The Spirit of Fire

Chapter Four- Thursday, January 29th, 2014

Leaves crunched under my bare feet. My medieval gown dragged across the ground, catching dried up leaves and dirt. Something was pulling me through the woods, toward Leap Castle. Pictures of the Bloody Chapel and the Oubliette kept flashing in my mind. The Irish countryside slowly disappeared from my peripheral vision as I climbed the steps of the giant castle. The door slowly opened, voices drawing me in. I slowly walked in through the foyer, towards the spiral staircase that led to the Bloody Chapel. My bare feet glided up the stairs. My dress brushed across each step, picking up specks of dirt and dust.

"Cedric?" My voice shook, echoing through the staircase. I reached the top of the stairs, only to come face to face with a large wooden door. I slowly pushed it open, walking into the dreaded Bloody Chapel.

Emotions swirled around me as I walked inside. To my surprise, Cedric, Jaxon, Danny, and Jakob all stood at the alter. Sitting in the first row of chairs were Mystic, Adika, and Becky. My eyes widened. 'What are they doing here?' I thought as I walked up the aisle to the alter.

Cedric smiled at me. "It's time for you to show us that you're a truly powerful Wiccan." He stated, taking my hand, gently caressing it. I looked up at him as he led me to the North-Western corner of the Chapel.

We stopped in front of the Oubliette, the "Gateway to Hell", as well as the home to which the Elemental resides. Cedric looked at me as I hesitantly stepped toward the dark entrance of the Oubliette. A forceful hand hit my back, pushing me forward. I screamed as I plummeted into the hole. I landed in a heap on the floor. Darkness surrounded me as a pungent stench filled my nose. I turned to see a thing, about the size of a sheep. 'The Elemental,' I thought. It was thin, gaunt, and shadowy. It had no nose and a loose, saliva-dripping jaw. It had a human face with large black holes for eyes. The Elemental's paws were hand-like with long, dangerously curved claws. It looked half-decomposed, a rotting corpse.

I moved back against the wall, my breath coming quickly. 'No, this can't be happening. I can't destroy the Elemental. I'll die trying!'

The Elemental moved towards me, running it's claw across the bottom of my dress. I heard a familiar male scream, followed by a loud thud. Blood started dripping in the Oubliette. I looked up to see Jakob's decapitated body. I screamed as darkness consumed me.

My eyes flew open as I sat up. Sweat beaded my body, my breath coming in short gasps. 'I hope that wasn't a premonition,' I thought as I slowly crawled out of bed, my legs shaking. A stream of bright winter sun was coming through the window, illuminating my pale skin. I pulled my Jack Skellington pajamas off and headed to the bathroom. I turned the shower on, letting the water heat up. As I stepped in, a knock sounded from the bedroom. I ignored it, letting the water cascade down my body.

When I stepped out of the shower about twenty minutes later, someone knocked on the bathroom door. I wrapped a towel around my body and opened the door. Standing in front of me was Danny.

"What do you want," I asked bitterly. The candles started flickering as the flames grew.

Danny looked at me. "Your friend is here, I think his name is Jeremy." The flames went down.

"Send him up," I replied. Danny left, closing the door behind him. I slipped into my satin robe, tying the sash tightly around my waist. The door opened and Jeremy stepped inside. He looked at me, evaluating his next move.

"Yes?" I asked, leaning back against the wall. Jeremy moved towards me, until he was only inches away. His warm hand brushed against my leg. 'No!' I thought as his hand slid under my robe. 'Not again!' Jeremy's lips crashed into mine, holding my neck with one hand while his other hand untied my robe.

My knees gave out on me. I fell to the floor in a heap. 'Jakob... where's Jakob?' I thought, my breath coming in short gasps. Jeremy towered over me, a smirk plastered on his lips.

"Goddess of protection," I whispered, "hear me plea, keep this person away from me. When they are near, they will feel pure pain. The closer they are, the stronger the pain. Goddess of protection, hear me plea. Keep this person away from me. So mote it be."

Jeremy's eyes filled with agony as he dropped to his knees, clutching his head. I moved towards the door, holding my robe shut. Fear ran through my veins. I knew Jeremy could be unreasonable when he was angry. Once I got outside my room, I slammed the door shut.

"Let cruelty, pain, and evil ways, follow this villain through all his days. Reverse the torment he creates, to turn on him a crueler fate." I stated as I stood up. My legs were still very shaky.

Danny ran upstairs. "What happened?" He asked, coming over to me. I started crying. Danny walked me into his room, rubbing my back. "You're going to be alright. I'll go get Jeremy out of here and call Jakob."

I smiled weakly as Danny got up and left. 'I hope Becky doesn't find out about this.'

Four hours later...

Mark walked into the basement, where I had been since Jeremy left. "Are you okay?" He asked, sitting on the couch next to me.

I shrugged, pulling my legs closer to me. 'To be honest,' I thought, 'I'm scared to be near anyone.'

Mark reached out to rub my arm, but I moved further away from him. He watched me, studying my reactions as I let my hair down to hide my face. He sighed, got up, and walked back upstairs without saying another word. A tear rolled down my cheek as my lip started trembling. I was trying not to cry, but I was failing to hold back my emotions.

I brushed away the tears as I inhaled sharply. 'Why am I breaking down?' I thought, wrapping my arms around my knees.

Suddenly, I noticed a presence in the room. I blinked away the tears and sat up. "Hello?" I called, slowly getting off the couch. No one answered. I headed over to the stairs slowly, then quickly ran up two flights of stairs to my room, locking the door behind me.