That’s when I heard the front door close. I looked down from my window and saw Raven making her way down the road. I didn’t even hesitate. I didn’t even bother packing clothes before going to the attic door. I wasn’t sure how long I would have before she would be back and if I was going to escape it had to be then. I knelt, gripping the door handle tightly and shaking it. I stood up and started kicking it, pounding it with my feet. I didn’t know how long I kept doing this or where I found the energy, but with enough rattling and pounding the lock came lose. I heard the dull THUD of it hitting the stairs and bouncing downstairs. I held my breath. I couldn’t be sure Raven wasn’t back and I knew I had to get out of here. I would fight her if need be.
I quickly descended the stairs. The house was dark and quiet; the only sound was the wind howling against the wood, rattling the windows. I shivered because I hadn’t put on a jacket. I had a brief idea to grab one of my father’s knives from the kitchen in case I needed to protect myself, which I did as quickly as I could. I went straight out the front door, launched myself off of the porch and landed in the sandy driveway in front of the house with a triumphant smile. I was free! At Last!
I started down the dusty road, happy to be breathing the fresh air but sad that I was being forced to leave my home. I couldn’t even hear a single cricket singing its song as I walked away from the house. I looked at my feet, because the trees broke my heart, but looked up now and then to make sure I wasn’t diverting from the road.
It was about the fifth or sixth time after I glanced up that I stopped. Raven stood in the middle of the road, blocking my exit to the main road. She stood tall, her eyes were black as night. It seemed like the whites of her eyes had disappeared completely. She was wearing a worn black cloak around her shoulders, with a large hood pulled up over her head. Beneath that I could see the beautiful black lace dress she had worn the day she had arrived.
How could someone who was supposed to love me strike so much fear into my heart? She raised her hand, palm out, facing me, and shouted that I was not permitted to leave. I shook my head, begging her to let me go while the tears ran down my face. She called me spiteful and ugly and wretched and said that it was time I met my end. I tried running towards her, determined to get away from her, but I slammed into an invisible barrier she had made with her magic.
I was terrified of what she would do to me, especially with a barrier up that I couldn’t see or get through. It seemed like the whole world had frozen and it was just the two of us. She, with her hand raised to me, and me, tears streaming down my face.
She turned slightly and, terrified she might cast a spell on me, I took off into the woods to my left. I heard her shriek my name with such hatred that it felt as though my blood had run cold. I didn’t stop running, hoping to reach the boundary wall. I thought that perhaps I could find a gap to get out of into the neighbouring farmland and rouse the neighbours to call the authorities to save me.
I slammed into the wall - at least I thought I had. It turned out there was a barrier up just before the wall as well. I had to find a way out and I heard Raven coming so I ran down the path to where the two walls met.
That was when I heard her words singing like the wind whirling around me.
Take this one away from me,
I pray to Thee,
Great Deity.
Take this one far away,
To never see the light of day,
Great Deity.
Take her to worlds a many,
Take her to worlds that vary,
Great Deity.
Take this one away from me,
I pray to Thee,
Great Deity.
Take this one and plant her there,
That she may never again breathe air,
That she may never see daylight,
That she may live in eternal night,
That never again I will see her face,
That never again she will me disgrace,
Take this one away from me,
I pray to Thee,
Great Deity.
I was terrified and ran into some tree branches, getting entangled for a short while. I felt a burning sensation, like the branches had given me small cuts. I got free and just carried on running.
After a while I tired and just briskly walked, maintaining that if I went in one direction I would soon reach the boundary. But it didn’t matter. I never made it out of the woods.
It was a good few years before I discovered it was actually a book I had been trapped in and a never-ending forest I was forced to wander. When Raven had cast her spell the very tree I had run into had wrapped me in its branches and had turned into the very book you are holding.
She hid me up in the attic, my old room. I had left a lot of energy here, this I soon discovered, and through the book I was able to use that energy to sometimes move objects. I discovered this when I somehow managed to connect to the forest that surrounded the farm, when Raven was trying to leave and a branch fell down on her. I felt her presence and it was almost like I was watching it happen. She buried something. Just out of sight of the trees, in a clearing in the woods where I would lay in the sun. I don’t know what, but it must have been important.
Raven passed away that last time that I felt her presence in those woods.
This is my story, Amari. Now I need to know if you can help me.
Amari set the book down; she was exhausted and rubbed her eyes. She couldn’t believe what she had read. The supernatural, witchcraft, spells, bewitching … it was all real.
She stretched her legs out, they were stiff from sitting cross-legged on her bed so long. She yawned and once she was done she looked at herself in the mirror.
Only it wasn’t her looking back.
Her eyes widened as she met the full black eyes of a mysterious black-haired woman, deathly pale with arms reaching out with long, sharp nails. She opened her mouth and shrieked, “Get out!” She rushed within the mirror towards Amari.
Just before it seemed she would come out of the mirror, Amari flung her arms up in defence and fell backwards into her bed. She waited a few minutes before lifting her head and looking around, seeing her empty room and her own reflection in the mirror once more.
