Ellen sat propped up against her pillows, limbs shaky and pale. Her breath escaped her in ragged gasps as her hand reached out to clasp around her throbbing side. Pain erupted under the layers of ghost-white skin and made the witch grit her teeth in suppressed agony. Once again, her illness struck – resulting in such agonizing pain from undetectable locations. Her feet seemed numb and she seemed unable to shift from her seated position on her bed. Fumbling about, she located the tissue box positioned by her bedside table and coughed vigorously into it. Crimson bloomed against the soft material and made the witch's face scrunch up in disgust before she chucked it into a waste bin filled with identically stained tissues.
"Mistress," a soft voice murmured, making the girl glance up curiously. A young boy stood by her door, face swathed in shadows. He held the door open with one hand and, as the young witch watched, a small furry shape began to slip through the opening, golden eyes scouring the darkness. "The Demon has arrived and wishes to speak to you."
"Alright," Ellen nodded, signaling the boy out the door. With a sweeping bow, the boy exited, shutting the door softly behind him. The girl and the black feline were alone in the darkness.
"So…what do I owe this honor?" Ellen cocked an eyebrow at the small animal, obviously puzzled at his attendance. "I haven't seen you in four years…after you gave me the body-switching spell. And you are not the type to just suddenly visit without reason…" Warily, the witch narrowed her yellow eyes. "…what is your business here?"
"I just came to wish you good luck," the cat purred, flicking his tail back and forth in a hypnotic fashion. His lips seemed to curl into a tiny smile. "Your visitors are already at your door…I hope you remember our deal, Ellen; give me the soul of your 'friend', and in return, I give you the spell. I can quite easily remove the enchantment given to you…so don't try to go back on your word."
"I do not plan to," Ellen retorted, picking up a quill pen and gingerly dipping the pointed tip into a bottle of ink. With a snap of her fingers, the book before her – her diary – fluttered open, pages turning in a rapid succession until they opened into a fresh page. Ellen had the pen poised above the paper as she spoke: "I do not go back on my word, my lord; that I can guarantee." Just as the inked tip was about to hit the page, a thought occurred to the small girl and she halted her actions, reverting her gaze back onto the cat. "But, my lord…may I ask you something?"
"Shoot."
"What if I brought you TWO souls…?" Ellen smiled dangerously, absentmindedly fiddling with the feathered tip of her quill. The cat cocked an eyebrow, that narrowed his glowing golden eyes as if sensing a ruse. "Would you care to give me another spell to switch bodies, lord? So that another can switch bodies with another?"
"…very well," the demon nodded, accepting the bargain. "But remember…you don't get me my two souls, I will take yours."
Ellen smiled, not unkindly. "Of course, my lord."
As the cat began to slink back into the darkness, the witch faced the clean page of the leather-bound book and began to write words in her loopy handwriting, the quill pen scratching against the paper.
"And then a girl came over to play.
"A sweet girl with golden braids."
A smile played on her lips as the last sentence was scrawled out:
"And her brother decided to join in…"

"Viola!" the boy shouted agitatedly, scratching his head in irritation at his sister's absence. His sneaker tapped impatiently against the wooden-planked floor as her edgily awaited his sibling's arrival. "Viola, hurry up! Weren't you the one who said you were late for your play date with Ellen?"
"I'm coming; I'm coming!" Hastily, a blonde haired girl flew down the stairs, her braids slapping against her back as she ran. A white dress with black straps was fitted to the girl's tiny form which fluttered in her haste, ending at a blue trim with a red stripe running across it. The boy raised his eyebrows in a questioning fashion – usually his sister did not bother dressing up so neatly just for a visit to her friend's house.
"What's with the get-up?" the boy inquired, curious at Viola's attire.
"Ellen said she needed my help with something important," Viola clarified, green eyes displaying her obvious concern. "I decided to dress up a bit neater for this important thing…whatever it is. I just hope Ellen isn't hurt, or anything…"
The boy's features softened and he ruffled his younger sibling's braided hair with a lopsided grin. "I'm sure she's fine, Viola. Let's just get moving, okay?"
Viola smiled and nodded and the two siblings set off for Ellen's towering mansion. As they sauntered down the path, the two made small talk and chatted about funny occurrences they had witnessed during their lives, laughing in unison at each other's ludicrous and over-the-top tales. Finally, the top of the gigantic dwelling began to peek out over the tree line. The boy strained his neck to gaze up at the huge house and allowed a whistle to break through.
"That is one big house," the boy commented, earning a giggle from his younger sibling.
"I told you Ellen was rich! She even has this butler and stuff!" Viola bragged, obviously proud of her friend's high standards. "She's not like us, Felix! She's top class!"
"Viola…I told you, don't call me Felix," the boy sighed, weaving a hand through his dark blonde tresses. "Call me Pewdiepie or Pewds. That's what everyone does."
"That's a stupid name," Viola mumbled, springing up the front porch steps to her friend's door. As Viola was rapping her knuckles against the oak surface, Felix squinted up at the large house and did his best to hide his impressed expression. The roof seemed to climb right into the clouds, disappearing into the sky. He wondered what a little girl of 11 could do in such a huge residence – what type of rooms hide behind the cobblestone walls? He wondered….
