Chapter 1: Finally At Peace

Edited: October 16, 2012

A suffocating silence enveloped his entire figure as he laid on the ground, with his hands clutching his forearms, which were throbbing and pulsating from pain. A garish groan of displeasure escaped his lips, but he tried to stifle the noise that was emitted from the back of his throat. Unshed tears flooded his dark eyes, causing him to seal them and cough violently. There was a broad lump constricting his throat, and he couldn't take it anymore. He swallowed, desperately trying to swallow his self revulsion down. Alec's eyes snapped open once more, and he glowered at the blood that steadily dripped from his fresh wounds. He growled furiously, but it barely above a whisper. He was growing weak, and he knew it. There were voices above his head, taunting him, but he didn't look up. He wouldn't give them the pleasure of seeing him weak. Alec was strong, and he was a fighter as well as his sister. At the mention of his sister, his eyes widened and his breaths transfigured into abrupt pants. He could only pray she was still alive, and she hadn't been tortured like him.

Hasty footsteps resounded garishly in the room, causing everyone's attention to be diverted to the newcomer. Hopefully, in Alec's mind, it wasn't someone that would be specialized in torturing "witches." Why people thought they were sinful creatures was beyond him, but he had to admit there was something else to him. It wasn't wrong nor sinful, but it was unique. Jane also had it, but hers was more noticeable than his. Alec's was causing people to become numb, but Jane's made people feel pain. Somehow, people thought they were witches ever since they were born. Twins were not a blessing because it was unnatural to have them. They were odd and strange, not unique. Alec snapped out of his trance once someone started screaming and yelling, thrashing against their own will, which caused chaos in the room.

"My brother!" she yelled, clutching her hair with her hands. "He needs help! He's going to die if you don't help him!"

That voice made Alec's eyes widen, and his heart hammer in his ears. He couldn't believe she was here, risking her life to help the "witch." If they found out that she was intentionally shifting their attention away from him, she would be burned at the stake like him. She would be damned to Hell, and he didn't want that for her. Heck, he didn't even want that for his sister.

The sounds of cussing filled the air, before the men promptly shuffled out of the clearing. She waited for a second, glancing behind her shoulders continuously, until she was sure they were gone. Alyce briskly dashed toward Alec, and she nearly cried at the mess of intertwined limbs and blood. She touched his forearm, before she pealed his hands from his body. Alec hissed shrilly, and he instantly regretted it because she kneeled beside him and turned him over. Her fingertips daintily grazed his pallid cheeks, before she leaned down and gingerly pressed her lips to his forehead. If he had been capable of blushing, he would have, but he couldn't.

"Oh, Alec, what have they done to you!" she cried as her fingertips abruptly travelled inside her pockets for a piece of poultice. She found the cloth and instantly dabbed it on his wounds. Alyce nearly sobbed at the sight of Alec but stopped. He would only feel worse, and she didn't want that at all. Lips puckered, she tried to cleanse him of his blood, but it was no use. His gashes were releasing too much blood at a brisk pace, which made it nearly impossible to clean him. Alyce grasped his wrist and pulled him closer to his lap, which was where she ran her fingers through his dirty locks. His hair was grimly, coated with grease and blood, but she didn't care. She only wanted to comfort him.

"Those - those men! I can't believe them. You are not a witch! If anyone were to be a bad omen, it would be all of those beggars!" she exclaimed.

Alec's body jolted upwards at her abrupt outcry, and he looked up at her with unbidden concern. Had she really cursed? She was changing, and Alec didn't like the direction she was heading. Sure, he had heard women curse, but those women were of lower class. Alyce was of upper class, held in a prestigious state with manors and servants. She wasn't a lowly peasant, so he wasn't sure why she was cussing. It was one swear, but he didn't even want to hear those foul words leaving her sweet lips. If this was how she was acting now, how would she act when he was dead? He knew he would die, but Alyce was denying the fact that he would die soon. This has been going on for a long time, but they had apparently crossed the line when Jane had made a lowlife servant wither on the ground. She had made him go mad, but he didn't think that was too bad. He deserved to be punished for calling his sister unholy names. Those names were reserved for harlots, not for proper ladies.

