Another Norm

IVY The stranger stayed for four days before leaving. I knew he was gone because Thaen's father once again took his place at the head of the table. As the coven ate, I carried a tray laden with beef stew and thick slices of bread into a smaller hut beside the chief's. No one lived in the hut until the strangers came. The man was gone, but a woman remained. I had seen her once by chance, and she was breathtaking with cascading white hair that fell to her waist, icy blue eyes, and delicate features. However, I had only seen her that one time. Even though I had been delivering food to her for the past few days, it was always through a screen, so I never saw her again. After the food delivery, I returned to my hut using a less public route. I didn't want to run into any of the witches who might be late for dinner. It would only spell unnecessary trouble. My stomach grumbled as I lay on my bed, and a bitter taste filled my mouth. Despite my efforts, I couldn't stop the overwhelming feeling of self-pity. It wasn't easy being the only Norm witch in the coven. It was selfish, but I always wished there was someone to share my suffering with. As a Norm witch, I couldn't be affected by magic or use magic, at least not until last year. I had been sick that winter night. My mind was fever-dazed when I got up to cook breakfast. Needless to say, it did not turn out well, and I received the beating of my life. I wasn't allowed into the village and had to find shelter in the forest. I guess being on the verge of death triggered a faint strand of magic in me. I could easily do little healing spells, but anything big drained me. I told no one about the discovery. A Norm witch that could do magic would be a treasure trove, and I'm sure the witches in my coven would not hesitate to take advantage of it. With nothing to do, my mind drifted off into a daydream about the mysterious stranger and his dark eyes staring at me. Soon, my eyelids became heavy with sleep. Bang, bang, bang. I was startled awake by a loud knock. Through my small window, I could see that it was very dark. Maybe I was just hearing things. No one in the coven would knock on my door. They'd sooner burn down the hut if they needed me. My eyelids drooped for five seconds when the sound of the door being kicked made me sit up fast. Who was it? A coven member? My heart thumped at the thought; the mysterious man? I shook my head. No, not possible, he had long left. Whoever it was, they weren't even trying to be subtle. Two hard kicks later, I heard my weak door creak and groan before sliding open. "Get in," I heard a voice speak. It was a girl. I muttered a quick spell that hid me from sight. There were actually three people. A boy and two girls. They looked to be around the same age as me. One of the girls was unconscious and was being carried by the boy. "There, a bed, lay her down." They came close to my bed. They couldn't see me, and although it seemed like they were not hostile, I didn't want to risk it. They laid the unconscious girl beside me, thankfully, no one else tried to get on. "Where are we?" the boy asked. "I don't know, okay! You've asked a hundred times, and I still don't know!" the girl snapped. She groaned in frustration and knelt beside my bed, wiping the face of the unconscious girl. I looked between them. There was an uncanny resemblance; they were sisters and twins to boot. Were they witches? Is that why this one is unconscious? I moved my hand a little and grabbed the wrist of the unconscious girl. It was burning hot, but it didn't hurt me. I could feel a powerful mass of energy fighting to dominate her. I sucked in a breath; she was filled with power, but if nothing is done soon, it will kill her. I looked to her siblings, and their anxiety showed that they were completely ignorant. They wouldn't be of much help. Then again, neither could I. But Thaen would know what to do. I muttered a canceling spell, exposing myself to them. It took a minute for the brother to scream. "What the heck!" His scream was nearly shrill. I winced. I knew I would startle them suddenly appearing like that, but did he have to scream like he saw a ghost? As if that wasn't enough, he lay his hand on the nearest object, which just happened to be my thankfully empty chamber pot, and flung it at my head. The force was not something I could easily dodge. "Ardoro." I felt the sickening feeling of my body becoming nothing. The chamber pot passed through me and smashed into the wall. "The hell, Jerry!" The girl screamed. The boy, Jerry, stared at me, open-mouthed. "W-witch," he stammered. The girl turned in my direction. The spell was yet to wear off, coupled with the room's darkness, I was basically invincible. The girl turned to her brother with fury in her eyes. "Have you gone mad!?" She hissed, "You better pull yourself together!" "I'm not crazy," he snapped, "there really was an ugly girl there, and she just vanished." "Ugly?" My lips twitched. How dare he! With a whoosh, I stood up, stepping over the unconscious girl. They were startled at my sudden appearance. The girl turned vigilantly, and the boy hid behind her. So he is a coward with a big mouth. "Get out!" I droned. "Take your sister and leave." There was no way I'm helping them now. "We can't leave," the girl frowned. "We have nowhere to go." "And I should care why? First, you break into my house, throw things at my head, and call me ugly. Tell me, why should I let you stay?" The girl sighed, then she turned and punched the boy in the gut. He bent over with a muffled groan. "Sis!" He yelled. I was shocked and, for a second, forgot to be angry. "Ignore him; he was dropped a lot as a baby, and...we haven't had the best experience with witches these few days, so..." I frowned, looking from her to her twin. Did they not know their sister was a witch? Now that I think about it, they smelt human, including the girl on the bed, even though she was burning up with powerful magic, she still smelled human. A thought occurred to me. "Where are your parents?" Simultaneously, their expressions fell. "What's wrong? Are...are they deceased?" "What? No!" "For all we know, they might as well be." "Shut up, Jerry!" "It's the truth!" There was silence as they glared at each other. There was a low, pained groan. Our three heads turned to the bed. The unconscious girl was moving. Her eyes were still shut, but her lips moved. "Water," it was barely a whisper. I poured a cup from my jug and handed it to her sister. After she drank, she turned with another groan and passed out. The girl gripped the cup tightly and sniffed. I knew the sound well enough to know she was stifling a sob. "You're twins, right?" I asked, trying to distract her. "Yeah," her voice was dispirited. "What are your names?" She sighed. "I'm Aria, I nodded. "Pleased to meet you and your sister. Could do without Jerry tho." Aria chuckled, and Jerry huffed, taking a seat on the bed. "I know someone who can help your sister, but we can only see him tomorrow." Once again, I felt their countenance fall. Aria gave me a weak smile. "Thank you, but we've heard that before, and... let's just say it didn't turn out well." "The witches?" I asked, and she nodded. So they were the ones that triggered Sue. It makes sense, being in a place surrounded by magic and its users must have woken her dormant core. This means Aria is a Norm witch, just like me. "Don't worry... Trust me." I met her eyes, willing her to believe me. Aria looked at me for a long time. I knew she didn't trust me, so I was surprised when she shrugged. "You've given us shelter; I guess we can give it one last shot." An hour later, I lay in bed beside Sue. Her body heat burned Aria and made Jerry uncomfortable, so only I could lay with her. The presence of people in my small room made me both nervous and excited. For some reason, I felt like something big was about to happen. Then I thought of how they might leave soon. For half a second, I fancied going off with them, but I knew I couldn't. The coven would find me, and there would be one hell of a price to pay. With such heavy thoughts, I fell asleep. When I woke up, it was still very dark. I stretched and looked around, but I was alone. My heart thumped; did they leave already? A cold draft blew into the room from my small window. I shivered; it was cold, much too cold. But it shouldn't be. I stepped down from my bed and walked to the door. Maybe they just left. If I go after them, I might catch up. My door opened with a loud unnerving creak. I had never feared the dark, but I could really use a light now. I turned to return to my hut, but it was gone. Around me was a white fog, and beyond that was darkness. That's when fear gripped me. "Hello," I called out. I knew I was in Vhail, a sort of waking dream. I've heard about it. I knew Vhail was being used by powerful witches to do a lot of things they wished to keep secret. I also knew that once one died here, they would die in reality. Basically erased from existence and from the memories of those they love.