Bay

Chapter Two

Brooke was not home yet when Bay and Isla trotted through the door. As soon as the Sorceress was out of sight, they had started running and they did not stop until they flew through the door and into their kitchen.

"What's wrong?" their mother asked as she jumped to her feet, her sewing forgotten.

"The Sorceress..." Bay gasped for air. "She... she..."

"She's here!" Isla said. "In the village."

"What? Where did you see her?" Bay's mother peeked out the curtains and onto the street. "Why would she come here?"

"To find students," Bay said, finally having caught her breath. "For her schools. She asked for volunteers."

"No one did, did they?"

"Of course not," Bay replied.

"But she's going to choose children herself," Isla said. "And it's going to be me."

"No, Isla, it isn't," their mother said. "Why would you think that?"

"I fell in front of her. Right in her path. She'll choose me for sure."

"No she won't," Bay said with more force than she meant too. "I won't let her."

"Bay, Isla, come here." Their mother grabbed them both into a hug. "Where's Brooke?"

"Right here," Brooke said as she opened the door. "Are you okay?" she asked her sisters.

Bay nodded and Brooke joined their hug.

"We have to hide Isla," Bay said. "She can't go to the school if she can't be found."

"Bay," her mother said.

"We can go into the forest, or down by the lake. There's that cave down by the water, remember?" Bay continued.

"Bay," her mother said again. "We can't hide her forever. And that's what we would have to do."

"So you're just going to let that... that... demon take her?"

"Of course not," her mother said. "We'll figure something out."

Bay was not convinced, but she led her sister into their shared room when their mother asked them to leave. She could hear the murmurs through the door of her mother and Brooke talking. What were they going to do?

"Bay?" Isla said from behind her. "What if she does take me? What will I do?"

"I won't let her take you," Bay replied.

"But she controls everything. She won't let you stop her. She could kill you for trying." Isla stood close to Bay and looked up into her eyes.

"I can't let her take you," Bay whispered.

#

The evening came faster than Bay could comprehend. Her mother had made her continue with her regular tasks for the day, sewing, cutting, and preparing dinner. Bay guessed that her mother thought if the day seemed normal than nothing would happen that was not normal.

Brooke had gone back to the market to get food for dinner. Isla had stayed home this time. She spent the day scrubbing and dusting. Their home had not been very messy, but Isla probably did not want to sit around thinking about what could possibly happen.

"Loch should be home soon," Bay's mother said. "About time to get dinner on the go."

"I'll put everything away," Bay said, waving her hand across all of the fabric, thread, and pins lying out all over the kitchen table. The sun was beginning to set. Any minute now, a demon could show up to take her sister away. "I hope dinner is good. I'm starved," she choked out.