 
## The Warlocks Daughter

Copyright 2016 R.J. Adams - Smashwords Edition

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## One

Running through the woods I find myself being chased, chased by something I cannot see. I run until I can barely breathe, I need to stop I need to catch my breath, what is it that's after me? Hiding behind a tree a take a peek around to see what is coming but I see nothing, just darkness. My heart is racing and my breathing is fast but shallow. It's dark, too dark to see what is following me. The leaves rustle as the wind blows in the night air, the sounds of owls hooting echo through the trees and an eerie feeling drapes over me.

I get up and run as fast as I can but now I feel like I'm going nowhere, I see fire light in the distance, I try to scream for help but no words come out. I cannot see where I'm going, it's too dark to see that I feel something clip my foot and I fall onto the floor. I'm scared, terrified as I turn and see a huge black figure coming towards me, it reaches out to touch me and I scream.

"Willow wake up," something touches me, I feel like I am being shook, "Willow, wake up." I jump and open my eyes, it's still dark, why is it so dark? "You were having a nightmare," the little voice whispers.

I bring myself around and look, it's dark because it's night time, another nightmare, another night disturbing my sleep, "sorry Ruby, come on, let me put you back to bed." I take her around to her own bed, walking in the dark she clutches on to her tatty torn teddy and climbs in, "you go back to sleep now okay," I smile tucking her in.

I always tend to wake her when I have a nightmare; she is always the one that comes to my bed to bring me out of my nightmare. She is such a sweet little girl, loving and full of life but stuck here, just like me.

I stumble back to my bed and fall on the single mattress that has become hard and lumpy, not surprising, I haven't had a new bed in forever, and I don't remember when I last had anything new.

I am the oldest girl still living at Doreen's Orphanage for Girls. I have been here since as far back as I can remember; I don't ever remember having a mother or a father, just always being here.

Children have come and gone over the years but never me, no-one ever wanted me. I guess I am a little stranger than the others; I used to apparently speak to someone that was never there every night before I went to sleep, but then again all children have imaginary friends right? However much of that I don't recall and plus I arrived with a strange burnt kind of tattoo on my palm, what type of person tattoos or burns a child? The same question they once asked me but I do not know where or how I got it, I don't remember much of anything as a child.

Sometimes I have dreams of a woman, she has long black hair and wears a dress as red as the colour blood but is surrounded by a lovely white light, she cradles me and sings to me but then she is gone. Then there are the nightmares, the nightmares I have had since I was child, it is always that I am being chased by something or someone, like as if I know that one day something is coming for me, I just wish I knew what it was.

I look around the bedroom and the girls are asleep and Ruby has nodded back off, I snuggle back down into my bed, I feel so sleepy but I don't want another nightmare, what does it matter, I must get some sleep. I pull the blanket up over my eyes and close my eyes; slowly I drift back off to sleep.

"Come on girls, it's time to get up," a voice moans, "don't be thinking you can lie in bed all day, everyone up and to the breakfast hall in five minutes," the voice orders.

I blink my eyes open; the little ones are up and in a hurry to get dressed. Their basic dresses hang on one rail in the room as they scramble to find one that fits them.

"And you missy," I feel a nudge, I roll over and see Doreen leaning over me with her goggle eyes, "don't think you can lie in bed, breakfast hall, five minutes," she rips the blanket off me and I feel a cold chill, it's s cold in here. She dumps it at the end of my bed and leaves.

"Willow," a soft voice calls from behind me, I turn and see little Ruby, "I cannot do my dress up."

"Its okay, come here I'll help you," I turn her around and attempt to pull the zip up, it's faulty and jammed but with a push I manage to get it to the top.

Sounds horrible living here, bed's that are uncomfortable, clothes the children have to scramble for and the ones they manage to find that do fit them are broken or ripped. I don't blame Doreen; she doesn't get much help to run the orphanage like she should. The fact is the money is tight, I'm old enough to know this but the little ones, I see their upset faces and I know they hate living here and who can blame them. It has changed so much, just left to rot in the grubby condition it is in, like no-one cares about us anymore.

It's cold and damp, the building is falling down practically and they barely have enough clothes to wear that fit them, I am much older and bigger and I sometimes borrow Doreen's clothes, which isn't always a comfortable thing to do but I have nothing else, I cannot grumble.

I remember my youngest days here, it was warm and cosy and Doreen was so loving and attentive. Not being able to have children of her own she opened the orphanage and invited those in who had nowhere else to go, those whose parents didn't want them or those who simply had no parents at all.

I loved it here when I first came here, well from my earliest memory of here and it never used to bother me when new mums and dads would come and never picked me, I had Doreen and Henry to look after me.

The burnt tattoo on my palm put potential parents off; I have no idea why, I guess maybe they thought I was a trouble maker or would grow to be one. But it didn't matter. I had the orphanage and that was all I needed.

But when Henry died suddenly, I assumed Doreen inherited his estate and his wealth which is what kept us going, but the money began to run out, well that's how it seemed. I would have thought that charities were willing to help us but we get nothing, not even visitors anymore, everything has become strange, as if we are cut off from the world. I haven't left the Orphanage either since Henry died, I went out once with him but then never again.

Doreen has changed too, she doesn't hug the children anymore, she doesn't kiss them goodnight and seems to have become a cold heartless person. I understand things are tight and very difficult but she was so loving, I don't understand why she stopped being that way with us, especially me. She became that way when Henry died, I always believed she had a broken heart but surely she shouldn't stop being the wonderful person I remember?

"Are you coming Willow?" Ruby mumbles with her thumb in her gob. She is extremely adorable.

"Yes, I'll be there now, you go ahead," I smile and kiss her on the forehead. Ruby is like the little sister I always wanted or imagined having if I was to ever have a family. I never got attached to kids here, they used to come and go so frequently I never had chance to, although no-one has come to collect any children in a really long time, I remember not long after Henry died, some people did come but I didn't want to go, I didn't want to leave Doreen, since then no-one has come back, they have just left us here.

But, Ruby and I became attached not long after she arrived here; I was so lonely I just wanted someone I could love like sister or someone who needed me, as the other children didn't really bother much. With blonde curly hair and stunning brown eyes, she clung on to me the moment she arrived and I became attached to her. At five years old she sucks her thumb for comfort and carries around a torn up teddy that she arrived with. I have such a bond with her I have never formed with anyone else and from the scars on her back; it appears to me she didn't have an easy start. It's fuzzy to me when exactly she arrived, I just woke up one day and there she was but I'm glad she arrived otherwise I think my loneliness would have consumed me.

I force myself out of bed and quickly run over to the broken wardrobe that has the basic clothes in my size here. Children range from two to ten, me being seventeen I am the oldest one here.

I head to breakfast hall and the usual morning routine begins, all the girls run around screaming and playing whilst Doreen tries to control them. They all argue over what chair they want to sit on and then it's down to me to step in, the only person they tend to listen to although rarely speak to me at any other time.

Once they are all seated, Doreen and I sit down at the table and the children still fuss and whisper as the old cook comes out to serve us the sloppy breakfast she has prepared. Margaret has been here with Doreen since the orphanage started and has lately started to lose her marbles a bit; she talks to herself in the kitchen and has random arguments with nobody but the air. The food she prepares has seriously declined but when there's nothing else to eat, you grin and bear it so you don't go hungry.

The children fall silent and all you hear is the sounds of the spoons hitting the bowls and the loud chewing that always irritates me. Doreen sits at the head of the table looking like she hasn't slept all night, she always looks like that lately and her appearance seems to be completely altered. Her hair is un-brushed, her teeth are yellowing and her clothes are barely washed, she used to be so pristine but now, she looks like the back end of a donkey some would say.

I see her staring at me out of the corner of my eye; she always makes sure I am sat next to her and not the smaller children who sit two chairs down as to not be as close to her.

"You will need to help Margaret with the dishes," she mumbles as she eats. I nod and agree, "and after that you have further chores to do, this place is filthy."

"I will do what I can, we call will," I respond keeping my head down as to not look at her. I begin to shiver and the cold air creeps into the dining room.

"Cold dear?" she asks kindly and for a split second I see the caring woman she once was, but it's gone as soon as I nod, "well if you got off your ass and sorted the clothes out maybe you wouldn't be, you're almost eighteen now, you will no longer have a roof over your head, you need to sort yourself out."

She has been saying this over and over in the past few months, yes I know when I turn eighteen technically I am no longer property of the orphanage and should leave, but does she really want me to go? Why does she keep reminding me? I have never stepped foot outside this orphanage alone since I arrived here and going out alone terrifies me. I know nothing of where I came from or what will happen to me when I leave. Doreen always made sure I didn't leave; well at least it felt like that anyway.

"I know," I murmur finishing my breakfast.

"You have to think of something, what are you going to do, it's cold out there," she continues, "I can't house you here for the rest of your life, no matter what you think, you have to leave here because one day...."

Her voice trails off into the distance as she goes on and on at me about me leaving, but something else has caught my attention, the figure in the window.

Someone is watching me, I look around the room but no-one else notices the strange figure peering through the window and tapping on the glass. Doreen is still chatting and the children continue to eat their breakfast.

Its black hand runs down the window. The screeching sound is pain to my ears; I cover them over and wince. It points at me and forcefully thumps his hands on the window creating a loud bang, being scared I jump back and scream.

Doreen and the children are all looking at me as if I'm strange, did they not hear that? That bang was so loud it made me jump out of my skin! Did they see nothing? It appears not. "What the hell is wrong with you?" she asks looking at me like I've gone crazy.

"Nothing," I shake my head acting as casual as I can and gather myself, "I'm going to do the dishes now, come on kids and help clean your bowls up."

I stand to leave the table but Doreen pulls me back down, "you must be careful what you use, you may end up in places you don't want to be," then she releases me.

What I use? What the hell is she on about and what does she mean a place do I not want to be? I don't want to leave here that's for sure but I know I do not have a choice. She gets no funding for the children and when I turn eighteen I am no longer under her care. I'm all alone from then and I have never been on my own before, that's a scary thought.

I head into the kitchen with the children to wash and tidy away the dishes. Margaret sits across the large oak table staring at me, her eyes narrow and she barely blinks, she doesn't say much these days. Her wide eyes gawking at me is starting to freak me out. I turn away and try to dismiss it as I wipe the dishes, I'm ignoring her but I can feel her eyes pierce me from behind.

A creepy sense drifts over me, like she is not the only one watching me or it's not me she is watching. My eyes open wide in fear as I look around but all I see are the children and Margaret. The kitchen door creaks open and I hear the clacking of heels on the hard wooden floor and then a hand appears on my shoulder. I jump out of my skin causing me to drop and smash the plate.

"Dear God child what is wrong with you this morning?" Doreen questions me, but her face shows she is less concerned instead rather she is annoyed at me.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you, you frightened me is all," I bend down and start picking up the broken plate pieces, "I will clean this mess up."

"You are jumpy a lot lately, is something playing on your mind?" She asks curious all of a sudden, why would she care what is on my mind? She hasn't noticed anything about since her husband died.

"No," I lie looking around trying to hide the fear that has seemingly gripped me, "everything is fine." I don't really want to confide in her.

She leans over me, I feel her hovering but she says nothing, gives a slight sigh and then leaves.

"Here you go," Ruby smiles handing me a rubbish bag, "don't worry, I will look after you, that's why I'm here" she whispers sweetly.

Bless her, she is here for other reasons I guess just like me but it is nice to hear her say that. I smile at her and stroke her cute pale face. It's strange that such a small child provides me with so much comfort.

The dishes are done and the kitchen is clean. I try and put the unusual morning events to the back of my mind as I take the children to the play-room. It's not much of a play-room, some old raggedy toys lay about, pieces missing on some of them. Books with missing pages although it wouldn't matter, most of them do not know how to read.

We used to have a teacher come in and teach them basic reading, writing and mathematics but that stopped when she and I got into an argument, I hated that woman, she was snobby and looked down at us like we were nothing, and she was supposed to be someone we all looked up to. I was only seven at the time but I knew how horrible she was. I remember her as if she visited yesterday.

After the argument, strangely she was involved in a car accident on the way home, since that day Doreen never bothered to replace her so the children suffered.

I hate that it is like this for them, a rundown building with rags to wear and slop to eat, it melts my heart but what can I do about it? I do not have anything to be able to rebuild what it is that needs doing.

The children play with the toys and I sit in the corner watching them peacefully play. They are rowdy sometimes but they are little girls, what do you expect?

"Willow, can you come here please," I hear being screamed from another room. I smile at the girls and leave them to it heading to Doreen's office.

I knock the door gently and then walk in. Doreen is sat with her feet up on her broken desk, clothes hanging all around the room and rubbish across the floor, "you called me?"

"Yes, I need you to go into town and get some food, Margaret isn't feeling too well and I have things to do here."

Since when is Margaret isn't feeling well? She seemed fine this morning? "You....you want me to go?" Is she serious? I have never stepped foot outside this orphanage in my life on my own, I have no idea where town is.

"Yes, you need to see the outside world; you need to see what it's like."

I look at her confused, "why now all of a sudden do I need to see? You have never let me step foot outside of here and now you want me to venture into a town I have never visited to get the groceries we cannot afford?"

She stands to her feet, straightens her stained dress and comes around to me, "sweetheart, there are many bad things in the world and I, we, Henry and I kept you here to keep you safe. There is darkness in the world, it will try and take you, but remember, you are strong and you have a good heart."

What the hell is she on about; darkness has followed me since I was a child, why is she bringing this shit up now? Is she drunk already, it's barely 11am and she's spitting out gobbledygook.

She hands me some small amount of change, "get what you can out of that, and be careful."

Be careful? They 'kept' me here to make sure I was safe and now for the first time she is letting me go out on my own? Why, what's suddenly changed?

I take the change from her, borrow a coat and head out of the building. My hands begin to tremor with nerves as I leave the confines of the orphanage for the first time in my life.

I head down the long path that leads away from the orphanage; I look back and see the children through the window. I have no idea where I am heading but I guess I should just keep walking up the road.

## Two

The walk seems long, I didn't realise the orphanage was so far out of the way, I keep walking down a road that is very quiet, do cars or buses even come down here?

It's October and bloody freezing, this coat isn't much use at all. As I reach the town nearby I see everyday people going about their everyday lives and the sun seems to have come out, I don't know why I was scared as it seems there is nothing to fear. It's lovely, it seems to go on for a while but I only need the grocery store, I don't have the means to go in and out of different stores and browse around at the things I know I cannot have!

With what little money I have I head into the grocery store and pick up the best bargains that I can find. Walking up and down the aisles I see dad's with their children in trolleys and some children with their mother's, it makes me wonder, how can people abandon their children like the ones in the orphanage. Those poor little girls deserve a loving warm home, just like these kids in-front of me have. Why didn't I have that, why didn't my parents want me?

In a world of my own, I pick up a can of fruit from the shelf and turn to leave, not paying attention I bump into someone I didn't realise was there dropping my groceries all over the floor. "Shit," I scream out as some of the stuff breaks and bursts open. I scramble it all together and then a hand comes over mine.

A man looks down on me, his eyes the darkest colour I have ever seen and smile that's so sweet he stops me in my tracks, "leave that my dear, someone will come and clean that, forgive me for I did not realise you stood there."

I stand up, staring at the man before me, his accent is strange, an accent I cannot quite place and most certainly one I have never heard before, "umm it's okay," I stutter, "I wasn't watching what I was doing."

"My fault I assure you, can I help you find your groceries again."

"Excuse me miss," a man in black trousers, green top and apron interrupts us, "did you break these, if you did I'm afraid you have to pay for them." He seems rude and judgemental with his staring eyes.

Pay for them? Have these people never heard of an accident. I freeze on the spot, if I pay for these then I'm not going to be able to afford groceries, what the hell am I going to do. Words barely come out of my mouth as the man who clearly works here stares at me. Why did I bother to leave the orphanage, I'm not stupid, I know what's on the outside world, TV, the news and books have kept me fully informed over the years but now I have just gone and ruined the children's chances of food for a week, for fuck sake!

"It was my fault," the handsome stranger tells him to surprise, "the young lady was stood there and I did not see her, please forgive me, I will pay for it."

The worker nods, looks at me as if to say 'I know you did this you shouldn't be in here,' and then leaves with the man's card.

"Thank you, but you didn't have to do that," I stare at this man who has captivated me.

"It is of no issue to me, I have a duty and I am happy to help you, please allow me to assist in buying your groceries."

I step back, I need to keep some of my dignity, "no that's okay, I'm sure I can manage."

"I insist," he states taking my hand and pulls me gently up the aisle.

"What made you venture out, doesn't seem like you get out much, I guess it is nice that you have, easier to find."

His words pickle me but I don't give it much thought, "Umm, I don't go out normally, this is the first time I have been into town so this," I look around, "this is all new to me."

He doesn't say another word, just starts filling a trolley of food that I haven't even chosen.

"I'm sorry," I stop him, "why are you doing this?"

His eyes gaze into mine and something strikes me as familiar and I am drawn to him but that cannot be, I have never met him before.

"It is my duty to help you," he grins, "if there is anything you would like, please by all means place it in the trolley."

His duty, why would it be his duty? Taking advantage and thinking of the children, I fill the trolley with as much food as I can without looking like I'm taking the piss a bit.

"Hungry?" he jokes.

"Umm," how do I tell him the real reason, I suddenly feel very embarrassed, "it's not all for me."

"Well I wouldn't think it was all for you, are you buying for your large family?"

I can wing it I suppose without mentioning I come from a rundown orphanage, "Yes, lot's of very hungry children."

"Ahh I see," his brow raises in curiosity, "are they your siblings?"

"Not exactly."

"You're not very giving of information are you?"

"No information to give really," I shrug awkwardly pushing the trolley to the till, "I'm just a helper, looking after those who cannot look after themselves."

"I see, well, there are many things about you that I do not need you to tell me, you will see in time, helping others? You will soon learn to help yourself." He looks at me as if he doesn't understand kindness, which is odd because he is being so kind to me, "I'm sure over time you will change and there are many things you have yet to discover about yourself my lady. Here." He hands me some cash and smiles at me.

Change, why would I change? He doesn't know me, "I doubt that, maybe when I leave where I am but for now....." I approach the till and turn to thank him, but he's gone. Where the hell did he go? That was the strangest thing I have ever encountered and that beats my scary dreams, he was acting as if he knew me.

I look around but he is nowhere to be seen, "Miss, would you like me to scan all of these items?" The clerk asks, I nod at her not really paying attention as my eyes still continue to scan the room looking for the kind and mysterious man that so generously helped me. "That will be ninety four dollars and fifty cents," the clerk looks at me.

Shit, that much? I don't even know if I have enough, I look down at my hand embarrassed as I didn't bother checking the cost, I assumed he was going to stay with me but he has gone. There, out of nowhere are two hundred dollar bills in my hand. Did he give me this? I could have sworn he gave me a twenty.

"Miss?" The clerk interrupts me looking unimpressed as I am staring at the cash in my hand, "are you paying for this?"

I nod, "Uhh yes of course, sorry, here you go," I hand over the one hundred dollar bill and leave without collecting the change.

I look down at the food in all its bags but I have no idea how I am going to get this home, I will struggle to carry this all by myself. I wish I was back at the orphanage, I have no idea how I am going to get all this back, I didn't think I would have this much to carry.

As my mind ponders and I think of nothing but being back there, something distracts me and I feel a sense that something or someone is watching me. I look up to see the man who kindly helped me stood across the street. Traffic passes by so I get glimpses of him but I see the smile on his face. The smile that says there is more behind it than just pure kindness.

It makes me feel slightly nervous yet strangely I feel myself attracted to him, I feel like I should know him as something in my gut says he knows me, is he family? I smile back at him acknowledging him and also thanking him for his kindness and give a wave as I am thinking about just wanting to go to the only place I know as home and before I know it I am outside the orphanage, trolley in-front of me full of shopping and the gates are right there.

How the hell did that happen, I know I wished to be here but what the fuck? I look around a grey mist creeps towards the gates where has the sun gone? I was just stood under it in the town, it wasn't this dark there. I feel as if I'm not alone here. I cannot see anyone but I feel it, someone or something is once again following me. I quickly head inside too scared to find out what it is.

"Where have you been?" Doreen blasts at me, "you were sent for some food and you have been gone for hours."

"I didn't realise the time, it took me a while to walk there once I knew where I was going and then I had to go round the store, I'm back now, why you so worried?"

"I'm...." she looks at me as if words failed her, "I thought.... it doesn't matter," she looks at the trolley, "you stole a trolley?"

Not exactly, I just ended up outside the orphanage with it, "no, long story."

Her eyes widen as she sifts through the bags "how the hell did you afford all of this?"

Do I tell her the truth or do I lie? I cannot think of a lie that will justify this amount of food, I'll have to tell her truth, "some man helped me," I mumble.

"A man?" she looks horrified, "you let a stranger help you? Didn't we teach you never to talk to strangers?"

Oh I think she's angry at me, "yes you did, when I was a child and you never mentioned it since...." I quickly stop myself as I realise I was about to mention Henry, that will send her into rage, quick need to think of something else, "anyway you're the one saying I have to leave here, shouldn't I talk to people who are kind?"