Amari jerked in the direction of the book still on her bed and whispered to herself, “Raven …”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Amari didn’t sleep at all that night; she also didn’t touch Kiara’s book again. She spent most of the night curled up in the corner of her bed staring at her mirror, petrified that at any time Raven would appear again to finish her off.
At some point she dozed off and woke with a start, convinced someone was in her room with her. She tried convincing herself she had gone mad, that this was all a hallucination from hitting her head. At some point she even persuaded herself that she was in fact dead and existing in a purgatory place and that was why this was happening to her.
Fact was, she knew she wasn’t mad, or dead, and that thought scared her more than anything.
She hadn’t been to church since she was much younger, and wasn’t strictly religious, but she prayed throughout the night. She was sure some of the prayers she said were actually hymns from Sunday school, but she didn’t care, she just begged God to listen to her and keep her safe from whatever was in this house making contact with her.
Amari even considered going to church the next day, to speak to a priest about blessing her. For the first time in a long time she also considered moving out, getting a temp job and finding some cheap accommodation. Anything to avoid the horrors that Kiara had told her about and that she had seen here in her room.
When she came downstairs for breakfast the next morning, her mother watched her worriedly. The minute she sat down, Sashqua put a bowl of warm porridge in front of her and felt her head.
“Did you get any rest, sweetheart?”
Amari pulled away. “Mom, I’m not a little girl anymore.”
Sashqua tutted and went back to he
r seat. “You will always be my little girl. You look exhausted, love, what’s wrong?”
Amari shook her head, not trusting herself to speak for fear she would tell her parents everything and they would believe she had lost her mind, and possibly send her to an insane asylum. Maybe that was where she belonged.
She picked at her breakfast and both her parents watched her.
Jono cleared his throat and said, “Well, there’s no point in studying if you don’t feel well. Why don’t you take the day off and relax.”
“I could use a little more sleep,” Amari gratefully commented, setting her spoon down in her bowl. “I might go now … in fact, I’m exhausted.”
Jono nodded. “You’re excused.”
“Thanks, dad.”
Sashqua bit her lip. “Do you want me to fix you something else? I can bring it to your room.” She stood up. “I can make you some soup and bring you a bottle of water.”
Amari held her hand up. “It’s okay, mom, I’ll come down later to eat. I’m not sick, just tired.” She went upstairs and shut the door, but sleep was the furthest thing from her mind.
Looking around her room warily, she pulled her throw blanket off of her bed and tossed it over her mirror. She didn’t want to look up again and see Raven staring at her. She then looked for the book and set it on her table.
First thing was, she needed to shower and get dressed. Amari felt as if she had been living in her current clothes for weeks opposed to just over twenty-four hours. She went downstairs and turned on the hot water. She locked the door and stripped away her clothes, her muscles groaning with the effort. The room started to steam up as she stepped into the shower and closed the door, letting the hot water cascade down her back and loosen her muscles.
She was coming to terms with the fact that this was really happening to her and she had to find a way to help Kiara get out of that book. The poor girl. Trapped by her evil stepmother. Amari felt a small sense of excitement building up next to the fear she was swallowing. She had to help Kiara. No girl deserved to be trapped like that because of some witch.
The excitement inside continued to grow. This was an adventure, a real life adventure. This wasn’t just some book she was reading or a movie she was watching, she got to do something truly daring. She was going to help Kiara out of that book, and help her adjust to a new life in the modern world. It all formed in Amari’s mind while she let the hot water rinse off the last of her fear.
Once she was done in the shower, she stepped out and wrapped a towel around her body. The giant smile that had formed on her face quickly disappeared as she looked towards the mirror.
It was steamed up and someone had written DO NOT DO IT across with their finger.
Amari shivered before whispering, “Kiara?”
She kept a close eye on the mirror, hoping it was her new friend trying to give her a message. Nothing else happened so she wiped the mirror and stared into it. Her reflection stared back. Giving herself a mental shake, Amari opened the cabinet to take out her tooth brush. As she closed it she came face to face with Raven, staring at her wide-eyed and angry.
Amari dropped her toothbrush and took a step back, slipping on water on the tiled floor. She hit the floor hard and felt her muscles seize up as a result; her lower back took the brunt of the fall. She looked up to the mirror quickly and when she didn’t see anything, she slowly got up. She saw only her own reflection and bent down to get her toothbrush.
When she stood up the mirror was steamed up, with the same writing, DO NOT DO IT.
Amari brushed her teeth quickly and left the bathroom, not bothering to wipe the mirror. Paused at the stairs going up to her room, she glanced back at the bathroom. She could just see the mirror and it was no longer steamed up.
Raven’s latest scare tactic did not deter her; in fact it strengthened her resolve to help Kiara. She quickly made her way upstairs and got dressed.
Sitting at her desk, she placed Kiara’s closed book in front of her and placed her hands on it, closing her eyes.
