WITCH - ARA

Twenty one

I jolt awake, gasping for air, my heart pounding in my chest. The room feels colder, emptier, like the world has shrunk into this suffocating space. My hands tremble, my breath shaky. I’m back in reality, but the vision lingers in my mind.

Who was that man? Why did he take Ava?

My head spins as questions overwhelm me, crashing into each other with no answers in sight. I try to make sense of it all, but I can’t focus. The figure, the crawling woman, Ava being taken—it’s all too much.

The door creaks open, and I look up, barely processing as Keith walks in. His presence feels both grounding and unsettling at the same time. My body moves before I can think, standing up in a blur of panic and desperation.

“He took her... he took Ava!” I blurt out, my voice shaky and hoarse. The tears start again, streaming down my face as I ramble on. “I—I saw it—there was this man, I couldn’t stop him! And—and then this woman—” I can’t finish the sentence, the fear choking me, making everything tumble out of my mouth in pieces. I’m shaking, unable to stand still.

Keith steps forward, his eyes focused on me, calm despite my panic. He reaches out, trying to calm me, but I pull away, struggling like a cat in the grip of a hand. "No, Keith, it’s not just a small problem! It’s not something you can fix by just—" I cry out, my voice breaking. “Ava’s gone! I couldn’t do anything—I couldn't—”

But Keith doesn’t let me finish.

Without a word, he pulls me right against him, holding me firmly, his arms wrapped around me in a way that leaves no room for escape. I feel his strength, his steady heartbeat against mine, and for a moment, my panic falters. I struggle weakly in his grip, but he doesn’t loosen his hold. He’s not going to let me fall apart.

His hand moves gently to the back of my head, fingers threading through my hair as he tilts my face up to him. Before I can say anything else, before my mind can even catch up to what’s happening, Keith leans down and presses a soft kiss to my forehead.

The world goes quiet.

My thoughts stop racing, my body stills, and the sobs caught in my throat die down. His warmth, the gentle press of his lips—it silences everything. I close my eyes, sinking into the moment, letting him hold me because I don’t know what else to do.

Keith pulls back slightly, just enough to look at me, his voice low and steady. “I’m here, Blaze. We’ll figure this out. But first, you need to breathe.”

I nod weakly, still trembling, but I’m not fighting him anymore. The weight of it all hasn’t left, but for now, in his arms, the chaos in my mind is quieter.

We sit on the couch, the tension heavy between us, but I’m calmer now. Keith watches me closely, waiting for me to speak, his posture relaxed but his eyes sharp.

Taking a deep breath, I begin to explain everything. “It started last night... Ava and I were outside talking. I was about to tell her something important, but she asked me to get water.” My voice stays steady, though my hands fidget in my lap. “When I came back, she was gone. I saw... something inside. It wasn’t human, Keith. It—it crawled on the ceiling, and then everything went black.”

Keith leans forward slightly, his brows furrowing. "A creature? Something non-human... it could be a spirit, or a demon. This sounds like some kind of evil presence.”

I shake my head, interrupting him before he goes down that path. "Maybe that crawling woman could've been of something evil, Keith. But Ava's wasn’t. I can see the past." His eyes widen slightly, but I continue before he can say anything. “I cast a spell to see what happened last night. I saw a man. He took Ava, but I couldn’t see his face—everything was blurry. It wasn’t a spirit. It was real, and someone made sure she was taken.”

Keith raises an eyebrow, clearly surprised by my ability, but then nods slowly, accepting it without argument. “Alright. That changes things.”

We sit in silence for a moment, letting the weight of what I’ve said settle between us. I can tell Keith is processing everything, trying to figure out the next step.

Keith finally speaks up. "We need to be smart about this. Someone took Ava, which means we have to treat this like a real kidnapping."

I nod, my mind racing. "What do we do first? Should we call the police?"

Keith thinks for a moment. "In most cases, we should. But given your... abilities and everything that’s happened, we need to be careful. The police won’t understand what’s really going on, and if there’s more at play here, they might complicate things."

His words make sense, but the thought of not calling for help terrifies me. "But if we don’t report her missing..."

Keith cuts in gently. "We will. But we need to handle it on both fronts—legally and... otherwise." He leans back, considering. “First, we’ll make the report. It’s standard procedure, and it needs to be done.”

I nod again, trying to focus on the practical steps.

"We’ll give them Ava’s details," Keith says, standing up. "We’ll tell them she went missing last night, and you don’t know where she is. We leave out anything supernatural for now—just focus on the facts they can work with."

My chest tightens as he speaks, the reality of it sinking in. I stand up too, my legs shaky but steady enough to move.

“And after that?” I ask, my voice quieter now.

“After that,” Keith says, his voice firm, “we do what we need to do. I’ll help you track down whoever did this—whether they’re human or not.”

I swallow hard, a flicker of hope lighting up inside me despite everything. "Okay," I whisper. "Let’s do it."