It is 1829, a time where superstitions are still a common thing to which extend can become a reason to kill someone. Anyone who raises suspicion goes against religion or simply shares his honest opinion to the population, risks to be tortured, exorcised or worse. Tanya was one of those people and ever since a little girl, she could tell that she was different.
At the age of eight, she could slightly move objects with her eyesight. For her, it was something normal and thought everyone could do it. Her parents, who were very religious and superstitious, saw the devil within her, but couldn't bring themselves to talk with others about this; they could end up burning on a pyre alongside their child, so they just told her to stop moving objects without touching them. She didn't understand why, but listened to her parents and stopped.
Some years passed and yet another discovery was made at age of around twelve. They lived in a small farmer village and while helping her father with the animals in the barn, a rabid dog made his way inside and attacked Tanya. Screaming and trying to get the savage animal off her, she grabbed the dog from his throat, trying to get it off and the animal instantly collapsed, dead. Her father looked from around the corner and after the scene ended he rushed inside and aided his injured daughter. While treating her wounds, she held his hand, still scared of what happened, but after a few moments he started feeling ill and raised a fever. Sensing that something was not in order, he told Tanya to let go and never touch him or another person without permission and when she asked why, she was greeted with a slap and told to not question her parents' motives again.
Another two years passed. Tanya started to feel more and more different from the other people. She was sheltered by her parents and didn't have any friends because of that. They were afraid that if she revealed her unusual powers to the others, their lives would be over, but Tanya was near the end of her patience. The small talks with her parents only revealed that she is special and they didn't want someone to take her away from them... why special? She wasn't told why. The other kids always picked on Tanya whenever they saw her outside the house and sometimes even tried to hurt her by throwing things in her direction. She was used to this, she accepted, especially when her parents told her to do so, until one day when one of the boys, angry that she refused to reply to their taunts, decided to jump the fence and teach her a lesson. Caught off guard, Tanya was pushed and fell on the ground and started crying... why did they always picked on her? She didn't do anything to them, yet they always taunt her and now this. The angry boy started to hit Tanya when he saw that she was crying, but luckily Tanya's mother came out and afraid that they will get scolded, the kids ran off.
The mother told her daughter to stand up, clean herself up and go to bed... all with a firm cold voice and above all else, she didn't even bother to help her.
She did not even helped me get up from the ground... why... why is everyone so cold towards me?
Tanya's sad thoughts invaded her mind and crying in silence, she fell asleep. The next morning when she woke up, she was stunned... her wounds were gone; those from the fall and hits from the boy were gone and not even a scratch remained, less a wound. Cheerful, she showed this to her parents, who were preparing to leave for the field. With cold eyes and monotone voice they told Tanya to stay indoors and avoid further interaction with any of the kids... not even visual.
As they walked towards the field, they could freely talk.
"She gains strange new powers as she grows older... we must do something or we will face the burning purification if someone notices this."
"Yes husband, but what can we do?"
"We will wait for another season and then send her away. We stayed with the evil, within our house, for far too long."
"She is our daughter... but in all these years, knowing who she really was, I could not bring myself to love her, so I trust your wisdom."
"There is no other way. We will send her two or three villages away and if she is discovered, they will not know the daughter of who she is. Our reputation will remain unscarred and will not face the judgment of our own village."
***
A season has passed, winter was near and the moment for their plan was nearing its starting point. Tanya's mother made a package containing some clothes for the cold to come and food. Tanya, now turned fifteen, looked with big eyes at the package and asked who is leaving.
"You and your father are going to a trip and I packed some clothes and food to ease your journey."
"Where are we going?"
"You will find out when we get there Tanya, patience."
"Yes father..."
She sounded a bit disappointed, but inside she was very happy that a trip was planned and that she will see more of the world, beyond their village.
The next morning Tanya bid farewell to her mother and got up the carriage alongside her father and soon after, they departed. The distance between the villages was big, almost half of day with the carriage, while on foot it could of take the whole day. The road went across rivers, through forests, each looming with their dangers... the most common being poachers.
The day passed and nearing the second village, Tanya's father broke up the silence which was present since they left home.
"We are here. Get down, get your things and meet me at the inn. I will be with you shortly."
She complied, without giving a response and entered the nearby inn. A shabby building, full of the village's people, mostly men, who were tired after a long day of work, quenched their thirst with big mugs of ale. The innkeeper spotted the young girl and quickly approached her.
"Hey, little girl. What your business be in these here parts? Such a lovely face should not be traveling alone... you never know what the forests be hiding'."
"I... I am here with my father... we are just travelers and..."
"She is with me." her father interrupted them as he entered the inn. "We will be spending the night here and tomorrow we will be on our way. Here, I think this will suffice for our stay and meal for tonight."
He handed the innkeeper a small bag of coins, which pleased the host and agreed to the proposed deal.
