Heart and Soul

I grabbed an old backpack from the back of my wardrobe and quickly began shoving in a few essential items. Deciding it would be impossibly heavy to carry all of my spell books, I picked just my favourite. Then I grabbed a box of matches, a candle, both of which are integral parts of some spells and then stealthily manoeuvred my way across the room to my bookshelf, aware that Cosmina was not far away.

On top of the dusty brown bookcase there was a little trinket box. Inside wasn’t normally what you’d imagine. Instead of jewellery or keep sakes the soft, blue, silken lining was covered with tiny brown leather bags. Grabbing a handful I shoved them into my bag. Each sealed bag contained a different ingredient, again I wasn’t sure what I was going to need, but either way I knew I needed to be prepared. I can’t do much as I don’t have my magic, but I had to find a way to get it back, until then I was going to have to do everything the old fashioned way. That meant casting older spells that used natural ingredients and didn’t require any extra magic on my part.

As I grabbed a few other miscellaneous items and headed for the window, I mentally planned my next step. Someone had taken my soul that much I was sure of. Aside from that though, I couldn’t remember much. Giving Obilix one last stroke and promising him that I’d take him with me if I could, I made my way to the door, pausing for a moment to check no one was coming.

Lightly making my way downstairs and feeling like a ninja in the process, I headed for the spare room on this floor, knowing that from there I could make it onto the garage roof and then climb down the trellis the other side. This wasn’t my first escape mission.

Just as I made it to the spare room, I noticed the door to the office was open. The carpet was coated in shards of glass and it looked like someone had smashed the window frame. Eyeing up freedom just in front of me, I looked away and turned into the office. The nearer I got to the window the more I felt this scene was familiar.

My palm started to itch as I neared the frame and it was then that the rusting red blood stain caught my eye. Without hesitation or understanding of why I was doing it, I reached out and broke the piece of glass from the frame, eyeing the blood stain as I did so. Without another thought I grabbed a paperback book from the office desk I was stood next to and placed the glass between the pages and tightly held the book together.

A creak on the staircase altered me that Cosmina was on her way back up. By the time she made it to the top of the stairs I was already scuttling down the side of the garage, my trainers crunching on the gravel.

After a brief glance around me I set off in the direction of Rev’s, hoping that someone would be there, even if it is early.

**

Stepping inside I was hit with a low thud of music, the beat vibrated through my very being as I made my way across the stained red carpet towards the door that stood to the right of the bar at the back. There weren’t many people in here, just a few huddled in corners, some sat on their own, each nursing a cocktail of something or other.

I reached the door and tapped, once, twice and three times fast. At first it was quiet and I wondered if maybe I was too late, maybe all of Blaire’s old coven was gone. Last I'd heard there were still four of them left, one of them having taken over Blaire's business. But then just as I gave up hope the door whooshed open, my nose assaulted with a heady mixture of sweet smoke, jasmine and something else, I couldn’t quite identify.

“Little Witch,” Rowan greeted me as she sat back in the overly grand oak chair that she sat in, commanding the room like a throne. Her long, tanned legs were crossed at the knees, one arm rested on the ornate arm of the chair and the other dangled in mid-air, her hand swirling as though dancing through the wind.

Her nose as sharp as her chin, wrinkled as I stepped forwards and the door slammed behind me. Her piercing blue eyes, heavily rimmed with charcoal watched me unwaveringly. Her gaze was fierce, calculating and brutal, so I waited patiently for her to speak again. “You’ve lost your soul Little Witch.” I grimaced this time, I hated it when they called me that. Blaire’s coven always had, they never took me seriously. Nobody did, everybody just assumed I was a child.

Rowan Ann Rose leaned forward in her throne and beckoned me with a finger. Ignoring the three sets of eyes sat on a worn leather sofa to my right, I hesitantly stepped toward her and took a seat on the opposite side of the small table between us, it’s surface covered in a mixture of books, burnt out candles and a necklace. Blaire’s necklace I noted.

“If you’ve come to me to show you what your future holds Little Witch, then you know I can’t. No soul, no seeing. You know that.” She instructed with a sadistic smile. Rowan had been Blaire’s second, I’d always hated her and knew it was mutual.

“I know. I need you to see my past. I need you to tell me how I lost my soul.”

The witch laughed now, her head thrown back at a patronising angle, her long blackened hair jostling with her mirth. The laughter wasn’t real though, it was just for show, just her way of making me feel small, “Poor Little Witch.” She teased, her bottom lip pouting slightly. “She’s gone and lost her soul and doesn’t know where to find it! It’s not like a set of keys, Little Witch, it’s not something that you can just put down somewhere and forget where you left them. It’s your soul. Your very being. Your life’s blood. Surely even you can’t be that inept, Little Witch?”

I struggled not to growl at her and instead dug my finger nails into the palms of my greying hands. “I was attacked – by a vampire. He must have done something to my-“ I stopped talking as I realised they were no longer listening. The three sets of eyes next to me had gasped and were now gossiping between themselves.

Rowan had sat back in her throne, suddenly looking a little smaller than she had before. I saw her pick up a dried maple leaf from beside her and light it in a small candle. Again the sweet smoke filled the room, but I knew she was doing it as a way of warding off the evil I’d spoken of.

“Why did you come here Witch. I don’t need your curse. Get out, now!” She finished on a shout, the three eyes had already jumped to their feet and scuttled away, but I remained seated. Rowan looked troubled now, a slight sweat breaking out on her forehead, her hands rhythmically running through her hair.

