First Martha, then Mary, Alice, Ann, Wilmot, Margaret, Samuel and last but not least; me.
The crowd of around a dozen was deadly silent. Most were relieved that the 'evil witch bitches' who had been tormenting the town were dead, but they were still respectful enough not to boo us like they had on our wagon ride here.
Others were heartbroken, and had just witnessed their wives, mothers, and sisters being hung. But they had come anyways. For reasons I couldn't fathom.
Poor Martha's husband Giles, had died three days ago, a horrible death at that. At least she wasn't left behind.
I was surprisingly calm for someone facing death. But after all the pain and suffering I was ready. This was my escape. And I knew the brothers wouldn't be there to save me this time.
My only regret as I walked up the creaky wooden stairs and onto the platform facing the crowd, was that I never got to say my goodbyes to the only two people I still cared for, and that I had strung them along for so long. I had been selfish in not choosing one over the other. But now I wouldn't have to. I could just leave all this behind.
My calm, serene expression unnerved the crowd. 'Anyone unafraid of death is in cahoots with the devil' is the way these people thought.
I closed my eyes as a noose was fastened around my neck.
In a few moments I would be dead. And hopefully Salem would go back to normal, though that seemed unlikely after the events of the past year.
When I stepped forward, and off of the platform, my neck snapped, and Salem was rid of the only witch it had ever actually had.
Cordelia woke up from the nightmare with a start, sitting bolt upright. Her trembling hand reached into the dark for the lamp she knew was on her bedside table.
Cordelia's eyes took in the room she'd had since birth, from the vintage clothes strung around the room, to the picture of her parents and her on their family trip to Disneyland when she was eight. This room was normal, and real. That nightmare, however deatailed, and frightening was not, she told herself.
Cordelia put a hand to her heart, that was beating a million milles a minute, so hard it felt like it could burst out of her chest at any given moment.
After a few moments, Cordelia felt something jump into her lap, and looked down to see her tabbycat, Buffy. "Hey girl." She smiled affectionately, rubbing the back of her ear, earning a purr. She scooped the dumb cat up in her arms, and kissed her head. Cordelia only put the poor cat down, when she had calmed down enough and the cat started meowing impatiently.
Cordelia released the cat, who ran off to who knows where, and looked over at her cell to check the time. 5:16.
Earlier than she liked to get up, but she couldn't fall back asleep even if she wanted to.
So she got out of bed, leaving her disturbing nightmare behind to start her day.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Cordelia pulled up to Willow Creek High School, and parked her 2008 Ford SUV in the first available parking spot. Despite being a bit...old, the SUV was her baby, and her sixteenth birthday present from her parents.
Her best friends Kendra and Ethan were waiting for her, leaned against Ethan's prius. You could say what you wanted to about the SUV, but when it came down to it she was reliable.
Kendra almost knocked her over when Cordelia got out of the car, the first time she hugged her, she actually did knock her over, but thankfully after being friends with her for seven years, Cordelia had gotten somewhat used to Kendra's bear hugs.
When they were younger Cordelia had envied her best friend. Kendra was stunning. With her coffee complexion, smoky eyes, plump lips, big thick curls, and feminine curves, she looked like an african princess. So you might see how pale, skinny, twelve year old Cordelia might've been jealous.
Since then she had grown, matured, and gotten to a point where she accepted and loved the way she looked, but she would still feel the occasional pang of envy towards her best friend.
"Cordie you have got to see the new guy." Kendra squealed, pulling away from the hug.
"New guy?" Cordelia asked dubiously, arching a brow. Willow Creek was a small town of around 6,120 people. That meant that everybody knew everybody. Most people were born in Willow Creek, grew up in Willow Creek, got married in Willow Creek, and died in Willow Creek. Cordelia had been in school with the exact same group of kids since preschool. Until now.
"Yes! A gorgeous one!" Kendra squealed, taking her hand in hers. "Picture an ancient statue of a greek god and there you have it." Kendra told her.
Cordelia looked over Kendra's shoulder to see her second best friend Ethan, leaned against his car watching their exchange, with an amused smile.
Ethan was cute in a geek-rock sort of way. He wore big black framed glasses, a t-shirt for some indie band no one else knew, skinny jeans, converse, and as always his chestnut brown hair was messed up. His mother had given up on fixing it a long time ago.
"Whatever you do, stay safe." Cordelia told Kendra, a wry smile plastered on her face.
Kendra rolled her eyes, "I'm serious Cordie, he's drool worthy!" She protested, obviously irritated that they weren't taking her seriously.
Behind her back, Ethan pretended to swoon which caused involuntary giggling from Cordelia.
"Whatever." Kendra sighed, with an eye roll that said, 'What am I going to with these two?'
In the distance she heard the warning bell, and the next thing she knew, Kendra was dragging her to their neighbouring lockers, and Ethan was waving them goodbye.
As Cordelia racked her brain, trying to remember whether or not she'd done her chem homework, she felt an aggresive poke from her best friend and then heard her whisper, "That's him."
With a sigh, Cordelia turned to tell her friend to give it a rest, but before she said anything she caught sight of said new guy.
The locker belonged to what could only be described as a god. For once Kendra had not been exaggerating. He looked like he was made of marble, too perfect to be real, with his high cheekbones, luscious dark hair, perfect lips, olive skin tone, and jawline so sharp Cordelia might cut her finger if she tried to touch it.
Her lips parted, and she made a soft, embarassing noise, that ressembled a gasp.
