Corruption

As soon as I hear Amelia’s footsteps fade I glance around the tree, seeing empty air where my mother stood a few moments prior. The fog’s gone, and the stream bubbles along as if was never frozen. I turn forward, pressing my back against the tree. Now that I’m sure my mother and Amelia are gone, I allow myself to freak out. My next breath is a gasp, and tears spring to my eyes. I hug myself, confused and afraid and feeling so alone. As tears stream down my face I run through the woods, towards the school, sobs wracking my body with every stride. I close my eyes and cry, allowing the elements to guide me. It may be a new moon, and I may be powerless, but I can feel the elements around me, I can feel they haven’t abandoned me. As I reach the campus lawn I slow down, and through my tears I see a figure running towards me. I freeze, scared beyond any fear I’d ever felt, but as it gets closer I recognize Tristan. He’s sprinting headlong for me, and I stagger forward to meet him.

“Aradia!” he yells as he gets closer.

“Tristan,” I try to yell back, but it passes my lips as a weak whisper.

Just as I collapse he’s there, catching me.

“Aradia! What’s wrong? What happened?” he asks, his sapphire eyes shining with worry.

Unable to comprehend his questions, I give in to the darkness of unconsciousness, my last words being “she’s supposed to be dead.”



“I’ve been waiting for you,” a woman says.

I open my eyes and I’m lying on my back, my head in the speakers lap. The first thing I see is dark violet eyes, and panic fills my chest. I try to scramble up, but my head spins dangerously. Even through dancing vision I realize it isn’t my mother but...myself.

“What...?” I say, confusion making my headache worse.

“Aradia Hollow, I don’t believe we’ve ever met,” my doppelganger says.

“Is it possible to meet yourself?” I mumble, rubbing my forehead.

I sit up slowly, and my mirror self helps me with a hand pressed to my back.

“I’m not you,” she says, flashing an understanding smile. “My name is Lementa, and although we’ve never met I know you've seen me before.”

With my head clearing and the ability to sit up on my own, I take a look at the woman before me. She looks exactly like me, down to the eyes and facial structure. Her, our, pure white hair is long and braided over one shoulder, with choppy bangs with dark brown steaks framing her fair but tanned face. She’s wearing a black dress that exposes the tops of her breasts and reaches her ankles, with slits on the sides up to mid-thigh. She’s barefoot and lying on her side, holding her upper body up with a hand to the ground. I take in my surroundings, seeing a field full of soft green grass and black roses in full bloom. You would think black roses would seem menacing, but I can tell that here they’re a symbol of home and life, the color of night.

“Lementa...from my dream,” I say, remembering my vision of her pleading to the elements.

“Indeed,” she says, a knowing smile on her face.

“Where are we?” I ask, looking around again.

“The Forever Garden, the afterlife to those whom the elements deem worthy.”

I furrow my brow, confused. “But I thought the elements took your soul, as payment. How could you reside in an afterlife as beautiful as this?” I see her slightly bitter expression and realize I came off as rude. “No offense.”

“None taken,” she says, though she looks slightly offended. “Once peace and order was established and witches began to give credit to the elements for their powers, they grew to love us. They created this place for our souls once our mortal bodies died, and allowed me to rest here for eternity.”

“That’s amazing,” I say, again looking at the beauty of my surroundings. Then a startling thought crosses my mind. “Does that mean I’m dead?”

“No,” she answers with a laugh. “You’re my descendent, and you may come here to visit me as you wish. You’re dreaming, dear, and you’ll be waking shortly.”

“But I have so many questions,” I say. “If you’re my ancestor, why do we look exactly alike?”

She frowns. “I can’t answer that question.” Her expression softens when she sees my irritated face. “You’ll learn in due time.”

“Alright,” I say, still irritated. “My next question is, what the hell happened to my mother?”

She frowns again, contemplating. “I cannot tell you the entire story, but I can show you what she tried to become.”

She stands, so I follow suit. She closes her eyes and lifts her arms, and her form changes. Raven wings, sleek and beautiful, sprout from her back, stretching wide. She looks like a dark angel, an avenger of night. Claws grow from her nails, the color of iron, and a wolf’s tail, also black, lashes out from behind her. Black wolf ears grow from the sides of her head, and she opens her eyes with a smile. She canines, top and bottom, and fangs, and her pupils are slitted like a cat’s. My eyes widen in wonder, and I can feel power radiate from her.

