On a mundane winter Friday afternoon, a raven haired girl walked silently down an ice covered sidewalk, her black eyes cold, distant and never wandering. She was deep in thought, seemingly unaware of her surroundings on anything but a subconscious level.
The aura that this girl resonated was felt strongly by others around her. It was frigid, like the cold winter wind that was making its way through the small community, leaving no leaf unturned. It was no wonder a passerby, no older than fifteen years old perhaps, went from taking a leisurely stroll to walking away from her in a frantic pace.
It was when Hecate had heard the retreating footsteps, the crunch of snow under heavy feet, that she was brought out of her reverie and back to the real world. She looked down at the ground, which was covered in a thick blanket of snow, then at the sky, that seemed to have lost all its clouds, and was nothing but a large sheet of gray. She sighed a deep sigh, expressing her otherwise cooped up annoyance at the teenager who had retreated from her quickly.
"You're all the same. Every last one of you," she said, though there was no one around, with a frown on her face.
It wasn't long before her house came into view. It was at the end of the neighborhood. A small two story white house, that in all its simplicity, was the symbol of fear in the community of Ravenwood, White Springs.
It was the kind of house that parents warned their kids not to go near on Halloween night, the kind that a friendly neighborhood woman would skip when giving invitations to her son's birthday party or any other event of importance. But it wasn't so much the house itself, but the people who resided in it. Particularly Witch of the Second Degree, Thorn Blackwood.
And of course, Hecate Blackwood, the mysterious raven haired girl with pale skin and lips seemingly forever in a straight line, never once stretching upwards. The two had lived together ever since that fateful day that took her parents lives, and took her into the care and teaching of Thorn.
Hecate let out a breath of relief upon finally reaching her home. She opened the front door and stepped into the almost entirely red living room, throwing her bag down on the armchair next to her and herself on the couch.
She could hear the familiar sound of a boiling cauldron coming from the backroom of the house and knew that her guardian was busy, probably brewing a potion, or just some cooking soup. Who knew with Thorn?
After she had caught her breath, she rose from the blood red sofa and proceeded to the next room then went through the open sliding glass door and into the thatch hut that the two had constructed entirely by themselves, their greatest accomplishment they would say, though it stuck out like a sore thumb in the otherwise normal backyard.
Thorn Blackwood stood with her back turned to the doorway, and Hecate could hear faint chanting, and could feel the energies in the atmosphere changing around her. It took a moment, but Thorn sensed her presence and stopped her chanting, and the atmosphere became static, as if something had been ripped from it, leaving an empty void.
The 33 year old woman placed a hand on her hip and looked at Hecate with amused eyes. "You're home early. As usual."
"I know," Hecate responded, taking a seat on a nearby stool, "There's nothing for me to do out there after school."
"Well, you could just get a boyfriend like normal girls your age. Then again, it's like you've got an icicle shoved up your ass most of the time," Thorn joked, before erupting into a fit of laughter. She was still a teenager at heart, and her superiority in social skills compared to Hecate's could be seen through the many friends she had, none of which knew of her position, but had a basic knowledge of her use of witchcraft.
"There's nothing normal about me," she remarked simply getting up to leave. "And one more thing. You should get rid of that spiked choker around your neck. It makes you look like a dog." And with that she left, leaving Thorn standing there, at first offended, but then a bit amused.
After all, she knew Hecate's nature better than anyone else. She knew how intense of a desire Hecate had to change her frigid nature.
Well, at least a little.
**********
That evening at dinner, Thorn laid out of the dishes with various foods on the table while Hecate silently read from her tattered brown book of hexes. As soon as Thorn was done setting the table, the black haired woman sat across from Hecate and stared across at the girl, who seemed as if she had no intention of eating.
"You know my rules young lady, no books at the table," she prompted, and received an empty stare in a response. After a second or two, Hecate slid the book on to the chair next to her.
The two had gotten used to the silence at dinner. The familiar clanging of the cutlery on the dishes was the only sound that could be heard. Otherwise they ate silently, because Thorn knew that most times, any attempt of hers to make conversation was lost on the teenager. But on good days, no, the BEST days, Hecate would say more than a few words. She would actually engage in a conversation with her, actually reveal a bit of her closed up feelings. But those days were as rare as they were touching to Thorn.
"You know," she said, breaking the silence, "The old hag is coming over to see how you're progressing. She says she'll be coming over tomorrow afternoon."
Hecate instantly knew that the "old hag" that Thorn had referred to was none other than Elder Catherine, the head priestess of the White Springs Coven. Hecate was not particularly fond the old woman, though she respected her power and her knowledge.
She knew that Elder Catherine had thought it absurd when Thorn decided to adopt her and bring her up as part of the coven, and she also had a clear understanding of how convinced the Head Priestess was that Hecate harboured a grudge for what they did to her parents.
After all, she was the catalyst of the whole event. She was the one who had suggested the bargain. Your souls in exchange for your little girls life. It wasn't a hard decision for her parents really. They had loved Hecate very much, but the knowledge of this love didn't move Hecate in any way. In fact, it disgusted her.
She didn't see why anyone would waste any emotions on her, even if it was one as pointless as love.
