Raven

Chapter Eight

Charlotte shut the heavy door behind her, leaning against it. She sighed, rubbing her face wearily. What a horrible day... At least I can relax now, however painful it maybe. As she made her way to her bed, a hollow feeling began to overcome her. It stopped her in her path, paralyzed. She felt it wash over her like a dark cloud, enveloping her with its' caresses. Each moment the feeling spent permeating through her, more and more of the color in the world dimmed, out of her reach. The bright gold of the sun outside her window, the brilliant green of her walls, even the chocolate of her eyes was ripped away, replaced by a spiritless gray.

What...what's going on? I feel like something's permeating through me...Something evil. I'm getting so... depressed. Is this Raven's doing? She looked around, searching for the demon, but Raven was nowhere to be found. With heavy feet, she stepped the last few feet to her bed. She lay on her back and stared up at the ceiling, listless.

Like a slow dense fog, thoughts of the problem at school, Pandora's and her own soul belonging to Raven, and her departed mother hit her. They funneled inside her, choking her until she could no longer think of anything pleasant, only low, morose feelings. Shaking her head in anguish, tears began to leak down her face, rolling onto the pillow underneath her head and sinking like the lump in her chest into the soft fabric.

I can't control my life at all... So many terrible things have happened to me. My sister belongs to a demon... The same demon who stole my soul as well, and now wants nothing to do with me, basking in my misery while I suffer yet desire her company. My mother is dead, never to return to me, and Mrs. Eggbright is out to make my life hell. Why did all this have to happen? I tried to fix everything with that first ritual. If I couldn't even get that right, and brought so many consequences against myself and my sister, how can I expect to get this next one to work correctly? I'm such an awful mess...

She lay there, soaking in her own tears, the pillow fibers clinging to her cheek as she rolled over onto her side, burying her face. Somewhere deep in her subconscious, she knew she had to do something to distract herself if she was going to change the way she felt. Using the last bit of strength she had, she reached to the foot of her bed and grabbed a thin book that lay discarded on the floor. Opening it, she tried her best to take her mind off everything, perusing through the pages.

As she read, she began to feel slightly better. She reached to turn the page. Nervous about the spell tomorrow and the thought of her own potential failure, her hands shook and she ripped the next page in half. Sighing in defeat, she threw the book down. I am a failure.

Feeling like her body was made of lead, she slowly sat up, deciding to head downstairs and watch some television. Being alone in her room wasn't helping anything. Plopping her feet heavily on the floor, she stood up and despondently trudged out of the room, her shoes sliding lethargically on the wooden planks. Hopefully Raven isn't still there. She's the last person I want to see right now. As she passed the doorway, she didn't notice the cloud of dark amber mist creep out from behind her bookshelf. It swirled around and encircled her as she walked, sinking slowly into her skin.

Making her way to the couch, Charlotte was relieved to find no sign of the demon. She sat down and turned on the television, mindlessly flipping through the channels. The laughs and cries of actors on the screen fell on deaf ears, as Charlotte found herself unable to focus on anything but the swirling thoughts of her own sorrow. She felt more hot, glistening tears slip down her face, letting them fall softly onto her thighs as she bent her head.

Maybe tomorrow will be better, She thought, water cascading like a river down her face as she choked each sob out of her body. I can only hope so.

***

Raven sat through classes the next morning, completely carefree. In Algebra, she gazed off into the distance, Mrs. Eggbright not giving her a second glance. Why would she, Raven thought,when I'm the one controlling her? Raven envisioned what it would be like when she became Queen that evening.