his father's orders. Lilith was not a princess in a tower locked up. She accepted and was grateful for all the help they had offered her for months, and she would never forget that Dean rescued her from the witches, and both he and Sam let her travel with them so that she wouldn't be alone and insecure at Bobby's house. However, none of the above should prohibit her from taking advantage of the opportunity of a lifetime: Lilith could bring her mother back herself.
She took the photograph and wrote a message explaining her situation and waited eagerly for a response.
Pandora
I can put them to sleep for one or two hours, and you can leave and head to the coven.
Lilith Arduenn
Where are you taking me?
To Salem, where else? My coven is an old mansion hidden from everyone who hasn't been invited. You can tell your friends, but they won't find you no matter how hard they try. Once you're there, you can meet up with them in the city.
I understand.
Stay away from them until I arrive, because I will put you to sleep too. If you can stay in the bathroom, that's even better.
Okay, but it won't harm them, right?
No, don't worry.
While waiting for the witch, Lilith felt her stomach churn. Nerves were eating her up, as was her conscience. Sam and Dean didn't deserve this. But she didn't have any other choice. Dean was capable of tying her to the bed so she wouldn't escape. He had come up with a plan to kill Pandora after extracting information. And how would they rescue her mother? According to Pandora, she had already attempted to rescue her, and a witch was much more powerful than a human. How could they even rescue her without dying in the process? Curse it! She couldn't let these doubts invade her now!
⛧.