"Not everyone will want to be kind to you, people will try and make you do things, dark things, remember who you are Willow," she strokes my cheek and leaves, the look in her eyes show sadness and pain.

Make me do dark things? I shrug it off; the woman needs to lay off the booze. The children come running out and see the trolley of food, they cheer and hug me, "well come on we have to put this all away."

"Thank you," Ruby smiles at me and launches herself at me to give me a hug. I hug her back kissing her on the head.

The children go off to play just before supper is prepared and I feel like I need just five minutes to myself. A lot of strange things have been happening around here lately, not to mention my scary vision and dreams.

Doreen seems distant with me but then something will change in her and then she seems caring and worried. She says things to me I barely understand sometimes and I'm beginning to wonder if she knows more about my past than she is willing to admit.

She says I was abandoned here when I was around eighteen months old with a note, which she has never shown me. The police were never involved, which is the norm when children are dumped here and if I ask her what I was like in the times I have no recollection of, Doreen refuses to answer most of the time.

I don't remember much of my childhood, sometimes I think I do and have a memory flashback or a dream but that's all they are. The first memory I have was Doreen cuddling me on my birthday, I must have been about six and Henry bringing out a cake. When I think back to those times it puts a warm smile on my face, they were so loving and caring and acted like parents to me. Since Henry has died and I have gotten older, Doreen has changed towards me but now and then still shows like she cares.

I head to the shared bedroom and lie on my bed. I suddenly don't feel very well. My head hurts and my hands are shaking, I don't know what has come over me. My palm itches, the burnt tattoo seems irritated, ahh, scratching it is not easing the irritation, I need to just rest for a while I think, so much going on in my head it's just stress, that's all it is.

I am running through the woods again and something is chasing me, it's large and black and is hell bent on catching me. I can't breathe, the air is too cold. Panicking and fearful I hide behind a tree hoping whatever it is passes me by. The leaves rustle in the howling wind and the sticks crunch under my feet. I hear the sounds of heavy breathing and whatever it is has found me and it is now behind me.

I have nowhere else to run, nowhere else to hide. I am in the woods, surrounded by trees and darkness, there is nothing I can run into, nothing to protect me.

An arm reaches around the tree and I feel the warm touch on my shoulder. I try to scream but nothing comes out, just my heavy panting in fear and breathlessness. "Who are you?" I manage to get out afraid of what has caught me.

"We come for you, we all come for you, you need to join us, it is where you belong," the voice echoes.

They come for me? Who the hell is coming for me, what do they want? The hand removes itself from my shoulder and suddenly I don't feel so scared as it doesn't seem to want to harm me. This tall black shadow appears from behind the tree and hover's in-front of me, "who are you?" I mutter.

It doesn't say a word, I cannot see its face but I know whatever or whoever it is looking straight at me. Something catches my eye, the symbol on the hand that burns bright red; it's the same as mine. The thing points at me and moves closer as my heart beats, who is this and what does it want from me?

"Willow?" someone shouts jolting me from me from the bed. Was that another dream? I jump of the bed quickly make it and head to the children's play room where I can hear my name being called.

I walk in to find Kirsty crying and another girl Charlotte cuddling her. Ruby is stood coldly watching them clutching on to her tatty teddy bear and sucking her thumb. The other children have distanced themselves away and are oddly quiet.

I walk over to Kirsty and kneel down, tears stream down her face and she looked terrified, "what's wrong, what happened?"

"I didn't mean to take the teddy; I just wanted to have a look at it," she stutters crying.

I look over to Ruby who is still stood there watching, she seems fixated on Kirsty and the look in her eye is worrying even me, "Ruby, did you do something to Kirsty?"

Ruby looks at me and curls up her lip into a creepy smile, "it's my teddy," she murmurs, "mine, I just told her that, not my fault that she doesn't like it."

Kirsty looks terrified, like she has seen a ghost or something really bad but Ruby is none of those things, she's a sweet little girl, she always has been in my eyes. I hug Kirsty and she trembles in my arms, "she's dark, so dark, I saw things, open your eyes Willow to what is around you, it's not what it seems...." Kirsty mumbles in my arms.

What things did she see; did Ruby show them to her? And if she did show them how did she and what did she show her? What does she mean open my eyes, she's starting to sound like bloody Doreen.

Ruby walks off and goes into the bedroom and at that moment Kirsty calms down. I give her a reassuring smile and leave her with Charlotte. The other children keep their distance.

I walk into the bedroom to find Ruby sat on my bed humming to herself. I usually find her humming when she has just argued with one of the girls or has been told off by Doreen, but this is the first argument I have seen where one of the girls is scared of her, even I was taken aback by the strange look in her eyes. I sit on next to her on the bed as she gently strokes her tatty teddy, "Roob's, do you want to explain to me what happened?"

She looks at me, her face so innocent, "well, she touched my teddy; I don't like it when people touch my teddy."

"Well maybe she just wanted to have a look; you know sometimes you need to share."

She turns and looks at me as if what I have just said to her is the worst thing in the world, "but it's my teddy and I don't want to share it."

I smile and move a hair from her face, "but you always share with me, why can't you share with others."

"I like you," a soft smile sweeps her face, "me and you are friends, but they are not my friends, they point stare and laugh at me, so I show them, show them things that make them stay away."

Point, stare and laugh at her? I have never seen that happen, "I'm sure they don't do that and if they did do that you know you can always come to me and I will have words with them, we all have to live here so we all need to get along and learn to play nicely. What do you show them," I ask curiously as Kirsty said Ruby showed her something, what could it be?

She says nothing but gives me an evil grin, her eyes seem dark and for a moment I am weary of her. She kisses my cheek, giggles and then runs off to play.

I watch her as she goes back to the sweet and loving little girl that I always see her to be, to me, she is never anything other than that.

I don't understand, in-fact I am extremely confused. I sit on the bed mulling over what just happened when I feel a cold chill. Feeling watched once again I look to the window to see the strange black figure hovering outside. It taps on the window and points at me, although my heart races and I feel nervous, I am not as terrified. But I know something is after me, something sinister is watching me.

## Three

I feel a bright light over me but my eyes are closed, like someone is shining a torch right over my eyelids, what the hell is that. Disturbed from my sleep, I open my eyes and jump back. There in-front of me is a bright light floating above me. It's flickering, like a tiny fairy light you would see in a kid's story, it's so pretty.

I look over at the wall, the clock show's it's just before 3am. The children around me are all fast asleep yet this light shines so brightly. How has it not woken them, it flutters in-front of my eyes and moves in circles as if trying to get my complete attention.

Am I dreaming? I close my eyes tightly and pinch myself, jump at the sharp pain and then open my eyes, no I am not sleeping, I'm definitely awake and now I have a red mark on my arm. This light moves away and then comes back to me, it goes to the door and floats, is it telling me to follow it? I have no idea what it is or how it even got in here, and if I'm not dreaming, which it appears that I am not, then how can I see a floating white light? It doesn't seem to want to harm me in any way otherwise I'm sure it would have done so by now, it could have done so while I was sleeping soundly. But what if I follow it and then it harms me? It floats back to me and then moves away fast as if telling me to hurry up.

Curious and cautious at the same time, I climb out of bed to follow the strange glowing light. I cannot see where I am going or where it is leading me, this light is so captivating that I'm following it oblivious of its intentions.

It leads me outside, out of the confines of the orphanage and down into the woods. I hate the woods, the woods terrify me, and ever since I was a little girl I have had nightmares of these woods and something or someone chasing me. It always happens here as if something dark and terrifying lurks beyond the trees.

I pause for a moment and look back as I realise I have wondered outside of the orphanage and its grounds. The light whizz's around me, it seems to be encouraging me to go deeper into the woods, something I have never done. Not whilst I have been awake anyway!

With the light guiding me, I head deep into the woods where it leads me to a clearing. I look up at the stars gently twinkling in the dark moonlit sky. It's peaceful, quiet and I do not feel fear at all.

The strange ball of light heads into the air and stops, as I watch it above me, it starts to form into something else, a shape is forming and I see it starts to become a person. A woman suddenly floats before me, her hair is long and black and her dress is as red as blood and yet she is surrounded by that lovely white light. I've seen this woman before; I have seen her in my dreams, am I sure I'm not dreaming right now? I scuff my feet across the debris below me, twigs and dirt brush against my feet, I feel it, I'm definitely awake, I must be to feel it so close to my skin, can you feel that stuff in your dreams?

"There you are Willow," she smiles at me, her voice sounds almost faded away, "don't worry; I'm not going to harm you."

She says that as she floats above me and I'm meant to believe her? A floating person who doesn't look real says they are not going to harm me? "Who are you?"

"Do you not recognise me? For years I have wandered your dreams, shadowed you from the darkness that follows and tried to make sure it does not tempt you, but I can no longer filter in your dreams, I'm afraid time is running out."

I have no idea what she is on about, "time is running out for what? I don't know who you are," she may seem familiar to me but I have no idea who she is, she's just a person I dream about sometimes.

She grins at me, "why, I am your mother, I would have thought you would recognise me, I'm so sorry I have to come to you like this but I'm afraid there isn't time to be easy on you, the darkness is coming and it is coming for you."

My mother, the woman I have been dreaming about is my fucking mother, is this real? Surely this cannot be real, nightmares and visions are possibly just the result of my crazy mind but a floating woman claiming to be my mother? She isn't shying away though is she, no mother-daughter bonding time, just straight into 'I've run out of time,' and darkness.

"I thought you were safe here, I thought they would never find you, just haunt your dreams until you gave yourself up, but they have found and you need to leave."

Leave? "I can't leave here, I have nowhere else to go, and you left me abandoned here? Why did you leave me?" I shout up to her.

"There is a man living in a cottage on the edges of the city, his name is Alfie and he is expecting you. Go to him and he will look after you, please Willow, you do not have much time. The answers you seek you will find."

She's not giving me much to go on is she, just telling me to leave. Can I just leave now? Is that what she wants me to do? What about Ruby, Doreen and the others? And how does she know I have questions, I have had questions all my life about who I am, my strange dreams, my scary visions but I have been stuck in the orphanage, never met anyone except people who have come to pick up new children, my life is here. I cannot just go can I? "But I can't just leave, I need to stay here, they need me. Ruby she.... she needs me." I think out loud.

She lowers herself and floats directly in-front of me, she looks fearful, "the little one is not what she appears to be, your mind will show you things that are not real, you need to go now before anyone else is put in danger."

Am I putting these people in danger? I hear the rustling of the leaves as the wind begins to howl through the trees. The woods become creepy and dark and the stars above begin to disappear. The woman, this woman claiming to be my mother looks terrified.

"What's happening?" I ask her looking around as that feeling that something bad is around is back in the pit of my stomach.

"He knows you are here, he can sense you and he can sense me, please do as I say, go to Alfie, he is expecting you. The address is in your locket." And with those words she is gone and I am all alone in the cold eerie woods.

What locket? I have never owned a single piece of jewellery in my entire life. What the hell am I caught up in and why has she disappeared? My head is spinning, so many words and yet so little information in such a short space of time.

A strange darkness creeps through the woods, it's unnatural and chilling. I slowly step back but I feel it getting closer. Scared, I turn and run back to the orphanage as fast as I can, I have on no shoes the stones, sticks and whatever is on the ground is scratching on my feet, but I ignore the pain.

I feel whatever it is getting closer to me, I pick up pace and see the gates of the orphanage. As I reach them I feel like something is trying to pull me backwards, I look and nothing is touching me but the darkness is getting closer. Barging through the orphanage gates, I run straight up to the door which is now suddenly locked. Who the hell locked it? This door is never locked, I fiddle with the door knob but it's not budging.

I look behind me as the darkness creeps over the gates to the orphanage grounds, like thick black clouds making its way towards me, I bang as loud as I can as I see the darkness getting closer, it's coming for me, "open the door," I scream. "Please, open the fucking door!"

I hear the lock twist and the door opens, I fall in onto the floor just as the darkness reaches me, it grabs me at the ankle but I wriggle it free and I slam the door shut.

"What the hell, Willow, are you alright?" Doreen asks helping me up from the floor.

"Yes, no, I don't know." Did she see what I saw or did she just see a frightened girl on the doorstep. "Did you...." I freeze not knowing whether to ask her. I don't ask, after everything I have seen tonight I'm starting to question my own sanity, if I ask her then she will probably question me too. "I'm sorry I woke you, I should go to bed now," I mumble walking away.

"Willow," she calls out making me turn to face her, "there is so much I....." she pauses and looks at me, does she have something to tell me? "I feel you are leaving sooner than expected and all this will no longer be."

That wasn't what I was expecting her to say, "I didn't realise I had to leave so suddenly, what makes you think that I am?"

"You don't have to leave but I know you are. There are strange things that have been happening and I know you seek answers from your past, here come with me, I have something to show you." She takes my hand and leads me to her bedroom. I look at her bed, where she has slept is obvious but Henry's side is still neat and tidy as if never disturbed. It's dark and damp as if the curtains have not been opened in a long time, I don't remember the last time I was in here.

She kneels down and pulls out an old wooden box covered in dust and hidden under so much crap. When she blows on it, I see the symbol on the box, it's the same symbol that is burnt or tattooed onto my palm and the same symbol I saw on the dark figure that tried to reach out and grab me.

"What is this?" I ask her sitting down on the floor beside her.

"This is the box that came with you on the day you arrived." She opens it up and hands me a long silver shiny locket, "I was told to give this to you when you turned eighteen, here."

I take it from her, she was told? How can she be told, I thought I was abandoned? "Why are you giving this to me now? I'm not eighteen, not for another month," I find it strange she hands it to me now after what just happened in the woods.

"Because I don't think you can wait any longer, sometimes your mind will let you have what you need to, and you need this because your mind knows you need it. I swore to protect you and I can no longer do that, I shouldn't be here, things are not what they seem Willow, your mind will do things to you, the darkness is near. Remember this, the darkness will always try and pull you in, but you are stronger and you are a good person, you must learn to resist."

I look at her slightly baffled by her choice of words, "I'm sorry, I don't understand, none of this makes sense to me. How do you know about the darkness, why do you have this box and who gave you this locket?"

"The answers you seek you will find. I'm sorry I cannot be of anymore help to you," she pushes me out of her bedroom and places the box in my hand, she seems terrified. I have never seen her like this before. "You must go now," and with that she slams the bedroom door in my face.

"What the fuck was that," I whisper to myself. I have never seen her act so strange, and the weird part is she gave me all of this after I apparently seen my mother. Something isn't adding up here, it's like everything in my head is turned to mush and I cannot make sense of anything. She clearly knows more than she is letting on but it seems she is too afraid to tell me, why would she suddenly bring this up? I never told anyone about my nightmares or the darkness, I have always wondered where I come from and why I have this strange mark on the palm of my hand. I have seen it on the strange figure that comes after me and now on this box; does it have something to do with my family? Is it possibly my family crest or something?

I walk away shocked she has just slammed the door on my face, is she afraid of me? Or afraid of what is after me? I head into the bedroom and pick up some clothes, being as I have been told to leave I'm at least going to put on something on other than my pyjamas. I go to the bathroom as I do not want to disturb the sleeping children.

I head over firstly and kiss Ruby on the head; she sleeps so peacefully and barely makes a sound, sometimes I poke her just to check she is still breathing.

Why would the floating woman, well, my mother, tell me she isn't what she seems? I see a small innocent child with burn scars on her back in need of loving care, what else is there to see?

Stood alone in the bathroom as I am fully dressed, I try and piece together in my own mind everything that has happened tonight, but then I get a strange feeling comes over me and I suddenly feel scared, has the darkness got in? Is it about to take me? I turn and there in the door way is Ruby, "Jesus Ruby you scared me, are you alright?"

"I couldn't sleep, I heard banging and it scared me," she mumbles sleepily.

"Aww I'm sorry sweetheart," I walk towards her and scoop her up into my arms, "I didn't mean to wake you, come on; I will take you back to bed." I walk into the bedroom and place her on the bed, she climbs in and I cover her with the blanket.

"Did you have another nightmare?" She asks me.

"Sort of sweetheart, just a really bad dream and I woke up is all," I don't to scare her and tell her the things I saw, she's five years old!

She stares at me as if contemplating her next words, "Are you leaving?" She asks me her face expressionless.

"Why would you ask that?"

"You were with Doreen; I heard her telling you that you had to go and you don't have your pyjama's on anymore."

Very observant isn't she, although how did she hear what Doreen said to me when she was asleep? "Yes, I'm afraid I have to, but don't worry it's just my time to go from here, venture out into the world and make a life for myself," what am I meant to tell a five year old? I have to leave because something sinister is after me and a floating woman told me so? I don't think I can tell anyone that let alone a five year old, "you will be okay, the other girls are staying so you won't be alone and if you're still here when I am settled I will come back for you." Not that anyone will come and take her; no-one has collected in a child in so long I lost count after five years when no-one came.

"There's no need to come back for me," she smiles, "you will never be far from where I need you. I will find you, we will all find you."

Her voice sounds different all of a sudden and her coldness towards me is unnerving. This is not like her; normally she is the most loving little girl. She has gone from a sleepy child who seems worried and caring to a cold creepy one.

"Ruby you're scaring me." I move closer to her and look into her eyes; her eyes seem dark when normally they are a sky shade of blue, "who will find me, do you know someone who is looking for me?" Why would I ask that? As if she is going to know.

"You will see, I am what you imagined me to be and I will never be far away from you, don't worry Willow, I am always going to be where you need me to be, those who seek you will find you, it is your destiny."

I slowly get off the bed and step away from her. She sits up and is as stiff as a board staring at me. "Ruby, you need to go back to sleep now okay," I move further back, "I will come back and check on you when I am sorted."

"Don't worry Willow, I won't be here when you get back, I will be where I belong and soon you will be too, goodnight Willow, I will see you soon," she smirks at me and lies down to get back off to sleep.

I have been around Ruby for a very long time and never in that time has she displayed this strange creepy behaviour. I grab my things and go to head out of the door.

I knock on Doreen's bedroom door, "Dor, you in there," I knock again, "look I'm leaving now but I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye." She has always been the mother figure in my life, I understand things have become difficult and she and I have since had a lot of downs, the orphanage has been neglected as have the children, her husband died and finances are extremely tight, but I still have a deep love for her, after-all, she is the only mother I ever knew. I cannot just walk out of the door and not check on her, that isn't who I am.

"Doreen," I knock again, "please come and say goodbye, I don't want to leave with us on an argument, I want to know that you and I are okay and you know, one day I can come back and we can hang out or something, please? Doreen?" I press my ear against the door but I hear nothing.

Surely my knocking would be annoying her, or has she passed out so drunk that she cannot hear me? Feeling snoopy, I open the door, "Doreen," I call out but again I hear nothing. I walk into the bedroom and it's completely silent. She isn't on her bed where I thought she would be and I didn't hear her come out of her room.

This is unusual, she is always here, I don't come in here but if she is nowhere else in the building we all assume she has retired to her bedroom. And if she leaves the room or walks around then she is not the quietest person, I feel unsettled, I walk over the wall and switch the light on. To my horror I see Doreen hanging from the ceiling by rope.

I let out a terrifying scream only to look at the doorway and see Ruby stood there. She begins to cackle and point at me, who the hell is she? What have they done to her?

Frightened and without thinking, I head straight out the front door, run through the gates and keep running until I am as far away from the orphanage as possible.

## Four

I keep running and in a sheer moment of panic I end up in the woods. Mist surrounds me making it hard for me to see. I hear the footsteps behind me and the sounds of a child laughing. I swing my head around to see but the mist is reducing my visibility.

I hide behind a tree trying to catch my breath and then it dawns on me, this has happened before in my dreams. Whenever I hide behind the tree they always catch up to me, I have to run and keep running, I must not stop.

I run in what I think is a straight direction but I cannot tell, it's too dark and strong mist surrounds me. The child's laughter draws closer to me as the darkness moves above. I see it hovering over me.

"You cannot escape us," it echoes through the air, "you are part of us Willow, do not run. We are here for you, here is where you belong."

"Yes Willow," Ruby appears from behind the trees, "I need you, we all need you, please don't leave me, keep with you, that's what you wanted isn't it, that's why I'm here."

For a moment my heart pings for the sweet little girl looking up at me holding her hands out for me to take them. But then I see something in her eyes, blackness. I pull away, that isn't the little girl I know, I want to be out of here, 'someone please get me out of here' I scream in my head. 'Take me anywhere; take me some place away from here now.'

I hear them screaming as if they are suddenly very angry, my heart beats so hard in my chest it takes my breath away and then everything goes black.

I hear the sounds of birds chirping and I feel something rough and soft brushing against my skin. I open my eyes, it's sunny and the sky is blue. Where the hell am I? My eyes blink rapidly adjusting to the sunlight beaming down over me, a butterfly lands on me, it's pretty and beautiful. Its wings flutter and then it flies away. Am I dreaming? I sit up and look around me; I appear to be in some sort of meadow, or field, I cannot seem to tell. How the hell did I get here? Where is here?

"Are you alright miss?" a man stands behind me looking over and blocking the ray of the sunshine.

I look up; the glare covers his face, "Umm, yes, I think so." I look around; there are no houses that can be seen just open space and this man, "sorry, can I ask where I am?"

The old man looks at me concerned, "Well Miss you are in Bushrill."

