TILL DEATH

Chapter Three

I stay cradled to myself crying. I couldn't save her. I can't believe she just let herself be killed like that.

The cyclops continues to try to get through the barrier, but it gives up after several failed attempts and makes his way back to wherever he came from. Good riddance. I thought cyclopses aren't real, only mythology. And even if they are real, what is one doing in Louisiana of all places? I understand the vampires and witches and werewolves being here because of voodoo purposes, but cyclopses? They should be near mountains if anything. Or from what I know of the being.

Whatever the reason for it being here, it isn't good for sure. Could the cyclops be the culprit behind Thomas' death as well? I mean, he has the personality to kill for sure. But I don't think he has the skills to decapitate a young child. Whoever cut his head off did him real good and quick, so it couldn't have been the cyclops, right? The cyclops moved slow getting to Phoebe and I.

I just don't understand what the hell is going on, but all I know is that it's pretty messed up.

Becoming fed up with the entire situation, I rip most of the skirting of my dress, leaving the last layer of my petticoats, and I rip my corset off so I can breathe better. My sobbing stops for the most part, but every now and again I sniff and gasp shortly for air. I also take my heels off and throw them across the room, screaming while doing so.

"Ugh!" I continuously scream everytime I slam my fists on the ground.

Call me a freak or a weakling, but having Phoebe just die like that isn't something I would've let happen. She was a witch like me! I finally didn't feel alone here. I thought I was the only witch in this town, but I wasn't. But now I am because Phoebe wanted to go ahead and die. It was noble the way she went, but that's not the point!

She was young! She was sixteen for crying out loud! She had the rest of her life to live, and she could've made the world a better place!

"Ugh!" I scream once again.

"Rose! Why are you screaming?" I hear someone ask. I look up to see Niobe and Leif standing in front of me. I guess I let the barrier down during my mental breakdown.

I try to tell them what happened, but all that came out were squeaks.

"Take your time, Rose," Leif says.

I nod and take a deep breath. When it's time to let it out, I say softly, "Phoebe is dead."

"What?" they both shout.

The tears prick my eyelids, "We ran into a-a cyclops while in the church."

"What is a cyclops doing here? I thought they didn't exist?" Niobe scrunches her eyebrows together.

I shrug my shoulders, "I thought so, too! He ended up chasing us. Phoebe. She was too weak to make it all the way here. I could've saved her! I wasn't strong enough to carry her." I lower my voice at the last part.

Leif kneels beside me and rubs my back, "It's okay, Rose."

I shake my head. Leif doesn't know we're witches. Niobe knows I am, but she doesn't know Phoebe was. "It-it's not okay, Leif." The tears pour down again.

Niobe kneels on the opposite side of me from where Leif is kneeling. She looks at Leif for a second and says, "Leif, can you go look around the room for anything that could get us closer to finding out who's murdering everyone?" He nods without hesistant and stands up to start searching. Once he was out of earshot, Niobe whispers, "What really happened that you couldn't save her?"

It takes me a few seconds to collect my thoughts. I don't know why I'm crying so much for Phoebe when I didn't even bat an eye for Thomas. Maybe it's because I didn't know Thomas all that well other than that he was one of the few kids who got in trouble in Loaden? Or maybe it's because I didn't see him get murdered first hand like I did Phoebe? I'm not so sure. I felt closer to Phoebe than Thomas anyway.