A/N: Once again, it appears I've succeeded in out-doing myself in terms of the word count... This turned out a lot longer than I hoped, but also a lot better than I hoped. As promised, the 'surprise' I mentioned in the last chapter is here for you to indulge in. Thank you again to everyone who has been reading, following, and favouriting this fanfic. And I would also like to say a special thanks to fanfic user 'BlazingWrath21' for putting my OCs Emilia and Peter into their 'The Witch's House' fanfic in preparation for the next update. I recommend checking the fanfic out when you have the chance, because I've been following it for a while now.
Disclaimer: I don't own 'The Witch's House' and its characters. I only own the OCs 'Emilia' and 'Peter'. The alternate versions of the OCs 'Agatha' and 'Aiden' belong to BlazingWrath21 and are specifically featured in their fanfic 'The Witch and the Executioner'. Again, I recommend reading it if you want to see their OCs in their actual fanfic.
Chapter 11: Looming Conflicts
"Wow! I've never seen so many books before!"
Turning my head to stare at Peter stood to my right in the doorway to the library, I couldn't help but watch him stare at the room before him, his eyes wide with awe and his mouth open with wonder. It was a better sight to see in comparison to what I'd had to deal with the day before. It was refreshing to see someone else who was fascinated with books other than myself.
Because Viola and I had chosen to stay within the yellow flower room last night to avoid any more trouble with the demon and the house, it was easy for me to keep my word to Peter the next morning and take him to specific rooms which I knew were mostly safe for him (once he'd woken up, of course). The only place he had been to so far other than the library was the dining room for food, where I had to keep a close eye on him to ensure he didn't try and drink any of the poison on the table (I still think that trap is a stupid one). But the entire time I noticed he wouldn't stop remarking about how the house and the magic I was supposed to possess were interlinked. Considering he came from a village who were apparently wary of such abilities, it's a wonder how he was able to view my capabilities in such a positive and fascinated light. I found it a little strange, but it was better than him being petrified of me, in the end.
I placed both hands to my hips when Peter focused his gaze on me, the life in his eyes still being highlighted.
"Have you read all of them yet, Miss Emilia? I bet since you're a witch, you could probably do it in one whole day!"
I shook my head and huffed. "Not likely. The magic I have can only do so much, and being granted the ability to read an entire library of books in one day isn't one of them."
Peter blinked in surprise and tilted his head to the side slightly.
"Then what can you do?"
I raised a brow. He wanted to know what I was able to do? Did I hear that question right?
"You want to know what I can do?"
Peter nodded his head repeatedly a few times with a silly grin on his face.
"Uh-huh! Tell me, tell me, tell me!"
I raised my brow a little further.
"Are you sure you want to know? You might regret it later."
Peter gave one more eager nod, lifting his hands up close to his chest and curling them into loose fists.
"I am! So will you tell me?! Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?!"
I had to bite the inside of my lip to stop myself from turning around upon hearing a certain someone giggling just behind me, knowing full well it was Viola stood just outside in the corridor. She'd wanted to come along to observe my interactions with Peter and spend a little longer away from her cell in case the demon decided to return whilst I wasn't there. Neither of us had seen the cat today, so it didn't appear to be worth the risk.
'He's enthusiastic, I'll give him that…' I paused to bite down a little harder on my lip, though, when a sudden idea popped into my head, stopping a smirk from making itself known. 'But I suppose it would be a good chance to see if he gets cold feet and runs away. Considering everyone else in my village got scared when they learned I could speak with the dead, I don't doubt his reaction will be the same…'
It wasn't until Peter stretched his bottom lip out a little to make it quiver that I decided to relent and ended up rolling my eyes and dropping my shoulders.
"Alright. But don't say I didn't warn you…"
Lifting my hands away from my hips and holding them up either side of me, I kept eye contact with Peter and waited until he was staring at me with wide and eager eyes before speaking up in the most serious voice I could muster, my expression neutral.
"I can see dead people."
The minute the words had left my mouth I saw Peter gape a little at my response, the blink of shock that quickly followed wiping away his excitement in an instant. It was a reaction I was expecting, so I wasn't surprised even when he lowered his hands away from his front and leaned back a little to create some distance.
"D… Dead people…?"
I nodded once, allowing a smirk of amusement to appear on my face.
"Uh-huh. Are you scared~?"
Peter stood up straight at this and frowned out of defiance to get rid of his shock, shaking his head a couple of times.
"No!"
"You should be." I paused to lower my voice to a loud whisper. "Because this house is full of them."
My smirk widened when Peter's eyes went wide with horror, his hands shaking slightly as he turned his gaze away to look towards the bookcases spread out in the middle of the room. I could see he was starting to become conscious of his surroundings now, so when he didn't speak up after a while I took that as my cue to continue, walking forward towards him with slow steps.
"And not just in this house, either. They linger everywhere; their deceased souls rising from the depths of the underworld to seek out those who disrespected them when they were still alive, and give them grief."
Peter focused his gaze on me again as I spoke in an exaggerated, deep voice, staying still even as I came to a stop just in front of him and wriggled my fingers around a little for added effect.
"You can't see them, but I can. I can see all of their antics whilst you remain unaware. You could find yourself suddenly tripping over for no reason, whereas I could see the elderly man who held out his wooden leg to cause your fall laughing at your pain. Or you could feel someone shove you and turn around to find no one there, whereas I could see the young boy who did it smirking in glee at being invisible to your eyes. You could be surrounded by any and all kinds of spirits at this very moment, but only I would be able to tell you if that was true."