“Dektra tried to gain the powers of all four elements, to become one with the beasts of magic. Only one witch has ever succeeded in combining with all four, and failed attempts end in crippled mutants.”

“I’m going to guess that one witch was you,” I say, still amazed.

“Yes,” she says with a laugh. “Only a witch with a pure heart, a true need for this power, can succeed in gaining it. Your mother is tainted, by grief and hate.”

“What does she grieve for?” I ask.

“You will find out in due time,” she says again. “Our time together is running out, for now. Before you awaken I have a message from the elements.”

I nod, skeptical. She walks forward and grasps my forearms, careful with her claws, and looks into my eyes. As she speaks, her purple irises morph into different shades of red, green, yellow, and blue--the colors of the elements.

“In the dark they’ll find the light,
“A morning to this endless night.
“Blood of blood, mother and daughter,
“Join together to end the slaughter.
“Fear will rise, friends will fall,
“Enemies will ignore the call.
“In this time of great distress,
“Become the one the elements bless.”

As the last lines leave her mouth, the Forever Garden darkens around me, with everything going black once the last syllable is spoken.



I’m lying on my back, and as my eyes flutter open I’m hopeful to find a field of black roses and my ancestor. However, I immediately see a pair of mismatched eyes, one the color of emeralds and the other of sapphires.

“Reika,” I say, my voice hoarse. My face and throat feel raw, most likely from crying.

“She’s awake!” she says, flashing me a welcoming smile.

“Aradia, please tell me what happened last night,” I hear Tristan say, and I turn to see him walking to the side of my bed.

“Last night...” I say, thinking back. I remember all of it, but something in my heart tells me to keep quiet. “I can’t remember.”

Reika gives me a suspicious look, but Trist sits on the edge of my bed and pulls me into his arms.

“I was so worried,” he said, hugging me hard but gently. “You were so afraid, I’d never felt anything like it.”

“I’m fine now,” I say, hugging him back briefly. I push him away gently and swing my legs over the side of the bed, pressing my palms against my eyes. “I probably look like shit.”

“You always look beautiful,” Reika says quietly.

I flash her a confused look, but brush it off. I stand and head to the bathroom, flicking on the light as I enter. My appearance isn’t as bad as I thought, but the whites of my eyes are pink, the skin around them puffy. My hair’s a mess, but that’s just from sleep. I sigh and splash water on my face, then exit the bathroom.

“What time is it?” I ask them, and I note that Lilly’s not here.

“Noon,” Tristan answers whilst getting the his feet. “Now that I know you’re safe I have to get back to my dormitory. If Master Xavier checks my room in the state it’s in I’ll be doing drills til the sun rises tomorrow.”

He strides across the room, kisses me goodbye, and then leaves, shutting the door behind him. I move back to my bed and sit, pulling a blanket over me. I’m still wearing the same clothes as last night, and I’m aching for a shower.

“Where’s Lilly?” I ask Reika.

“She left a few minutes before you woke up to get food for us, we haven’t left your side,” she says genuinely. “What happened?”

I open my mouth to tell her, but a painful burning in my chest tells me to keep what I know to myself. I look at her and bite my lip, trying to think of something to say. She stayed by my side, she’s been such an amazing friend and I only just met her, I can’t just leave her hanging.

“Reika, I can’t tell you,” I say, and I see hurt flash in her eyes. “But the only reason I can’t is because I have a feeling in my heart, an instinct that I know is from the Elements, that’s telling me to keep quiet.”

Understanding softens her facial features. “I understand Aradia, the Elements know what they’re doing.”

The creaking of the door makes us snap our heads in it’s direction, and Lilly stands there struggling with armfuls of junk food. As she glances up her eyes widen, and she drops the food where she stands and runs to my side.

“You’re awake! Are you okay? What happened last night? I was so worried! You have to tell us everything! I--”

“Lilly!” Reika interrupts. “Chill, woman!”

“Sorry,” Lilly says sheepishly. “But are you okay Aradia?”

I look longingly at the snacks she dropped, feeling my stomach rumble. “Food...”

Lilly rolls her eyes. “Seriously? That’s all you have to say?”

She walks to the mound of junk food and throws it all piece by piece onto my bed. I tear into bags of Lays chips and packages of Cosmic Brownies, scarfing it down happily.