"Very well. Come, let me show yer room and after that I shall give the food."
The innkeeper led them to a nearby door, which, when opened, creaked like it was there for decades, unused. Inside there were two beds and a small table. Enough comfort to suffice tired travelers.
"Pleased?"
"Yes, it is more than what I expected."
After leaving the luggage in the room, they returned to the main hall and were served beans with roasted pork.
"Tanya, after we eat, we go to bed. Tomorrow we will get a head start and you will learn about the destination and hopefully understand the reason of this trip."
"Y-yes father. I must say, it has been quite the adventure for me thus far. Never being outside our village... that I was able to see such wonderful landscapes, I am grateful."
"Well, this was one of the purposes of this trip. Tomorrow, you will see more. Now, finish the food and let us retire."
After returning to their room, being tired after a long day of travel, Tanya fell asleep the instant she closed her eyes, with her father eyes gazing upon her during this time.
Soon it will be the time, I must prepare.
One hour passed and the inn was now empty of customers and with its host asleep on one of the tables... clearly he had a glass too much to drink. Tanya's father carefully opened the door, in order to creak as little as possible and made his way across the hall and exited the inn.
Good, now to get back home. I left her the packages, so she should be fine for a while. The most important thing is that the evil will be left behind and will not bother us ever again.
With that thought, he left, leaving his daughter all alone within a shady inn with no one to look after her, surrounded by creepy strangers. All of this, because he and his wife were afraid of the possible consequences that they may needed to face if Tanya's powers surfaced at the inappropriate time, or if she indeed was the devil. Either way, for them, there was no bright future near her... such were the superstitions of that time.
***
The sun was up and woken by a loud knock, Tanya quickly raised her head and looked towards the door. Without paying attention to her surroundings, she opened and was greeted by the host.
"Oy, girl. I thought you should know that yer carriage is missin', so tell yer father the news."
"Oh my... Father! Wake up, we were robbed in the middle of the nig..." she gasped when she turned around and saw that her father was not in the room. "Seems that he is not here, maybe at the outhouse."
"That is from where I come girlie. There be no one outside that looks like yer dad."
"But, where could he be?"
"I was not paid to pay attention to such details. Maybe he abandoned you; heck... would not be the first time someone did this. I swear to God, this is the fourth time this year."
Tanya was stunned.
Abandoned... me? No, he was cold, but would never do this...
She fell to her knees and started crying. All the secrets, the cold attitude from both him and her mother... all of these were signs, but she never thought that they will abandon her.
"Do not fret girl. Yer a pretty one, yes you are. I will make good use of you and make you the new attraction for my inn and keep me warm in the night. Winter is coming you know he-he."
A big grin was visible on the innkeeper's face which quickly diminished when he approached his hand towards Tanya's face.
All alone, I understand now... is it because I am different? That is what they told me, but different how? And now I am about to become the toy of this stranger? No... no... "No!" she screamed out loud.
The innkeeper witnessed a terrible image. The furniture around the inn started to shake and the girl he was facing which was crying a moment ago, now had a serious dark look and gazed the man with eyes that could kill. She raised and grabbed the host from his throat with just one arm.
"It ends here. I will no longer be the one reduced to silence which obeys others. Tell me, old man, what do you see?"
"A witch! Yer a fucking witch! They are real..."
"Witch? I heard of this before, but I do not know what they are. Explain!"
"You are! Spawns of Lucifer, able to cast spells and have unnatural powers... just like you, just like now!"
"So that is the reason I was abandoned, they were afraid."
"Of course they were afraid, witch! You should be burned alive!"
"Really? What if I silence you first?"
"What? How are you... you... goin... uhhhh..."
"This is how. I remembered that I did this by mistake when I was little, when attacked by a dog. Now I can do it at will. Rest in the eternal slumber, peasant."
I will make my own life, search for others like me and rise above and destroy anyone who believes that burning innocent people will make God happy. Those kinds of people will meet the same fate they wanted to give to us, that is for sure!
It is often said that certain events, experienced at a young age, will shape the kind of person you are going to be. Tanya was starred with fear and cold eyes from her own parents and now that she fully grasped what happened during all those years, this last act from her father made Tanya snap. With her first murder commenced and accepting her newly found power and fate, she gathered what she could from the inn and left in a hurry towards the next settlement, but not before glancing towards the road, she and her father arrived a night before.
I could take the road back home, but they will meet their fate in another day. They will know my suffering from all of these years, how they kept me isolated, ignored... and the cold eyes. Unforgivable to do this with your own child. I will give them the peace they wanted for now, but I shall return in the future.
The villagers did not suspect anything as Tanya made her way towards the village exit, but when the first customers showed later in the inn, an alarm was given for the found body. They searched for any suspects on the outskirts of the village, but it was too late, she was long gone.