“I came for your help Rowan. I didn’t come here to cause trouble. I just need to know what happened to me. Please? Help me.”

For a second I didn’t think she was going to respond, her eyes looked distant, wild even, but finally they settled on me, her pupils clearing slightly.

“I will try.” She said tightly, before laying her arms palm up onto the table. I laid my hands on top of hers, the way I’d seen others do a million times here. Slowly I closed my eyes, as did she and for a second nothing happened.

I could vaguely hear her chanting and the room felt warmer, I moved my neck trying to get comfy and suddenly I was hit in the face with blast of fresh air. I quickly opened my eyes, yet I was no longer sat in the dingy back room of Rev’s, now I was stood, yet technically floating outside of my room. Looking through the glass I could see two shining dots. Eyes?

Obilix was blinking at me, watching me intently, before he turned and fell back to sleep on my laptop. Looking to the right I could see myself asleep, suddenly fire burst at me and I cowered away, though it didn’t make it through the glass. I gathered myself and looked again, the site confusing and familiar all at once.

A man, quite tall and with dark hair stood above me. I was sat up now, locked in the intruders hands. I could see the tension in his arms as his muscle flexed, our eyes were locked but my body was jerking. I watched in horror as my arms reached up and grabbed his, trying desperately to ply them away from me. Again my body jolted, he paused momentarily and I prayed now that it was over, but he’d only stopped to pin my arms, then he continued his assault.

Then I saw it, a light that was eerily familiar, for a second I was reminded of a dark, dark place where only light existed and then I was back, watching the light being drained from my eyes, literally. The little sliver of light left my eyeball, shiny, silvery and green the light slowly ascended into the intruders own body. A gargled scream left my throat and unable to watch anymore, I closed my eyes and cowered away from the window.

Before I could make contact I was swept sideways, colours floating around me in a swirling pattern. Swirling round and round, nothing but silver and green. I was warm, oh so warm, baking in the sun. I could feel sand beneath my feet and could hear laughter in the distance.

I sat up, looking around, immediately knowing that this was not my past, in fact I wasn’t even sure this was real. Brushing sand from my hands I forced myself to my feet and looked around me. In the distance I could see her. Her skin glowed beneath the sun’s rays and her smile was intoxicating, I moved towards the girl, in her silvery green dress. She was spinning round and round like a spinning top, laughing the entire time. Had I ever been that carefree? She saw me now and beckoned me with a slender finger and an enticing smile.

I took two steps forward, she took two back. I took three, she took three back. Frustrated I tried running to her, but she simply skipped away under the sun, laughing all the time. Eventually I stopped running, tired I leant over bracing my hands on my knees. I looked up now to find her watching me with a hint of the devil in her eyes. She knew I could never reach her.

A dark shadow caught my eye, I turned and walked towards the glinting sun. The closer I got, the sharper the shadow became until I stopped, a glass barrier in front of me.

The sun was behind me now, though I didn’t know how, but I could see the shadow, albeit a little distorted through the glass. His eyes were familiar now, still dead and dark. His face looked tight, his brows permanently creased. I could see another figure, though didn’t know who it was.

He was only a blur to me really, it was the shark I was focused on. I suddenly realised that this wasn’t my future, this was my soul’s future. I could still see it somehow. Taking a step back, I readied myself to wake up, before bowing my head slightly and glaring at the shadow in front of me, storm clouds seemed to roll in above me and I could have sworn I heard a crack of lightening echo around me.

“I can see you shark. I’m coming to get you.”

With that I ran head first at the glass, my vision blurring seconds before impact, unable to hold the link any longer I was suddenly plummeting down to the ground below me.

“Little witch?”

“Little witch?”

Was someone calling me? Falling in the darkness I wasn’t sure, it was endless. Shadows wrapped around me and held me tightly, my limbs would have flailed around in the air had it not been for the shadows tight embrace.

“Little witch!” A sharp impact, a speck of light and suddenly I could breathe. I felt as though I’d been held underwater but then there it was, light, life, energy, everything. I snapped awake, jumping as I was met with Rowan’s eyes, wide and worried right in front of me. I looked around gathering my bearings, I was still at Rev’s, still in the back room, still in the chair that was becoming increasingly uncomfortable. My palm tingled for a second and then stopped and the world came rushing back.

“What was that?” Rowan asked breathlessly as she sunk back onto her throne, I reached and grabbed her glass of water and downed it in one. She looked a little put out, but didn’t say anything. My racing heart begun to slow and I was suddenly aware that my cheek was stinging.

Raising my hand I traced a slightly swollen pattern on my face, Rowan now looking a little sheepish, apologised, “I had to wake you up somehow, I didn’t think you were going to come out of that trance then.”

“Thank you.” I croaked.

“It’s OK, but what was that? Was that the man that took your soul? And that other bit- w-“

“It doesn’t matter. Thank you, Rowan. If anyone asks you didn’t see me.” Taking out what little money I had from my pocket, I dumped it on the table, I turned, grabbed my bag and made my way to the door.

“Little Witch, Annika. Take this.”

I turned as Rowan shoved the money back in my hand, plus a little bit more, she’d also given me Blaire’s necklace. “It’s to focus your power, I think you might need it. Your secret’s safe with me, Annika.”

I nodded tightly, turned and headed out. Now for the second part of my plan, time to visit the magic shop.