Before Dusk (An Official #kidsofthedark Tik Tok tag story)

The Sacrifice

The young 15 year old witch doctor was walking down the hall of her dad's old swamp house, the thoughts of the last two years events swirling in her head as she passed each room.  Her father left so suddenly.  She didn't miss him, just missed having someone to talk to, even if he was an abusive care taker who didn't care about a single soul his whole life.  Suddenly she was startled by the sound of one of her father's old portals activating. Hearing the sound of swirling energy in her father's old portal room.
Calista growled angrily and shut her book tightly, storming into the room. She held her tarot cards up, smoke emanating from her fingers "Who’s there!?" She called as she barged in "Answer me before I-..." she walked in just as the portal closed, a rolled up piece of parchment laying in a pile of dirt, surrounded by red queen of hearts cards.  The scroll was wrapped with a red ribbon, a seal with an intricate heart on wax, sealing the note together.
Calista glanced around the room with hurry, trying to find an enemy before she allowed herself to relax. She kneeled down and picked it up, undoing the ribbon "who needs all this... fancy mellarky..." she muttered, opening the letter and reading it.
As she unwrapped it, out from the scroll fell a bloodied chain necklace with a heart seal pendant on it.  The note read "Dear Doctor Facilier, we apologize for the sudden presentation of our need, but we require your assistance.  We have recently found our son Jack after you assisted us in locating the perpetrator who kidnapped him.  However, his mental state is far beyond our control or our knowledge.  So, it is with a heavy heart we bring this opportunity to you for compensation for your previous help.  We offer our son as a possible sacrifice for any experiment or need you have of him.  Please reply to us in haste, we are losing gaurds quickly" The note ended with a stamp seal and a personal signature from the queen.
Calista looked at the necklace for a moment and took her time to read the letter. She sighed, "poor kid". After a Moment she pulled one of her cards out and whispered her response, flicking it out the door as it traveled to the queen "I could use a royal sacrifice..." she chuckled.
Calista waited. Though she knew she needed to start collecting souls and sacrifices, she couldn’t handle the thought of actually going out and stealing someone from their life.  It hurt just thinking of stealing something so valuable from someone like that. Maybe if it landed in her lair, she’d be able to do it. She was alone and without her father to teach her, she was a lost little girl in the middle of New Orleans. She kept trying, reading her books and spending every waking hour studying, rather then taking care of herself. When another portal opened, with a thud, she knew that must be the queens son. She made her way to the portal room, her eyes glowing a dark green, staring at the motionless body. She stepped forward. "State your name, kid".
The form didn't move, only wearing what looked to be very torn fabric pants.  Gashes and bruises covered the far to thin and malnourished body, Calista noticing a pool of crimson collecting in the dirt under the figure.
Calista realised this boy was in no way able to speak, let alone move. She grunted and walked closer, tilting his head up to look at her "Can you hear me..?"
the young princes eyes were shut, moving at her touch, flinching for a moment but seeming to be uncauntious.
She sighed and shook her head, moving to leave before her heart tugged. She couldn’t leave him there. Groaning and muttering to herself, she took his arm and wrapped it around her shoulder, tugging him up and pulling him to a room off the side. She laid him down on a bed and cuffed him down before grabbing a few cloths and starting to clean up his wounds
after a while, the prince began to move, muttering something in his sleep as he began to flinch and tug at the cuffs.
Calista froze for a moment. She had barely spoken to anybody in the last year, what was she supposed to do?. "Hey stop moving, you’re gonna hurt yourself..." she mumbled as she wiped his face.
he began to tug on his bonds, becoming more un-restful as he began to growl, roaring as his nails turned to claws, stitches that were holding some of his more serious injuries looking stressed
Cal growled and wrapped smoke around his arms and body Cool it prince! she snarled at him, pressing the cloth to his open stitches
the smoke restrained him, looking like he was trying to fight against the spell but his growls turning to whimpers as he flinched in his sleep, twitching from the spell
Calista raised an eyebrow, tapping his forehead and sighing "Awake..." The prince stopped moving as an ear shattering  cackle rang out in the small shack.
The witch doctor froze and quickly grabbed her cards, preparing for an attack "Who’s there!?"
The laughter continued, Calista not noticing at first as the prince began to grow in size, his mouth tearing at the corners of his lips into a sickening and bloody smile.
Calista searches around the room before she finally spots the prince growing. She gulped and backed up, aiming her hands at him "What the..."
The young boy's fingers grew into long black claws, his face and body turning animalistic as the laughing began to come from him.  Pulling against the restraints as his smile spread all the way up his cheeks, his eyes shooting open, revealing what looked like empty sockets. his smile snapping the thread that was holding his cheeks together.
The young girl growled and backed up slightly, clearly scared but standing her ground "Listen, kid, can you hear me? I’m not gonna hurt you!"
A roar rang through the laughter as he pulled against the restraints
"I get it, your parents left you, I’d know better then anybody! Turning against everybody isn’t going to help!" she shouted at him, concentrating on keeping his restraints tight.
he grunted and growled as the laughing rang out, his face going between concern and terrifying joy "nnnnnot alone" three voices spoke from his lips.
she stepped closer to him "no you aren’t alone, and I get that the torture ruined you.. but this can be stopped, I know it..."
"Hunger, devour, let's have some fun" he flinched before roaring in agony
"No! Listen look at me kid, we can figure this out" she stood over his bed, pushing him down.
As his back hit the bed, he looked around, Calista realizing his eyes were pure black as he looked around as if he could see something terrifying around her, not so much fighting anymore just looking very scared and still tense, shaking.
Calista watched him and slowly put her hand on his face. "Hey princey, listen.. you need to trust me."
He looked around a little more before looking up at her shaking "s-scared" he quietly said in his own voice, sounding as if he was in a large echoing room.  She could feel him shaking, blood from his cheek pouring onto her hand.
Calista slowly moved her hand and took off her mask. Showing him the scars. "See? I’ve been hurt too."
The boy looked around, now just breathing heavily, though it seemed like her voice was calming him down.
She gently rubbed her thumb over his face "Breathe kid..."
His breath slowed as his muscles shrunk, his form going back to human though his eyes stayed black and his cheeks were still bleeding heavily.  His eyes looking heavy.
"Can you tell me your name..?" she asked softly, leaving her mask next to the bed. She looked at his eyes, waiting for them to turn back.
he staired at the sealing, looking like he was beginning to dose off.
she sighed and helped him lay back "get some sleep..."
As she turned away to go grab some bandages, she felt him grip her hand.
she flinched and looked back at him.
the prince was looking at her with his black eyes "J-Jack" he croaked out tiredly, barely able to speak with his mouth spread out over his face.
She gulped and gave his hand a squeeze before she wiped his bleeding face "That’s a nice name, suits you..." she mumbled with an empathetic smirk. Jacks eyes closed as she softly removed the blood from his cheeks, falling asleep.
She watched him, sighing as she shook her head. "they did a number on you..." she whispered. After cleaning him up and stitching back his wounds, she left him to sleep for the day and night.