"Zelda," the whispers began again, slithering down the hallway in the darkness, making her skin crawl.
She didn't know what they wanted this time. She still believed that the demon Batibat had left something sinister behind for her, demanding her sanity. They would come for her in the middle of the night while the rest of the house slept soundly, and they only wanted one thing: her niece to sign the Book of the Beast.
After a sharp intake of breath, she got out of bed, glancing at her sister who was sound asleep, wondering if she should wake her but decided against it. Whatever was out there was waiting for Zelda, and she had to face it on her own.
The door to her bedroom creaked open slowly before she had the chance to turn the door knob herself. Lights in the hallway flickered before going out, enveloping the house in darkness. Demons only liked to play in the dark, and so did her nightmares.
"This way," they whispered to her and she followed, blindly walking down the hallway to an unknown force that only meant to do her harm.
I'm a Spellman, she thought to herself as she made it down the hallway. I am no coward. Down the stairs and into the kitchen was only more darkness and silence. She followed the hallway down to the embalming room, but again was only greeted by darkness and silence.
"Where are you?" she asked aloud, feeling silly for talking to no one.
"Here," she heard a male voice from directly behind her.
She spun around and backed up in a fluid motion. In the darkness she saw nothing, but she could hear light breathing. With a flick of her wrist she commanded the light switch to turn on to reveal whoever was with her in the dark.
A tall man with dark hair stood before her, dressed in a suit and tie. "Edward," she breathed.
"Zelda," he responded, confirming that it was, in fact, her elder brother who had been dead for about sixteen years.
Emotions of grief and happiness filled her heart and she couldn't help but let tears fall from her eyes and drip onto the carpet below. She didn't know what trick of fate this was, but she was glad for the reunion, however short it might be.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"I came to warn you," he said gravely. "The Dark Lord wants my daughter, and he shall have her."
"Edward, Sabrina is just as stubborn as you. She doesn't want to sign her name in the Book of the Beast."
"You misunderstand me, sister. Sabrina's actions will only reflect one person: her guardian. I assigned you that task when she was born, in the off chance that I wouldn't be around to raise her. Circumstances have led to that, unfortunately. Should you not hand over my daughter to our Dark Lord, you will pay the ultimate price-"
"Edward, please,"
"Your life," Edward finished. "And I will be the one to deliver the final sentence, should you be unable to do this."
Zelda froze, feeling ice flow through her veins. "I won't fail you, Edward."
Edward stepped forward, wrapping his strong hand around Zelda's throat, lightly squeezing. "Don't make me do this to you Zelda. My daughter belongs to the Dark Lord. Just do it," and then he was gone, the grip around Zelda's throat vanished.
She took a sharp intake of breath before she sat down on the floor and sobbed quietly.
From the other side of the wall, Ms. Wardwell took a breath. Exhausted from her casting of Edward Spellman she resigned to the shadows to transport herself back home. If taking over Edward's spirit for a few minutes didn't persuade Zelda to hand over Sabrina, she would try more sinister methods to get the witch to do her bidding.