"Jane," he mumbled. Alyce stared down at him, her eyes boring holes into his bottomless pits. Her lips were curved into a line, which caused her budding cheeks to become taut over her facial bones. She fingered her wrists, before she swallowed and looked at him.

"Jane had been taken by cloaked strangers" -she glared at him as he tried to speak- "but I'm sure she's fine. She was taken before the men of our village had attacked her. If she had been abducted by our men, her fate would have been much worse. I was there with her, and I know that would make you unhappy, but they are different. They were proper. There were women with those three men, and they were strange-looking. They looked like angels but with the eyes of demons. I'm positive your sister will be alright. I just know.

"I helped her escape and now I will help you," she stated. Alec started to protest, but she shushed him and propped him on her lap. He weighed too much for her, but she had a different plan.

"You'll die at the stake," he muttered, trying to smack some sense into her. She shook her head.

"So will you, if you stay."

"You won't go to Heaven like you were planning," he commented knowingly.

"Neither will you."

"I don't care," he answered. "And you do."

"It's true but so do you. I know you want to go to Heaven and don't want to die a horrible death like this. God has given all of us a mission, and I'm sure that helping you is my mission. I must complete it at all costs," she explained. Alec stayed silent because he knew that she would never change her views.

"What about your brother?" he inquired.

"He's fine, but he knows of my plan. He's pretending to be ill," she uttered absently.

She threw him onto her arms and frowned at how light he was. They hadn't been feeding him, and she felt the need to murder each of them. She dragged herself across the clearing, hurtling her body into the wild. Alyce knew these trails but so did the men. Hopefully, her brother had distracted them enough. She swallowed her nervousness and focused on the task in hand: save Alec. Alyce knew these strangers were odd, but they didn't seem ill-fitting. If they saved Alec, she wouldn't care about herself anymore. She knew she would die at the stake, but she didn't care. Alec and Jane had been her top priority.

"Where is the witch?" a man bellowed angrily.

"The girl! She took him!"

Teeth clenched, she started to rapidly sprint into the chaos of the forest, not caring that her gown was being torn into pieces, or that she looked improper. She had to finish this. Alyce shifted Alec in her arms and she kicked off her ankle boots. She was a fast runner, but she could hear the panicked breaths of the men behind her. Jumping, she dodged branches, kicked rocks in her path, threw leaves behind her, and staggered a few times. She prayed to God, wishing they made it on time. Alyce glanced at the sky, mouthing her prayers. Please, Lord, she prayed.

"Alyce, stop now and you won't face the consequences!"

She continued to run, ignoring the way Alec started to protest in her arms. Couldn't he see this was for his safety? Tears brimmed in her eyes, but she continued to run. She couldn't stop. She loved him too much.

"You have to live! Stop fighting me!" she screamed. Alec remained quiet, while his mind reeled at her emotions. Portly droplets of water staggered down her flustered cheeks, landing inside her mouth and tumbling down her chin. He cursed himself for making her feel this way. Maybe if he hadn't accepted her friendship when they were younger, she wouldn't feel this way? Maybe if he hadn't asked for her father's blessing and her hand, she wouldn't be risking herself? He was the cause of all this, and he couldn't do anything to stop it.

Alyce finally made it to the clearing, and she rushed forward. The cloaked strangers were there, watching them from behind their hoods. However, Alec could see their crimson eyes scanning their bodies, trailing the steady flow of their hearts. He nearly shuddered at the crawling sensation that licked his entire body but stopped. Alec was no longer a boy, but a man, and he should be facing everything like one. Alyce stepped in front of three men and stopped in front of the man, who had taken off his hood and was standing in front of everyone else. He was the leader. The leader grinned, clasping his hands in front of his body, while his eyes landed on Alec's. He seemed almost curious as he stepped forward and grabbed his hand.

