Rise from the ashes

Chapter 4 - The Witch

    Kaylie Stone wondered the pet store looking for toys for her ever growing collection of pets. Her latest pet was an opossum named flower, which she rescued from a live trap outside her parents’ house only yesterday. Her foster mom probably wouldn’t let her keep it but she would try it anyway. Her mom was tall with brown hair and blue eyes. She looked like a movie star and acted like one too, while Kaylie had strawberry blonde hair and green eyes. She was tall for her age of fourteen which made her feel uncomfortable. 

    She approached the cashier with a couple of items she picked out. She laid a fifty dollar bill on the counter, after showing the cashier her pet toys, and said “Keep the change” and walked out of the store.

    She knew she over paid, but she didn’t care. It was her mom’s money anyway. Her foster family was rich; her mom owned half the buildings in town and had a side hobby of writing. Her dad on the other hand was a mechanic and a volunteer fireman. He was tall with salt and pepper hair and hazel eyes with a small Italian mustache. 

    Between all of their jobs they didn’t have much time for her. Which is why she had so many pets, she would be lonely without them. She guessed it was better than living in the orphanage she grew up in till three years ago when her new mom decided to foster her.

    The only clue to who her parents where was a ring the orphanage said her parents left her. The ring was made of black iron with a red ruby set in the center. The ruby strangely resembled a flame with the rounded bottom and the jagged top.

    She was wearing her ring today, which was about the only piece of jewelry she ever wore except for an occasional necklace or two. She didn’t like to show off how rich her parents were or the fact that she had a lot of money. She guessed this had to do because she grew up with nothing. 
Her mother would freak when she wore her tattered blue jeans and musty jacket out in public, she said she had an image to maintain, but Kaylie didn’t care. She did whatever she wanted to, most of the time.          
                         
      Kaylie was walking around the corner of oak and apple when she looked to the left and saw an old woman wearing ragged clothing in the alley way. She looked asleep, or worse.

    She approached cautiously and when she saw the woman breathing she asked in a low voice “Do you need some money? I have plenty.”  The woman just looked up and in a craggy almost manly voice she said “No, no need for that. I’ll be gone soon and all I want is just a little beauty.”

    Kaylie could relate, when she was young and still in the orphanage, all the other kids would call her ugly and was just plain mean. She would go to her room and cry for a long time, as she got older she learned to be more tough and independent, but the old wounds would never heal. She remembered looking at her only possession and wishing she could be just as beautiful.

    “Here have this.” She said offering the old woman her ring. “It has made me feel beautiful for long enough, I think it’s time for it to make you beautiful. I'm sorry if you don’t like it but it’s the only thing I have.”

    “It’s beautiful.” The woman said. “But I shouldn’t have it, Nether should you, if they catch you with it your as dead as I'm going to be.” As she said the last words her eyes drifted off of Kaylie and stayed looking at something behind her. 

    Kaylie turned to look at what the woman was looking at but saw nothing. When she turned back the old woman was gone. Where did she go? Was I imagining her? A voice behind Kaylie startled her. “What are you doing?” her mom asked. “Never mind. I found your new PET.” She said the last word with disgust. “You aren’t keeping it. It’s disgusting and probably carrying a thousand diseases.

    “But…” Kaylie started. “NO, and that’s final” her mom said. Kaylie stormed back to her mom and got in the car, already forgotten about the old woman in rags.