Bushrill, that sounds familiar. My mind searches where I have heard that before, memories flash through my mind and then I remember where I have heard it. It's a small farming community outside the city of Connecticut, how did I end up here? Must have been a thought suppressed in the back of my mind. I wanted to get away from the darkness and again I wanted something light and safe and here I am, lying in a field with an old man looking over me.

"Miss, let's get you inside, you look like you need a warm meal and some clothes," he puts his arm around me, lifts me up from the floor and leads me down the field.

After some distance I see a house, the house is a small cottage with ivy growing up the side and wild flowers in the garden. I walk in with him and there is a sweets smell of home cooking. I can't remember the last time food smelt so good.

A small lady appears from the kitchen wearing an apron and drying her hands with a dishcloth, "hello my love, who have we here."

The old man looks at me, "I found her passed out in the field, sorry," he looks at me, "I didn't quite catch your name there."

"Willow," I mumble shyly, "my name is Willow."

"Willow," the old lady repeats, "what a lovely name, you look terrible my dear, are you alright?" I nod at her question, I don't know what I am right now, "Not worry my little flower, I will fix you up a nice meal and you can go take a bath if you like, get yourself all nice and fresh."

I smile at her; her act of kindness is something that is completely new to me. These people know nothing about me and yet they are incredibly generous with their home and their food. I guess not everything away from the orphanage is dark.

I head upstairs to the bathroom and shut the door, I take a deep breath and try to think back to why my memory chose here of all of places. I don't remember much as a child, it's as if I have blocked it all out and now I struggle to get it back, why can't I remember?

Then I remember Doreen hanging in her bedroom, why would she do that? This all seems too much to happen so quickly after what I saw in the woods.

My mind suddenly clicks to an old memory, oh, Bushrill, Henry brought me here once as a child and let me pick out a toy, I can't remember what the toy was for but Henry told me that if I ever needed tranquillity or peace then to come here. He said it was a peaceful place and that one day something here may help me with what it is I seek. I never understood what he meant, I was a little girl.

It's funny how this place never occurred to me until that moment when I wanted to get away from the darkness, but that still doesn't answer the question as to how I got here in the first place. I don't remember walking here and I don't drive.

There is a shower over the bath, feeling the need I hop in and let the water run over me. It's warm and it feels so bloody good.

There is a slight tap on the door distracting me, "Willow, dinner is laid out if you want to eat," The old lady mumbles.

Mmm food, I'm so hungry. I quickly get out of the shower and dry myself; I look in the mirror and make myself slightly presentable. Pinching my cheeks together trying to get some colour in them I head downstairs, the food smells so good.

"There you are dear," she kindly smiles at me, as she places a plate on the table.

I sit down and devour the ever so tasty meal. I feel like I'm showing myself to be right pig but as I'm so hungry I eat it quickly. This could be the most revolting meal to some but to me it is the best thing I have ever put in my mouth!

"Where did you come from dear?" the old man asks scoffing down his food.

The dreaded question I hear once again, "Doreen's Orphanage for Girls," I mumble embarrassed, can't hide the fact really when I arrived dressed in rags.

"Really?" the old lady interrupts looking oddly at me, "Where did you live after that?"

"Nowhere, I have lived there all my life, I only left there yesterday," well at least I think it was yesterday, my mind is so confused I couldn't tell you the date, let alone the day.

"How is that so? That orphanage has been closed for years."

Did she just say years? No it hasn't, it's still open and I have been living there. Yes people haven't come by for children in quite some time but it's still open. "I've been living there for seventeen years," I tell her.

She looks puzzled still, like she doesn't believe me, "I thought it was closed, the owner, what was her name dear" she asks the old man, "oh yes Doreen, she died and we believed the orphanage closed, it was in the paper, dreadful thing how they found her, luckily those children didn't see it, would have been terrifying."

When she died? She only died yesterday, I know that because I seen it. I lived there so I know it's open, what would make her think that it is closed?

I carry on eating not wanting to bring it up again, something isn't adding up with what happened there and in my own memory but tonight is not the night to go over that. I don't want to drag these innocent people into my world of crazy. Besides, I'm sure people will start thinking there is seriously something wrong with me if I tell them I saw floating white lights, imaginary people and ghosts in the dark.

"You are welcome to stay here the night, no use you being out there in the cold," the old man offers.

"Thank you," I gently give a polite nod, "but I don't even now your names."

The old man laughs, "forgive me dear, my name is Arthur and this is my wife Joan." The both smile at me.

I can't stay here, god knows what will happen when I attempt to go to sleep, the best thing I can do at this point is thank them, "I would like to thank you for your hospitality, but I'm afraid I cannot stay here," I don't want to put these kind folk in any danger, "I appreciate the offer I really do, but I'm afraid I have to continue with what I started."

The old lady gets up and hands me some clothes, "here, we used to look after children and passersby would rent rooms so we have clothes here, I'm not sure they will fit but they will be better than what you were wearing."

That's true, what I was wearing looks old worn and tatty and I stick out a mile off and right now all I have on is a bathrobe. I go upstairs to get changed, a nice fitted pair of jeans and a simple top. As I am sorting myself out the children of the orphanage spring to mind, shit! How could I have just left them there? There is no-one to look after them, I don't know if Margaret is still there, holy shit I have to go back.

I run down the stairs to say my goodbyes, in a blind rush I trip over a sports bag lying there by door. Ouch!

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to leave that there," a young man leans down over me holding his hand out. Dark hair and brown eyes and a kind of cheeky chap chewing on gum, "well are you going to get up or just lie there, by all means if you want to stay there then please say so I'm not standing here holding my hand out looking like a complete muppet."

I take his hand and pull myself up, "sorry, I didn't mean to, I mean I wasn't watching where I was going."

Joan comes out from the kitchen, "Oh Willow, I trust you have everything you need," I nod and agree; "I see you met our son Toby, apologies for the mess he creates, always leaves his bag in the way."

I laugh slightly, "boys aye, anyway thank you again but I really have to leave." She hugs me and I hug her squeezing her to thank her so much for the kindness she has shown me.

"Do you need a lift?" Toby asks me scooping us his bag out of my way.

"Umm, no thanks," I don't want anyone dragged into this, "I uhh, I have to go." I quickly head out of the cottage to look back and see him watching me leave.

I have to get back to the orphanage; those children probably haven't eaten since I left. I cannot believe I left them without thinking, I just thought of myself. How selfish of me to do that.

I start walking back to the orphanage but I have no idea how to get back there, I still don't know how I ended up in that field, at least I think it was a field, being sheltered all your life really does have drawbacks.

I walk down the road unsure of the direction I am going in but I know I have walked this road before, oh it's cold, I feel a cold chill in the air. I look around but I see nothing except trees and open road, no vehicles are coming in either direction. I look behind me and see nothing, Am I going mad? I am paranoid that everywhere I go something dark is following me.

I turn around to carry on walking and there is a man, I jump out of my skin, "what the fuck," I shout.

"I'm sorry for I did not mean to frighten you," he apologises.

I look at him, "it's you," I murmur, "you were at the grocery store that day, you....you helped me and then you just left."

He smirks at me, "indeed I was, I am helping you Willow."

"How do you know my name?"

"I know a lot about you. You need to take my hand and come with me now," he holds his hand out for me and something about him draws me in, who is this mysterious man?

Just as I am about to take his hand a car pulls up, I look and turn back to the man but he is gone once again, who the hell is he?

"Need a ride there, you're going get soaked," I lean down and see Toby, "what you say sugar?" He asks me.

Sugar, this guy is so cheeky. I look up and see its raining. I hadn't even noticed, I'm barely wet as if it hasn't touched me, then it pours down and I become drenched. Toby yells at me to get in the car and I do.

Driving down the road, the rain splashes down on the windscreen so badly I wonder how he can see where he is going. "So you want to tell me where you're heading so I know if I'm going the right way, be kind of pointless if I'm not?"

I look over to him, "the orphanage?"

He looks confused, just as his mother did, "what the abandoned orphanage? Cool, what do you want to go there for?"

I stare out of the window as images of the night before rerun through my head like an old movie, I feel uncomfortable, how do I explain the reasons why I want to go there, it makes no sense to them why I want to go there and it makes no sense to me why these people think it's abandoned. "Just, need to see something is all."

He drives along the road trying to make small talk with me but my mind can only focus on the orphanage. Are the children alright? Are they even there?

"So, Willow is it?" I nod at him, "nice to meet you by the way, sorry about mom and dad, they can be very over loving."

"It's okay; it's nice to meet people like that compared to what I have had to endure as a child. Nice to know some people love their children and others."

"Where did you grow up," I see the curiosity growing in his eyes, before I can reply we pull up outside the gates of the orphanage, "here we are, what are you looking for here?"

"My past," I mumble as I get out of the car. The rain has stopped pouring and as I look up at the building it looks empty. Did someone come and collect the children?

Trees and leaves lay scattered across the yard behind the gates as if it hasn't been tended to in years and the trees have fallen down in the wind. It didn't look like this yesterday, leaves yeah but not fallen trees and branches. I push the gate open and they make a squeaking noise, they seem stiff and barely used. Granted we didn't go out much but Doreen used to come out here and collect the mail each morning and the post box is on the outside of the gate. I check the post box and see that it is empty, so someone must have been here to take the mail, right?

I walk towards the front door as Toby walks behind me, "this place is giving me the creeps," he murmurs.

I look back at him, "look you don't have to stay here if you don't want to, you can go. I'm sure I will be okay by myself." That's a lie. The fact is I am terrified of what I will find here.

"No it's okay; I like a bit of adventure and mystery. Are you uhh, you going to go in there?"

I look up at the dark black orphanage I once called home, a place where the sun never shines, "Yes," I whisper. As I approach the door and push to open it, I once again get a strange feeling that something sinister is near, I push hard but the door will not budge.

Toby comes up behind me seeing my frustration, "hey its okay, calm down look I'll help you." He pushes his body against the door and it swings open. I grab him and run inside, afraid of what is lurking in the darkness behind me.

"Calm down love, you almost had my arm off there," he jokes but I am in no mood for jokes right now.

The inside is not what I expected. Debris and leaves blow through the building as the windows are broken and shattered and items are scattered everywhere. I walk through to the bedroom and the beds are there with worn mattresses and blankets that appear to have not been used in years.

It's as if this creepy worn down orphanage has been abandoned for years, now it just looks like the scary place you see pictures of on the internet. It looks nothing like it did when I left it yesterday.

"Lush place," he mumbles sarcastically, "used to hear some stories about hear when I was a kid."

Curious, I ask him, "oh yeah? What kind of stories did you hear?" I grew up here, would be interesting to know what an outsider thinks.

"Well, not sure how true it is but rumour has it that the woman who owned it went totally psycho after her husband died," walking around I listen to his story as we go from room to room, "she then like staved all the kiddies and left them in rags, total psycho moment you know, yeah, she hung herself apparently after letting the orphanage rot, some say a strange child made her do it, some say she worshipped demons."

"That's a lie," I blurt out, "where did you hear such rubbish."

"Kids in school you know, we used to come here and hook up you know for like chilling or just to hand around and everyone would tell ghost stories...."

I put my hand over his mouth to shush him, something is in here and it's not just me and Toby, he mumbles under my hand "shut up," I whisper.

I look around the room and head towards the kitchen, the pots and pans are all over the place, rusted and black. I walk slowly as I feel the jitters that something is here, something is here for me.

"We have to move," I whisper to Toby grabbing him by the arm and pulling him away from the kitchen. I pull him back towards the front door only to be confronted by the darkness that has haunted me for so long. It bellow's out my name as Toby grips me in horror. "Run," I scream.

We run backwards through the orphanage, passed the bedroom and into the back room where the children's play room was, everything here looks abandoned too, what the hell?

We run further through the back door and into the gardens that lay at the back of the property. Toby grips me and pulls me faster as we run away from the darkness that is slowly gaining on us.

## Five

"What the hell was that?" Toby screams at me as we reach a safe distance to be able to stop and catch our breaths.

"I don't know," I pant trying to get some air, "is it near?"

He looks back, "No, I think we outrun it for now, look, I just met you and this is all a little weird for me, do you mind telling me what the hell is going on and what the fuck that thing was."

"Like I said I don't know," I repeat, "look, I know you just met me so I'm not going to go into detail too much, but that thing, whatever it is has been chasing me since I was little, that's all I know okay."

"You got to give me something more than that Willow because I don't know if what I saw was real, I mean, creeping blackness and echoing voices, it's not fucking normal."

He's right, it's not normal and I can see how freaked out he is by all of this. "You should leave; it would be safer for you if you left."

"Not until you tell me what the hell it is that's after you."

"I don't know what is after me," I shout to him, " I don't know what to tell you but if I tell you what I am here for you are going to think I'm crazy. Look, I'm used to being on my own so just leave okay; at least that way then you won't get hurt."

He sits down on a pile of leaves as the stars and moon shining down on us, it's cold and damp and I'm starting to think he isn't going anywhere, "look, maybe I can help you."

"I doubt anyone can help me, what I thought was real doesn't seem to be what it was at all." The orphanage is what they said it would be. But I saw them all yesterday, I hugged Charlotte, and the children were playing before I left to go to the store. Margaret cooked breakfast, what the hell has happened; did I pass out for longer than I thought?

"What date is it today?"

"Umm, it's October fifteenth, why what does that have to do with it?"

How is that possible, if it's October fifteenth then all this only happened yesterday, "No, that's not possible."

Toby stands and comes to me, he looks at me sincerely, "I can see something is troubling you, please tell me maybe I can help."

"I don't know how to tell you, it's going to sound crazy," I'm even wondering if I'm crazy.

"Try me," he smiles, "but I would suggest we keep walking and talking because I don't fancy being caught up by black Casper."

I giggle slightly and agree, god knows how close the darkness is or even if we have managed to outrun it, "I don't know where to even start."

"Well you could try the beginning, that usually helps," he smirks at me.

He almost makes me laugh again, such a cheeky chap, "Well, I guess then the first thing I should start with is I grew up here."

"Where here, the orphanage?" he looks backwards to see nothing but night and woods. "Cool, creepy but cool."

"Yeah, it's sounds strange," even to me, "but yesterday I was here. I went shopping for the children and I came back. I saw a man who seems to be appearing a lot more lately and it never dawned on me until now," well earlier before Toby pulled up to offer me a lift, "I've seen him before, I don't know what's happening or why he seems to be there. But yesterday, I came home and the darkness that has plagued me all my life was after me. I woke in the middle of the night and I know it sounds crazy, I followed a bright light. At first I thought I was dreaming but then something said I was awake. I went into the woods and I can't describe to you what I saw. I came back and Doreen, she was here, she was speaking to me."

His eyes widen as he listens to my crazy story, "you were there, at the orphanage," I nod, "you know no-one has lived there for year's right?"

"That maybe what it seems to you and clearly to other people but I was living there yesterday. I know it sounds absolutely nuts, even I doubt myself. But last night, I was told I had to leave, I don't know why but when I went to say goodbye Doreen she...." the flashbacks pop in my head of her swinging body hanging with that rope around her neck, no! How can this be?

"What, what did you see?" Toby asks snapping me out of my scary flashback.

"Umm, Doreen, she....she had hung herself, I was so scared. The darkness, it was there right behind me so I ran but it chased me. I could feel it, its touch, its coldness. I just kept wanting it to be over, to be away from it all and then the next thing is I'm waking up in the field and your father was there."

I see the apprehension in his eyes, I don't blame him as it's one hell of a story.

"Willow, I want to believe you, but after what I just seen, how could anyone be living there and as for children, they were all removed after the death of the owners, surely you read the papers right?"

"But to me, she only died yesterday and I lived at the orphanage where no-one came and visited, I never saw a newspaper and...." I stop suddenly as I realise we have been walking around in circles. We have passed the same clearing in the trees several times.

"What, what is it?" Toby grips my hand as he looks around fearful of why I have stopped.

"Haven't you notice we have been walking in round in circles this whole time?"

He looks around, "I hadn't noticed, but now that you....wait, what is that?"

I look over to where he is pointing and there creeping towards us is a dark shadow that flows easily between the trees.

We step back slowly watching as it appears to simply crawl towards us, flowing as if this thing, this darkness is coming right for us, I grab Toby swing him round, "Run," I yell.

We run deeper into the woods as the darkness turns into a large black figure. Its arms reach out as if trying to grab me. Toby's hand grips mine tightly as we look ahead, trying to outrun the figure that is drawing closer to us.

"Willow!" The scary voice echoes through the trees, "we need you, we all need you."

Who the fuck needs me, why do I keep hearing those words. I keep running and running until finally we reach a main road. Thank god we are out of the woods. I look back and the dark figure cannot be seen.

"You saw that right, I didn't imagine it, you saw it too yes," I panic for my own sanity.

"Yes," Toby trembles, "I saw it, I don't know what I saw but I fucking saw it."

I catch my breath, "come on let's keep walking. I know where we have to go." Pulling the locket out from my pocket I look at the address I was told to go and see, "do you know where this is?"

Toby looks and then looks back at me, "yes, that's the old parish church just outside of Bushrill. How are going to get there without the car, should we go back?"

He turns to walk back through the woods but I grab him, "No, I'm not going back through there, it isn't safe. We should just keep walking."

I don't know who this man is or how he is going to be able to help me but he is the only clue I have, I have to go see him, what other choice do I have?

"It's going to take us ages to walk there by foot; we should try and find some way to get my car back." Toby pushes but I refuse to go back there until I have some answers.

I want to be there we need to get there. I think long and hard and wish to be there without having to go back for the car, too scared to face whatever it is lurking in the woods waiting to get me.

Toby screams and I close my eyes gripping hold of him, when I open them I am outside a closed down church.

"How the fuck, what the, how did we get here," he panics looking around.

I look around just as puzzled as he is, did I bring us here? I wished for it and now here we are, but I don't remember how we got here. Yet again my mind draws a complete blank as to what has just happened.

He looks at me, "what are you?" he mumbles. I see the unease in his eyes as he looks at me, like I'm some sort of evil being.

"It's hard to explain," I'm not even sure of it myself, "if you want to leave I completely understand, this is dark and twisted and I don't expect you stay around."

"No," he sighs, "I don't want to leave you especially when you may be in danger. It's just," he runs his hands through his hair seemingly unsure of me or of what is happening, "I don't know if what I saw is real, I don't know how we got here and I don't know if this is all because of you. But I feel like you need help and my mother always said to help a girl if she needs it, never walk away from someone who may be in danger."

His mother and father were so kind to me that I believe him, he seems like a genuine soul, kind just the way he was brought up to be.

"Look, I don't know myself but I do know something is after me and this guy Alfie is the only clue I have. I thought of him and wanted to be here and the next thing I know, poof, we're here."

"Just like that," he shrugs.

"Just like that, come on, let's go find him. Maybe he can help me."

We walk passed the closed down church and through the small street that leads to a dead end and a small path hidden at the bottom. Following the path through the trees and over the stream of water, there on the other side, covered in over-grown bushes is a small cottage type house.

"Hey look at that," I point, "it's the only house around here that has the drapes drawn so I guess this is it." I take Toby's hand and we walk towards the quiet house.

There are no birds, no sounds from the outside and the house seems so quiet I begin to wonder if it's empty. The porch has leaves everywhere and newspapers that have never been picked up, I knock the door gently, "hello?"

"This house looks just as abandoned as the others, I mean all the papers are still on the porch and no offence but it looks like Michael Myers's house," Toby whispers, "maybe we should just leave."

"I can't leave and no offence but I doubt Michael Myers is living here so stop being such a baby, look, we'll just wait and knock and if he don't come out then I don't know we'll...." I am distracted by the front door opening by itself.

"Now that is fucking creepy," he steps back, "look, I'm all for mystery and stuff but a door that opens by itself? Nah, that's just insane to go in there, you never know what is lurking in there, I've seen enough movies to know never go in the abandoned creepy house."

I roll my eyes and put my foot through the door and look around, "my god you are such a sissy, I told you could leave and you still can if you want to but I have to do this."

He grips my arm and stands closely behind me. We both enter the house, it looks nothing as you would expect from looking at the outside and it actually looks lived in. "Hello?" I call out. Toby is still behind me walking closely, it almost makes me laugh and I thought the women were meant to be the scared ones.

"Willow, is that you I hear?" A croaky old voice calls out; I walk further into the sitting room and see an old man sat in his chair.

"Yes, my name is Willow," I edge closer to him and see that the man is blind, "I was sent here by...."

"By your mother, I knew you would find me eventually, please come sit." Toby and I sit on the sofa directly opposite him, "Don't worry Toby," the old man smiles, "I'm not going to hurt you."

Toby's mouth almost hits the floor. "How do you know it was me?" I ask curious as he cannot see me, "and how do you know Toby."

"I don't," the old man slumps in his chair, "I'm sure you have worked out that I am Alfie and it is I who you have come to for answers of the things that have been happening to you."

I've haven't said a word to him as to why I am here and I find it strange he knows that without me saying a word about it. "I saw something and I knew I had to come here...."

"The darkness," he cuts me off, "the darkness that has been after you your whole life."

"What is it? Sometimes it seems like large black evil clouds and then sometimes in the form of a person, why do I see these things?"