"Um, Felix?" Viola's voice called him out from his reverie, tinged with such worry that he decided against correcting his calling. His blue eyes turned to his sister whom had a crumpled piece of paper clutched tightly in her small hands. The oak door was slightly ajar, exposing a slit of a dark interior. Feeling something had gone amiss, the boy jogged up to his sister and peered at the note in her hands.
"'Come to my room'…" Felix mumbled aloud, puzzled. "I guess she wants you to come to her room."
"But the door is unlocked!" Viola wailed, motioning frantically to the partly open door with frenzied hand gestures. "Ellen never leaves the door unlocked! Even her butler didn't answer the door…something must have happened!"
Without another word, Viola whipped open the door and bolted inside, the darkness beyond enveloping her completely and immediately. Felix leapt up and charge in after his sister's disappearing figure and was plunged into a pitch-black interior. No windows were carved into the walls and the sunlight filtering in from the open door could not put a dent in the intense gloom. Squinting, Felix attempted to locate his younger sister.
"Viola!" he shouted, his voice reverberating throughout the cavernous room. No response was received and Felix began to fear for the well-being of his sibling. "Viola, where are you? Are you in here, somewhere?"
This time, a creaking sound responded to his helpless cries, earning a gasp of shock from the startled blonde. Peering behind his shoulder, he realized that the door which Viola had earlier threw open was now ominously closing, shutting out the only light that pierced the severe darkness. Fear was like adrenalin coursing through his veins and he shot forward, attempting to halt the heavy oak door from shutting – but as his hand closed over the knob, he realized that he had made it just as it closed with a menacing click. The boy was thrust into a sort of darkness that even he did not know was possible – a thick blackness that seemed almost palpable. His breath died in his throat and he twisted at the knob uselessly, almost as if relentless turning could make the lock unbolt.
"Viola?" Felix called, a slight tremor in his tone. He flattened himself against the door as he awaited a reply – but only silence and darkness accompanied him and answered his quivery call. Swallowing thickly, Felix detached himself from the entrance and took a wobbly step forward, glancing around to locate his absent sister. Despite the fact his eyes were adjusting somewhat to the darkness, he was still quite capable to stumbling into objects and furniture that made him tumble to the ground amid a jumble of groans. When he finally found another door, he had bruises and scars riddled across his fatigued form. Just as he was about to reach out and grasp the knob, the door flew open and Felix shrieked, losing his footing. Once again he descended to the ground with a heavy thump, groaning at the impact. Light bathed his form and made him squint as he gazed up at the stranger that had appeared from behind the closed door.
A boy no more than his age greeted him, wielding a flickering torch in his hand. His outfit consisted of a long-sleeved, white button-up shirt with a black vest worn over it, and both attires were ripped and damaged in some way. A mass of dark brown hair adorned his head and is face was hidden behind the wide white mask he wore over it, making his expression unreadable.
"What the-?" the boy sounded genuinely surprised, cocking his head slightly to the side as if examining the peculiar stranger that had ended up at his feet. Felix gazed up at him with a similar expression of surprise and nearly considered rubbing his eyes to see whether the boy was real.
Without a word, the masked boy offered a hand for Felix, which he accepted absentmindedly. With a surprising amount of strength, the boy hauled Felix back onto his feet and regarded him solemnly. The boy was incredibly hard to read, considering that his expression was all but hidden under the plain white mask he wore. The design on the mask was simple and curious, a face made up of two small circle-eyes and a perfectly straight line for a mouth. The two boys stood in an awkward silence before the brunette shattered it: "So…who are you?"
"My name is Felix, but people call me Pewdiepie," Felix murmured in response, grateful that he was not left to fend for himself in the dark. The flickering lamp-light the boy wielded was also a relief, as floundering about blindly in the dark was not exactly his idea of a good time.
The masked boy nodded but offered no information of himself or his origins, instead skipping right to asking what his purpose here was. His actions halted when Felix replied, turning around to stare at him with those small circular eyes.
"You let your sister befriend a WITCH?" the incredulity in his voice blatant as he gazed down at Felix with what the blonde thought was an accusing stare. "Are you nuts?"
"A witch?" Felix looked bewildered. Viola had never dispatched this information about her friend to him before, or their father. Was it deliberate? Or was this information hidden from Viola also? He suddenly knew that she had made a terrible mistake in coming here.
The masked boy nodded. "Ellen is a witch – a powerful one at that. Her house lures all sorts of people and they almost never escape with their lives…I've been stuck here for awhile." The boy weaved his fingers through his dark brown locks, slightly tangled from his time entrapped in this gloomy place. "I'm still trying to find a way out."
The newfound intelligence of Viola's friend's identity spurred little confidence, and the boy's story did even less so. Felix sighed deeply, wondering how he had possibly managed to get himself tangled in this wild mess – how Viola managed to acquaint herself with such a dangerous individual. Pushing those thoughts aside, Felix decided to focus his mind on a new goal – finding his sister, and getting the hell out of this place.
"I need to find my sister," Felix declared, peering over the boy's shoulder at the room beyond. "She's got to be here somewhere…I have to warn her what she just got herself into."
The masked boy was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. I might as well tag along…you don't mind, do you?"
"Not at all," Felix smiled, pleased that he would not be alone in this frightening experience. "But I would like to know YOUR name, if it isn't too much trouble."
Again, silence overtook the boy – but it was short-lived when the boy nodded. "…okay, I suppose that's fair. I don't tell anyone my name, though," he replied, facing the other boy, "…so just call me Cry."