✓ | Girls of a Feather | #OpenNovellaContest2019

| eight |

Elke

Elke let the shadows swallow her up, taking comfort in the darkness that had become her friend over the years. She refused to let herself look back, even though her heartstrings sung with guilty notes at leaving Aleta behind.

She flew and flew, ignoring the shriek of the wind and the leering reach of the branches. She used to be scared of the forest, just as Aleta was, but time had made her forgetful. She could barely remember her former life. The darkness and Antsje Pluk were all she had left.

Finally, the trees gave way to a large clearing.

Moonlight pooled on the grass, framing Antsje Pluk in a circle of silver.

"Meisje," the witch said as Elke landed on a branch a safe distance away.

Elke bit back a frown. The heks didn't even bother to greet Elke by her name. To Antsje Pluk, the girls she had stolen were all the same, regardless of their blood.

"Mam," she replied, the title lacking even a shred of affection. She had never seen the witch as anything but her captor, and especially not as her mother.

"The girl entered the woods today?" Antsje Pluk asked before any more pleasantries could be exchanged. Though she could stalk a small girl for years, she was too impatient to waste time on unnecessary words.

"Ja."

"I could feel it," the heks mused, her eyes roaming over the wind and trees as if they were to blame for the girl's presence. After a pause, her amber gaze snapped back to her daughter. "Is all going as planned?"

"Natuurlijk," Elke replied, her feathers ruffling defensively. "I'm not a little girl anymore, Mam."

"No, you're not," Antsje Pluk agreed, yet she offered no apology.

Elke waited, shifting on her perch impatiently. If she was gone for too long, Annemie would get suspicious, and she didn't want to be with the witch any longer than necessary.

"Tell me when she finds the flower," the heks ordered. "Until then, you must stay by the girl's side. Even during the day, understand?"

"Ja," Elke murmured, shivering as her mother's magic washed over her in a tingly tidal wave. She had to stop herself from protesting. Questioning the witch never went well.

Satisfied, the heks disappeared in a swirl of shadows, leaving the dancer alone in the glen.

Elke let the tension drain from her body while she thought. She wouldn't be able to see Annemie and guide her through the transformation. She could only hope Sofie wouldn't be too cruel to the girl, though with Annemie's stubborn personality that was unlikely.

Sighing, Elke leaped into the air and made her way back to Aleta, the witch's magic guiding her like a compass. There was no rest for the double-crossers.

I'm sorry, she thought as she flew toward the setting moon. For everything.

[ a / n ]

i think this wins for the shortest chapter in this novella haha! 

have your opinions about Elke changed? or about Antsje Pluk? how is Annemie going to deal with being alone?

as always, thank you all so much for reading! feel free to leave suggestions, reactions, predictions, etc in the comments! <3