The Witches Hunt

2

Ann slumped down on the old ,living room couch in the space where there was a dent in it's soft cushion from her always sitting there, and she started to sob,

"Where is she"

"Hey,it's ok she'll be back soon, I'm sure she's just gone to the market" Asta kneeled down next to her sister and tried to calm her down, but Ann just looked up with red, puffy eyes

"In the middle of the night" she spoke, a certain bitterness in her voice

Asta stood up and passed Leanndra a pillow

"Go to bed and she'll be back when you wake up"

"Can I sleep here?"

"If that makes you happy"

"It does"

So Asta stood up and reached for a blanket,the one their mother always used, when something fell out of it,

"What's that?" Ann asked, confused

"I don't know, it's not mine" Asta picked it up,it was a small metal pin with an arctic fox on it, she swore she'd seen that before somewhere

" Will you read to me?" Ann said, whilst getting comfortable

"Ann i'm just as tired as you"Asta whined, dropping the pin in her pocket

"Pleaseee" she looked at Asta and made a sad face,

"Fine!" Asta huffed and went upstairs to get Ann's favourite book .

That night Asteria laid awake on the couch, she couldn't stop thinking about that pin, where had she seen it before?

The next morning they both awoke, stiff from sleeping on the couch and to Ann's surprise, their mother was nowhere to be seen. Asta made bacon and eggs for breakfast,neither of them had said a word to each other all morning,

"I'm going to go look for mum" Asta finally said after the girls had finished their food, and Ann was cleaning the dishes. The plate she was cleaning slipped from her hands and water splashed everywhere. Ann spun around quickly, a mad look on her face,

"You're leaving me too!" she yelled

"I'm going to find mum" Asta started to explain "would you prefer mum to be gone forever and I stay?" She exclaimed

"no" Ann responded quietly,looking at her feet

"Then i'm going to pack" Asta ran upstairs

She grabbed her school bag and started putting things in, only the necessary things. First she packed the sweater her mum had given her the day before,then a book, a loaf of bread and the most important thing, the knife her mother had given her when she was fourteen. It had a solid metal handle with a braided design and a strong blade,It had perfect balance. Her mother had taught her how to use a knife in combat; Asta didn't think she would need it ever but now it has become apparent that she would.

Asta pulled on new clothes and then put her brown hair into a braid, grabbed her bag and walked downstairs to hear Leanndra crying in the living room.

"Promise you'll come back" Ann sobbed while hugging her sister as tight as she could

"I promise" Asta replied

" And try to write"

"I'll do my best" Asteria opened the front door and walked out, quite confidently, she knew exactly where to start.

Their mother had never told Ann this because she was too young to understand but Asta knew. Asta knew that their mother was a witch and so was she. And every witch when they turn 16 must begin to learn how to control their powers, that's what the crystal necklace helps do. Of course, Asta was impatient and her mother ended up teaching her earlier than she was meant to. Witches are spread across the world but most are born in Asanzeiar-which was Asta's home country- and Gemas, the country her mother was born in. There are three kinds of witches, the life holders, the nature keepers and the sea summoners. Life holders are very hard to come by and there are very few in the world, one of them is Asta. She knew where her mother had been taken to from the tales she told her about witches; she was in Palisea; the home country of witch hunters.