There it was, the clearing, and the end of the horror.
Amari moved into the glade and a wind picked up around her, whipping her hair around her and making the trees crack and groan as they were forced to stretch their branches out.
She ignored that too and went to work forming a circle with the Juniper, Mugwort, Sage and some of the Fennel, using her flashlight to read the footnotes at the bottom explaining how Juniper was to ward off witches and Fennel was used to ward off spells cast by witches and to fend off evil. Mugwort was a protective charm against evil and danger, and Sage cleared the space of negativities. She found it rather interesting and under normal circumstances she would have delved deeper into their attributes, but that was for another time.
Once she had formed the circle around her and she felt as if she was protected, she set the wooden box down and sat on her knees in front of it. Slowly she took a handful of each plant and crushed it in her hand, letting the bits fall into the wooden box. She took the box of matches in her hand and set the torch against the paper so she could read it out loud.
Upon this night I call thee forth,
Upon this ground where a curse was made.
I call forth the greatest power,
To break this curse, please be my aide.
Oh deity, you who we call,
Please lend me your power here.
That I may erase the evil that was done,
And return the love and cheer.
Break the binding, oh deity,
Of the enchantment that was cast.
End of the magic that lives here,
And bring peace at last.
Rosemary for joy and the ridding of dark dreams,
Chamomile to remove the spell.
Fennel and Garlic to ward off evil,
And Mint to help you travel.
With these offerings I beg of thee,
Break the spells cast in this place.
Bring forth your magic, oh Deity,
Through all of time and space.
Amari struck a match and dropped it in the wooden box. She didn’t know what she was expecting, especially since the plants were freshly picked, but she wasn’t anticipating the great WHOOSH! of fire that erupted when the match hit the herbs.
She nearly fell backwards out of her protective circle. She could no longer see the trees or the moon or stars above her; she was completely surrounded by darkness. It must have grown around her while she was busy with the spell, but that wasn’t what scared her. What scared her was how alive the darkness seemed, like it was pulsating with energy.
Through the darkness a hand emerged and pressed against what seemed to be an invisible barrier created by the protective herbs Amari had carefully arranged around her. The hand slowly felt its way around the circle. It was disconcerting because it didn’t seem to be connected to an arm nor did it seem solid.
Amari shivered and wrapped her arms around herself, looking back at the black box. The smoke was rising slowly to the darkness above her. The blackness seemed afraid of the smoke, however, and parted for it, revealing the stars above. She breathed hard as she watched it; it seemed to take forever to rise, as though it was fighting its way up towards the sky.
The hand was gone and replacing it was a small corridor made in the darkness. A figure stood just out of sight, but Amari knew from the shape that it was Raven.
She stared at the shadowy figure, feeling braver now that she knew her protective bubble worked and that Raven couldn’t get to her. If Raven was here, her parents were safe.
Amari quickly glanced up to see how far the smoke had reached in its rising and then looked back at Raven, calling, “It’s over. You lost!”
She felt triumphant and her voice carried this to the figure just out of sight. Amari couldn’t take her eyes from Raven, wondering what she was doing just standing there. Then, as though on a conveyor belt, she moved slowly forward. As she got closer to the bubble, her features started to form and the first thing Amari noticed was that her shoulders seemed slumped in defeat, and Amari couldn’t help the smile that crossed her lips. Once Raven’s face came close to the edge of the protective circle, Amari could make out her features, and she was surprised to see that tears were streaming down her face.
She pressed her hand gently against the barrier as she whispered, “Oh, Amari, what have you done …”
The smoke was just higher than the trees and that was when the herbs in the box exploded, throwing Amari three meters from where she had performed the spell, and everything went black.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Her head was on fire. Her whole body ached from the blast. Amari sat up slowly on her bed and let her feet gently touch the floor. She tried to raise her hand to her head, but it wouldn’t listen to her. Next thing she was standing and crossing the room.
Amari frowned and gave herself a mental shake. She stopped in front of the mirror and, instead of herself, Amari saw Kiara. She was in Kiara, or more accurately, she suspected she was having another of Kiara’s visions, since she couldn’t control her actions.
Amari, or rather Kiara, seemed younger than the one Amari had seen in the reflection. The girl standing before her in the mirror image couldn’t be older than nine years old. She was in her pyjamas and from the light in the room it had to be early evening or early morning.
Kiara skipped out of her bedroom and that was when Amari realised it was the tiny room she first had when they moved into the house.
She looked left and right and then crossed the landing to the smaller bedroom across the way. She pushed the door open silently and shut it behind her.
“Mags. Mags!” she whispered as loudly as she dared. A sleeping body stirred under the covers of the small bed. “Come on, I want to show you something cool,”
The little body rose, but before Amari could see her face Kiara had turned around and went to the door.
“Follow me.” Kiara led the person downstairs and out the front door. Though Amari technically couldn’t feel anything, she still felt a shiver in her … what? Soul? It was a chilly morning.
A sleepy voice moaned behind them, “Where are we going, Kiara?”
