BEWITCHED

3- Death & Rebirth

The crystal clear waters skimmed over Octavia's body as she swam in the deep end of a grotto hidden deep within the woods on the outskirts of her village. Though the water was cold to start with, she began to feel at ease with the cool surface on her skin. The bright sun above the trees helped warm the water as she swam towards a rock that kept her clothes dry for the time being. The night of her trial would start when the sun went down and the moon was high. Preparations had been long and hard as she tried to conserve as much magic as she could for the day. Octavia could still feel her mother's fear and Alec's as they worked hard with the others that sided for her safety. Too much could go wrong for her. So much was at stake against Katrina. Octavia's life was hanging in the balance, and even worse: she had Godric's blood in her body. In the early morning of this day, Octavia felt different as she pondered why and how. Touching the door handle to her bedroom, she saw within her mind Godric's arrival. With surprise came the shocking detail that stood out to her. Godric had given her his blood to drink when she was asleep. 

Slapping the water in anger, what Godric did only led to her mother trying to protect her only child desperately. A weakness is known for all mothers, no matter the species. Octavia hated that her mother had gone to Godric so quickly and without truly knowing what he wanted, but it was clear what he initially wanted from Octavia. Leaning against the rock, she was stumped on why Godric put interest in her. Was it to control the witches? Possibly. Was it to have her blood knowing it couldn't hurt him now? Another possibility. Was it because of the newfound bond that magically tied them together for some unknown reason? Maybe. Without knowing much about the vampire himself, Octavia knew he wouldn't have done anything so drastic if it didn't mean he cared about her in some way. She only wished she knew why he would go so far. Pushing her magic into the atmosphere, she could feel him and the other vampire up North, in the same location from the day before. It was as if they waited for trouble to start, which it would take several hours from then. 

For a moment, Octavia wished she had the will to drown herself right there and then. She wished for anything to take away the pain and anger as she no longer wanted to be anywhere near her village. She knew a part of her wanted to end everything all at once. Reject her magic and live in the shadows as vampires do. But then, she would live a lie for the rest of her miserable life, always running and having no one to care for and love her. Finally, she would die alone and have no reason to live at all. It would be the exact opposite of what she was born to do. She would disgrace her own family and those around her if she gave up so easily. 

Choking down a sob or two, she rubbed away the tears she brought to her face as she stared at the sky's reflection in the water. A force erupted from within her body as a calming wash of emotion flooded her like warmth. In the depths of her mind, she felt Godric's presence as it made her mentally smile. Forgetting what vampires are capable of, she remembered from traveling humans that vampires could feel every emotion once given blood to another. 

"You can feel my turmoil, Godric." Octavia felt apologetic even though he wasn't there with her. 

She allowed him to feel that believing it wasn't the best idea but needed for her comfort and peace of mind. With her words from the night before last about all species capable of betraying her, she knew trusting him wasn't a factor in saving her life. Witches weren't supposed to trust anyone or anything outside of their covens. But the experience for Octavia has changed that view. Pleading to him in her mind, Octavia begged him slightly to allow her to go through her trial as it was a rite of passage for all witches to gain more power if it proved successful. In seconds, she felt Godric's acceptance of her small plea as Octavia smiled genuinely. But still, it didn't ease her mind to what was bound to happen that night. So for the moment, Octavia enjoyed the last remaining peace she would have for a while.