"You're not the only one," Toby coughs awkwardly; I roll my eyes at him.

"The darkness you see comes to you because of who you are Willow; you bear the mark of the Warlock on your hand."

I look at the burnt or tattooed mark on my hand. It's always been there, I cannot remember a time when it wasn't. "The mark of the what?" I mumble to him staring at my palm.

"The mark of the Warlock, you were born with great magic inside you; very powerful dark magic that comes from your father."

Dark magic? "I don't understand, I thought I was abandoned as a baby, how can I have this magic and what father?"

"Because it is who you are Willow; of course you have a father my lovely girl that is why you have the magic and you were not abandoned, your mother tried to hide you and gave you to an orphanage in hopes your father would not be able to find you. Your father is the Warlock Lord, the holder of all dark magic and you are his progeny," Alfie shuffles in his chair and blind as he may be, I feel he is looking directly at me. "Your mother fell in love with a man unbeknown to her who he really was."

"So my mother was normal? Is that what you're trying to tell me?" I interrupt him.

"No," he looks forward as if recalling a memory, "you're mother was magical too, a beautiful magic being that your father corrupted for some time, she sided with him on most things but the goodness in her realised his intentions were not as good as they first appeared. She withdrew from him, she saw how evil your father was and she didn't like it, but by then it was too late, she was already pregnant for you and he knew about it. She felt trapped and she didn't want you to be born into their circle."

"So she gave me up?" I mumble running my fingers over my palm.

"No," he sighs, "your mother loved you very much. She placed you somewhere she believed you were safe. Your father found out you had gone not long after your birth and she was on the run for a long time, the Warlock Society chased her down and now she is trapped, she put a spell on herself so they couldn't get any information out of her about your whereabouts. She is trapped in Oreneeras."

I look up confused as to what he is saying, "Oreneeras? What the hell is that?"

"It's the place known as the in-between," he murmurs.

"In-between what?"

"In-between life and death, a place a magical being can go before they die or when they die. The dark figure you see, the darkness that has haunted you for so long, it is the dark magic that runs through your blood, the magic of your father, he and his men have found you."

"If this is all true when why do I not remember anything since before I was around six years old, if I had been at the orphanage since I was born then surely I would remember?"

Alfie glares at me with his solid white colour blind eyes, he cannot see me but I know those white eyes are looking right at me, "because your mother didn't want you found, she placed a spell on you so that you could not use any magic, so that you could not be traced, she would visit you and show you spells. But then you did things no-one expected," he reaches out to touch me, "you are more powerful than she thought and her spells became ineffective and I see you have been using magic all your life."

How the hell have I been using magic? I have never cast a spell, if that's what you call them, I don't even know how? "I don't think so, I think you have the wrong girl, I think maybe I am just caught up in a whole world of crazy or possibly I am insane, I don't believe any this."

"You don't?" Alfie smirks, "tell me about the orphanage you claim was there yesterday and today doesn't exist."

How does he know that? "It was there, I know it was because I saw them, I sat and ate with the children, argued with Doreen and I went shopping and came home so how do you know that?"

"What you saw was a creation of your own imagination, created by magic to fulfil your loneliness. That orphanage has been closed for many, many years."

My own imagination, I imagined those people? No, no that's not possible!

## Six

I stare in disbelief, it's just not possible. All those people are apparently just my imagination? No, no I don't believe it.

"You have gone quiet, the girl with so many questions now seems to doubt her own mind," he grins at me.

"Doubt?" I laugh, "Doubt isn't the word I would use. Crazy more like it, how can those children, Doreen, Margaret, all of them, how can they be just my imagination? I felt them, spoke to them, and ate with them the morning before the disappeared."

"You think you did," he gets up and sits next to me, "Doreen, she was there to look after you, your mother asked her for your help. Do you ever wonder why Doreen became distant and why it was the orphanage, to you, appeared to be run-down not long after it was that Henry died, or why it was you spoke to someone as a child when no-one else could see them?"

Okay, this man is freaking me out, how does he know about things I have no even mentioned?

"That was your father's demon minion. He would appear to you, try and get you to use dark magic, try and get you to go to them."

"Wait a minute," Toby interrupts after being sat so silently, "you're trying to tell me that she, I mean Willow is an evil Warlock?"

"No" Alfie laughs at him, "she is a witch, a dark and powerful witch of the Lefire Warlocks, the most powerful Warlocks in the world and her father is their lord, the most powerful Warlock there has ever been, but it appears Willow has inherited more magic than her mother and father anticipated. And you," he points to Toby; "you are drawn to Willow are you not?"

"What him?" I point to Toby, "Don't be silly, he's not drawn to me, I barely even know him, we only met a few hours ago if that!"

"Know me? Funny, I barely know you; this is all types of crazy," he utters.

"Well I told you to leave," I mutter to him, "but you chose to stay didn't you so don't blame me for the crazy okay."

"That's because he feels connected to you," Alfie interrupts the childish squabble.

"How can he feel connected to me, like I said, I barely know the guy."

"Because of the goodness in you. You see, your mother's magic also flows through your veins and it is that he is drawn to, it is that in which makes him feel like he needs to protect you. He was supposed to meet you, that's why you ended up in his field."

"Look," I shuffle away from Toby who is seriously giving me some 'this is crazy' look, "I ended up in his field because of a thought, not sure how exactly but hey, it happened. Alfie, this all sounds a bit much, how can he drawn to me, how would I even know him when I just met him, this is not making sense."

"Do you ever wonder how you can think of something and then suddenly be there, why you have never fallen ill, why when you do something bad you may sometimes regret it but at the time you cannot help yourself."

Okay as weird as things were when I came here, now they are getting far weirder, "how do you know all of this?"

"Because I have been watching you since you were born. As a duty to your mother I watched you and saw everything that you did."

"How, you can't even see," Toby rudely states to him, I give him a slight nudge and mouth at him to be quiet.

"I maybe blind physically my boy but it doesn't mean my mind cannot see," he states unimpressed at Toby's remark. "Willow, you can do things like that because the dark magic within you compels you to do dark things, but the goodness in you from your mother tells you that it's wrong. You are being pulled between light and dark and it is down to you which you choose to use. The darkness within you is how they found you. The powerful magic inside you created the orphanage, as you were just a child when Doreen died of course she was a real person but when she went, the rest was your imagination, the run-down building and neglect you felt was your deep subconscious coming to surface after she died, you created all those people. "

"I don't understand; how can someone create all of that and not notice the things other people saw and if they wanted me and they found me then why didn't they just take me? Surely if my father is so powerful then there is no need for the mind-games, the nightmares and the darkness chasing me, he can just grab me can't he?"

"You would think so, but your mother's magic stopped them from doing so. They wanted you to come voluntarily but now your father is running out of time as the light magic draws closer to him and a battle is on the horizon, and this is what has caused the surge in use of your dark magic."

"If that is so, then explain to me why you say I created an entire orphanage full of people if my magic is so dark, wouldn't I use that magic to escape something that made me feel so...." I seem to have lost the words all of a sudden.

"Lonely?" Alfie finishes, but I'm not sure it was loneliness, "when Henry died, Doreen hung herself not being able to live without him after seeing the darkness that destroyed him, her heart was broken without him and things only became worse for her."

I narrow my eyes confused, "but, Henry wasn't killed by magic."

"Yes he was," Alfie interrupts once again, "Your mother trusted Doreen to look after you. When your father's men found her, they killed Henry trying to force her to give you up, but you still refused to go, you clung on to her like she was the mother figure you craved. Darkness swarmed her life and her dreams pushing her to the point of insanity, she could no longer bare the dark things she saw and she hung herself."

Memories flash in my mind of Doreen hanging from the ceiling, "I.... I saw her, I saw her hanging. Something chased me, I...."

"You saw her hanging when you were very young, people came and took the children away but your magic blocked you from their grasp. When the children left, you manifested them from your own mind, creating an imaginary world you knew nothing about. This is why the orphanage seemed to deteriorate, you made this up as a child and to you it was Doreen's fault why the orphanage was so run down, why you had rags for clothes, why the children barely had anything to eat. You imagined the worst because you were left alone and experienced the worst, don't you understand, everything you saw was created by you and how you felt.

Deep in your memories your mind knew the truth but your magic overpowered this and as such created an alternate world where you lived with the children and Doreen was a cold person who didn't care for you. When she kept telling you that you had to go, or when she advised you of things that did not make sense, these were all things she once told you as a child and as your magic grew, those things surfaced in your massive mind creation, when you saw your mother and Doreen suddenly handed you the locket, it is because you let your guard down and allowed the creation you had made to progress because you wanted answers, because you wanted it so your magic created it."

I cannot believe all those years living at the orphanage with all those people was simply my own imagination. "How can that be? Ruby, what about her, she was sweet" I whisper in disbelief but then I remember how dark she became.

"Because you wanted a world where the children and Doreen was still around you. It was all you knew, the people you imagined, Doreen's distance with you and Margaret's constant stares, were the result of your memory and your imagination turning those people into reason for blame. Blame for you being alone. And Ruby, she was sent there by your father as a way to entice you into the darkness, the sweetness of the little girl is what you imagined her to be, you only saw Ruby how you wanted her to be, she wasn't real, but the darkness came out in her after failing to entice you quick enough and although you still felt drawn, the goodness in you told you to run away."

"But you said my father is running out of time now, if he took them away when I was a child then surely he could have taken me then."

He sighs, "You are more powerful than you realise and your father has been trying to take you since you were born but all of his attempts have failed. Your father is the lord of the Lefire Warlocks and you are the rightful darkened Princess. Your magic can bring about dark things in the world but the good magic in you tries to fight it off."

I have always felt like there is a battle inside of me. Sometimes I feel terrified by the darkness that has always haunted me but then other times I feel drawn to it.

"The time is coming for you to take your place at his side bring darkness to the world and you are to be the bearer of the Destroyer. You will be drawn to a man who has been chosen for you, the dark magic connects you and you will feel like you cannot resist him, all of this is what your father hopes will bring you into accepting the darkness of what you were born for, creating the Destroyer will tip the balance in his favour and bring about so much evil."

My eyes widen, "I'm sorry, come again? The Destroyer? What the hell is that?"

"The Destroyer, it is what he is known as. He is a boy foreseen to be born, as evil as they come and bring demons and dark magic to rule the world in forever darkness."

Toby coughs, "wait a minute, are you telling us that her father wants her as a baby breeder to bring an evil child in the world so he can destroy us."

"The Destroyer," Alfie mumbles, "you get the picture don't you?"

"How can that be? If I have goodness in me then surely such a vision cannot come true." How the fuck can I be the one to bare an evil child.

"Your father hopes to bring you into Lefire Society and force you to use the dark magic within you. The more you use it the more addictive it becomes, consuming your humanity in the process and making you more evil than you can imagine. You have so much power, so much untapped power, your mother didn't want this, and she hoped the good in you would take over but it appears you are getting further drawn into the darkness, Willow you must fight it."

How is the darkness in me flourishing, I cannot remember a time when I have ever been nasty or hurtful to anyone. I think back over the years and then I remember the teacher, she didn't return after an argument she and I had. She died, I hated her and wished for something bad to happen but in all this time I never thought that I caused it. Wait, if the orphanage was my imagination all this time then was she my imagination too?

"No," Alfie disturbs me, "the teacher was not a figment of your imagination." How the fuck did he know that's what I was thinking. "She was real, she wasn't a teacher, that was your imagination but she was real. Some kids reported they saw a child or someone playing in the orphanage, a social worker came and found you, tried to take you away. She could see the building was derelict and empty but you could see the children and Doreen, you thought this woman was trying to take you away from them and trying to cause trouble, after she had gone, to think of a place to put her in your mind creation you turned her into a teacher and imagined her teaching at the orphanage for a long time."

My mind flashes back to that day when she came and told me I had to leave and I couldn't stay there anymore. I felt like she was just being horrible to me, she didn't have a family to put me with; she just wanted to take me away.

"She left to get help," Alfie continues, "but your hatred for her caused her car to swerve off the highway and she died instantly in a car-crash, you did that, your dark magic did that."

Bile rises in my throat, I killed another person for no reason other than I hated her? Maybe I am evil, maybe I am someone the darkness craves because of my dark soul. How can I do such a thing?

My mind tries to absorb the information. It's a lot to take in. I always wondered why Doreen never replaced the teacher and it was me, it was me all along who didn't put another one there because she didn't form part of my imagination anymore, she had gone and that was that.

When I thought Doreen got money from charities, I remember seeing this on the TV, charities that help out vulnerable children and I imagined this was how she got money to look after us. I thought the wealth had run out but the truth is she died, she hung herself and that's how the money disappeared.

Her coldness towards me, the no hugging and the backing away from motherhood was a result of me feeling like I lost her, she left me, she killed herself so instead of dealing with it I just imagined she became this cold heartless person. He is right though, her words the last day I was there, it was as if she was giving me advice. My mind races as images of my past begin to surface from memory, there when I was a child the words she said came back, she would take me for walks and tell me I was special, tell me that I should avoid the darkness, that something would come for me and I needed to be careful and to resist the man that one day would draw me in.

"Well that certainly was not what I was expecting from an old chump," Toby sits up from his slump position and snaps me back into the room, "you know you," he nudges me, "being this evil witch and all and you know, the baby breeder of a boy that wants to kill us all, I take it then you know what we are meant to do now?"

"We?" I shoot an 'I don't think so look at him,' "There is no 'we' in this, this is something I have to do on my own. If all of what he said is true, then this could be seriously dangerous."

"You have no choice, I'm going with you whether you like it not," Toby states, clear defying my wishes and is adamant he isn't leaving my side.

"There is a good source of magic out there in the people us good witches call, Voluric," Alfie mumbles.

I look at him, "I'm sorry, you're going to have to speak English, Volu-what?"

"A Voluric, like your friend right by there," he points at Toby.

Toby points at himself and then shakes his head, "No, no way, I don't have any magical powers or anything."

"No," Alfie laughs once again at his naivety, "but you do have a white soul that can project good light and blind the darkness and those types of souls are there for witches to guide them in the right direction. That is why you are drawn to Willow, your soul senses the goodness in her and your soul wants to make sure she doesn't fall for the temptations of darkness."

"I have a white soul?" Toby looks at me, "well, I don't really know what to say to that."

"The white soul of a true man is more powerful when a bond is formed, you and Willow will share a bond in time, do not let the darkness break you."

I look down at my palm as my burnt tattooed image begins to itch and suddenly I get an awful feeling in the pit of my stomach, I always feel like I am being torn by the magic inside me, now I know that it is magic surging through me, "He's going to find me again isn't he."

"He already has," Alfie trembles as he looks behind him, "he's here."

I look behind Alfie but I see nothing. Toby grips my hand and I grip his, I look at him, "I'm here," he mouths to me.

"You must leave, you must leave now," Alfie warns, "go and remember everything that I have said to you."

I get up but I stand still, a part of me wants to see what's coming. I feel drawn once again to something dark, the something dark I can sense coming.

Toby pulls on my hand, "come on Willow, we have to go." He pulls me again as the house begins to shake, something powerful has found us, I hear it roar loudly as it calls out my name.

I feel as if I am in some sort of trance and I no longer feel Toby's hand holding mine. I drift towards the front door as this bellowing sound calls out my name once again.

"You must help her, stop her," I hear behind me but the words do not seem to faze or stop me from drifting towards the sinister thing calling out to me.

"Willow," I hear Toby's voice but the roaring sounds of the dark voice over-powers his and I feel it draw me in.

Winds pick up and I feel a swirl of coldness around me but the house is sealed, where is the wind coming from? The house shakes violently as I reach the front door. My hand reaches for the door handle and I hear them scream, telling me no, but I'm too caught up, I feel a pull, something is willing me to them. I open the door and there standing before me is him, the mysterious man. "It's you," I whisper entranced by his beautiful eyes.

His hand slowly reaches out towards me, "take my hand Willow and come with me where you belong."

I want to take his hand, I reach out take it but then just before my hand touches his I feel a thud. I snap out of my trance and Toby is on top of me after knocking me to the floor, "Run Willow," he orders. We scramble to our feet and Toby pulls me away from the man that is still staring at me and looking very angry.

Alfie tries to fight of the mysterious man who has come for me but the mysterious man is very powerful. He hauls Alfie up into the air without touching him; Alfie looks down at me, barely able to breathe.

"Remember my words" he croaks struggling for air. I watch as his neck snaps to the side and he falls to the floor. The mysterious man has just killed him.

I scream at the top of my lungs. "Fucking run Willow," Toby grabs my hand and we run through the house out of the back door and back down into the abandoned village.

## Seven

I hear my name still being called from behind me. We run faster as Toby pulls me to keep up with him. My legs ache and I feel tired, all this running is wearing me out. I feel drained as if something has sucked the energy from my body.

We end up back outside the church which looks like it has or had been hit by a bomb, "we should hide in here," Toby suggests.

I look up at the abandoned church practically falling down around itself and smashed windows, "ummm, you sure? What the fuck help is that going to do?"

"I don't know," he panics, "it's a church isn't it, good evil and all that crap, do you have a better idea?"

I hear the sounds of the mysterious man and darkness getting closer, this is witches and warlock magic, not god and the devil, and how is hiding in a church going to help? I look around as my head tries to see if there is something else but I can't think of anything better, "no, I guess not."

"Didn't think so," he grabs me and pulls me into the church shutting the door and placing a large plank of wood across it, what good that will do to something with magic I have no clue, but I can't think of any other idea.

I feel the darkness drawing closer, I hear him calling me. His voice is so inviting, my soul is being pulled towards him, who is this man that part of me so terribly craves to be with. I feel a pull, "stay with me," Toby whispers holding on tightly to me.

We watch as the darkness creeps passed the churches broken windows but it doesn't attempt to even look in here. Toby's hand covers my mouth, I feel like I want to call out to him and tell him to come get me, tell him whoever the mysterious man that I am in here.

The darkness passes and after a while Toby removes his hand, "what did you do that for?" I snap quietly to him.

"You were calling out to that thing, did you not hear yourself? Firstly you started drifting, creepily by the way like some sort of ghost, your feet didn't even touch the floor and then you were asking him to take you. I don't fancy being killed so I covered your mouth alright!"

I felt drawn to the darkness but I hadn't noticed myself drifting towards them. "How long are we going to stay in here?"

"I don't know," he shrugs, "but we can't stay in here for long. We have to get out."

"And go where," I look at my palm, "they're going to keep coming for me until they get me and I don't know how much longer I can resist them."

Toby takes my hand and kisses it softly, "you have resisted them for almost eighteen years, you can do this and I will be right there with you."

I smile at him and his eyes stare are into mine. Something flutters in my tummy, it's a strange feeling I have never felt before. His eyes don't leave mine as he moves closer to me. His hand strokes my cheek down under my chin and he moves in for a kiss.

I kiss him back, my first real kiss from the guy who seems to be saving me from the darkness that lurks around me.

He pulls away and looks at me smiling and I smile back, we lie down on the floor huddled into each-other's arms.

"I'm scared," I whisper.

He pulls into him, "don't be, I'm here and I will not let anything bad happen to you."

"You can't say that," I sigh, "people tend to die around me, look what happened to Alfie, he was only trying to help me and they killed him for that, they killed Doreen for that too. They died because of me."

"That's not true; the evil that killed those wants you to think that, they want you to believe that evil is all you know so you go to them."

"I don't know I will be able to resist them, I feel them pull me in, I feel drawn to them."

"You have goodness in you too," he whispers breathing into my hair and kissing my head, "try and let that pull you in."

I listen to his words as I stare at the angels pointing down from the church ceiling. A sign of goodness looks down on me, can I be good? Can I fight the evil that is desperate to pull me in?

Night time falls, it's too dark to venture out of the church now. I snuggle into Toby's arms and for the first time in many years I feel a sense of safety. With heavy eyes, I fall asleep.

"Wake up sleepy head," a voice whispers softly in my ear, I open my eyes to see Toby looking at me, "come on, we have to move."

"Have you been awake long?" I ask still slightly sleepy and struggling to open my eyes.

He shakes his head, "no not really, about ten minutes or so, it's quiet so I think it's a good idea to move now."

I nod, "okay," I pull myself up and stretch the tiredness away. I realise then I slept all the way through the night, no nightmares whatsoever. That's the first time I have never suffered a nightmare, must have been Toby's influence or the fact I lied in his arms all night.

He holds my hands and we head towards the church door where he removes the large plank just as I see a black bird fly passed the broken window and I stop in my tracks, "wait," I whisper, "something is out there."

"Really," Toby tries to look, "how do you know, it's sunny and nothing has disturbed us all night, I doubt anything is out there."

I shake my head, "no, I can feel it, it's like something tugging on me inside, something or someone is there."

"I will look," Toby goes to open the door but I slam it shut, "Willow, I have to see."

"Are you fucking stupid," I snap quietly, "if it is out there I don't know if I can resist it. I may have power Toby but I have no idea how to use or control it!"

"We can't very well hide in here all day can we," he mumbles, "look, the sun is shining, maybe it's just fear, let's have a look okay." He slowly pulls the church door open and there shining down is a ray of sunshine.

He peeks his head out and looks around as I stand nervously behind him, I still feel it, I still feel like something is there.

