Wicked Forest

by E. J. Bennett

  “Great, I will pick you up around seven,” he gave her a smile and got up. Crystal watched him retreat with a smile on her lips and a blush to her cheeks with also a little embracement. In a split second she had turned into Maria, why did she flutter her eyelashes? She placed her head in her arms on the table and let out a silent scream, for her silly actions.

  The day passed quickly, Crystal was lost in her thoughts and daydreams.

  As she walked home, she had a spring in her step and happiness threatened to explode her chest. Her latest worries had all but been forgotten.

  Entering her home, still she wore the smile. Her mother raised her eyebrows.

  “Good day?” she asked which only made Crystal’s smile widen.

  “The best,”

  “Well, sit, we need to have a little chat,” within a split second her smile vanished and her mood changed to despair. Her impending wedding broke through her mind.

  Crystal folded her arms and leaned against the kitchen counter, she knew her face must have looked like thunder. As she saw the agitated look in her mother’s eyes. Being asked to sit never meant good things and she was ready for her mother to yet again shatter her world.

  It is what she did best.

  “On Saturday we will be having a ball, your engagement party. The Carmichael’s will be coming to meet you and....”

  “Not gonna happen,” Crystal cut her off and held up her hand.

  “It is tradition,”

  “Maybe it is time we changed these ridicules traditions. Every state has banned arranged marriages yet here you are. Still trying to force me into marrying a monster,”

  “Crystal! It has always been the way of our people. To keep our lines strong. So many covens have lost their powers due to diluting the blood line,”

  “No mother the reason that many covens have lost their power is due to the Carmichael’s. Or have you forgotten everything you have perched.

  How many covens have they murdered, stole power from?” With her arms crossed Crystal glared at her mother. Why didn’t she just give it up? Let her get on with her life the way she wanted to live it? Was that all life was about? Power? Crystal would give up her power without a second thought if it meant she could be normal.

  “We have no choice. You don’t have a choice. It is the only way to save our people,”

  Crystal watched a lone tear spill from her mother’s eye and walked away. It was no use. She could argue all day but she knew her mother wouldn’t budge. She looked back as she reached the door. Her mother’s face had been composed back to normal. “Crocodile tears,” she muttered. She was accustomed to her mother’s manipulation.

  Alone in her room, she tried concentrating on her homework.

  Why she didn’t know.

  It wasn’t like getting an education would help her in the future. Her fate had already been sealed. She was to become a monsters wife.

  Her phone beeped and when she glanced at the screen her breath caught in her throat. “what u up to? Drake X” the message read. How’d he get her number? Drake had texted her. Her heart drummed and she grinned.

  “Just homework, x” she text back, after contemplating whether or not to put a kiss on the end. Would it make her look desperate? She had no girlfriends to ask and rarely got any messages. She decided to just go with it and closed her eyes as she hit send.

  “Cool, wanna hang out? x”

  “Sure, x”

  “Meet me at the Craven in half hour x”

  Crystal sighed. There was just one problem. Her parents would never allow her out. Not now that she was betrothed to the monster.

  The next ten minutes she spent putting on makeup and taming her curls. She smiled at herself in the mirror. She was about to meet up with Drake. Excitement bubbled in her chest and she did a little crazy dance and squeal before leaving her room.

  Creeping down the stairs she kept close to the wall using the side door that hardly ever got used. Breathing in the fresh air she felt proud of herself. She had mastered slipping out unnoticed. Her home felt more like a prison each passing day.

  Chapter 7

  There was no way that Drake was going to let Levi have Crystal. He didn’t deserve her. Just because he was born the son of Seth Carmichael he had everything handed to him. Still he wasn’t happy. He moaned and groaned like a little girl.

  Drake smiled has he sent the last text to his school friends. Jumping up from his bed he grabbed his jacket and car keys. Crystal was one girl he wouldn’t let Levi have. He bounced down the steps. Levi stood at the bottom of the steps, one foot placed on the bottom step.

  “Where you off too, in such a good mood?” he asked Drake.

  “Out with some friends,” he pulled a face at him in disgust which only made Drake’s back turn to steel.

  “Why do you associate with such people?” he asked.

  “You’re soon to be wife is one of those people. Why should I stick around here? I am nothing but a Halfling, a disgrace to the name witch. The only reason I am tolerated is because of your mother. At least the teenagers are not snobs,”

  “That’s not true,” Levi said in defense. Drake couldn’t be bothered to argue with him. There was no point as Levi was always right and in the end only made Drake feel stupid an irritated.

  Raising his eyebrows at his statement Drake jumped down the last step and out the front door he let the door slam closed behind him as he headed to the garage.

  Checking out each of the cars he decided to take Levi’s priced possession. His Harley, he hung up his car keys and pulled the bikes key from the key hook.

  He would turn up in style.

  AS SHE WALKED DOWN the uneven car park of the Craven Café she felt unsure. Many times she had thought about turning around and going home. It was silly really that all she wanted out of life was to be a normal teenager. Instead magic and spells, a gated community and the Starlight coven were all she would ever know.