"I know right?" Kendra whispered with a smug smile, directing her gaze away from the boy.
"Sweet baby jesus." Cordelia muttered under her breath. It was either that or, "Dayuuuuum!"
She grabbed her history book and shut her locker door, daring to look over her shoulder, she was surprised when she made eye contact with the boy. He had been staring. Not only that but a smirk spread across his sensual lips.
His gaze was scrutinizing, it was almost as if he was sizing her up. The look he gave her before she looked away said, 'Trouble.'
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Cordelia was in the middle of possibly the strangest, sexiest, and most stubborn starring contest ever.
She had no clue how long they had been at it, but it was way past the point of it being socially acceptable. It was almost...naughty.
She sat with Kendra, Ethan, and their other friends, Mike, Hailey, Tiana, Vanessa, Kyle, and Jordan.
They sat at their usual lunch table outside, and she nibbled on a ham sandwich while exchanging looks with the god from the hallway, who had been dubbed as, Sir Smirks Alot, since she didn't know his name. Yet.
His seating arrangement was...strange to say the least. He sat with people from every clique, from populars, to jocks, to stoners, to goths, to geeks.
Nina Pentergast, resident Queen Bitch was practically draped across his lap, but he payed almost no attention to her.
He was too busy starring at Cordelia. You'd think she was creeped out but she really wasn't, strangely enough. The looks he shot her were mysterious, suggestive, curious, playful, and tender all at once. She could only imagine what she looked like staring at him.
Probably like a pathetic creep, eye-rapping him.
Her friends payed little attention to her. Or at least that's what she had thought, before fingers belonging to Kendra -who was seated next to her- snapped in her face.
"Are you listening Cordie? You kinda zoned out." She said with a slight frown.
Oh God, at least they didn't notice her being a total creeper.
She had kinda been listening, but had eventually tuned everyone out, not in the mood to talk about prom, dating, homework, and parties like any other teenager.
"Ah yeah sorry." Cordelia smiled what she hoped was a calm, and casual smile.
The attention that had been focused on her was then turned to Tiana and Vanessa who were busy making out.
And by making out, Cordelia meant making out. Like Tiana was in Vanessa's lap, and they were groping each other, which caused groaning from the rest of the group.
Only when Mike made an obscene comment about girl on girl action did they pull away, to smack him.
Cordelia took the scene as a distraction from the jewel green eyes she knew were on her.
Vanessa and Tiana had been best friends before they had dated, and had eventually realised that they were in love with each other.
Their coming out had been pretty good, with their dazed and confused, but supportive parents and their tight knit group of friends that made sure they weren't bothered by ignorant assholes.
Mike grinned, after having accepted smacks from the two, having been succesful in breaking them apart for now.
Tiana slipped out of Vanessa's lap, and declared as if it was any surprise to anyone, "You're nasty. You need to go to a church, a mosque, a temple, a synagogue, or even a therapist." She smirked.
"So should you." He retorted, which caused giggling from Tiana and Vanessa.
"I'm already going to hell so why should I bother?" She joked with a wink.
Jordan chuckled, and patted Mike on the back, "She has a point. But i'm sure Vanessa's parents will pray for you both."
The entire table laughed, before the bell rang, sending everyone their seperate ways.
Cordelia said her goodbyes, before slinging her book bag over her shoulder, and turning around, only to end up chest to chest with Sir Smirks Alot.
"Hello." He greeted, looking down at her with a devilish smirk, and a delicious deep voice that made her insides melt into a puddle of goo.
"Ah...um...hi." She said rather brilliantly.
"I saw you staring." He said bluntly, still with that smirk.
"Well so were you." She defended.
"You look..." He pondered for a moment, trying to find the right word, "familiar." He settled for.
"I don't know you." She said firmly, her brows furrowed together. I'd remember a face like that.
"No I know. I'm Cal. What's your name?" He smiled amusedly, tilting his head.
"Cordelia." She breathed out softly. That name. She knew that name. It was so familiar, and felt so strangely intimate. Like she had said that name hundreds of times.
He blinked at the sound of her name and the smirk was gone, but before she knew it the smirk was back like it had never left.
"Beautiful name for a beautiful girl." He smiled charmingly.
She could feel the jealous, angry glares from the female population of the school that was nearby, making her shift uncomfortably under their glares.
"Ah thanks." She said softly, running her fingers through her platinum blonde mane, a nervous habit. Just now fully realising how close they were, a blush crept onto her cheeks and she took a step back.
He was about to say something when Kendra came up from behind her. "Hey you better hurry that little ass of yours up if we're going to make it on time to-" she stopped talking once she realised a) Cordelia was talking to someone b) She was talking to a boy c) She was talking to a really attractive boy.
She threw him a sweet smile, "Kendra." She introduced herself politely, while quietly sizing him up, like any best friend would.
"Cal." He introduced again, reaching out to shake her hand only to be utterly ignored.
"So sorry to interrupt but we gotta get going Cordie!" She said overly cheerfully, looping her arm through Cordelia's
"Oh right um...nice meeting you...Cal." Cordelia added that at the end, the name feeling foreign and familiar all at once on her tongue.
He nodded, his hands in the pockets of his jeans, "Lovely to meet you Cordelia." He smiled, and before she knew what he was doing, he gently took her hand in his warm rough one, and placed a soft, tender kiss to it, that send shivers down her spine, and once again turned her into a pile of mush.
Dammit.
"I'll see you soon." He promised, before her feet finally started listening to her brain and she allowed Kendra to drag her away.