Kiara didn’t stop or turn around. “Just keep up, kid, I want to show you something cool.”
They walked along the dusty road away from the house and soon they came across the boundary wall that marked the end of the road.
“Mommy says we can’t go past there, it’s a bad place.”
Kiara turned to look at the girl at last and, if able to, Amari would have gasped. She was looking at Maggie, the little girl who always sat on the boundary wall and kicked her legs.
Without warning Kiara grabbed the little girl and slammed her head against the wall repeatedly, thud thud thud - like the sound Maggie’s shoes made against the wall - over and over until the girl collapsed in a pool of blood. A giggle escaped from Kiara’s mouth and Amari felt like it was from her own.
Her feet kicked up as they skipped back to the house with her saying quietly, “Now … wasn’t that cool.”
Blackness Again
This time Kiara was already awake when Amari became aware of her surroundings. She sat at the kitchen table eating supper with her parents. Amari didn’t know how she knew, but Kiara felt a little older to her, a little taller.
As Kiara looked around Amari noticed the house appeared dark and unkempt, as though someone was in mourning.
“One year ago we lost our Maggie,” a gruff voice said. “It never gets any easier.”
Kiara gazed at her red-faced father, who picked at his food, sipping heavily from a glass every few seconds. Across from Kiara a beautiful, dark haired woman sat, staring at her food.
“What’s wrong, mommy? Aren’t you hungry?”
The woman looked up into Kiara’s eyes. “No, baby, mommy’s just a little sad. Are you a little sad?”
Kiara shook her head. “No, mommy, I have you and daddy, so I’m really happy.”
Mommy smiled at h
er then. “You always will, baby.”
Kiara got up. “Can I go play in the woods now?”
When her parents didn’t answer she simply skipped off. Happily she walked through the trees until she got to the clearing. She went to a big rock and after some shoving and pulling managed to move it over. It covered a hole Kiara clearly either put there or knew was there to begin with. She stuck her little hand in and withdrew a craft blade.
Skipping back towards the house, following the path along the wall, Kiara paused at the end of the woods and watched the house. Through her eyes, Amari saw Kiara’s father leaving through the front door, climbing into his hunk of junk car and driving off. Kiara waited until he was far enough from the house before she went back inside.
Her mother still sat at the table, though by the way her shoulders shook it was clear she was upset, and she didn’t notice Kiara because her back was to her.
Kiara’s head inclined to the side, giving Amari a strange sense of vertigo, before she calmly walked up behind her mom and wrapped her arms around her neck.
Mommy patted her arms lightly. “It’s okay, baby, mommy is okay.”
Amari felt Kiara’s lips stretch in a smile as she hugged her mommy tightly before drawing the craft blade across her throat.
The blood that squirted clear across the table and the gurgling noise her mom made, the wide eyes filled with fear that looked at her, all gave Kiara a thrill. She watched her mother’s body fall to the floor at her feet and giggled, turning around and skipping out the house once more.
Blackness Again
When she came to, Amari saw they were standing by the attic window, looking down as her father pulled up in a new car. Kiara left the window to check that she looked just absolutely adorable in her little outfit before she ran downstairs to greet her father. She paused at the front door when her father opened it and stepped aside.
“Kiara, this is Raven. She is your step-mother.” He said it as though it was a fact, though Amari now knew from Kiara’s feelings that she had no idea.
Giving Raven a small curtsy, Kiara said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Raven smiled. “Want a hug?”
Kiara nodded, noticing that her father had moved away further into their house, and as Raven knelt down and opened her arms she ran into them, hugging Raven closely.
Suddenly Raven withdrew from her and stared at her with fear. “What have you done?” she whispered.
Kiara pouted. “I don’t know what you mean?” Her voice could have melted anyone’s heart.
Raven shook her head. “Maggie … your mom …”
Kiara stiffened and put her hands on her hips. “I really don’t know what you mean. Can I call you mommy?”
Raven shook her head. “No, Raven is fine.”
They stood there awkwardly for a moment before Kiara simply turned to walk away to the woods. When she glanced back she saw Raven staring after her, clutching something around her neck.
Blackness Again
Amari heard her father and Raven shouting at each other. Raven was pleading with him to have Kiara institutionalised, that there was something wrong with her. Father shouted back that Kiara was all he had left of his previous family and she was being selfish for wanting to get rid of her.
Kiara sat on her bed in the attic, kicking her legs against it. She got up and went to her desk, staring at the invitations she was choosing between for her thirteenth birthday party.
“I know there is something wrong with her! I have always known,” her father roared from downstairs. “You don’t have children! You don’t understand how hard it is!”
“But if you love her,” Raven was pleading, “then get her the help she needs!” Raven then added quietly, “What would her mother have wanted?”
Her father’s voice toned down, but Kiara could still hear him. “I don’t know. Her mother died when she was five. My second wife, she became her mother and Kiara doesn’t know. She was too little to remember her real mother. Maggie came along and after her death I just … I don’t want to lose Kiara as well.”