  Walking through the doors, the strong smell of baked goods and coffee greeted her. Her stomach let out a roar as she made her way across the café. A group of high school teens sat at a booth, with Drake at the centre. Their laughs and boisterous voices filled the Craven giving the place a joyful feel.

  “Hi,” she waved as she got closer, suddenly feeling shy. Drake jumped from the table he was sitting upon and smiled.

  “Hay, here sit down, you wanna milkshake?” he asked and she nodded. Crystal looked at the space he had referred too, to see Maria glaring angrily at her. If looks could kill she would have been dead. Shrugging her shoulders she sat down and gave Maria a smile.

  “Freak,” Maria muttered but Crystal ignored her. With a sly wave of her hand she made the milkshake that Maria was sipping move away from her mouth and spill onto her tight red dress.

  “What the...” Maria jumped up.

  “Wow with a mouth that big how’d you miss?” Crystal asked as she barged by on her way to the restroom.

  While the group of teen’s snickered and laughed.

  Before Crystal knew it, she was having fun, watching their easy banter and the way they all teased one another. Even Maria loosened up and involved her in conversation.

  “You know you’re not that bad,” one of the guys Jack said.

  “Thanks,” Crystal smiled.

  “What’s it like living in Wicked Forrest?” Stacey a red haired girl asked.

  “Boring, really,”

  “Oh, I mean. The forest is off limits to us village kids. The only way in is through your community,” Jack said smiling.

  “You see, we were thinking what a great place to have this year’s Halloween dance than a creepy forest,” Stacey gushed.

  “What?” Crystal asked.

  “I am sorry but the forest is off limits. Even to me,” the other kids didn’t get the chance to finish as Crystal was hauled out of her seat by Darren and Derek. Two collage students, who were apart of the Starlight coven, men were the only members of the coven aloud to get a further educat
ion after high school. They held the physique of wrestlers, mean and menacing. Darren and Derek used their looks to glare at her new friends. She watched as some squirmed in their seats.

  They didn’t say a word as the marched her through the café. The teens from her school shouted abuse at the two men, who ignored them.

  Jack and Dane followed them outside.

  “Let her go!” Jack yelled pulling up his sleeves.

  “Jack don’t” Crystal shock her head.

  The boys wouldn’t play fair and Jack was sure to get hurt.

  “I said let her go,” he took a swing at Derek who blocked the oncoming punch with his left hand while using his right hand to soccer punch him in the ribs. Jack doubled over in pain gasping for air. He bent over doubled in pain, his face turning white.

  Crystal felt bad for him. He should have listened to her.

  “Wanna try it big man?” Derek asked Dane who stood with his mouth agape.

  “You can have the girl,” Dane spluttered.

  “Coward,” Crystal muttered under her breath.

  “Get off me,” she gritted her teeth and pulled her arm free from Darren’s grasp.

  Walking ahead of her two escorts she headed towards the black jeep and climbed into the backseat.

  Her life was getting worse. Her parents wanted to marry her off to a monster. She had just been humiliated in front of her new friends and the coven teens thought of her as a spoilt brat.

  Things were getting out of hand. She needed to think things through. She glanced back at the Craven as they pulled away and shrank down in her seat. The group of kids gathered around Jack looking on at the moving vehicle. She had blown any friendship she may have had.

  Chapter 8

  Jeanette was livid. Crystal had sneaked out of the house and was doing god knows what. She just hoped the two goons she had sent looking for her found her and brought her back. What would the Carmichael’s think if news of what had happened reached them?

  They would think that she could not control her daughter. What if they called off the wedding? She couldn’t let Crystal continue with her reckless behavior. Why out of all her children did it have to be her? It was a question she asked herself every day.

  Jeanette paced the hallway, thinking about how she was going to deal with Crystal. Yelling didn’t seem to work. Punishments didn’t do the trick, what was she going to do?

  “She is a teenager. This is what teenagers do. They become independent and want space. She needs this time to find out who she is. Let her make the mistakes she needs too. Give her rules and boundaries but be prepared for her to break them,” Jeanette spun around so fast she caused herself to get a head rush.

  “Are you insane or just plain stupid? Our daughter will be marring one of the highest and most powerful witch’s there is and you think she needs to make her own mistakes!”

  “I think you are taking this too far. She is a child. Why can’t you leave her be? You want her to marry the man right after her eightieth birthday. What happened to twenty-one? I don’t think she is ready,”

  “Leave the thinking to me. The quicker we get this over with the better. We can move on, be who we were born to be. Instead right now we are hiding away in our own little villages!”

  Henry didn’t respond he leaned against the kitchen door and watched Jeanette pace. She was worried now. Henry was challenging her, something he had never done before. She was losing him.

  BY THE TIME CRYSTAL reached the white stone building that she called home, she was more than angry, embarrassed. All she wanted to do was scream and shout, let all her pent up emotions run wild. With each step she took to the front door the ground shook and cracked. She was losing control, and her powers were leaking out. If she didn’t calm down she would cause an earthquake or worse. She tried taking slow breaths and counting to ten. But her mind ran over all the things she hated and fueled her anger more. She couldn’t stop the racing thoughts or the pent up emotions that were about to burst.