Kiara, are you here?
Amari opened the book.
I’m here.
Amari shut the book again and placed her hands on it, clearing her mind and keeping it focused on Kiara and what she planned to do.
I think that Raven is after me. Do you know if she is still here? I don’t understand how she is appearing in the mirrors and stuff.
Amari let the book drop open.
She died in the forest after she buried something there. I sensed her presence here, especially as I grew stronger. I think that her spirit hated me so much that it hung onto the property, wanting to make sure I never go free. Oh, Amari, I am so sorry she is trying to hurt you. You should put my book back and never think of me again, perhaps then she will leave you alone.
Amari frowned as she read this; this was the exact opposite of what she wanted to do. She wanted to help Kiara and she wasn’t going to let some dead woman stop her now. She knew it would be hard, but maybe she could get Kiara out the book and maybe they could defeat Raven together.
Kiara, is there a way to send Raven’s soul to rest? Or to get you out of the book?
This will be very dangerous. A malevolent spirit like Raven’s could hurt you badly. I don’t want you to get hurt. You’re the first person I’ve ever been able to communicate with properly and I don’t want you to get hurt because of me, because Raven wants me gone.
Amari was getting frustrated and thought as much. Enough, Kiara! I am doing this! Either you help me or I will try figure it out on my own.
Only if you’re sure! Raven had a spell book she would consult. The spell to bind me into this book was in there. If you could find the spell that can be used to free me then I believe I can finally be free. Your ability to communicate with me means you have some magic in you, which also means you will be able to perform the spell. It will be dangerous, and Raven will do whatever to stop you.
Amari read the lines repeatedly. Her? Do a spell? That was insane, but then, this was all insane. She nodded and shut the book, pondering what to ask next. Where would a dead witch store her spell book? As far as she knew, the farm had been deserted for a long time before her parents bought it off an auction. Perhaps it was still here.
Kiara, do you know where the spell book is? Where it could be hidden?
I think so. In fact, that might have been the very thing she was burying. I sense a terrible and dark magic in my beloved woods, and I believe this is her book I am sensing. It is in the spot where I was, when the spell was cast and I was taken from your world.
Amari closed the book one last time.
Okay, so that’s the plan. I will find the spell book, find the spell and free you from this book no matter what.
Please, just be careful! I don’t want you to get hurt.
Amari didn’t plan on getting hurt. She tied the book shut and put it in the top drawer of her desk. Taking a deep breath, she gazed out to the forest. For some odd reason it appeared scarier now than ever. She thought she saw shadows moving there, but frowned at herself. She needed to separate fact from fiction. She couldn’t let her imagination run away with her now, because there were shadows and they could hurt her.
She watched the woods, trying to figure out from Kiara’s story where she could have been when she was turned into a tree. Amari remembered the clearing - that was about the best place to start.
Her father left the house to his chores on the land. She took a deep breath and stood up; it was now or never.
Making her way downstairs to the living room, she paused to look at her mother, who was busy knitting.
“Mom,” she said.
Sashqua looked up. “You feeling better, love?”
Amari smiled. “I just wanted to go for a walk in the woods. I think some fresh air would do me some good.”
Her mother frowned. “Do you really think that is wise? What if you fall again?”
“I’ll be careful, and I won’t go beyond the wall, so
it’s not like I can get lost.”
Sashqua sighed. “Okay, but not too long.”
Amari nodded and went to put her jacket and scarf on. As she stepped out of the house it felt as if the wind instantly picked up and howled around her. Her hair whipped in her face and she pulled it into her jacket and wrapped her scarf around her neck so it couldn’t blow too freely. She strode towards the forest with purpose. She wasn’t going to let any cold weather, violent winds or her own fears stop her from helping Kiara. She paused briefly just on the edge of the forest. She could see through the trees and it seemed like the forest was eternal.
Taking a deep breath, Amari headed into the forest. The wind seemed to pick up more speed, whipping branches back and forth. Thankfully the branches were so high up they couldn’t hit her, but still she needed to pull her jacket closer.
She kept looking ahead, not daring to look to her sides or behind her in case she gave herself the creeps, or saw something she didn’t want to. A shadow crossed her path up ahead, and Amari paused. She hadn’t seen it clearly, but something had definitely dashed between the trees. Pressing on, she ignored the feeling that something, or someone, was watching her. She could see the clearing up ahead and relief washed over her. At least there she would be able to see a bit better.
The strangest thing happened as she crossed into the clearing. The wind suddenly ceased. It was as though she had stepped indoors, or into a shelter. She could see the trees swaying around her and she could hear the wind, but it just wasn’t present in the clearing.
Amari took another deep breath to steady her nerves. She wasn’t sure where to go from here. She faced the trees and then gradually swivelled, trying to figure out her next move and hoping for a sign.
She realised there was someone standing to her left. She turned back that way again, facing the pale woman in the black dress. For some odd reason, seeing Raven did not increase her fear, but rather made her angry.
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