Memories flashed before his eyes, which made his heart sink. His life was full of nothing but lies and misery. Everything was horrible, except for Alyce. The stranger glanced at Alyce, and he nodded his head pensively, as if he were debating a certain matter. He pursed his lips, before he shook his head and allowed his eyes to land on Alec again.

"Thank you for following through with the plan," he stated as he gestured toward Alec. Alyce nodded and passed Alec to a different cloaked person. She swallowed, before she pressed a lingering kiss to his lips. His eyes widened, noticing they were about to depart. The strangers weren't going to bring her along. Judging by their actions and Alyce's relived expression, he knew she has known she wouldn't survive this. He trashed against the man's firm hold, trying to reach out for her. Alec croaked and gagged on his blood, but he continued to call for her. She shook her head.

"You'll die at the stake!" he yelled.

"Perhaps," she muttered, offering him a minuscule grin. "I love you."

"Don't do this," he whispered softly. She shook her head and took a step back.

"I love you," she repeated.

"I love you, too," he answered back, feeling his chest heave up and down rapidly, as if he were out of breath. She offered the strangers a smile, before she dashed away from the clearing and into town.

"No! Come back. Please, come back!"

Teeth grazed his neck, before they sunk in. He stared into the leader's eyes with unbidden fright and confusion. His heart thrashed against his chest, and shudders racked his broad shoulders. He hissed from the searing pain that greedily licked the tips of his fingers and spread to his entire body. Involuntarily, he sealed his eyes and tried to stifle his screams. He was in a trance, which made him fall into a blissful slumber. Alec couldn't hear anything because he was focused on his pain. He numbed down his pain by using his gift. Alec never thought he would need it, but he had been proved wrong.

In the Town Square, a packed crowd booed and yelled vicious taunts at the brave, raven-haired teenager, who had stood up and rescued her fiancé. She simply smiled down at the crowd and waved from her position on the stake. Alyce had been placed on the stake, held by two men at each side. Her family was looking up at her, silently crying for their daughter.

"Alyce Clark is accused of helping two witches escape their fate. She has released them from their holds and has allowed them to continue living. As a punishment, she will be facing what they were supposed to.

"Do you, Alyce Clark, deny any of this information?" the priest questioned, raising an eyebrow. She shook her head. The crowd hurtled objects at her, and she dodged, raising her chin. She wouldn't be intimidated by these people. Alyce was afraid of no one.

"Any last words?"

She knew she had been granted this because she was high ranking in class. If she hadn't, she would have been burning already. She raised her chin higher and rolled her shoulders.

"Hello, everyone. I understand that you all want to punish me for my actions, and I'm fine with all of this. I do not care for any of this. What I do care is how many of you people are convinced Alec and Jane are witches. They do not exist. If there are hardships, it's because we need to surpass them and accept the challenge instead of blaming a person. Witches do not exist! With all of my honor and dignity intact do I burn at the stake. I know God will always be with me even when I go to Heaven," she preached. "Please, begin."

There was silence, in which people thought about her response. It was unnatural for someone to be so accepting of their punishment. Maybe she was right? Instead of rectifying their ways, they sneered and started the fire. The men moved away as the first flame quickly started on the wood that had been placed beneath her feet. Her family cried garishly, setting themselves on top of the stage. They were quickly pushed back by those beggars, but she didn't mind. She was not going to respond to anything. Impossible warmth was emitted from the fire, which was rapidly climbing up her ankles. She moved her feet but stopped because she didn't want them to feel like she was scared. Instead, she raised her chin higher and ignored the pain that erupted from her skin. She could feel the flames licking her skin, teasing the delicate layers, before it seeped inside and started to devour her. After a moment, she closed her eyes and allowed death to take her soul. She smiled one last time, making the sight very gruesome. Her lips were barely a line, tainted by burnt skin and runty bubbles. She was finally at peace.