Here to haunt me?

11. Witch.

She whirred around to find a woman standing in the middle of the road. She had long, curly black hair and wore an assortment of layered purple robes.

Juliette was shaking. She knew the moment would come, but somehow she had thought their threats were empty. These were adults, trained to do what this woman was doing now. Infiltrate minds and take souls.

She spoke, "Where are my friends? What is this." 

The woman laughed, a sweet, evil sound.

"They're fine. Probably trying to get you out of this little trance I set you in." The woman spoke casually, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

Although she knew it was stupid of her, Juliette said, "Let me out of here and fight me like a real sorceress. Get out of my head."

The woman, her fingertips stained black, gave a quick chuckle and said, "Oh, we're not sorceresses, you and I. We're witches. Powerful ones at that. Me a bit more powerful than you, though." 

"I am not a witch." Juliette denied. 

"You tell yourself that, sweets." 

She could feel her fear in her throat, and knew she needed to find a way to get the woman out of her head. She was curious, though. "Who are you and what do you want with me?"

The woman smiled. "My name is Agatha Harkness. Pleasure to meet you, Juliette."

She didn't like the way the witch spoke her name. And she didn't answer her question. So she asked again, "Why have you been following me? What debt did my mother owe your coven?" A second later she added, "And how did you find me, anyway?"

The woman sighed, "This generation is so impatient." 

Juliette had the unnerving feeling even in her mind, the woman was in control of the conversation. She waited for her to go on.

"You weren't that careful, hon. Some person saw you with the Avenger -- Barton, wasn't it? -- and took a photo from afar." Agatha chuckled at Juliette's expression. She hadn't seen that coming. 

She continued, "While most people were busy looking at the celebrity, I found something else more enticing. A head of hair so similar to that of the woman me and my coven unfortunately found dead. And walking around with an Avenger." She gave a small tsk-tsk-tsk. "We saw you immediately. And now you will pay in the stead of your mother."

Juliette spoke angrily, "Pay for what?! What did she do to you that was bad enough to hunt down her child? Tell me." She purposefully said child, not children. 

The witch dropped her smiles and said, "She interrupted a ceremony years in the making. She stopped it and took our captive. But not to sacrifice him herself, no, to set him free." At this the woman laughed. "A mistake on her part. Took us a year to find him again. 

She was confused, and she didn't know what the lady meant with ceremony, but she was done asking questions. So to take the witch by surprise, she attacked. It was weird to use her magic in her own mind instead of someone else's. 

She used some internal force of her power to push Harkness out of her mind and felt herself gain control again. The grip of panic on her chest loosened. 

She sank through her stance and fell on the ground. The stone felt cold against her jeans, but she was glad for it. Her friends were there with her immediately, telling her they had been trying to wake her up, like the witch said.

Witch. What a stupid thing to call yourself. She was no witch, and neither was her mother. 

Peter and Ana both had a strong hold on Juliette's shoulders, and it made her realize what just happened.