He moves a little further outside, "it looks clear," he says quietly, "come on let's go."

We both walk outside and then darkness descends over us in a violent form. It grabs Toby and rips him away from me. He has disappeared into the darkness and I cannot see him. "Toby!" I scream but he doesn't come back.

The darkness is angry and it appears to have run out of patience. The wind intensifies and blows around me, then out of the darkness emerges a figure, a dark figure that is heading towards me.

It's him, it's the man I feel so drawn to, the man that has appeared to me so often and helped me. He holds his hand out and once again I am entranced by him, "come with me Willow."

My hand reaches out to him and I feel my soul connect to him in ways that are evil and sinister. He takes me and pulls me close to him, he leans forward and I feel him kiss me. The winds hurricane around us and then everything goes black.

Ouch! Something is juggling me about, what is that? I feel like I am on a bumpy car ride. I open my eyes and its dark, I see a window with black curtains and I am being bumped up and down and thrown about. I get up and look out of the window, there in-front are horses and I am in some sort carriage. Horse drawn carriage? What is this the eighteen hundreds? Where the hell am I going?

Someone has changed my clothing. I am wearing a red and black satin ball-gown draping with lace that hangs off the back like some sort of cloak or train. I don't remember putting this on! Who wears corsets these days, the material and fitting makes it hard for you to breathe.

I look around the carriage, it's just me surrounded by satin seats and soft velvet curtains. I can see us heading to a large black castle on top of high black mountains, seems morbid and dark and I have no idea where I am.

Where is Toby? What have they done with him, oh god please don't say he is dead because of me. I sit back in the carriage and wonder what is about to happen and where they are taking me. That man's kiss caused me to black out; did he poison me or something to make me give up? Why did I even let him kiss me, why didn't I resist a kiss from a stranger?

The carriage stops and my door opens, "come with me Princess." A footman holds his hand out and assists me out of the carriage, "welcome to Acribus Palace."

Acribus? Why does that word sound familiar to me, I shake my head trying not to dwell on it as there are more important things happening, like where is Toby and why am I here.

He walks me to the tall iron gates which open slowly upon my arrival. There stood in the doorway is a tall man, give or take he is about seven foot, large muscle build and wearing some sort crown. It is shaped like a rhino nose pointing upwards, I want to laugh as how stupid he looks but then I realise as people bow to him, he is the leader and if he is the leader then that means he is my father.

"Daddy," I mumble shocked that the man that stands before me seems no older than his late twenties. He looks so young and youthful, "Impossible," I whisper.

"Finally my daughter you have returned home to me, come," he takes my hand and leads me inside.

"You....you're my father?" My eyes narrow, "that's impossible. You're far too young to be my father, I'm seventeen years old, you would have had to have me very young if that is so."

"Precious," his voice rumbles with amusement, "it appears your knowledge of who you are is worse then I feared. I take it the old trump didn't help you with much."

The old trump? Does he mean Alfie, the sweet an innocent man murdered by his henchmen to get me? "What is there I need to know?" I strop, "Alfie told me what I wanted to know and you got me all the way here in a place I do not know to tell me about what? Who I am? Or who you want me to be?"

"I want you to be you sweet daughter; together you and I can rule in darkness, it has so many gifts for both of us."

What 'gifts' has it brought me so far, it has brought me nothing but death and hallucinations, loneliness and despair, are those the kind of gifts I want to have for life?

We head to a grand hall where warrior type men are fighting or practicing fighting but there in the distance stands the man who kissed me. The man I have been drawn to and once again find myself wanting.

He comes over to us, his  physique strong and manly, "this is Chanile, Prince of Tekati Warlocks and Warrior of Lefire armies," my father introduces him.

He kisses my hand and then takes me to the front of the gathering warriors. "Let the ritual of darkness begin to bring my daughter into her rightful place," he shouts as the crowd cheers him on.

Ritual of darkness? My heart races as a part of me is scared at what is about to happen but at the same time I cannot keep my eyes off this man. He stares into me with his black soulless eyes that once had colour and peers into my soul. He draws me into him, like a moth to a flame and I am captivated.

"You will be my queen and together our son will bring darkness to the world, a world at our rule," he grumbles in a deep tone. He kisses me deeply and his mouth devours me. His tongue enters my mouth and I am at his command.

I kiss him back as I hear the crowds cheering but it doesn't seem to shy me away from this very public display of affection. My father stands before us watching. You would think that was enough to make me pull away but I cannot stop myself, I want this man to touch me.

"Today we mark the beginning of darkness. No longer will the Tasura stop us and we shall win this war as my daughter has returned. The most powerful dark witch with magic so evil even the devil himself is afraid of her," my father roars to the cheering crowd as Chanile lifts me onto his waist deepening his seductive kiss, " today Chanile and Willow join in a dark bond so tight no spell can break it. I bring you the Capara, the royal couple united in darkness."

The crowd cheers as I am laid on a cold stone feeling slab. Chanile climbs on top of me and forcefully rips the satin ball-gown skirt from me revealing my naked thighs.

"Today we sacrifice a Voluric and his blood shall pour down weakening the Tasura but giving us strength and we will be triumphant."

The sounds of the crowded warriors seem to fade into the distance as a cage hangs over me. I see Chanile and his dark eyes looking down at me, "do you give yourself to me," he whispers.

"Yes," I mouth feeling urge to let him take me; let him take my virginity until I am no longer pure.

"Willow," I hear a scream, "you are better than this, fight it, fight him."

I don't want to fight him. I feel drawn to him, like he and I are meant to be. I feel myself throb, my body begging for him to touch me. My hand moves down and I cup myself, I feel how wet I am and how much this man has turned me on.

"You need me inside you," Chanile mumbles in my ear, "I feel you need me," he touches me, my wetness against his finger, "give yourself to me."

"No Willow, fight it please, you are better than the darkness, the darkness cannot control you, don't let it control you."

I know that voice but I'm too far into a trance to think of who it is, who is it that is calling me and trying to stop this from happening? I want this to happen with every being of my soul.

My satin corset is ripped open and Chanile takes off his warrior mask. His strong eyes and jaw line define his masculine face; his hair is long thick and black like that of an ancient warrior I have only read about in books.

I am exposed to this man, I belong to this man and I want him to take me. His hand cups my breast as his dark sexual desire pushes to come out.

"As the Prince of Tekati mounts the Princess, he will take his virgin and their blood will become one, let him devour her purity and let the dark magic flourish within them."

My mind listens to the words and commotion around me but my ears phase it out. I am too captivated by the strong evil man leaning over me and feeling my body.

My eyes are closed absorbing the pleasure of this man's touch. His fingers enter me and my body jolts in pain and pleasure. It feels good but it's the first time someone has ever touched me there, I want more and I move to show him I want it.

"Give yourself to me, let me take you and make you mine," he roars.

"Yes," I pant, there it is; once again I give my permission for this man to enter me.

I hear the painful screams of someone being tortured but it doesn't make me stop. I feel him forcefully push his erection inside me as he pounds me hard. It hurts and I want to scream but at the same time I want more. I feel darkness flourish through my veins. Black clouds begin to appear around us, just like the darkness that used to creep through the woods and chase me.

But then I see death, evil, monsters all flashing in my head as Chanile's solid erection thumps into me hard. My eyes jolt open to see him roughly fucking me and Toby hanging from the cage above. Have those horrible images brought me from the trance or spell I seemed to have been under? I don't know what's happened but I do know that I am fully alert and suddenly very aware that I am having sex in-front of all these strangers, just as Toby hangs above me.

I moan in pleasure but I realise I have been under some sort of hypnosis, this man seems to capture me and I cannot control it. He is fucking me hard, pounding his dick into me as he is cheered on and my father watches, speaking some sort of language I have never heard. I try to push him off me but he pins my arms down and fucks me harder.

"Get the fuck off me," I scream and with will a bright white light shoots from me throwing Chanile off me onto the floor.

What the hell was that? I have no idea how I did it, I just wanted him off. I get up and look up at Toby.

I have to get out of here; I have to get us both out of here!

## Eight

My dress is torn to shreds barely covering my body and blood drops drip down my legs. "The blood of the virgin runs, the purity is no-more," my father howls.

Purity is no-more? Did he not see what I just did, surely that light would have distracted him from his weird chant? "Toby!" I scream up, he looks down at me with relief.

"Impregnate the Princess," my father shouts as Chanile makes his way back to me to finish the job. I quickly glance at him and in a hurry I move back and climb off the slab.

He reaches me and grabs me, swinging me round and bending me over, does he not realise I am no longer in the trance. "You gave yourself to me," he mumbles, "now we are one," he enters me again and fucks me twice as hard as before, pulling on my hair as my father continues with his chanting. It feels good, I start to lose myself in him but Toby's screaming snaps me out of it, I push back and stand up but Chanile sees this as an opportunity to grip my throat and fuck me more.

I hear his moaning intensify and his grip tightens, images once again of death and destruction flow through my mind, I once again will him away and more white light shines from my body sending him flying.

My father looks at me in disturbance that white light, not darkness has sprung from my body. I climb back up onto the slab and jump to the cage hanging above.

Suddenly I feel like I know how to get out of here, it has just come to me, I don't know how and now is not the time to question it. "Hold onto my hand and do not let go," Toby does as instructed as I hear my father screaming at them to get me. The sounds fade away and a white light blinds me, I feel Toby and nothing else.

I open my eyes and there I lie on the field once again with a butterfly on my palm fluttering so freely. I sit up and look, it's the same field and next to me is Toby out cold. I shake him to wake him up, I hope I haven't killed him, "Toby, Toby wake up."

He grunts, "uhh, where am I, what happened?" He opens his eyes and looks at me, "oh my god Willow, are you alright?"

I nod, "yes, well, sort of. I heard you but I just couldn't stop, I couldn't snap out of it and then I saw some really bad things that kind of made me feel sick, they were so bad...." my voice trails off, "so many bad things."

"I saw things too, I saw a world with darkness, witches and warlocks, you know to me those things are not real, they are stories but I saw them, I saw them with my own eyes and you, I saw darkness but then the light."

Yes the light, the light I have no idea where it came from or why it appeared in the moment I was almost consumed by darkness. I felt the evil within my father and Chanile but I still wanted it.

"You're hurt," he murmurs to me looking down at the dried blood on my leg, "I tried to stop you, I screamed as loud as I could to stop you."

I almost want to laugh, if I don't then I will probably burst into tears, "Tried to stop what, me getting fucked so hard I'm bleeding or me giving into evil."

"Both," he sighs, "I screamed and shouted but," he looks at me, "it doesn't matter, you snapped out of it, did he come in you?"

I look at Toby in disgust, "my god Toby what kind of a question is that?"

He looks horrified himself, "no, not like that just I heard what they were doing, wanting to impregnate you with that child and wonder if they succeeded?"

Oh god, I don't know, I look at Toby completely clueless, what if he did, I honestly don't know, "no, I don't think so, I pushed him off twice and anyway I don't want to talk about that' it's disgusting."

"I'm sorry," he looks around, "being as we are close to my house I think it would be a good idea to go back and get changed," he looks up and down at me, "that really isn't a good look for you."

I doubt that it is, torn black dress, blood down my leg and messed up sex hair, I doubt this is a good look for anyone. We get up and start walking back to his mother and father's cottage. My god when they see us like this they are going to have a heart attack.

"Mom, dad?" Toby calls out as we walk inside the house, but there is no answer, "they must be out, which is a relief, god knows what they would have said after seeing you like that, let's go upstairs and shower."

He takes me in the bathroom and closes the door, switching the shower on for me as I look in the mirror feeling shamed.

"It's not your fault you know," he whispers staring at my reflection from behind me.

"Isn't it," I sigh, "no man has ever touched me and the first one that I let take me takes my virtue and draws me into such evil and the worst part is, I liked it." Is this who I am now? A whore to the darkness to be taken whenever they choose? I feel disgusted in myself but if I feel so bad why did I enjoy it so?

"Come on," he tests the temperature of the shower with his hand, "it seems warm enough, have a shower and just forget about it for now."

I take my clothes off, my eyes fixed into space, "how can I forget about it? I have been dragged into a world you only read about in books, magic and darkness and it's not just a scary story, it's real, it's who I am."

He swings me around to face him, "it's not who you are, you are a good person, if you weren't then you wouldn't be feeling so bad about it, you would be wanting to stay there, letting them sacrifice me for the dark needs." He sighs heavily, "Look Willow, I have seen things I could not explain in words, things I would never think were real but they are, I guess sometimes the scary stories are not just made up, we will get through this and you have me to lean on. Your virtue may have been stolen, but your heart still belongs to you, as long as you have a heart that cares you will never be evil."

I step in the shower letting the warm water run down over my body. My thighs are slightly bruised and I feel sore, your first time is supposed to be memorable, enjoyed by both people and yet I feel he got more joy out of it than me. I don't deny I felt some pleasure but he definitely got the better experience.

The soap runs down my body as I try and wash away the events of the day, trying to feel human again.

I would think that everything I have seen or felt is just an extreme nightmare, who would believe me if I said warlock's, witches and dark magic exists? I wouldn't believe it if someone told me, I would think they were crazy, I thought I was starting to go crazy too.

"Are you okay in there?" Toby knocks on the door distracting me.

"Uhh yeah, I'm fine." I switch the shower off and stand letting the water drip off me.

"Okay, well I've made some food, come down and eat when you're ready."

Mmm food, I cannot remember the last time I ate anything, feels like days since we have both eaten. I put on the outfit kindly laid out for me, jeans a top and warm cardigan, just what I needed.

I head downstairs to find a meal laid out on the table, home cooked pasta Bolognese, it smells delicious, "this looks lovely thank you, umm," I move my hair from my face feeling shy, "I'm sorry, I didn't know if you had a dryer."

He smiles, "its okay, you look lovely anyway. Sit and eat, pasta is about the only thing I can cook," he jokes, "So I hope it tastes okay."

Wow this food is good, really good. It could be because I haven't eaten in days but I scoff it down like I haven't eaten in months. As we tuck in and the candles burn around the table, I get a feeling of normality.

Finally I am relaxed and for the first time in god knows how long I don't feel like someone is chasing me.

"You seem relaxed," Toby observes my body language, "don't think I have seen you this relaxed since I met you."

"No, I don't think I have ever been this relaxed either." I slump down in the chair, my belly fuller than a stuffed pig, "I'm used to always being so jumpy, someone always watching me, seeing things no-one else can see."

"Well, now you know you're not crazy, I saw them too," he mumbles with food in his mouth.

"You didn't see what I saw, when he was," I twist my fingers agitated at the thought, "when Chanile was, you know, I saw death, so much death," sorrow fills me as the images do a repeat flash in my head, "why so much death?"

My palm is itching once again and it's very uncomfortable, I look down and it's really red, sort of inflamed, I scratch it but it doesn't ease it. My burnt tattooed image is redder than ever before.

I close my hand into a tight fist to stop the itching but it just burns further, I release and out from my hand shoots a sort of black light that hits the wall and breaks the pictures that were so nicely hung up. Holy shit!

The more upset and frustrated I become at what is happening, the more destructive black light and dust shoots from now both my palms.

Toby jumps up and throws a dish-cloth over my hands, he places himself behind me out of harm's way and lowers my hands under the table, "Okay then, let's just keep your hands under here," he looks around and the once nicely decorated homely kitchen now has smashed items and holes in the walls, "good, okay we don't want you to take someone's eye out so let just go in here," still with slight cheekiness in his voice, he cautiously leads me to the small conservatory attached to the back of the house.

It has a small water fountain surrounded by fairy lights, soft lazy-boy couches where he sits me down. They are so comfy; you could easily slip back into them and go to sleep.

He let's go of my hands slowly, "okay then, do you want to tell me what the hell that was?"

I look down at my hands, "I....I don't know, one minute I was relaxed and the next, I was picturing all that death and I became so sad and a part of me felt angry, my palm started itching like it has done before and then that came out."

"I'm confused," Toby shakes his head, "at the thing you had white light now you have this dark light that seems to have some sort of dust attached to it, is that normal?"

"What the hell, how the hell am I supposed to know if it's normal or not," I reply annoyed, "there isn't a bloody handy 'how to use dark magic' book lying around is there."

He grabs my hands and places them on my lap, "okay hands of fury, maybe we should keep those under there until you know what it is, or well how to control whatever the hell it is."

I see he is obviously scared by what is happening and is using his cheeky sarcasm to mask it and quite frankly I don't blame him, but there is only one person left that I can think of to help me, my mother!

"We need to go back to the orphanage," I mumble, "I need to see my mother."

Toby freaks, "you mean you want to go back to darks-ville where warlocks and ghosts and monsters are just lurking in the shadows for you and your vagina to make some demon baby, are you nuts?"

I roll my eyes, "what choice do we have, everyone else is dead, I have no-one else to turn to."

"Look," he turns my head towards him, "those people wanted to make a human curry out of me to feed to you," I feel a bit sick now he said that, "I'm not in the mood to become someone's side-dish of crazy appetisers."

"You're over-reacting," but I know he's not, he was going to be a sacrifice and the blood was to be dripped all over me, not a nice thing I know. "I need you; didn't you say you would be there for me?"

"Yes I did, look I understand you need your mother but isn't it suicidal going back there? Isn't that where they found you anyway and will probably be expecting you to go right?"

I guess he is right, what if they are just waiting in the shadow's, waiting for my return to just be able to snatch me again? I got away from them before, which means this time they will be even more prepared. "I don't have a choice, I have to go back, and maybe there is a way."

He looks at me confused, his eyes narrow intrigued, "okay, I'm listening, how?"

"Remember, having the chat with me and I said about the light, I thought I was dreaming but I wasn't," he nods, "well what if we don't go back to the orphanage, just back to that spot and see if I can see her."

"That's still risky though, I'm sure they will still find you and how do you know your mother will still be there, I mean no offence sugar but I don't think it's a place you kind of want to hang around in you know."

"I don't know she will be there and yes it's a risk and I don't know how I am going to see her but I know that I don't have any other choice, I'm running out of options here, I cannot see any other way unless you do?"

Toby sighs running his hands through his hair, "No I don't, okay, but this time, let's go with some protection," he grabs a knife from the draw.

I burst into laughter, "are you serious, we're being chased by magical beings that have dark magic and can move you just by looking at you and you want to take a knife?"

He looks at me, looks at the knife and his eyes widen as he realises his stupidity, "umm, yeah good point, suppose that wouldn't do any good would it," he puts the knife down, "so what do we have?"

"Well there is only one thing we have, me, I have power right, shouldn't I use it to defend us," I shrug tying my hair back. My hair has been in my face and I hate it, tying it back keeps it of the way, battle prepared I guess.

"Ummm not being funny honey but have you seen the holes in my kitchen wall? Magical as you may be you're not exactly the best at using that stuff and I don't fancy a hole in my torso, for god sake I'm not Helen Sharpe."

I stop mid-tie, arms in the air and very confused, "who the hell is Helen Sharpe?"

"Oh my god, you know, Death Becomes Her," he looks at me as I look back at him emotionless, "hole in the belly," he does the actions, "movie, woman shot, you know" I shake my head, "oh, well it's a good film."

Is he for real right now? "In-case you forget, I was raised in an orphanage and have lived there for the past seventeen years, well what I thought was the orphanage and I mainly read books and watched documentaries on the world, I wasn't privileged with movies or DVD's and things like that."

"Oh yeah," he mumbles awkwardly, "Sorry it just came out, I didn't think. Well maybe one day I will take you to the movies and you can experience it," he smiles.

I laugh, sometimes he speaks before he has chance to think about what he is about to say, but after being attached to him last few days I am slightly getting used to it. "Who knows? We might be able to get your car back."

"My car," he sighs, "I hope so, because if I don't how am I going to tell my parents about what happened to it? They spent a lot of money on that car for me, if anything happens that's going to be my balls on the table, I don't fancy that!"

I shrug, "I don't know, look let's just go there and see what we can find okay, this is my last shot, I don't want this dark magic, I don't want any of it and if you see that temptation is taking over, please do all you can to stop me, I don't want to hurt anyone."

"I promise I will try, I mean, do you want me to tackle you to the ground or something, stand in-front of you waving a torch with fire on it?" he smirks at me; I again see his cheeky sarcasm in his smirk.

"A torch, what the fuck do you think I am an Ogre? No I don't want you to shine a torch or stick me with a pitchfork or anything else crazy that you are thinking about okay, this is serious, just be normal and do a normal thing and stop me, stop being such a bloody pleb?"

"A pleb?" he giggles, "what the hell is a pleb?

"You, you're a pleb" he looks amused, no, I will not let him make me laugh, "Look, let's just go okay."

He nods and comes over and gives me a soft kiss on the forehead, as much as he can be a sarcastic cheeky chap, he really is kind of sweet and adorable.

With a deep breath and thoughts of wanting to be nowhere but the orphanage, Toby takes my hand and we are gone.

## Nine

We arrive at the orphanage and our surroundings are once again chilling and eerie. The building still looks the same as it was when we left it and Toby's car is parked up, seemingly untouched as if no-one has been near it.

Toby walks over and inspects his car, doing the man thing he kicks the tyres and run's his hands across the body, "Well at least my car seems fine," Toby smiles.

