The Charmed Necklace

Chapter 3: Magic isn't real

After school, Sarah would always take the bus home. She would hand her ticket to the conductor so that he can verify it. She took a seat on the right of the second last row. She was about to take out her earphones to listen to music when someone approached her.

"Is this seat taken?" She looked up and saw Logan standing in front of the non vacant seat next to her.

"No." She replied.

"Then is it okay if I sit down next to you?"

"No one's stopping you."

"Cool."

The bus began to move and everyone were seated and started their conversations. Catching up on news.

"Are you okay?" Sarah asked as Logan kept staring at her.

"I just can't believe you take the bus."

"And why's that?" She asked in a cordial tone.

"Well you don't look like someone who takes the bus. You look more like a rebel who drives her own car."

"I'm no rebel, trust me. I take the bus after school because my guardian is busy during the day."

"Does she like have an office job or something?"

"SHE is actually a HE and no, he's a police officer."

"Oh. That's interesting. He must be very protective."

"He is. He's the only family I have left. Me and my parents moved from our hometown and came here, but obviously they're dead now."

"How did they die?"

"They were murdered in the woods when I was 7. We were camping."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

"My mother died when I was 10. Me and my father lived alone for 3 years until he met someone, Gloria, is her name. She's a pain in the ass but she's very creative, she made me this ring." He showed Sarah a ring on his right index finger. It was a silver skull with red eyes.

"How quaint."

"Yeah. She's fun once you get to know her better. Just tells terrible jokes."

The bus came to a stop and both Sarah and Logan exited the bus.

"You live in this neighborhood?" Sarah asked.

"Well yeah. I live right across your house. Didn't you notice?"

"I guess I was just... really busy."

They walked together, on their way home. Which was three blocks away. They came to stop once they were at Sarah's house. Logan saw her necklace and was amazed to see that it was the exact same star symbol Sarah drew.

"I never noticed your necklace. It looks exactly like your drawing." He said.

"Yeah my mother gave it to me before she died. She told me that the necklace was created to kill an evil witch, that it contains powerful magic."

"Magic? You do know that magic isn't real right?"

"I know, but... Today when I was in the bathroom, something strange happened - " she remembered the light and the tiny crystals on her hand " - I don't know what it was but the necklace... It... It was glowing... It created light brighter than the Sun and then it still left these tiny crystals on my hand..."

"Maybe it was all just in your head."

"Yeah... Maybe."

"Hey. It's just like I said: 'Magic isn't real.' "

They greeted each other goodbye and Sarah went inside, ran upstairs to her bedroom and tried to sleep the incident away. She dreamt of her parents and how they died.

"Sarah!" She heard her mother's screams.

"Mommy!" She screamed back as the unidentified creature killed Barbara.

"Everything's going to be okay." Barbara's voiced echoed.

In the dream, instead of running away like she did, little Sarah closed and once she opened them she could see her dead parents standing beside the beast. Sarah was now her exact age as she is in the present, 16.

"Mom?" Sarah's voice was shaky as she saw the hole in her mother's chest, blood pouring down her clothes and dripping on the dead  brown leaves on the ground. She looked at her father and saw the same with him.

"It's okay Sarah. You don't have to be afraid." John said as he tilted his head.

"Stay back!" Sarah shouted as she held her hand out while she was walking backward.

"We're not gonna hurt you Sarah. Just give us the necklace and everything will be okay." Barbara said as if she was possessed.

"No! Get away from me!"

They started walking slowly towards her. John and Barbara's heads were both tilted.

"Give us the necklace Sarah." John and Barbara spoke at the same time.

Sarah tripped and fell to the ground after she could no longer walk backwards.

"Stay away!!"

John and Barbara stopped walking and allowed the creature to approach Sarah. It grabbed her throat, lifted her up, pushed her against a tree as it was choking her. Sarah couldn't breathe. The necklace she was wearing started glowing the exact same way it had in the bathroom.

Sarah suddenly woke up and was now sitting on her bed. She noticed that the necklace was still glowing even though she was no longer dreaming.

"Magic isn't real... It's hard to believe that now."