City of Witchcraft

Your Witch Salvation

2/18/25

Kaylee awoke in a bed. It was soft, comfortable. The room around her was quiet, but it was a comforting quiet. There was no chaos around her. How had she gotten here? Kaylee reflected on her most recent memories. The wraith had been coming towards her. She should be dead, right?

Or was she someone's captive?

Kaylee heard footsteps from outside the room. She bolted up, looking for something she could use to defend herself. There was nothing—the room was sparsely furnished, just the bed, a lamp in the corner behind a large chair, and a painting of... something. Kaylee wasn't quite sure what. But there was nothing she could realistically use as a weapon.

Kaylee clenched her fists. Those would have to do. She got to her feet, walking toward the corner when she saw the door slowly open beside her.

"Kaylee?"

It was a woman's voice, sounded to be a young adult. Kaylee didn't recognize her voice, and was confused about how she knew her name. The woman poked her head past the door, and Kaylee froze.

She seemed completely different from the women that Kaylee had been spying on previously. Her hair was cut somewhat short—just below her ears—and it was a tangled, curly mess. And, more notably, it was a vibrant pink. Her eyes were large and wide and seemed to sparkle in the light, her nose seeming small for her rounded face. Her face had a natural flush to it, and she had a pair of cute cat earrings on. Kaylee felt her face turn red.

"H-hi," Kaylee stuttered, incredibly flustered. Who was she, and why was she so pretty?

"Whatcha doing in the corner?" the young woman asked. Already Kaylee got the sense of her bubbly personality.

"I- uh-"

The young woman waved it off, hopping out from behind the door. She wore a light lavender top and light blue jeans. She seemed tall—around six feet—but also appeared very energetic, bouncing on her heels a bit.

"Hi, Kaylee! I'm Ellie." Ellie stepped toward Kaylee, holding out her hand enthusiastically. Kaylee reached out cautiously and gave it a slight shake before Ellie clasped Kaylee's hand with her free hand and shook it aggressively. When Ellie released her hand, it returned to Kaylee's side, tired.

"Nice to meet you, Ellie," Kaylee said, still remaining cautious. She had no idea who this girl was or what she wanted. For all she knew, Ellie was a member of the group that she'd been spying on previously—or even worked for them. And even if she didn't, she could still be someone that Kaylee should by no means trust.

Ellie let out a dramatic sigh before placing her hands on her waist and staring intently at Kaylee.

"I know this is probably a lot for you to take in all at once and that you probably have a lot of questions, but I really need to know: What's your favorite color?"

"W-what?" Kaylee was definitely taken off guard.

"Your favorite color! These white walls are boring, and I want to make them something you'd like!"

"Uh... gray?"

All of the energy and enthusiasm in Ellie's face dissolved in a moment as it was replaced with a look of judgment and disappointment. She shook her head as she said, "Gray's too boring! Pick another one!"

"Um...."

"Please?" Ellie looked at her with pleading eyes. Kaylee shook her head and sighed.

"Fine. How's green?"

"Oo, okay! What kind?"

"Um- green, green?"

Ellie sighed dramatically, shaking her head again. "We have a lot of work to do with you," she said, before flicking her hand upward. The walls turned a nice pine green in an instant. "How's that?"

"That's- uh- that's nice."

Ellie frowned. "Just nice?

Kaylee shrugged. "I don't know. Color isn't really my thing."

"Well, that's disappointing." Then, Ellie returned to her previous energetic point like the previous conversation hadn't happened. It almost felt like someone had hit some sort of a reset button. Ellie ran over toward the bed and sat at its foot, before patting right beside her and waving Kaylee over. "Come sit!"

Kaylee paused for a moment before walking over, still maintaining caution, and sliding onto the spot that Ellie had left for her. Ellie's legs swung like a small child's, dragging along the ground at points. She swayed lightly from side to side as she did, humming some sort of tune to herself. Then she stopped suddenly and turned to face Kaylee, a giant goofy smile on her face.

"So, do you have any questions for me?" Ellie asked.

"Yeah, uh, I do," Kaylee said. "Who are you? How did I get here? Where am I?"

Ellie nodded, a thoughtful look coming over her face. "Those are some good questions, Kaylee!"

"Thanks...?"

Kaylee and Ellie sat in silence for a moment before Ellie exclaimed, "Oh, you probably want me to answer those questions, don't you?"

"I would appreciate it, yeah."

"Cool! I'm Ellie Nix, I saved you from the Shadow Coven, and this is my apartment!"

Kaylee blinked. "Is that all?"

"Yeah!" Ellie exclaimed enthusiastically. Kaylee could tell it was all she was going to get from her on the matter.

"Why did you help me?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Ellie asked. "You were in danger, and I thought you needed helping!"

"Really? You just did it because it was the right thing to do? No ulterior motive, no employer in some form, nothing?"

Ellie shook her head. "No! Who wouldn't save someone in danger just because they didn't have a reason?"

"You're awfully innocent, Ellie. And trusting." It was strangely endearing.

"And you're awfully gloomy and dark. How come?"

"That's how the whole world is these days. It's fairly normal."

"Pfft! Who cares about normal? Break the norms, they're for normal people!" Ellie waved Kaylee off again as she said this then started laughing, quickly turning into a giggling mess. Kaylee chuckled slightly, and a light smile played on her lips. When Ellie settled down from her laughing fit, she added, "Why don't you try being happy? I bet you'd like it."

"Happy can be distracting. It can be dangerous."

"But happiness is what makes life worth living!" Ellie leaned in close, grabbing Kaylee's hand. Kaylee felt her face flush. Ellie didn't seem to notice. "A life without happiness isn't a very good life, now is it?"

A proper smile broke onto Kaylee's face. "Your enthusiasm is contagious, you know that?"

"Really? That's great!"

Kaylee's smile widened. Then she paused, and her smile dissipated. "So, you really have no alternative reasoning for saving me other than it being the right thing to do?"

"Nope! And now that you're up, you're free to leave whenever you want!"

Kaylee sat up quickly. The idea of leaving hadn't even crossed her mind. She looked around at the room, then returned her gaze to Ellie.

"I'd like to stay for a bit if that's alright with you," Kaylee said. Then, gesturing to the now-green room around her, she said, "Maybe you could tell me how you did... this?"

Ellie nodded, her own smile widening. "Sure! Now, where do I start?"