I roll my eyes, it's a car! "Yeah I guess so, we'll come back for it later though, we can't drive that thing through the woods," I turn to walk away but Toby stops me.

He is still, his eyes nervously scan the surroundings, "Why is it always so dark here, even if the sun is shining, it never seems to shine here," Toby mumbles under the light whistles of the wind.

"I don't know," I shrug, "it's always been like this, like an eternal winter ever since I was about six. Maybe because that's exactly what it is, it's something dark and unnatural therefore the sun will never shine here," I take his hand, "come on, and stop delaying we have things to do."

I lead him down deep into the woods as my mind tries to replay the steps I once took to see my mother. We walk slowly through the woods as the cold air brushes over our skin.

"Never imagined I'd be here doing this," Toby mumbles shivering slightly in the cold night air.

I laugh, "no me neither, this is not how I imagined my life would turn out, even though I grew up with practically nothing." As a result of my own imagination I suppose.

He looks at me, the tip of his nose bright red from the cold, "how did you imagine your life?"

I smile as I imagine what I have always imagined since I was a child, "well, when I knew I wasn't going to be adopted because I was much older than all the other children, obviously not realising that all of it was just me and my magical mind, I planned to leave the orphanage at eighteen, track down my parents and become a social worker, you know, helping those children who needed it, just like me when I needed help I know there are others just like me."

"Sounds like a lovely vision to have," he smiles at me.

I nod, "yeah, I always imagined my mother and father to be two love struck teenagers who gave me up as to not disappoint their families and because they couldn't afford me, you know because I imagined them to be so young when they had me, but would always be waiting for me to come home one day. I imagined going home to them and growing into a woman and I would meet a nice guy who wouldn't hurt me, become a social worker and help out all those needy children, help find them homes they deserved or whatever, have my own children and watch them grow"

"Well," he looks forward squinting through the forest mist, "you can still do all those things you know, once this is over, who is to say you cannot have a normal life?"

"After this I doubt anything can be normal, I mean, I have far too many...."

"Be quiet," he cuts me off placing his hand over my mouth, "listen."

I listen but all I hear the whistling sounds of the winds the rustling leaves and owls, "what? I don't hear anything," I whisper.

"You can't hear that?"

"Hear what?" I look around.

"It's like chimes, or bells, or Santa."

Santa, is he serious? He takes my hand and leads me in a different direction. To be honest I'm glad he has taken some of the lead as I had no idea where I was going.

I tried to remember the path where my mother led me but when she did, I was too fixated on her light to pay attention to my surroundings and where I was going at the time. Toby holds on tightly to my hand as he leads me through the woods, following something it appears only he can hear.

We enter a clearing which looks familiar. I look up and I can see the dark skies and the stars twinkle above us, this is it, this is where I saw my mother.

Toby walks around pulling my hand, investigating the area around us, trying to find the sounds that strangely only he can hear. I follow him, I have no choice but to, he has hold of my hand, dragging me with him I still cannot hear anything. Is he going mad?

Suddenly he stops and looks to the trees, "it's stopped," he whispers. A white ball of light appears before us, "you see that right, I'm not going crazy am I? You see that yes?" he points, his eyes wide with astonishment.

"I do," it's her, it's my mother. I can never forget that bright white light.

"There you are my children," there she appears floating before us, my mother, "only a true Voluric would have heard the Sound of Mantaris."

"Please tell me that you can see the floating woman," he grips me hand, "otherwise there's something seriously wrong with me and I will definitely need to see a shrink"

I almost laugh, "no don't worry I see it, this is what we came here to find."

He looks at me then looks back at her, "the sound of what now?"

My floating mother laughs, "Mantaris, it is music designed to reach out to Voluric when they have their fellow witch with them, that would be you my dear," she looks at me smiling.

"Mom," that sounds weird coming from my mouth, not a word I have used much in my life, "I came here because I don't know what to do, I did as you said, I went to that Alfie guy and he told me lots of things about me and you and dad and now he's dead."

"My daughter," she lowers down to me, Toby however is slightly fearful and steps back gripping my hand tighter, "Alfie's death is not your fault, that's what they want you to believe, that the darkness is you so you go to them, after-all, if they destroy your will to be good what else is there left for you but to go to them." Her words are exactly what Toby said when I blamed myself for all the death around me.

"Mom, I'm tempted by the darkness, so tempted that I gave myself to that Chanile guy," I shiver at the thought, "now I don't know what to do, who I am, what powers I have, I need your help, can you not come back here and help me and you didn't even tell me that night about the orphanage, about what it really was, why?"

"Where I am I cannot return, not yet, not whilst your father is the ruler, it's too risky. There are some things you needed to discover on your own, you needed to see yourself not have me tell you. Opening your eyes to the reality was the only way to get you to believe in what was happening. You have great power my daughter and you will discover all of this as you are pushed further into a world I tried so hard to keep you away from."

Well she didn't try very hard did she by up and disappearing leaving me on my own, "Oh yeah my magic, this powerful magic everyone keeps telling me that I have, if that's so then how come I do not know what it is, I cannot control it, things are flying out of my hands whenever it chooses and in different colours, what the hell means what?"

"My daughter, you have the power to bring down humanity or save it, the power within you can cause destruction or peace. The darkness that springs does so when you want to destroy something, when you first used it, did you want to stop something?"

Toby huffs, "no, she did put some very big holes in my bloody kitchen wall though."

My mother laughs, "that's only a small amount of power, what were you thinking about," she looks back at me.

Do I tell her that I was fucked by an evil warlock and I saw death and destruction? She's looking at me like she already knows the answer anyway, "death, I saw death, I didn't want it."

"That's the evil within you wanting to be set free and destroy something, it will destroy anything you want it to, but you need to use the light within you to stop it, you said different colours, I assume you mean that a white light has projected itself from you."

She definitely knows more than she is letting on, why doesn't she just say? Or is she doing the 'I want you to find out for yourself,' thing. I nod and agree with her.

"Yeah that came when I was about to be used as a blood pool for her and her...."

I slap my hands over his mouth, "just something I was doing but yes."

"It's because you wanted to save a man you knew was pure and light flows within him. Harness that energy and use it to defeat what you need, try not to use the dark magic, the less you use the less seductive it will be and the more the goodness will flourish within you. You are better than they are, I kept you away from them so their dark influences could not be bestowed upon you, you have the power to stop this, focus and you will succeed."

"But what if I don't want this, I don't want this dark gift and the death that comes with it, I just want to be me, you know I want to live a normal life."

"The Voluric will help you; his blood is precious to them, they crave it for their spell casting, white magic is the most powerful magic of all. A Voluric has no real magic like you, it has it in their blood, if they get hold of it, they gain access to many of the good witches in the world, they can use it against us, by letting it drip over you it takes away the good magic but allows you to keep track of every good witch in the world, but with you, as you are the one, the daughter of the lord warlock, your blood is sacred and the Voluric and you together, you will conquer."

"Oh great," Toby gasps, "So they want my blood to cast spells and shit? Great, just great, what am I to them, some sort of seductive milkshake."

He does have a way with words, both my mother and I give him that, 'you're an idiot look.'

I feel a cold chill sending shivers down my spine all of a sudden and that's when I know, the darkness is near, "mother, I can feel them coming, the temptation is too much, how can I do this?"

"Look inside yourself, use your mind, remember your past and you will know." She floats away into the distance and before I can ask another question, she is gone.

Look to my past? I don't remember much before my sixth birthday. Pacing backwards and forwards as Toby get's increasingly nervous; my mind races back over the conversation with Alfie. He told me I had been using magic all my life, but I didn't remember doing it, then he told me about how the magic in me and my imagination created everyone at the orphanage after Doreen had died, the state of the orphanage was due to my sadness at being alone.

He said my mother used to cast spells and show me but she is in that Oreneeras place, did she show me how to do them and I simply don't remember?

"Willow," Toby whispers, but I ignore him, still pacing backwards and forward trying to piece everything together. Spells? Me? Can I honestly cast spells? If I can how would I do them? "Willow," he whisper's again sounding a little more worried but again I ignore him, "Willow!" he screams.

"For god sake Toby what?" I yell back, but he doesn't say anything, he just points. I turn and look behind me and there surrounding us is the darkness.

I stare into it and don't move, I feel Toby tugging on my arm but I stare darkness in the face, "Umm, Willow, I don't fancy being someone's lunch right now."

I move away from him and walk up to the darkness, "you can float there all you want but I've had enough," I scream confidentially, "I don't want this, I don't want you, do what you will but you will never have what you want from me."

"Okay Mike Tyson," Toby pulls me away, "enough with the fists of fury, fucking run."

I do as he says sensing his fear and we both run as fast as we can out of the woods. Toby is a faster runner than me so I feel him pull on me trying to get back to the main road.

"Wait," I pull on him catching my breath, "why are we running, shouldn't we be fighting back?"

"Are you nuts," he replies breathless, "you need to figure out what you're doing first, not running in there guns blazing without a plan, that's how bad things happen, now come on," he grabs me and pulls me.

Running as fast as we can I try and take a glimpse back to see if the darkness is still behind us, it could have been anyone. One of the warriors, Chanile or my father, Toby is right though, I need to keep running, now is not the time to fight them even though I had every intention of coming here to do just that if it was needed.

I feel a tug on my hair which pulls me backwards. I scream as I feel like my hair is being torn from my skull. I can't think or stop it, I hold on trying to release whatever it is that has me gripped so tightly. It fucking hurts!

I see Toby running after me as I get dragged through the woods, sticks and debris scratch underneath me, everything hurts, I need to stop, I want it to stop. I scream at the top of my lungs as Toby runs faster in-front of me to try and catch me.

"Let her go," he screams, he reaches out for me and a burst of white light shoots from his arms, through his hands and straight at the darkness causing it to let go. I fall back as I come to a halt and my head smacks down the ground.

Toby stands in shock, how the hell did he do that? I thought he had no real magic? He grabs me, pulls me up. I look at him in disbelief, what the hell just happened?

We stare at each-other as we both wonder the same thing, he knows what I am thinking and I know what he is thinking, but we do not have time to stop.

Gripping hold of each-other he and I run as fast as we can until we are out of the woods and back on the main road. We never run back to the orphanage, always to open road, seems safer to do that than run back to somewhere where it seems they have full control.

We keep running to get as far away from the woods as possible. I look back and see nothing, as I look above, the sun is out, we are out of the darkness.

"Are you okay?" I ask him as we walk slowly down the road and I catch my breath.

"I don't know to be honest," he stares at his hands which are now shaking, "I just wanted you to be okay, I wanted them to stop, I felt an urge and when I screamed it just came out. I thought I didn't have any magic, this has never happened to me before no matter how badly I have wanted them to stop. How can this happen to me? I don't have magic I don't, the light just came out."

"I know I saw," I look at his face, he is clearly uncomfortable with the situation, "I guess it could be your connection with me that brings it out of you, maybe that is why you have never been able to do that until now because before now you never needed to use something like that. Look, I'm just as shocked as you. Maybe there is a way we can figure this all out, surely we can get some answers from a psychic or something?"

"A psychic?" he laughs, "oh yeah that will go down well telling other people, like 'oh by the way white light shoots from my body and she's a witch and warlocks and demons are chasing us'" he says dramatically, "I'm sure the men in white coats will come along and take us away, crazy Susie and her sidekick locked in a padded room for life...."

"Will you stop?" I stop walking and look at him, "I don't know all the fucking answers or who is going to be able to help us n this bloody mess but I'm trying okay, there isn't going to be a book like 'how to defeat the evil warlock,' or 'what is that bright white light I see,' for god's sake I'm trying okay, will you just stop being an ass please?"

He sighs, "You're right I'm sorry, I guess I'm just freaking out a little over here, I mean, this is a lot to take in. A few days ago I was a guy you know, hanging with my friends, sipping some beers and now I'm here with you, chasing ghosts, warlocks and trying not to have the life drained out of me."

We smile at each-other and continue walking up the road. We're not chasing ghosts but I get where he is coming from. I don't know how I am going to do this or what it is that is going to help me, thoughts of Alfie and my mother flash in my mind as I try to figure out what type of magic I have within me.

There is so much to figure out and I'm afraid I will not have the time to, it will just be a case of 'when I need it, it will come.'

Winging it I suppose!

## Ten

We reach the town that I ventured into before all this happened, I remember the first time I came here and worried about what it would look like but when I it was very normal. People are going about their normal everyday lives; they have no idea about the darkness that lurks in the world, the darkness that wants to take everything they have away.

Toby and I walk hand in hand looking around the town, I don't really know what is here, I went to the grocery store and that is it, never ventured far enough to discover what was at my disposal. Why would I have a look around when I didn't have the money to spend anyway!

I watch as seemingly happy couples and their children pass us by, that's what I want, I want to be normal just like them. I have no idea if they are as happy as they seem, I guess no-one really knows that. I mean, these people, they could look happy but could be miserable at home, it doesn't matter, I want normal everyday problems, like where I should live, what colour to paint the bedroom, what school should my children go to and silly arguments over spilt milk on the kitchen worktop, not warlocks and black magic.

We keep walking until we get to the centre where there is a huge shopping mall entrance, I hear a crowd of rowdy men cheering and shouting. Toby turns and his face drops as the men seem to be coming towards us.

"Do you know them?" I mumble, he nods and seems to be suddenly distant with me.

"Bro, there you are," a man grabs him and playfully fights with him, "where have you been, we called your cell, your house, your mom says she haven't seen you in days, dude she's worried."

"Yeah," he shifts uncomfortably and doesn't return the play fighting, his friends notice his weird body language and look at me as if I'm the reason he is acting weird, which I probably am, "haven't been home, been busy."

"Oookay," his friend looks at me again, "so who is this little honey."

"Oh this?" Toby looks at me and then back at them, "this is ummm, oh this is my girlfriend," he pulls me into him being over dramatic, "yeah you know, just been busy with her doing stuff, you know how it is when you hook up with a little honey," did he just call me his little honey, what am I five? "And I will call my mom don't worry."

His friends notice how strange he is being and there is now an awkward silence as we all stand there without saying a word, with kooky eyes all looking at each-other. I have been some places and situations but this is the most awkward I have ever felt.

"Well got to go bro, will see you soon yeah?" He pats him on the shoulder.

"Uhh yeah sure, will call you when I can," Toby replies stiffly.

They walk off and Toby and I continue to the mall. We barely say a word to each-other, I sense he was a little off with his friends and now he seems a little off with me.

I try to put it to the back of my head but I can't, I cannot let it go, I have to know why he suddenly changed around me, "embarrassed to be seen with me were you?"

"What," he looks and frowns at me, "no of course not, why would you think that?"

"Just the way you acted around them, they gave me some dodgy stares probably wondering why you weren't the friend they usually encounter, I could tell you kept your distance so would have thought you done that because you were embarrassed to be seen with me."

"It's just," he sighs, "seeing them made me see how different my life was, I panicked and didn't know what to say to them, my life it isn't normal anymore, plus you know my mom is worried about me, look at them," we both look at the people around us, normal everyday people, "they have no idea about the darkness or the things we have seen, and I couldn't very well tell the guys about it could I, they would have thought I was a right loon!"

I see his point and understand why he was so awkward, I mean, what could he say to them about where he has been or what he has been doing? I guess I wouldn't understand what he is going through, I don't have any friends.

We carry on walking, "you said I was your girlfriend," I mumble as we walk through the crowds.

"Well, what was I mean to say, 'hi guys meet the witch who has dark powers'?" He smirks with sarcasm. His cheekiness has come back.

We walk for what feels like ages, down the bottom of the mall, the top of the mall and there is nothing in here that seems to be able to help me, why would I think that there was? This isn't something you can just walk in a shop and learn about, this is my family, my dark family and I am starting to think the only person who can sort this is me. My mother certainly isn't going to help me and the other person I relied on is now dead.

We go outside where there is a fountain and large open space; people seem to be sat down reading books near the fountain and just relaxing under the sun, seems nice and just what people should be doing, not chasing warlocks and witches.

Toby and I go there and sit on the side. I try to think of the magic I have apparently used all my life. Okay, so I imagined an entire orphanage full of people, that's got to take some serious magic to do that, I killed a woman, need to get that thought out of my head, but that was clearly dark magic and not my fault, I don't think? I can use my hands to release good and bad magic and I can go places with a thought if I think really hard about it, cannot think of anything else I have been able to do or anything else that I can do.

"You're quiet, you okay?" Toby asks chucking quarters in the fountain.

"Yeah," I watch him, "just thinking about stuff, all the stuff to be honest, what are you doing?"

"I'm making wishes," he smiles, "if witches, warlocks and scary things are real who is to say that a wish in a fountain cannot come true, what you thinking about anyway."

Okay, very good point, I wonder what else we thought was make-believe as children is actually real, "just," I sigh, "you know, all the things that we have been told, me using magic all my life, both dark and light magic, just wondering how to use what I need to so that we can survive this."

He takes my hand, "just look inside yourself and have faith that you will find what is needed and you will be able to do this."

His words fill my soul with courage and determination, I can do this, and I will do this. It's my life and I'm not going to let someone who wants death and destruction take it away from me. Well, at least I hope I won't let them, "Come on, let's get out of here."

Toby and I get up and leave the mall, there is nothing for us there, as we walk outside I feel the burning sensation once again itching in my palm. Panic grips me as the last time I felt that, black light came shooting from my hand.

No, not now, I'm in a public place! I walk quickly as Toby quick walks behind me confused as to what is going on. I head behind the mall where the bins and rubbish is kept, well out of the way of passing people.

"Willow what's the matter?" He asks worried.

"This," I unclench my fists and out shoots the dark light. I look at Toby's wide eyes, "you see, I could feel it coming."

"Okay, well," he covers my hands, "we should just keep these covered."

At that moment a dark cloud appears overhead. We look up to the sky and see the once blue sunny sky has now gone dark, almost black even.

I feel a cold chill run down my spine and I know, they are here and they've found me. Surely they will not attack in public. Toby stands protectively in-front of me as warriors begin to descend from the sky on what can only be described as rope made of lightening.

They stand in-front of us like an army waiting to attack. They stand stiff, tall and proud holding their spears and armour which baffles me I mean, do magical beings need armour and spears?

There from the darkness of the clouds and the mist that has now surrounded us I see two figures slowly walking towards us.

"My daughter, it is time you take your rightful place at my side, you know this is where you want to be." He stands before his warriors, authoritative and calm.

"I maybe your daughter by blood, but one that doesn't make you my dad and two it doesn't mean that my rightful place is with you," I go to move but Toby keeps me behind him, "I don't want to be by your side."

"Ahh, but you do," he paces slowly backwards and forward so calm and yet very intimidating, "you see I sense the darkness in you, how it rushes through your veins and calls to you. It tempts you. Like Siren's call it pulls you in."

"Don't listen to him," Toby interrupts holding me back, "remember you're stronger than that, you have light magic inside you too, fight it Willow, you are strong."

My father laughs, "you think so you disgusting Voluric, you think you can defeat me, you who has never known of who you are until now, you have had no training and will never be good enough, she," he points at me, "has my blood magic in her veins, in pulses through her like fire, I know she likes it, I see it in her eyes as the darkness begins to consume her."

"She may have that but she has her mother's blood magic in her two," he snaps back, "I won't let you take her, you'll have to get through me first before you get one finger on her."

Suddenly I don't feel like myself, I feel like something or someone else. I feel drawn to Chanile who is stood beside my father, his dark mask hides part of his face but I know it's him, I see those beautiful tempting eyes.

I no longer feel Toby, I see him but he seems distorted to me, like a blurry vision I cannot make out. He shakes me but I don't pay attention, Chanile is looking at me and I am staring back at him. The commotion around me continues but suddenly I feel like I don't care. Do I actually care? I'm not sure, something inside me is very over-powering.

"You see Voluric, the darkness has consumed her, the battle within herself has ceased and she has chosen, her eyes are as black as the dark Princess should be, now she will come with us and fulfil her destiny, my progeny reunited with her chosen."

I see my father's hand reach out towards me, I walk towards him but instead of reaching for his hand, I reach for Chanile's, I think a part of me loves this man, is it love? Or lust? I couldn't tell you as I have never felt either before; all I feel that I know is the desire to be with him.

He swoops me into his arms, "now we can finish what we started, you and I as one, creators of the Destroyer, true rulers of darkness."

"Yes," I whisper happily letting him carry me away in his arms. I do not notice or pay attention to anything else, I am just happy to be in the arms of this man who is too tempting to resist. I feel like I am meant to be with him, something inside me yearns deeply for this evil man.

"Willow no!" I hear being bellowed at me as a bright white lights falls over us causing Chanile to drop me. The hard fall on the floor opens my eyes and suddenly I see. I see everything around me, I did it didn't I, I succumbed to the darkness.

The light has shone brightly from Toby and his willingness to protect and save me, I see him fiercely run through the gathered warriors towards me.

They move in ready to attack, I cannot let them hurt him, "No, you leave him alone," I shout as I blast the white light of magic from me, my body begins to glow and suddenly things come to my mind that I have never thought of.

Wanting to get to them before they get to Toby, I feel a sudden burst of energy and I am able to move faster and more effectively than they are. It is as if I have a rocket on my back and I am filtering through them too fast for them to be able to catch me, like a magic speed spell, not that I remember casting one or saying any words.