"Well then, that's fine. I'm ready to show her what I've been studying." She replied tersely, and Thorn gave her a sympathetic smile.
"I know you know that she almost never approves of anything you do Hecate, but don't let it get you down. She's really hard to impress. Even if you had done the highest level spell, she wouldn't be the least bit impressed."
"I know. It is mostly because of the grudge she holds against me," Hecate replied, "The fact that I'm not a descendant of any of the first witches bothers her a great deal. She is a foolish woman."
"Indeed she is, in some respects. But she is also the woman who could kill you in a heartbeat. That's why-"
"She can never learn my first birth name? I know."
It was a long standing tradition with the witches to assign new names to their offspring apart from the birth name because they believed that the first names given to a person held power, power that could both strengthen and destroy. So the birth name of the children were usually kept secret, and assigned in private, then the Alter Nomen would be announced to the coven and used throughout life as the child's name.
Once Thorn had begun the adoption process, he had to do everything in her power to keep Hecate's birth name a secret from the other witches, and she struggled with changing it so that they would never find out. She knew that Elder Catherine was in no way a kind woman. She knew how much she despised Hecate. There was no way her real name could get out. Just as easily as her name could roll off the tongue of its utterer, just as easily could Hecate die.
"She will never know your real name. Not if I can help it, Hecate," Thorn reassured her, then took her hand into hers. Hecate had appreciated the gesture, but wouldn't show it. Instead, she rose to her feet and left the table after muttering a weak, almost inaudible "Good night."
********
When Hecate woke up the next morning, she felt refreshed and a rare feeling descended on her. It was something akin to happiness, Hecate's own version of being in a good mood. It couldn't be noticed by most, but if you knew her well enough, you could sense it, as Thorn did that morning at breakfast.
Her black painted lips turned upwards into a smile when she heard Hecate humming a tune. Though an eerie one, it was an indicator to Hecate's guardian that she was feeling better than usual.
"I see you're in a good mood," she pointed out as she set the plate of eggs and bacon in front of the teenaged girl.
"I'm not. Today is just simply one of those days when the rain from the storm cloud that eternally hangs over my head isn't pouring as heavily as other days," she replied, then began to eat. But Thorn knew Hecate's language. She knew she meant she WAS in a good mood.
But it's funny how fate has a way of ruining good things.
********
"Hecate! Where's the sea sand? I told you to get it ages ago!" Thorn yelled at Hecate who was searching frantically among the shelf of jars for Thorn's requested ingredient.
"There's no need to yell Thorn," she replied evenly. "If you took better care to organize these in alphabetical order, then this wouldn't be a problem."
"Well, you know I never have time to do it anyway. But hurry up, will ya. Most of the brew has evaporated already!" Thorn yelled from the other side of the hut over the loud bubbling noise of the boiling cauldron.
Not a moment too soon, Hecate found her jar of sand then handed it to her. "Next time, just do it yourself."
"Trust me, I will," she sighed and emptied half of the jar's contents into the boiling mixture. "There. That should do it. Pouring enough of this around a house should be enough to keep those pesky little Zalites away. Now on to the next order."
Thorn was one of the many witches in the coven who used her skills to make potions and pendants for those people willing to buy them from her. It was what kept food on the table, and Hecate was grateful for this. That is why she never refused Thorn when she was in need of help.
"What's your next order?" Hecate inquired, sitting at her usual spot on a battered stool near the doorway.
Thorn turned to her notepad and scanned the page. "It's an order for a life-extending potion. I have record that this person ordered the same thing 2 years in a row."
"That means that this is the last year they can ever drink any. There's a limit to how much of the potion you can drink. Each dose extends life by three years."
"Correct. Now let's see..." She trailed off, and began flipping the pages in her recipe book.
"I think I have all the ingredients," she began. "Oh wait. I seem to be missing one."
She walked over to the side of the hut where many different medallions hung and scanned the wall for the one she was seeking.
"Just as I thought. I'm going to need the soul of a cat, and I don't have one." She then turned to Hecate with pleading eyes. "Would you mind getting one for me?"
"And have the kids at school find me even weirder than they already do when they see me murdering a cat? Sure. Why not?"
Thorn ignored her sarcasm, before handing her a knife and a soul trapping medallion. "Good girl."
Hecate took the items given to her and went out of the yard, closing the gate behind her. Thorn watched Hecate's retreating figure from the room upstairs, and watched as her black cloak fluttered in the wind until she was out of sight.
"Oh Hecate," she said softly to herself, "I can't help but feel that I've corrupted you. You were so lively, so lovely and talkative when I first saw you playing with your parents in the park that day."
She began having flashbacks to that earlier time.
"I just hope that one day, some one will come along. Someone who can put a smile on those stubborn lips of yours."
"Then again. Maybe that is too much for someone like me to hope for."
*************
Authors Note:
Yes. I know. Everything hates these. But just hear me out xD. Thanks for reading. If you liked the chapter then feel free to vote or comment. If you have any questions at all, feel free to ask them. Constructive criticism is very much appreciated. And don't worry all you Jeff fangirls out there (yes you), you'll see Jeffy soon. Very soon.