Anatwins
(Analynn's Point of View)
Preface
~1864~
"Where are we going to go? Wherever it is, I will need to cover our trail so that he cannot follow us." I said glancing around. Ana looked back in the direction of the house, then back at me. It was around one in the morning and we had been running close to an hour or two. Our parents did not yet know that we were missing and probably would not find out until the following morning.
The 'he' I had mentioned was Ana's forced boyfriend, for lack of better words, named Masin. He had been abusing her in more than the literal since of the word. Masin was a vampire. Ana never said exactly what it was he did to her, for she was compelled not to. Mom, Dad, and I all knew he was a vampire and warned her not to interact with him, but by that time she had already been compelled to date him.
My suspicions of the abuse grew when any time someone would bring Masin up in conversation there would be a brief second when fear would flicker through her eyes. I was the only one who ever noticed it because I was the only one that recognized it. When I tried asking her about why, she just gave a few vague answers that didn't entirely make sense after being thought about in depth. My suspicions were confirmed when I found her paralyzed from the waist down about a mile into the forest that was on our property. A year later, I found a spell to break the compulsion of a vampire and prevent her from being compelled ever again without having to have the help of Vervain. It was then that I decided to try it. When I had finished the spell, she had said that we needed to leave. I was not sure why but I did not argue with her, instead I just helped her with the planning of when and how we would leave.
"We go separate ways," She said. My sister was my absolute best friend, and the thought of us possibly never seeing each other brought tears to my eyes. "It is the only thing I can think to do. You must not argue. He could be anywhere at this very moment."
"I do not think it is a good idea, but I will not argue the point. Good luck and stay safe." I whispered
"I am not sure of when I shall see you again. I will keep in touch. I am not sure how, but I will do my best. I do love you my sister. Be careful. I must go." She said picking up handfuls of her dress.
Before I could answer, she was running toward the west. I looked around quickly and held back the tears as I picked up the skirt of my own dress. With one last look in the direction of the house, I ran farther into the forest than we had already come, across the river, and finally caught sight of an old abandoned shed in the middle of a field. I stopped and listened at the edge of the forest .I could not hear anything but the soft, quiet chirp of crickets and the soft rustle of the leaves in the trees from the calm night breeze. After a few long moments, I decided to go with the gut feeling that told me I would be safe and after taking two quick deep breaths, took off into the field.
I relied, only, on the dark of the night to cover me. I ran as fast as my legs would carry me, feeling as if the distance between the shed and me stretched on forever. When I had finally reached the shed I grabbed the rusty handle and pulled hard until the door opened enough I could walk in.
I was hit by the musty smell of dirt and wood, before hurrying through the door. Once inside, I sand to the floor gasping for breath and feeling like I could not get enough air. When I could finally breathe again I got to business. I tore a small piece of cloth off the bottom of my dress and stared at it as I whispered "Fire."
The cloth burst into a flame bright enough for me to see my surroundings. The wall with the door that I had come through was bear with nothing but a three-foot long rectangular wooden block that was used to lock the shed door from the inside. The left wall had some old tools hanging on hooks a shovel, a hammer, and a saw. The back wall was covered with shelves that had a single box of nails siting on the middle shelf. The floor was wooden with patches of dirt here and there from where pieces of the floor had been torn out.
"Now to protect…" I said, "I call to thee to give me your might, by the power of three, I conjure thee, to protect all that surrounds me. So mote it be." I felt a slight shift in the air around me and knew that the spell worked and the shed was now completely safe for me to stay in for the rest of the night. Nothing of danger would be able to reach me as long as I stayed inside the shed. Feeling as though I could not keep my eyes open any longer and knowing that I was going to need my rest for the duration of the journey ahead of me, I laid down. 'Be safe, Ana' was my last thought before falling asleep.