I am wiping them out, the warriors are disappearing and I feel a protective bubble around me, that's Toby! Toby is keeping me protected, I guess he really is one of those Volu-things, happiness and goodness surges through me and I am on a roll, fighting this evil darkness with Toby's protection around me.

I wiz through them but then suddenly I feel a tight grasp around my neck which knocks the air out of me. I stop mid-fight and look to see my father has gripped me by the throat.

I try and pull his hands away but it's too tight. Toby comes towards me to get me but my father uses magic and sends him flying into the wall. He hits it hard enough to knock the wind out of him.

"You will come with me and you will fulfil your destiny. I have waited years for this moment and I will not be defeated by the fucking Tasura, you and Chanile are the Capara, the couple united in darkness and you will bring forth the destroyer." He drops me to the floor and I gasp for air.

I try to call out to Toby but my father gripped me so tight that the sounds fail to leave my mouth.

"Tie him and take him away, his blood will be used at the ceremony, get her dressed, she is getting married whether she likes it or not," he orders and leaves.

Married? What the fuck I don't want to get married. I am dragged across the floor and then picked up by a warrior as Chanile is helped up by my father.

I kick and scream in the arms of a warrior I do not want to man handled by, "put me fucking down," I fight wriggling as much as I can for him to release me but he does not obey. He throws me over his shoulder like a naughty child and carries on walking.

I am thrown in the back of the carriage but this time I am aware of what is happening. There sitting calmly is my father and Chanile, he magically binds my hands together and I feel a force pushing me backwards, I cannot move or run out of here. If I am as powerful as my mother stated why am I not able to fight them?

The carriage begins to move, I watch out of the window as huge black clouds seems to appear beside us and then we are gone, not one human managed to see that. How is that possible?

My father looks at his hands, picking the dirt from his nails, "you know my daughter, the more you fight me the more you will lose. You are weak and not strong enough to defeat me; the light magic in you is no competition for me, so give it up."

He is right, I have no idea how strong he is compared to me and my whole life I never knew I had magic. Yes, my mother and Alfie said to me I have been using it but I was completely unaware, I get a sudden surge of power and I feel like I know what I am doing when really, I don't. I don't know how to force the difference of the good and bad magic within me, is it because I have so much doubt as to what I can do? My god my head is spinning, there is so much going on in my mind.

Chanile's eyes are fixed on mine, his face hidden under the mask but his eyes so clearly visible. I feel an ache in my body as if I want to run and sit on him, the temptation of darkness is once again drawing me in, why do I feel so tempted by this man?

I shift uncomfortably as I feel the evil building in my soul, my father looks at me and smirks, "you want him don't you, you feel the desire, the pull towards him." I don't say a word, well I can't, I'm gagged, "that's the evil woman in you begging to be set free, she loves him, she wants him and is connected to him. He is what she dreams of and yearns for, it has been that way since your birth as the red stars burned brightly at the times of your births, connecting you for all eternity."

So that's why I'm connected? That's why I desire him so badly, through some evil magic that occurred when I was born. I feel disgusted in myself but at the same time my father is right, I am yearning for him. I guess my father's point is merited, I cannot fight the evil inside me and it's too strong, too powerful for me to overcome.

I watch out of the window as I once again see the black mountains and the dark castle; we have once again come to Acribus.

As we approach it I feel the darkness flourish within me as my soul gives in to the temptation, I feel naughty, sexy and free all of a sudden. Is this what darkness is? Freedom and sexy? If so then what could be so bad about that? What consequences could there be of feeling this good and this bad?

My father looks at me and smiles, "and there they are, the black eyes of the evil Princess, nice to see you my daughter."

Hearing his words I look at my reflection in the carriage windows, there I see what he sees, my eyes are black.

It's true! I am evil, I am the evil Princess. I cannot fight it anymore; I should just accept that this is who I am.

## Eleven

We enter the castle, me on the arm of Chanile and my father before us. Everyone kneels before us and bows their heads as we walk passed out of respect for the royalty that we are. I feel like the evil inside of me is jumping for joy as I am seen as someone of high importance. I never had anything as a child and now these people are worshiping me, is it bad to want that?

There is a large glass ceiling looking out the skies above the castle. The moon shines in the black sky creating a dark blue night effect and I appear to be able to see stars, as dark as it may be, it does actually look quite pretty.

I look in the large mirrors as we pass them and I begin to see myself turning completely dark, my hair and my eyes are now as black as the night, my skin a lovely shade of pale pink and my lips so red and shiny I look like I have painted them with blood. I stand and admire the evil which has made me appear beautiful.

A cage on wheels rolls up next to me being pushed by the warriors. My mind registers that it is Toby in there but the darkness within me stops me from acting, it is as if I am enjoying the pain he is being inflicted with.

"Willow," he mumbles, "please fight this, don't let the darkness consume you, fight it, I know why you do, because you believe it's the best you will ever have after coming from nothing, you think that you cannot do any better and after killing someone you think it is who you are and that there will be no consequences, but there are, death of people, children, you can do better than this," he begs me as they cart him away.

I call out and stop them; the warriors look at me but say nothing and do as instructed. I walk over to Toby whose face shows fear, "you," I snarl, "the protector, the one who was supposed to help me, now look at you in a cage and barely able to help me at all," I feel as if I want to cry but then the evil within me stops the tears, "you failed and you cannot help me now, the darkness has won, this is who I am."

He screams at me begging me to stop as they take him away. My father turns me away from him and I smile, a warrior comes towards me and fails to kneel at my feet, what an asshole, does he not know who I am? Feeling annoyed at his ignorance, I raise my hand to him as my dark magic lifts him into the air. He begins to choke and I watch on his pleasure as he desperately gasps for air. These warriors aren't magical, they have no power, they are just an army created to fulfil a purpose. I am so angry, I feel as if I could scream at the top of my lungs and burst into rage, is this the darkness in me or just me because I'm hurting, I am accepting this dark gift, it is who I was born to be but as much as the black magic flourishes through my veins, I still feel torn inside.

My father touches my arm after admiring me and my power, I look at him and then let the warrior drop to the floor, there I leave him coughing trying to breathe again. I guess I am powerful; I gripped his throat so tightly without even touching him physically.

Feeling in some sort of pleasurable evil trance, I am lead to a room by Chanile, my father kisses me on the forehead and for a moment he seems like a caring and loving father. He looks at Chanile and then leaves.

I look around the room; it is a bedroom with a large four poster bed dripping in satin drapes and sheets. A fire burns in the corner keeping the room warm and dark creepy gargoyle like statues hang on the walls. I feel as if their stone eyes are watching and judging me.

"You and I have a duty to fulfil," his deep voice almost echoes in the room.

A duty, is that what he sees this as? "Oh really, and what duty is that?"

He moves closer to me, "to be united as one, to create that which has been foreseen, our bond is strong," he pulls me into him, "you feel it don't you, deep inside just as I feel you."

I pull him into me as I walk backwards reaching the bed. I lie down and invite him to lie on top of me. He slides between my legs and I feel his manly body hover over mine.

For a second I feel he is going to be gentle with me, but that thought only lasts for a moment, he rips my jeans off with one hand without a struggle and touches me.

I lie still and just stare into him; this man has me totally fixated on him and nothing else. I feel him tear all of my clothes off until my bare body lies beneath him.

He kisses me hard and pushes his erection deep into me without doing anything else; if that was foreplay I must admit I am disappointed. It's not soft loving and gentle, it is a fuck like I am some sort of slut from a whorehouse for him to play with.

My eyes stay open as I look above to ceiling. Images of a war are painted on it showing the destruction of humanity. I'm not sure if it's me but it seems as if the images in the painting are moving. There in the corner is a baby and his eyes are black just like mine.

Chanile flips me over distracting me from painting as I now look down to the bed on my hands and knees with him behind me. He grabs my hips and pulls me back on to his monstrous dick, this guy feels huge. He pounds me; each thrust feels deeper than the first and getting stronger.

I feel a small amount of pleasure as the sex intensifies and my vagina feels every inch of him. I moan with gratification as his hands grip my hips, pulling me onto him.

Magic starts to swirl around us in the form of black mist; he pulls my arms behind my back and lifts me so I am on just my knees, my back touching his tight muscled chest.

The harder he fucks me, the more the magic around us accentuates. I begin moaning louder as pleasure soars through my body; Chanile is pounding me so hard I can hear the sounds of the skin to skin contact as they make a clapping sound when he bangs into me.

"You and I are one," he moans. His magic pushes me up the bed and my chest is now against the wall. He flips me around and lifts me onto his waist; he inserts himself into me once again.

The images in the painting on the ceiling seem to be coming to life, it must be my imagination, a battle commences and the baby is moving, how is that possible, it's just a painting, right?

Chanile's fucks me so hard I begin to scream out, both pleasure and pain. His moan deepens and dark magic, like a shadow forms between us, it shoots into the ceiling as Chanile's fingers dig into my skin and then it all stops and everything around me goes dark.

I open my eyes slightly disorientated, did I fall asleep? I sit up and look around me; I am all on my own feeling the urge to destroy anything and everything.

I get up and look down to see I am in another ball-gown type dress. The dress is black and elegantly stunning, it's a beautiful embroidered and glitter tulle fabric on the ball-gown type skirt, a full skirt like a wedding dress and bust line with a pleated tulle bodice. I feel like a Princess.

My hair is a mess though, not impressed with that. I'm in this beautiful gown, somehow, and yet no-one fixed my hair? I can do magic to fix this right? After-all, I am the most powerful witch in the world apparently so why not? Feeling adventurous, I wave my hand in the air and whisper "let's fix what I can see, the hair for a Princess, now a queen." My hair begins to move on its own as I watch the reflection in the mirror, I laugh as magic does my hair. It curls it into stunning waves slightly bumped up at the top, there, done.

My father enters looking pleased with himself, "my daughter, you look beautiful."

"What am I wearing and how did I get it on?" I look at my reflection; I cannot stop touching this beautiful dress.

"It is your wedding dress, the slaves helped put it on you, do you not like it?"

"No I think it's beautiful," I look at him confused, "slaves? We have slaves?"

He laughs, "of course we do, humans who are beneath us, it doesn't matter, here this is for you," he hands be a wreath to put in my hair, it is made out of sparkling black roses, it would be pretty if it didn't seem so morbid.

"I am glad you chose to join us my daughter, your power will lead us into a great victory, finally the Lefire Warlocks and Witches will have what it is they deserve."

I acknowledge his speech but I do not respond, I just look at myself. Dark magic really can change your appearance.

He leaves me be and I place the wreath on my head. Staring at myself in the mirror this is it, this is me and who I was born to be. I cannot change it now; I guess it doesn't matter anymore.

"Willow," I hear whispered in the air, the mirror begins to show some very heavy white clouds like a storm and appearing through the mirror is a figure, am I dreaming? There is a figure and clouds in my mirror. "Willow this is not who you are, you are a good witch with a heart inside of you, do not let darkness consume you, you think you deserve this but you don't."

That voice, is sounds familiar to me, why do I know it? "Who is that?"

"Willow you must fight it, only your strength will unite you and your Voluric, you must have faith in good magic and together you can defeat this."

I cover my ears, I do not want to hear anymore, I want it to stop trying to tear me apart, the magic inside me fights to be free, both dark and light. I gave into something that it appeared who I was meant to be, what I was meant to choose, I wish they would stop pulling me in different directions and just let me be.

"Stop it, stop it, stop it," I scream smashing the mirror into pieces and making the voices disappear. "I am the dark Princess, I must be," I mumble into the air at whoever may be listening, "the darkness has won, I cannot fight it anymore, I deserve nothing, I killed a woman, I deserve darkness and those around me never helped me, no-one deserves to live in the light, humans will perish, humans are bad."

I almost break into tears but a knock on the door stops me. A warrior pops his head around giving me the look that they are waiting for me.

He leads me to a grand hall where it is decorated with everything so dark and sinister it would give you nightmares.

As I walk passed the crowd of warriors, there in-front of me I see a small child, he looks no older to me than about seven or maybe even eight years old.

He is dirty, like he has not seen a bath or shower in months, who is he? I watch as a warrior pulls him out of the way to allow me to pass, oh my god is he a slave? Is this who my father see's as unworthy? Do children deserve to be punished because the darkness in me says so? Is the whole world of people to be judged because I say so, simply because of one bad person?

Dangling above me in a cage is Toby. I look up and his eyes lock on mine. Images flash in my head of Toby and I fighting the darkness.

I see flashbacks in my head of everything that we have been through and I remember the feeling of being in his arms. The child behind me is starved and beaten, a slave to the darkness for no other reason than he is apparently unworthy. Wait, this isn't right, children should be protected, I should have been protected, is this what I want? Whether or not I believe it is what I deserve, other children shouldn't suffer the same fate as me and live in darkness, I let the power consume because I thought there would be no consequences for this, but there is, I'm looking at it!

I feel something drain from me, as if the heavy dark magic in my soul is draining out of me. I catch a reflection of myself and I see the darkness in my eyes has gone.

Oh my god! The one thing I said I didn't want but I succumbed to it because it was easy, tempting and it seemed like there were no consequences of dark magic, just free to do as you choose, feel sexy, feel wanted, it's all the things I have craved for so many years.

Looking at Toby and the child I realise there are not just consequences but severe ones, death, families torn apart, darkness upon normal people who go about their everyday lives like they should, slavery and above all an evil child that will rule them as if he were the devil, the destroyer of humanity for his own personal gain.

Yes some of humanity is bad, but we cannot justify our actions and using black magic to punish those we believe are guilty or unworthy, isn't that what society does anyway? Isn't that what I have read about in books, that there are those put in place to punish the guilty because that is their job? Not us, us with the power of magic to do so because it pleases us.

I look back up at Toby and tears form in my eyes, my god, what have I done?

I reach the end to be stood at an alter, there on lectern stand is a black book with red pages.

My father is muttering something but again I do not understand what he is saying, it appears to be in a different language. Chanile holds his hand out and reluctantly I take it.

If he wasn't so evil I would think he was incredibly handsome. Dressed in fitted armour that emphasises his ripped and toned torso, a black satin cape that fall's behind him and his warrior mask that highlights his seductive dark eyes.

Torches burn brightly with raging fire behind my father and I can hear the painful screams of people that appear to be trapped in them, are they dead souls or slaves of his black magic? I can hardly bear the thought.

The cage above is lowered, hovering over the heads of Chanile and I as the crowd behind calms down.

"My warriors, my people, fellow warlocks and witches," he holds his hands up addressing them, "we unite the Capara, dark blood will seal their fate as they become one. Lefire will reign in darkness, my daughter will become queen as her mate will become her king. Tekati and Lefire joined together to bring the darkness to those unworthy of being."

I look around as everyone is silent and for the first time I see women amongst the crowds, some women stood behind their men but their faces do not seem as happy as you would expect them to be.

They are not wives or lovers, they are slaves the Lefire Warriors, kept against their will, used for sex whenever it is seen fit as reproduction machines. Then there are those women who are clearly witches and show no consideration for the mortal women and children, it's cold and spiteful.

"Stop!" I scream out, all eyes are now fixed on me. I cannot let this go any further. I will not give into the dark magic once again.

"My daughter," my father looks deeply at me, "is there something wrong?"

"Yes," I pull my hand away from Chanile's grip, "you, all of you, I refuse to be the one who brings down humanity with dark magic, this isn't right."

"How dare you defy me, I am your father," he slaps me hard across the face and I fall onto the floor, "we have spent centuries battling, when you were born we knew it was over but then your mother took you away, no wonder you are so soft."

"Defy you?" I snap getting up from the floor holding my face, it stings, "I have done nothing to defy you, you are not my father, you wouldn't know what a father is."

"I am your father, our bloodline is the same, my blood flows through you," he snarls.

"We may share a bloodline but I also share a fucking bloodline with my mother, and I do not choose darkness," I hold my hand up to the cage above carrying Toby, with the will to use good magic white light and dust clouds spring from my hand, knocking the cage on the floor.

He climbs out and grabs me, "are you okay? Thank god you came to your senses you absolute nutter," he smiles with that cheeky sarcasm that makes Toby, Toby.

"You think you can both get away from me, you are so far behind on how to use the magic within in you there is no way you can defeat me," my father snaps angrily.

Toby and I run down the stairs to be met by angry warriors standing up for my father's demands, my god are they that brainwashed they cannot see that what is happening is very wrong?

I look to the women who have gone off and are cowering in the corners, clutching on to the children to keep them safe. The witches and warlocks gather in their numbers ready for a battle. Toby and I move and turn to walk away; I don't want any part of the black magic family.

My father throws fire at me which hits me in the back and sends me flying across the room. Warriors jump in but he stops them, "no!" he warns, "this is my fight and if my own flesh and blood is going to betray me then she is mine to destroy."

Toby battles the warriors, light shines from his body, he looks like a fucking energy light bulb. Their dark magic is deflected off him and straight back to them.

My father is coming towards me and I know this man is hell bent on killing me, that's not a father is it? Someone who is willing to destroy their own daughter because she chooses light over dark? Because she chooses something he doesn't want? No, that's not what a father does at all.

He is no father of mine and knowing this will make me stop at nothing to destroy him and make sure he doesn't succeed.

## Twelve

My father throws more fire at me and I refuse to bend to his will and use dark magic, I feel so angry that the dark magic bubbles in my blood but I cannot use it, I know I must resist. I conjure up the most powerful white magic I can at this point and out from my hand shoots lightening, it hits him in the chest and he falls backwards.

I wave my hand as a warrior is charging at me, instinctive reaction and the warrior flies into the air, oh my god; I can move people without touching them? My father can do that, is that possible that I can do it too? Wait, why am I asking myself that, I'm in a black castle surrounded by evil warlocks and witches with dark magic and I'm asking if that is possible?

I fly my hands about the air as the magical fight descends into chaos. Light, fire and darkness being thrown in all different directions, if I as stood outside watching, it would appear as if light bombs are going off in the castle.

Chanile comes to me and pushes my father out of the way, instead of charging at him my father stands back, does he think Chanile is going to change my mind? He isn't, how many times do I have to tell them that this isn't what I want, this isn't who I want to be.

"Stop this madness, you are the dark Princess, the Warlocks Daughter, the lord of all dark magic, come with me and join us," he holds his hand out for me.

I step back as the fighting continues around me, "no, I don't want to join you, I saw what will happen if you and I rule in darkness, I don't want any of that, if you had any real magic then you could see inside my soul, you will see that I do not want to be with you."

He takes his hand away, "you think you have a choice in the matter? You and I were one, I fucked you dear Princess and you liked it, I heard the moans of pleasure escape from your lips as my cock pounded your pussy so hard that even other worlds heard it, the Destroyer has been created and flourishes within you."

Nice choice of words, but I expect nothing less. I place my hand over my belly, how can he know that I am pregnant so soon, "so we had sex, big fucking deal you don't know that I'm pregnant, you are just trying to trick me so that I come to you, but I will not give in, no way not this time."

"You think I'm lying to you," he charges at me and grabs me, my hands behind my back in his solid grip, "I will show you what it is you choose not to see." He places his head next to mine.

In a flash like a movie reel I see my belly growing, I see inside my belly as if someone has an internal camera filing my insides. In there is a tiny heartbeat, it grows and grows until it is a baby.

I pull my head away, "what you think I'm going to believe your fucking mind games? How do I not know it's just another hallucination? Dark magic imbedded deep into my mind to try and make me believe what it is you see."

"Because you feel it, whether or not you choose to believe, you felt it when it happened, did you not see the battle of the future" my father steps in, does he mean the painting I thought I imagined moving, was that the future? "You know what you saw, it wasn't your imagination, the baby's heart beats inside you and has done since the moment he was conceived."

I shake my head, "that's impossible, it wouldn't have a heartbeat yet, it would be a fucking embryo, look I may have been stuck in an orphanage my entire life but I know how fucking babies grow, that is something you cannot lie to me about."

My father laughs mocking me, "you fool, your baby was consumed with dark magic, it is not going to grow normally, by now the foetus will have a heartbeat and from what I can tell a strong one, you have conceived a boy my dear, it's too late to back out now. The baby will be born in precisely five months."

Five fucking months, is he fucking serious right now? Holy fuck that's quick! I pull away and my body is frozen. Black magic has done this to me? Made me pregnant with a child so evil the devil himself would be afraid of him, I don't want this baby, I feel nothing for it. It's not a baby; it's just an evil being created to do unthinkable things.

Toby is suddenly by my side, he is seriously outnumbered and so am I. I have to think of something to get us out of here, but what? If there was ever a time I needed a bright idea then now would be the perfect opportunity for it to come to mind.

"What are you going to do Voluric, you have no real power, just the light that is blinding but that's about it," my father shrugs, "pathetic human."

"Hey, listen here you crazy magic fucker, I have been beaten, had god knows what thrown at me, stamped on, punched almost stabbed and had the threat of having my blood drained out of me like some pig so you lot can raise the fucking darkness of black magic, I am tired and I am not going to let you take this girl, you can throw whatever the fuck you want at me you son of a bitch but I am here with her and I am not leaving, real power or not," Toby grips my hand and light forms around us and through our hands as they join and I feel something I have never felt before, electricity between us, it's have if someone has switched on the power and he and I are connected, he and I are as one.