  As she stepped through the front door and marched through the hallway, the black and white tiles cracked, pictures shook on the wall, and some lost their grip and fell crashing to the floor. All around her anger showed.

  “Crystal, you need to calm down,” Ruby one of her older sisters said as she entered the living room. She looked stunning with straight blond hair and a slim figure. She wore red top and tight jeans that only complemented her figure.

  “No!” Crystal yelled, even though she wasn’t angry at Ruby, she couldn’t help the way she snapped at her.

  Her mother walked into the room and Crystal’s emotions took on an all new level. The entire foundations of the budding shook. All that could be heard was the crashing and banging of objects falling over.

  Before she had the chance to vent her anger, her body became weak as darkness clouded her vision and everything went black. As her vision blurred and gave way she knew it was her mother’s doing, sending her unconscious.

  Rather than face her she had put her to sleep. Crystal felt the last of her anger evaporate as fell into a deep sleep.

  When she woke up her anger had turned to something else. Self pity.

  Crystal lay in her bed feeling sorry for herself. She asked over and over again what she did to deserve such a life. From an early age Crystal felt she didn’t belong with her family. All the rules she had to follow, she hated them.

  She got that every family had rules but to Crystal hers were just not normal.

  She hated the coven and what they stood for. Her mother was nothing but a control freak who wanted power.

  Her sisters happily did what they were told. Crystal rebelled and challenged her whenever she felt necessary. She wanted to be in control of her own life. Make her own choices. Instead she felt like a puppet with her mother pulling the strings.

  A soft knock brought her out of her thoughts. She gazed at the door but didn’t speak. It creaked open and Ruby’s blond hair spilled into the room. Giving Crystal a soft smile, she closed the door and padded across the plush carpet.

  Ruby switched on the lamp beside her bed and the room flooded with light. Gently she perched on the end of the bed and pulled Crystal into a motherly hug. Using her finger she wiped Crystal’s tears. She hadn’t realized that she had been crying.

  With her head laid against her sister’s chest she felt safe. The comfort she gave, Crystal wished it was her mother. It was a silly thought as Jeannette had never been the loving type. She treated her children like she did the rest of the coven. Like one of her people she could order and boss around.

  “I know it is scary, and right now you want to lash out, run away. But it does get better. Those feelings won’t last for long,” Ruby whispered in a soft voice. Lifting her head up Crystal looked into the green eyes that mirrored her own. The eyes that only those born from a witch’s royal line had, it made them who they were, told others of their kind the power they held.

  “Were you scarred?”

  “Of course I was,” Ruby let out a small laugh and ran her hands down Crystal’s hair.

  “Like you I knew my day would come when I would marry my chosen match. Greg was a nerd, weird in every way. But in time I grew to love him. Each day I love him more,”

  “Why a Carmichael?”

  “I know there are so many bad rumors, but what if those are wrong? Crystal, not everything you hear is right. Look at you, what do people say about you?”

  “That I am a snob, freak, weirdo....”

  “And do you feel that those things are true?”

  “No, I don’t want friends. What is the point, mother wants to control every aspect of my life. Even who I choose to befriend. Having no friends is better than having them chosen for you,”

  “See, maybe what you have heard about the Carmichael’s is nothing but hearsay? At least meet him first,”

  Crystal thought about her words for a moment and gathered she was right. She would make up her mind once she had met the guy. Everyone deserved a chance
right?

  “Ruby, how do I show my face at school? Darren and Derek completely embarrassed me,” placing her head in her hands she peaked up at her older sister.

  “You hold your head high. You are a Hudson, better than them,” with a kiss to her forehead Ruby stood up.

  “Just remember, being a witch doesn’t stop you from being you. You’re the one doing that. Letting people get close to you isn’t a bad thing. You over think and by doing so, you’re stopping yourself from being happy,”

  Crystal thought about what Ruby had said hours after she had left. Was she really the one stopping herself from being happy? Could she really lie, and be okay about it. Liars were people who she never wanted in her life. How could she bring herself to be the very thing she hated? Her mind was a muddled mess. Everything was getting on top of her.

  “Am I causing myself to be unhappy,” her mind repeated over and over again.

  That thought lingered with her as she walked up the stone steps leading to Salem’s Academy. Pushing the doors open, she walked by the teens that huddled together whispering and snickering as she passed by.

  Chapter 9

  It was dinner time by the time she saw Drake and his friends. Crystal stood in the line to choose her lunch when he tapped her on the shoulder. She turned to see who had interrupted her and her face instantly blushed remembering the night before.

  However he gave her a bright smile. “Join us for lunch,” he pointed to the table in which he and his friends were sitting.

  At a loss for words she nodded and grabbed herself some pasta and juice. Drake placed his hands on the small of her back as they maneuvered through the crowds of students. He took her tray from her hands and placed it beside his on the table.

  Sitting down, Crystal couldn’t help the smile that crept onto her face. She was sitting at the popular kids table. Not once had she wanted to be popular, but sitting there with them she couldn’t help but smile. It felt good. She couldn’t deny that.