The Coven

Chapter 4

Don't sacrifice yourself too much, because if you sacrifice too much there's nothing else you can give and nobody will care for you. ~ Karl Lagerfeld

The floorboards creaked as Ember paced the tight bedroom. Only one thought plagued her mind and it was why she didn't feel good? Why did her heart not burst with glee and her life feel complete. She had survived the first half of her life trapped at Saint Mary's, passed the initiation. Ember killed a woman for Christ's sake yet she did not feel anything.

Instead of feeling happy she just felt empty. Her insides hollow as the guilt ate her alive gnawing at any feeling left over. She did all of this and all that the Coven cared about was Juniper who did nothing. Ember did not feel hatred towards the girl who she tried so hard to forget instead just annoyed. Juniper ruined her life and all Ember felt was the emptiness inside her, not anger that usually flooded her emotions. Juniper had the power to crumble Ember's life even after she swore to forget her, take every damned memory of Juniper out with with the trash. Yet she seeped back into her life bursting through the cracks at the worst times possible.

The hours passed and all Ember did was lay on the rock hard bed and stare at the water stained ceiling. The rest of the house that held the Coven was quiet with the occasional footsteps. Finally as the night crept into the room she heard voices speak from below her where the common room was.

Ember was intrigued at the two small voices echoing throughout the house. She would call it fighting or maybe arguing but it wasn't quite that. It was someone demeaning another, talking down to them as the other tried hard to compose simple words to defend themselves. It amused her, like a television left on with nobody to watch.

"I do not care Fleur. Just find out where that witch is. Talk to the mud witches for all I care about!" The stern voice demanded. Ember could almost picture the Mistress pacing around on the verge of losing it sticking her finger down at the smaller voice.

"We have a feud with . . ."

"I do not care. Do you understand?"

"Yes." The smaller voice retreated as if defeated. A child being scorned for simply being a child. Ember moved her foot downward slowly onto the wood causing it to screech above them. The voices silenced.

"Crap." She muttered.

"Take Ember she has more power than you." Ember smiled at the compliment if that was what you would call it. A compliment to her but a hateful thing to another. As slid back onto the bed on top of the covers curling her body into a ball. Picking up tangled headphones from the bed post to listen to whatever music decided to play.

"Were you listening?" The small voice asked staring down at Ember with big brown eyes from the broken doorway.

"Does not matter. Do you need me or something?" Fleur looked down at her feet before asking,

"Can you come with? I mean you probably already know but yeah."

"Sure. To the mud witches? I mean I cannot stand Juniper but I suppose I could help."

"Thanks. We can leave now if you want?" Ember jumped from bed and slinged on her trademark leather jacket while adjusting her big glasses.

"Ready as ever." Fleur led the way down as Ember struggled to get her arms into the jacket glad that she did not look back to see her fail.

Fleur walked nervously next to Ember and she could sense it. She could feel her shivering next to her, see the goosebumps rising on her pale arms.

"Okay what the hell are you scared of? You are what? 5 years older than me, taller, and more powerful what's the deal?"

"You set a man on fire Ember," True Ember thought passing the stairway where he was sentenced to death. All it took was a glare, a simple action. "I had to clean him up I hope you know. What was left of him."