That's it! That is what my mother was talking about, the bond that we have can help defeat them, he had to have faith in himself and I had to have faith in me and know that I am better than the dark magic and the evil and that I can resist. The slight glow ignites between our palms, he feels it too as he looks me. I know what to do! I look at Toby, "no matter what happens, do not let go of me, just keep touching me okay?" He nods and agrees placing his hand gently on my back.

I close my eyes and I feel warmth as if my body is next to a fire and I feel as light as a feather. I feel like I am surrounded by all the good magic that I need. Help of good witches alike I feel around me, supporting me and guiding me with their wisdom on how to use the magic within me.

I lift my arms out to the side and with force them together clapping my hands which let's off a massive banging sound. The room begins to shake around us, I open my eyes and there in-front of me is a vortex of some sorts. I'm hoping that I created it and not them.

I wave my hands and one by one and using the good magic within me, I send the warriors flying into the vortex, oh my god its working, yay I'm doing this, my inner voice jumps for joy as white magic fills the room. I hear their screams and they try to stop it but they are not magical, just very bad people. I clap my hands together and then I feel the ground under my feet. I am no longer in the air and now soundly touching the floor and I look around, not a warrior in sight.

"You stupid bitch," Chanile snarls at me, "you think that is going to stop us, warriors can come from anywhere you fucking fool. You can destroy as many as you want, I will always obtain more."

"Obtain what you want, I'm sure that is going to take some time where as right now you have fuck all to protect you," I snap back.

"Protect, you think I need protection, well you are just a silly little slut with no fucking clue, I am Prince Chanile of the Tekati Warlocks, I have the power I need to not need protection, to me they are simply distractions for you."

I laugh, "Are you fucking kidding me? Firstly I'm not a slut and if you had half the brain you claim to have then you would fucking know that you took my virginity you fucking dickhead using black magic to seduce me, therefore, not a slut and secondly a distraction, what the fuck are you fucking kidding me? You use them to fight for you because you are too fucking lazy and scared to do it yourself. Wanker!" Okay, so that's probably not true, but telling him he is scared pushes his fury to the surface as I can see he feels the need to prove himself to be better than anyone, I couldn't give a shit who he thinks he is, he can drop dead for all I care!

He charges at me and Toby with rage in his eyes, this motherfucker is angry! Toby pushes me behind him and Chanile goes into him but then he is stopped. I stand behind Toby as Chanile's head rests on Toby shoulders, looking over his shoulders at me.

His eyes widen and then I realise, Toby has stabbed him with a spear, "guess I don't need magic to do that now do I fucker." He pulls the spear from his navel all the way to his heart. Blood gathers in Chanile's mouth and then drips over Toby, oh my god, Toby stabbed someone, he actually stabbed someone!

Well, I guess black magic doesn't protect you from things like that does it; the last person standing is my father. I don't know how to defeat such an evil person, my magic alone didn't wipe him out and he protected Chanile from my magic.

Toby looks at me and he doesn't have to say a word, I know that look, that's a 'let's get the fuck out of here and run' look.

I don't hesitate, I grip him and we run out of the castle. It is still dark here, the black and blue sky shines above us as do the stars but the winds howl strongly in the air. The sun never shines here, a world of darkness and evil to match the black soul of the man who rules it.

We are surrounded by mountains and water and I have no idea how to get out of here. I see the road we came in on but I have no idea where it leads.

My hair is blowing furiously in the wind, "what the hell are we going to do now, I have no idea how to get out of here, I don't even know how we got here."

"Think of something, it's worked for you so far just winging it, can't you do that thing?"

I look at him narrowing my eyes and trying to keep my hair out of my face, "what thing?"

"You know that thing you did where you think where you want to be and then poof we are there, you know, that thing."

Oh that thing, I grab his hand, "okay, here it goes," I think really hard of the field next to Toby's home and then a slight shake of our bodies, but when I open my eyes I haven't moved.

"You fool," I hear my father shout, "you cannot transport out of here like you do in your world, this is protected by my magic and the only person who can leave here at will is me!"

Oh shit! Does that mean that Toby and I are trapped here? It's fucking two against one, surely between us we can defeat my father right? Toby goes for him but my father flies Toby through air.

He comes at me and I feel myself getting dangerously close to the edge of the high mountains, below me is water crashing against the rock and crashing it hard.

"You have nowhere left to run Willow, join me, your son wants you to." He comes towards me and holds his hand out.

Toby crawls along the floor, he needs medical attention and he needs to get out of here. I may not be able to stop my father, but I can stop him getting me and hurting Toby.

"No...." my voice whispers, "no!" I get louder, "I'm not going to join you and I never will. I don't want any of this and besides you have nothing left. Look around you, it's all gone."

"I don't need them, I just need you and all you need is that baby," he slowly walks closer to me, "take my hand and come with me."

I look over the edge of the mountain at the waves down below, I then look over and see Toby. "You need to go home, I may not be able to get out of here but you can, I cannot go back."

My father's face changes and suddenly he looks happy, why is he happy? "Ahh, finally my daughter has come to her senses."

I laugh, "Wait, you think that I cannot go back because I want to stay here in the death pit with you? And you claim I'm the one without a fucking clue."

Toby crawls up to me, he clearly has broken bones where his body was thrown up against the mountain rock, "Willow, what are you doing."

"I'm doing what I have to do, he cannot complete his plan without me or this baby and the best way to stop both is to take away the one thing he requires more than anything, me."

"No!" Toby screams, "We can go back, we can go back together."

"No we can't, the more this baby grows inside of me the more I will succumb to its dark magic. He's a warlock, an evil warlock and I cannot let him come into this world or any other world, don't you see, if I stay this is just going to keep happening, he will always find a way to get me." Tears fall down my face; this isn't how I wanted to end my life.

I wanted to grow old with a man I loved, with our children and their children beside me. But the only child I have had the chance of conceiving is one so evil that I can't bear the thought of keeping it. Does that make me sound heartless? Wanting to destroy a baby? No! I cannot think like that, it'll destroy me, it's not a baby and it is an evil being, so evil it will destroy human life. It's a demon!

My father stops walking towards me, I see he is trying to play the nice daddy card, trying to tempt me in by pretending to care, "My daughter, take my hand and stop this foolishness, you are about to be a mother, are you really willing to kill your own child?"

My own child? But he isn't mine he, he is the result of a seduction and a prophecy, he was never mine from the moment I knew about him, he's not child that needs protecting, he is an evil warlock, "kill my child?" I grumble, "how dare you use those words, I am your fucking child and you couldn't give two shits about me, you tried to kill me yourself and now you are trying to play the 'mommy' card in hopes that I have sort of fucking bond with the creature inside me, well I don't, it's nothing to me."

"Take my hand Willow, you don't need to do this," Toby shouts up clearly in pain as his had cups his side, "I'm here, we can leave, you did what you came here to do, you destroyed the darkness."

"No I haven't, don't you see it's still here and my father will keep coming for me no matter how hard I try and stay away."

"You're just like your fucking mother," my father changes, "look at you, pathetic and emotional, you are too weak to rule by my side, I shouldn't have bothered seeking you out."

I once again look behind and see now that I am on the very edge, one more step backwards and all it will be then is a dive into the black icy water. "I'm weak? Why, because I value humanity? Because I choose not to destroy it, those things make me weak? No, the weakness is in you, you're not strong enough to fight the dark magic that consumes you, you are a bully who captures people for his own personal gain and uses magic to do so, he uses magic to get what he wants, that is weakness!"

Toby manages to crawl towards me, he pulls on my dress and I kneel down, "please don't leave me," he begs with bloodshot teary eyes.

I smile and stroke his face, "I'm so glad I got to meet you and that I got to meet the person I always dreamed of having. I was so alone for so long you made me feel like I had someone."

"You do have me and you always will Willow, I'm right here with you, come on let's get out of here please and go home."

I shake my head, "it's too late for that, deep down you know that the only way to end this is to take away what both my father and this evil being need, and that's me," tears fall down his face, "I'm so sorry you ended up being dragged into this and I wish I could take it all back." I kiss him on the lips one final time; I want nothing but good things for him. His forehead rests on mine, "I love you," I whisper.

Just then white stars seem to surround him, orbs of white light wiz around him, he stares at me and his eyes doesn't leave mine, I smile and with the light he is gone.

My father looks at me, "the Voluric cannot influence you anymore, join me."

I stand to my feet and wipe the tears from my face, I look behind me and then look at my father, "you just don't get it do you, it wasn't him who influenced me, I did what I did because it is what I wanted, I don't want this black magic and I'm going to make sure it never corrupts me again." I smile at my father and I leap off the edge of the mountain. I fall freely as I hear his screams.

My life flashes in-front of me, the orphanage, meeting Toby, Doreen and Henry, all the kindness that they showed me. Before my eyes I see my wishes, my future and what I had hoped it to be and finally, I am free of the darkness.

I feel the icy water touch me, it's like pins and needles to my skin then, it's over, and everything goes black and dark.

## Thirteen

I hear the sounds of birds chirping and light whispers as I feel a ray of warmth on my skin, I was cold, so very cold and now I am nice and warm. I open my eyes and I am blinded by a pale pink light above me, am I dead? Is this what heaven looks like? Surely a person like me with an evil baby wouldn't go to heaven if there was such a place, I would go to the deep depths of hell where Satan would be welcoming me no doubt, is this a trick?

As I sit up and look around me, I see floating people everywhere in long white gowns, I look down and I am in a long white gown made of lace, I must be dead because what I see is beautiful, nowhere in the world can look like this. Everything seems so beautiful, so calm and free, if I'm not dead then surely this must be a dream, right?

"Willow, you're here," a figure approaches me but their face is blocked by the light, "take my hand." The voice sounds so sweet and gentle that without hesitation I take the hand that is offered to me.

The face comes into focus and there she is, my mother but she isn't wearing the dress I am so used to seeing her in, she floats in a white gown just like the others, "Am I dead?"

She smiles, "no my darling, you are in Oreneeras, the place in-between life and death, I saw what you did, well, we all did, you sacrificed yourself to save humanity, that was a very brave thing to do."

Wait, if I'm in Oreneeras then surely I must be dead, it's in-between life and death right, wait, I'm not dead or alive? Ouch, my head hurts, I'm so confused. "Mom, I don't understand why I am here, and not dead, or drowning!" Surely I should still be in the water, who would have pulled me out?

"Because you made a great sacrifice and the Tasura's magic placed you here, come," she takes my hand and we walk together.

It's so beautiful up here, pale pink light shines down from above and below my feet is like diamonds, the ground is made from sparkling diamonds, "this is where you have been hiding out?"

"Yes," she smiles, "the warlock's cannot enter here so it was the safest place to be, if they had gotten the Voluric who protected you and used his blood, then they would have entered but you stopped that."

"But surely, if it is in-between life and death then a warlock can come here too, I mean.... they would have times when they are in-between right?" I didn't kill the warriors so surely they should have ended up somewhere like here.

"Oh my child, no, Oreneeras is a place of good magic, sure this is a place for warlocks and dark magic fellows alike to go but it's a very dark and cruel place, you're here because the Tasura saw your use of good magic and your sacrifice brought you here."

As I walk with her, Toby springs to mind, "holy shit Toby! I don't know what happened...."

"Shhh," my mother interrupts, "do not worry about that, Toby is perfectly safe, your love for him and your willingness to make sure he was safe is what set him free from the land of dark magic, you managed to get him to safety and he is perfectly fine."

Oh thank god for that, when he left I was scared not knowing where he was going to end up, although a slight part of me knew he was safe but I wasn't a hundred percent sure.

My mother leads me to a temple surrounded by tall white pillars and a huge gold bowl in the middle filled with water. "What is this?"

"This my darling is the temple of choice," she moves me so I stand right next to the bowl, "you see, when you come here, which may be for many of reasons, whether it be death or your own free will, the Tasura may allow you a choice."

I look at the water ripples flowing out in the bowl, "what kind of choice."

"A choice on whether you wish to move on to the next place or whether you wish to go back, it is not always done, sometimes you do not have a choice and the Tasura will automatically choose what they feel is best, it depends on why you are here, freewill or not ."

I look at her eyes wide, "go back, you mean, back there as in home, or the world, whatever it is, you mean back to being alive?"

She smiles, "yes, although you're not technically dead, remember they brought you here so you are allowed to have that choice because of the great sacrifice you made for the world, to make sure they didn't live in darkness."

My hand instantly moves over my tummy and I stare at my reflection through the water, "I can't, I can't go back, there is baby to be born that is so cruel...."

"No there isn't," she turns my head to face her, "the child is no longer, you leaping into that ocean caused you to lose the foetus, it doesn't exist, if you want to go back you can."

"But, my father will still come after me; he will never stop as long as I am there."

"My dear, your father was taken away by the Tekati Warlocks, they saw that their beloved Prince had died, well done by the way," she nudges me friendly, "they blamed your father for this, without Prince Chanile and an heir as he promised they seized the opportunity to take him and take-over."

Oh my god, so as powerful as my father may have been he needed me for a lot more than I realised, "and the dark magic in me?"

"Gone," she smiles, "when you leaped to your death, you killed that part of you and the dark magic with that evil thing that was inside of you, the good magic was so overpowering in you that I forced the dark magic away, and it will never be part of you again."

Wow, a life without dark magic trying to ruin me at every turn I make, "and what about the people that died, Doreen, Alfie, and Henry? What about them?"

My mother's eyes sadden, "they were killed by dark magic long before you defeated your father, unfortunately I cannot bring them back, I cannot raise the dead but you still have a future, if that is what you choose."

"And what about you," I look into her soft blue eyes, "where do you go from here?"

"I'm stuck here; I have been here far too long that the Tasura believe I should remain, helping out those who come through here."

"Well that's not fair," I want to cry, "you did what you did because you felt you had to, you shouldn't be punished for that."

She smiles, "I'm not being punished, I help good witches like you either move on or go back, I watch over them and help them just like I helped you. Oh my daughter," she sighs heavily, "you do not worry about me and make your own choices, no matter what I will support you and if you choose to go, I will watch over you until the time comes for us to meet again."

"What are the Tasura anyway, in all this fighting for my life crap and speaking to people, no-one has ever really told me what they are, I suppose being me I should know right?"

"Of course you do, the Tasura are the highest power of all good witches, kind of like an army and legal advisers if you will, they tried to stop your father but it all came down to you, you were the final piece of the puzzle, and they govern us and make sure us good witches follow the rules."

"Oh my god, there are rules? I have follow rules?"

"Of course, that's why dark magic is so addictive, there are no rules with that, you can use magic as you choose but there are severe consequences however warlocks do not care about this, you made a choice and it was the right one, so don't dwell on it, make a decision on what you want to do."

I need to think about this, it's a big decision, going back to a world where I had nothing, imagined something to creative I brought darkness to myself.

Okay, so I may not have those powers anymore but I will still have nothing when I go back, but then again I want to be with Toby. He saved me and I don't think I could be without him.

"Have you made a decision?" My mother asks distracting me from the running thoughts in my head.

"Yes, I want to go back, but I'm scared. I grew up with nothing and when I go back, I will go back to having nothing. I mean, will I still have magic?"

"Don't be silly," my mother laughs as if to mock me, "this time you will have everything you need and yes, you are a witch at birth and you chose good magic so that magic will always be inside you, spell casting the power you had at Acribus Castle, moving things, all of that will remain with you for life, trust me. But use it wisely and use it to help those good people who need assistance sometimes."

"Well, I will never hurt someone intentionally but it's good to know I have magic to protect myself with," I smile. I look at her gentle face and I trust what she is saying to me, "will Toby know me if I go back?"

"Of course he will don't worry about that, we're not memory erasers you know," she giggles.

"Okay," I take a deep breath, "then send me back."

My mother smiles and hugs me, "I will always be watching over you," she kisses my forehead and then mumbles some words in another language I don't quite understand.

I look at her and she begins to fade into the distance and the light becomes so bright it is blinding. I close my eyes and then I feel like I'm falling, I feel sleepy and light headed and then everything goes quiet, so very quiet.

I open my eyes and there on my palm is a butterfly, is that my mother. It flutters and then flies away; I sit up and see that I am in the field, oh my god I am in Toby's field.

I look down and I have jeans on and a top, did they change me? 'Good luck my daughter,' I hear echoed in the wind, I guess the Tasura must have put me here.

I get up and look around, the sun is shining brighter than I ever seen and I feel happy. I see a man in the distance walking in a slouch position, he looks miserable as he drags his feet through the grass. Is that Toby?

I stand and watch as he walks in the distance oblivious to my presence. I look deeper at his posture and dimena about him, it's definitely Toby. I'm so glad he's okay.

I wish he would just look at me; I don't want to call out his name. What if he hears it and then runs away, I may want to be here with him but after everything I put him through, he may never want to see me again, I mean I can't blame him if that is the case.

As I stare at him walking across the field he stops and looks ahead, the sun is shining brightly that it is hard for me to see his face. He turns slowly and is now facing me but I cannot see his expression. He is still and doesn't move, is he happy that I am here or frozen on the spot because he is too scared to come anywhere near me?

I stand completely still; if he is too scared to come anywhere near me then I don't want to make it worse.

He slowly starts walking towards me but his persona still seems a little shy, reluctant or afraid. But it's hard to tell with the sun shining brightly in my eyes.

He comes closer and the sun moves from his face and he steps in to view, I see a huge smile on his face. He stands in-front of me just gawking at me, "am I dreaming?" He whispers.

"No, you're not dreaming, I'm really here," I reach out to touch him but he flinches, "it's okay, I'm real I promise and I won't hurt you."

As my hands touch his face he closes his eyes as if he is relieved to feel my touch, "how do I know this is not a trick, an evil trick, if this is a dream then I do not want to wake up."

"Shhh," I whisper cupping his face, "it's me I promise, open your eyes and look at me."

He opens his eyes slowly and then stares into mine, "how is this possible? I saw you, you were going to jump and I haven't heard from you in weeks."

Weeks, what does he mean weeks? I have been gone barely a few hours, maybe more than that but not weeks surely.

"I missed you, you sent me back here and then I didn't know how to reach you," he murmurs, "I went back to the orphanage and it had changed, it was sunny there. I have been there every single day and finally I gave up hope that you were ever coming back."

The orphanage is sunny? But it's always dark there, I guess since my father has been destroyed and the darkness has left me then it would look like a normal abandoned building, "I'm sorry, I didn't know I had been gone weeks, it only felt like a few hours to me if that. Are you alright?"

He smiles, "I am now that you're here, but how is it possible?"

"They sent me back, they saw what I did and gave me a choice and I didn't want to be without you so I came back."

He looks content but then suddenly his eyes open and he jumps back, "oh my god, the evil baby inside you, what the hell...."

I place my finger over his lips to shut him up, "there is no evil baby, I leapt off the edge of the mountain, the baby, my dark magic, my father, it's all gone and we don't have to worry about that anymore."

He stands wearily of my omission, I see the doubt in his eyes but who can blame him, "are you sure, I mean we don't want the death child roaming around do we."

Ahh, his cheekiness is back, I laugh slightly, "I'm sure, it's hard to explain but I'm not going anywhere and there is no death baby. Just me."

He touches me and then looks around me, "if your dark magic has gone, does that mean you have no magic at all now?"

I grin at him, "yes, I do have magic; I will always have magic because I am a witch by birth. But its good magic and I can use it to help others if I want to. Look, I'll show you what good magic can do."

I close my eyes and hold his hands, he moves closer to me and I can almost feel his heartbeat beating against my chest. The ground shakes slightly and then I open my eyes, he opens his as he feels the rumbling beneath his feet.

There growing around us is a beautiful tree and orchards blossom from the branches in a lovely white and pale blue colour just like the open skies above.

He looks in amazement as we stand shaded under the beautiful tree that I have created just by thinking of it. Orbs of white light surround us and I can feel that the bond we once shared is still very strong.

"This is amazing," he mumbles, "it's so beautiful." He looks down to me after gazing at the tree and pulls me in for a kiss. His lips softly touch mine and he gives me the loving kiss I have spent a long time longing for and then rests his head on mine, "I have wanted to do that since the moment I kissed you in that church, just never had the chance." He smiles.

"Well you will have all the chances in the world, well until you get bored of me I guess and move on."

He gives a cheeky smile and strokes my cheek, "that will never happen, there is no other girl like you and besides, with you I have more than enough adventure, mystery and god knows what else to keep me entertained."

I laugh a little, I have the same with him. It doesn't matter that I am inexperienced with love or that I have never had another boyfriend, to me, Toby is the one that I want and I couldn't picture being with anyone else.

"Just before you sent me away, you said you loved me, is that still true?" He mumbles looking down nervously at the ground.

"Of course it is, I said it because I meant it and I will always mean it."

He pulls me into him, lifts me up and spins me around as we both laugh and kiss. This is my life now. Here with him. I don't know what will happen, what trouble I will have to face with this magic inside me or even if the Tekati Warlocks will come for me, but I will take each day as it comes with Toby by my side.

He stops and puts me down, he pulls out his phone and then looks at me, "what, what is it?" I ask curious by his massive smile.

He kisses me softly and holds me in a tight embrace, leaning into my ear and he whispers gently, "Happy Birthday," and I smile.

##

