The Time that should never have been

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin or any of its characters. I own her though

Chapter 1

The world was different, it had been for years and years. It was not the way it was supposed to be. We were hunted because they believed that we were wrong. Only some of us are not all. The world is divided between those who hunt the magic users and the magic users ourselves.

This whole place burns and we're forced to live in sewers and sneak around only at night when we have the higher ground compared to the hunters. The witch hunters, with their underhanded tactics and guns.

Compared to the higher sorcerers and sorceresses I am just a pawn and can't even do that much by the way. We all lived in peace once upon a time. The world was a beautiful place where there was harmony. Then everything changed, magic was suddenly hated and feared. If you don't understand something then you will do what you can to eradicate that fear.

I don't even remember how it came to be. The war between us and them.

My parents were witch hunters and one day when I was five I found an old book with ancient words on it and started to read aloud, my parents heard and they chased me out to the streets.

"What are you doing?!" My mother shrieked at me, knocking over the furniture and chasing me as if I were a stray cat that had gotten into the house.

I ran and kept going never looking back at them. I kept going as fast as I could but I was just a stupid child at the time. The only thing that I took with me was an old piece of jewellery that I always liked and had worn around my neck. It was an old stone set in silver and was very weathered but still had some shine and the chain was as strong as had ever been.

They didn't understand and even if I could explain they would kill me as soon as they set their eyes on me again.

I was so scared and thought that they would kill me. They almost did and I was out in the rain, screaming for help and Raya and Mira found me. They were about 10 at the time. Ever since that day I have never felt safety like that, we do what we can. They taught me the ways of magic when I got a bit older and more curious for it, asking my my mother and father would go after me like that.

"It is in their blood, just like magic is part of us." Raya told me and taught me what she knew just as others did. I spent weeks and then years poring over ancient texts and books and was enamoured by the old ways.

I did ask them one time how this all started but no one ever seemed to want to talk about it. I couldn't understand it might have been natural curiosity but I did want to know. Sometimes someone would just give me a one word answer: Camelot

I laughed to myself because I'd read this story. King Arthur, Guinevere and Merlin. He was the one that we all knew was the greatest of all. Not many of us could compare to even have a 100th of his power. Probably never would have.

I always thought it was a legend until I heard what others had said or what whispered conversations you hear in the dark. It was always dark but still it was what I heard.

We always tried to be stronger and be the more peaceful of the two clashing sides but there was always a few that would make it worse. It would always end badly and the rest of us would be punished for the idiocy. It was wrong but that was the way the world was.

I couldn't imagine my life without magic. It was in my blood like Raya told me that day and it always would be. It had been 11 years since she had told me that, I was all grown now 18 with red hair, a bit on the big side with blue eyes.

Raya was African and had made her way over here when she was just a child with a few others. She spoke very little english for a long time and was rather quiet when she first came here but now she didn't stop speaking and was well versed in 3 different languages: African. The Ancient Text and English.

Mira was British and had always lived here, she knew her way around the sewers and streets above. She was invaluable to us. She had pale ice cold skin, brown hair and green eyes. She also spoke the Ancient Text. She was not enamoured with going up to the surface like most of the others but she buckled down and did what she had to.

Right now the three of us were on a re con mission to get supplies from stores to feed our group. We got picked to do it because it was easier. I was to be the distraction if needed. What fun that was.

To me though today felt different, like something was going to be happening.

If there was one thing that I would say I could do it was to control fire. I didn't know what else I had the knack for but at the moment that seemed to be it. The way the flames licked and burned at the ground in the drums as we all sheltered around them. I loved it. It was all my own.

"It isn't a thing to boast about not if it is the only thing that you can do, Scarlett." Mira smirked at her and they started up the ladder to the surface.

It was the only time that they could go on re con and gather anything that they needed. If that was to break into a store and steal food or general medical supplies then that was what they did.

Mira lifted the manhole cover slightly and looked out to see if there was anyone there. No one so far had come out of the streets or anything. She pushed the cover off and to the side and all but leapt out of the sewer and was patiently waiting for us to hurry up and get out.

"We can't all be as fast as you Mira." I said to her as I got out and held my hand out to Raya who was watching the area around us to see if there was any movement anywhere.

"Come on, we don't have time for this. Lets just get what we need and get the heck out of here." Raya impatiently motioned for them to get going.

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A window smashed and the alarms went off, Mira made her way to the box and cut the alarm off and it then whined a few more times before fading out completely.

"Scarlett get some medical supplies from the pharmacy down the street, Raya and I will get the food." Mira ordered sharply, in a tone that said 'I dare you to disagree with me.'

I mumbled under my breath that I didn't want to be separated from the others but Raya just told me not to get clingy. I was 18 and old enough to look after myself. Yeah right and that'll ever be the case.

I said a short phrase that I had read a while back and the door opened by itself. I didn't have to go all human if I didn't want to and this way there would be no noise heard.

Looking at the list of supplies that were needed: Bandages and painkillers were all that we could get from here. For stitches we just used thread and needles and alcohol.

I opened up the trash bag that I had with me and just swiped my hand along the row of painkillers and then the same with the bandages, filling up one and then deciding that it would do for a few nights at least.

I dragged the trash bag out with me, it clunking into different displays and boxes falling to the floor.

'So much for being quiet.' I thought to myself, I knew that I would be reprimanded for it. I closed the door behind me and the alarms started to blare and were loud enough that I had to put my hands over my ears.

As this happened there were footsteps coming from all over and I wished that I wasn't here right now because the others would run because that was what we did. They were my friends but they had to get away that was all they could do.

I left the trash bag and a few seconds later there were Witch Hunters on the streets. Shouting at the top of their lungs "Witch" They began to chase me and I kept running just as I had 13 years previously.

"You keep running and you will die a lot faster." One of them shouted as they began to shoot their guns at me. The bullets were hitting things behind and in front of me.

One of the stray bullets caught me in my knee and I landed on the floor after skidding and falling down a bunch of stairs. They didn't see where I went because it was so dark. I couldn't move and had to stifle the cries of pain, my eyes were blurring and tears were falling. My God it hurt.

I wished for that one moment that this wasn't going to be my end. But the others might have gotten away. They were heading this way and it was only a matter of time now. I was dead and I knew it. I closed my eyes and hoped that it would happen quickly.

Something was wrong, they hadn't found me yet. I felt a warmth at the base of my throat where my necklace was and pulled it out from under my clothes. It was an old necklace, I didn't know what it was and knew that it wasn't mine but it did belong to her family a long time ago.

It was glowing a bright green and whispers started to fill the air.. They were getting louder. I caught a name. The whole world was getting brighter and blinding me/

"Sorcha." It called and then it was as if someone was right next to her shrieking it into her ear. In that instant the Witch Hunters were there and a green bubble surrounded me and they tried to break through but were pushed back. I disappeared in that moment. I was in the dark again but there was fast approaching light.

I screamed for Raya and Mira but they were nowhere in sight and I couldn't hear them. Oh God where was I? Would I survive this experience I didn't know. As I fell I still didn't open my eyes and then met the ground with an almighty thud.

There I stayed not really wanting to see where I had fallen to. It was a new reality for me.