“I can’t explain anything,” I tell Lilly between mouthfuls. “My instinct says to keep silent.” I pause, thinking. “There is one person I need to talk to.”

Reika and Lilly look at each other, confused. After a moment, Reika asks “who?”

“Justine LeMark,” I say without hesitation. “Reika, I’m gonna need some of that Dark Dust.”

Roughly half an hour later we’re sitting in a circle on the floor, a small white porcelain bowl painted decoratively with amazing representations of the elements in the center. What looks like black sand fills the bowl. The window is open, allowing the Dark Dust to travel once I state my message.

“Take a fistful of Dark Dust into your hand, and then whisper into your palm what you want to say. Once you’re done, think of Justine and blow it away,” Lilly says.

I nod and dip my hand into the sand-like material, and am surprised when I feel that it’s ice cold. I lift my palm to my face and whisper “This is Aradia Hollow. I need your help, and I think it’s best we speak face to face. Please, this is extremely important.” I pause, contemplating on if I should say more. I settle with a final “This is life or death.” I close my eyes, imagining Justine’s face and focusing on her name, then blow on the Dark Dust in my hand. I open my eyes and see it dance in the air, traveling to the window and disappearing through it.

“Now what?” I ask.

“We wait,” Reika says.

Fifteen minutes later, wind blows through the window, sending Dark Dust toward me. It floats in front of me, and then each grain explodes, allowing me to hear Justine voice, as if she was in front of me.

“Meet me in the Elemental Temple in fifteen minutes, I’ll shimmer in.”

“Let’s go,” Reika says, standing up.

“I think I should go alone,” I say. “I’m sorry.”

Reika nods in understanding, and I get up. I get up off the floor and walk to the closet, grabbing a uniform, and bustle into the bathroom. After washing my face and brushing my teeth as quickly as I can, I change into my clothes. Waving goodbye to my friends, I leave the dorm, almost tripping down the spiral staircase in my haste. Running out of the Office Hall, I restrain myself from sprinting to the Elemental Temple. If someone sees me running headlong into the temple, I’m sure it’ll arouse suspicion, and being overheard, especially by Amelia, wouldn’t end well. I open the doors to the temple, glancing around to see if it was empty. One Guardian is inside, an adult I don’t recognize.

Going on a whim, I call out to the Guardian with as much authority and grace as I can muster. “I wish to pray to the Elements, alone. Please leave.”

The Guardian doesn’t even question me, just goes to one knee, one fist over his heart and the other with knuckles to the floor, standard Guardian bow. He stands and quickly walks past me to leave. I shut the door behind him and look around for something to prop against it, then almost physically facepalm. I’m a witch, I’m sure I can lock a door. I put my hand on the doorknob and imagine the door locking, putting all my focus into it. I hear a click, and smile, proud of myself. I turn toward the center of the room, just in time to see Justine shimmer into existence.

“Justine!” I say, running forward to meet her. She grasps my forearms in welcome, a smile on her face.

“What’s so urgent, Aradia?” she asks.

“Last night I saw someone walking through the woods, and on instinct I followed them,” I pause and wait for Justine to reprimand me for leaving the dorm on a new moon night, but she just looks at me expectantly. “It was Amelia Everhold, and she met with...someone. They’re trying to overthrow the Elemental Counsel, and the woman Amelia met with said she wants you dead.”

A look of outrage and surprise passes over Justine’s face, quickly becoming thoughtful. “Who did she meet with?”

“I can’t say,” I say, feeling the Elements warning in my chest.

“I hope the Elements know what they’re doing,” she says. “However, Amelia can’t take over the counsel alone, she has no where near enough power. But she’s a proud witch, she wouldn’t follow orders from anyone without a plan of betrayal. I fear I cannot confront her, she’ll twist everything.”

“There’s something else, I received a warning from the Elements in a dream,” I say, and take a deep breath. “‘In the dark they’ll find the light, a morning to this endless night. Blood of blood, mother and daughter, join together to end the slaughter. Fear will rise, friends will fall, enemies will ignore the call. In this time of great distress, become the one the elements bless.’”

“Hmm...it’s a prophecy, that’s for sure. I’ll have to think over it thoroughly. and I’ll get back to you once I’ve worked it out the best I can. I’ll send Dark Dust to plan another meeting. Until then, be careful Aradia, and stay away from Amelia.”

Justine hugged me goodbye and then shimmered out of sight, leaving me standing alone and confused in the temple.