The Witch of Northester

The Fates will Divide in Three

I went back outside...it's already getting dark. I don't know where Helda went, but I have to assume Kelan took her. Wherever she is, it's not here. I'm left alone.

And that's when it hit me-

Kelan was my way out. He was my ticket out of Northester. Without him...I would be wandering.

Suddenly, I feel so alone. I collapse to my knees in front of my house, gasping and sobbing as I moan about what to do. Do I still make an attempt to go to the city? Do I try to appeal to the town of Northester that burned down my shop and is hunting me down as we speak? Or do I just take Fresca's advice...

...and RUN?

The options don't sound much like options. Each one holds a hidden threat, and an impossibility that convinces me I would be better off spending my time wallowing in despair until I am found by the townfolk and put out of misery.

The crows are circling overhead again, no doubt looking for their lost one. Out of sheer frustration, I jump to my feet and scream at them, "What do you want?! What do you want from me?!"

They only continue to circle and caw, some settling on the branches of a tall tree nearby.

I hug myself, debating on where to go and what to do. I could be here all night and still have no answer.

But I'm hearing voices. I see lights bobbing, and I can hear the murmur and rush of a crowd of people. They're coming. I see them in the distance down the dirt path. They're almost here.

Without thinking, I picked up my skirts and fled to the woods behind my house. I didn't even bother to look back. Tears are blinding me as I run through the forest deeper into the darkness, away from the fading light of the sun. I don't want to think about what they would do to me. I don't want to think about those who might care...

The ones that would stand aside and LET the rest destroy me, despite years of helping. What have I done to myself? What did I do to deserve this? I tried to be a good person. I tried to help people, to be the ight in the dark and to be healer Northester didn't know it needed.

I am a fool. A hopeless, thoughtless fool who will die the same manner as my mother.

I keep running, even though my feet are tired. I'm out of breath, but I struggle to duck around various trees. I'm cold and shivering, despite the snow of November starting to fall I tell myself I am warm and keep going.

How much farther until I pass out? When do I give up?

Mom didn't give up. Not even at the very end did she give up. I remember that stone in the river. Her face flashes in my mind, bulging and desperate ad she suffocated from the noose. Her wet eyes seeking me out, praying for me to say something to stop them.

But I didn't. I just stood there...and watched.

And now I'm crying. I'm not just sobbing. I'm a full-on sniveling mess. I wipe the snot away with the sleeve of my blouse. I stumble in the dark due to the blurriness from my tears. Too late. I'm simply too late.

But up ahead, I suddenly see a figure and stop. "Fresca?"

She doesn't turn to look at me, but I would recognize that head of hair and plaid red dress anywhere. I carefully approached, unsure as to what she is doing out here. When I ask her, she turns slowly. There's a darkness about her. A placid expression on her face, as she looks at me as the defeated. "Sister."

I shiver but I don't know why. "What are you doing here?" And how did she get here so fast?

"You shouldn't be here." She sighed. "I didn't want you to know."

"Know what?"

"Somebody has to pay the price," she whispers, looking down abashedly at the ground. "If I were a better sister to you, then I would've told you the truth. If I weren't a coward, I would bear the punishment myself. But I can't." Her eyes flash to me. "So it must be you."

I take a step back, unsure as to what she's saying but I know it can't be good. "What are you talking about, Fresa?"

"It was me, Zelda." She lifted her chin. "I'm the monster. The beast that they speak of."

And I laugh at how ridiculous the notion is, even though she stares sullenly at me with all the seriousness of a priestess. "You shouldn't be telling jokes at a time like this-"

"I've known for quite some time. I was willing to accept the gifts, you see, passed down through the generations of the sisterhood. You were in denial."

My smile fades. "Gifts?"

"You're in denial. Your visions. Your dreams." She smiles. "Our mothers brought us both to the same inception ceremony, or don't you remember?"

I vaguely remember something like that, though I've never spoken of it. "What do you mean?"

"We aren't meant to dwell in this world any longer than necessary." She sounded excited. "Your mother was the only one who held the key."

I gasped. "The necklace!"

She held it now in her hands.

"We're gifted individuals, Zelda." She sounds excited. "As much as I want you to come with me...someone has to pay the price."

I shook my head, reaching out to her as she stepped backward. "Wait-"

"You need to be here to do just that, Zelda. But look on the bright side." She smiled, calm and sure. Not at all the Fresca I grew up knowing. "Your sacrifice won't be for naught."

And I watched as she stepped back against the trees...it was as if she disappeared into a pool of water, the air swallowing her up and rippling all around as if a tear in the dimensions allowed her passage through. When I ran forward to grab her, it was too late.

She had gone.