A door closed and their voices could no longer be heard.
Inner Amari felt a sense of contempt; of course Kiara knew mommy wasn’t her real mother, she wasn’t stupid. When her father announced he had suddenly found someone and it was love at first sight and he was going to marry again, she also knew he was lying. He hardly spent any time at home and was obviously with Raven for some time.
No children at the wedding; Kiara scoffed at this and Amari felt her resentment. He just didn’t want people to see her because he was scared she would do something like tell them how he left her alone all the time.
Kiara toyed with the necklace Raven insisted she wore to ward off evil, and rolled her eyes. She only wore it so Raven would leave her alone. It was an ugly thing made of wood and herbs. It was stupid.
Deciding she was bored, she went downstairs. Ignoring Raven and her father’s continuing argument in the study she went outside to her woods, her beautiful woods. She skipped into her clearing, moved her rock and got out her craft blade. Then she set to work checking all the traps she had set for the various animals.
She was overjoyed when she found a small bunny trapped in one of the cages. She reached in and pulled it out by the scruff of its neck. It tried to scratch and kick at her with its legs and Kiara dropped her blade. Angry, she grabbed its neck and twisted its head, hearing the satisfying SNAP! as its neck broke. She dropped it to the ground and bent down to pick up her blade. She looked at its little body and its dead eyes. How she loved those eyes.
Satisfied with her completed task, Kiara headed back home after putting the craft blade back in its place, hiding it with the rock. Back in the house, and seeing the basement door open, she knew Raven was chanting or whatever it was she did downstairs. She passed her father’s study where he sat with his whiskey bottle, drinking heavily from it. Kiara shrugged and went upstairs.
After Raven and father went to sleep, Kiara tiptoed out of her room and went downstairs to see if she could mess with whatever it was Raven was busy with. On her big work bench was a huge book, and Kiara flipped through the pages, interested in the mangled animals with big words scribbled across the tops - BLACK MAGIC DO NOT TRY - and with some of the gruesome pictures.
She heard footsteps and looked up to see Raven.
“You should be in bed, Kiara,” she said sternly. “You know you’re not allowed down here.”
Kiara slammed the book shut. “Does my father know you practice witchcraft?” she said, walking towards her stepmother before pushing past her and heading upstairs.
Blackness Again
Amari was getting dizzy from going in and out of the visions and from the gruesome things she had seen Kiara do. She had believed that Kiara was the victim, but it turned out Kiara was a monster, from a very young age already.
The latest vision had Amari with Kiara eating on her bed. She was almost done when her door opened. Kiara stood up and took her plate to Raven.
“Is this really necessary?”
Raven glared at her. “Your little night-time escapades are over. I won’t have you hurting anything else,” she hissed.
Amari felt Kiara roll her eyes before she said, “We need to discuss my birthday party.”
Kiara’s father appeared behind Raven. “I already told you, Kiara, you are grounded so no party.”
Amari could feel the angry heat radiating off of Kiara as she said, “I will have a party!”
Kiara’s father clenched his fists. “My word is final.”
Raven shut the door and Kiara heard her lock it. Kiara was angry because she had so diligently sneaked into her father’ study to put rat poison in his whiskey. If Raven hadn’t caught her she would be enjoying watching her father foam at the mouth and writhe like the little worm he was.
No matter. She would wait.
Blackness Again
Amari was horrified as, through Kiara’s eyes, she watched the lit
tle girl tiptoe from the bathroom to the landing. Kiara was aware that while she showered, Raven had gone to take her plates downstairs. Her father was drunk; Kiara could hear it in the way he shouted and slurred at Raven as she passed the study, and how he drunkenly weaved his way upstairs.
She waited for him at the top and as he reached the third last step he saw her feet, and looked up at her face. Had he had a moment, he might have sobered up enough to scream that the devil was in his child, but before he could, Kiara leaned forward and gave him a mighty shove, sending him backwards to land on his neck. The crack as it snapped echoed throughout the quiet house and when he landed at the bottom Kiara simply turned around and went back to finish her shower.
She heard Raven wailing and shrugged to herself, singing a lullaby softly.
The police ruled it as an accidental death despite Raven’s protests that she was sure Kiara had pushed him. He had been drunk, the inspector said, and clearly lost his footing. Poor, heartbroken little Raven.
Raven came upstairs to Kiara’s room and said from the door, “You are never to leave your room, I am putting a lock on the door and you will only be let out once a day under my watch, to go to the bathroom. I will bring your meals up here as I have been.”
With that she left and Kiara heard the click of the lock in place.
Blackness Again
Kiara sat on her bed and watched as Raven shut the door, having just fetched her plate, but there was no click of the lock. Kiara held her breath, waiting for it. After a few minutes she heard a door downstairs open and close, and she ran to her window to look out.
Raven had left the house, thinking she had locked the attic door. Kiara knew it would be only a matter of time before she slipped up. As Raven made her way down the road, Kiara decided it was time to go walkabout, maybe visit her neighbours for a little fun.
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