Peter's expression didn't change as I leaned in close to his face, my fingers bending as if they were animal claws.
"Well? Do you fear the evil witch of the house now, boy~?"
After a few seconds of silence passed I was left watching as a smile of amusement appeared on Peter's face. With my smirk fading in an instant to be replaced with a confused blink, I stayed silent when Peter took a step away from me and started to chuckle, my shoulders dropping as he placed a hand to his stomach.
"You're funny, Miss Emilia! You make a good storyteller!"
My eyes drooped in dismay as I straightened out my back and dropped my arms to my sides, staying silent as Peter turned away and clasped his hands together behind him when he walked forward into the room a little more, stopping in the middle just in front of the bookshelves. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Viola take the chance to move forward into the room a little more, stopping just to the side of me with her own hands behind her back.
"Still, being able to see the dead…" Peter paused to look back at me with a bright smile on his face. "That sounds neat!"
I briefly side-glanced Viola to see her staring back at me with a surprised blink, eventually focusing on Peter again before speaking up. That wasn't the reaction I was expecting from him…
"Really? And this is coming from the boy who looked like he was about to turn as pale as a ghost."
Twisting his body around to face me, Peter's grin was quickly replaced with a pout.
"I was thinking of rotting bodies! But you made it sound much more exciting!"
I shook my head and huffed as Peter turned his gaze to glance around the room, probably to see if there was any indication of actual 'ghosts' in the room with us. He was quick to believe anything I said, which was concerning.
"Believe me, it's not…" I muttered, with only Viola hearing what I was saying when I saw tilt her head my way.
Peter, on the other hand, had started to go off on a ramble about whether there were actually any spirits in the library, only for him to spot the circle of books gathered around the bottom right corner of the room where the spirit boy (or 'librarian' as Cat referred to him) was usually sat reading. I didn't pay any attention to what he was saying, and could only watch as his eyes widened in awe and he started walking over to where the books were stacked.
Thankfully, the spirit boy wasn't there at the moment, so Peter ended up coming to a stop and bending forward with his hands on his knees in front of literally nothing. But as he continued to ramble on about god-knows what, I flinched at feeling a cold hand tap my right shoulder, my head turning to see Viola staring at me with a furrowed brow.
"Are you okay?"
I nodded without saying a word in case Peter heard me responding to her, focusing my gaze back on him as he stared down towards the books piled in the corner. But out of the corner of my eyes I could see Viola wasn't convinced, her brow furrowing further.
"Are you sure? It looked like his words got to you just now."
After making sure Peter was distracted by listening out for his inaudible comments about the books he was currently facing, I sighed and turned to Viola, keeping my voice low when I spoke.
"I'm fine. I'm just not used to hearing positive comments about my ability, is all…"
Viola blinked in surprise at that.
"Your ability? You mean, what you have isn't connected to the house's magic?"
"Uh-huh. I don't need a demon and its magic to see the dead. I've always been able to do it naturally."
Viola placed her hands behind her back and turned her gaze down towards her boots, looking to be briefly lost in thought.
"… Is that why those spirits called you a 'witch' before? Is it connected to why you killed them?"
I closed my eyes and shrugged my shoulders.
"Partly. But I can't really blame them for calling me such. I wasn't supposed to have those abilities in the first place…"
I thought I heard Viola gasp, along with silence in the background. Had Peter finally fallen quiet?
"You were never supposed to have them? But then how did you-?"
"Wow! Are you talking to a ghost right now?! No wonder you didn't hear my question!"
My eyes opened wide with shock when I heard Peter suddenly speak up out of nowhere, having forgotten for a moment that he was here in the room with us. Although part of me was thankful for his interruption, because I wasn't in the mood to go into detail about how I gained my abilities.
I caught sight of Viola backing up behind me as Peter jogged over to us with eyes filled with awe and a wide grin, stopping just in front of me and turning his gaze where Viola was once stood. I felt Viola place her cold hands on both of my shoulders as Peter focused back on me with his grin still in place.
"What were you talking about?! Can I join in?! I want to talk to a ghost too! Even if I can't see or hear them!"
I momentarily glanced back at Viola to see her looking over my shoulder, the action giving me an idea and helping me to recall what I was hoping to speak to Peter about.
"… Actually, you have perfect timing, because the ghost I was just talking to mentioned you."
When Viola frowned at me in confusion, I gave her a wink out of sight of Peter, only turning to him when I heard him speak up with surprise. She probably still didn't understand what I was planning, but I'm sure she'll get it in a minute.
"They did?"
I gave a stiff nod, folding my arms across my front.
"Oh, yes! They say they're a resident from your village. Apparently, they remember seeing you and someone else around." I paused to place a hand to my chin. "A young girl with golden braids and bright green eyes, they said. And she wore a pinafore dress-"
"Oh! They must be talking about Viola!" Peter interrupted, his eyes lighting up as Viola gasped out of realisation behind me.
"Oh…! I get it now!"
Looks like the penny has finally dropped.
"… 'Viola'?" I repeated with fake interest, tilting my head to the side for good measure to make my reaction look convincing. "You know who they're talking about?"
Peter nodded a few times.
"Uh-huh! I've seen her around the village, too! In fact, my grandparents mentioned her to me just the other day!"
I turned my gaze to my shoulder when I felt Viola tighten her grip on both of them, seeing her fingers shaking slightly. I suspected she was nervous, especially considering this was Ellen Peter was actually talking about.
"… Really?"
"Yup!" Peter placed his hands behind his back, frowning in thought. "They said something about her Dad finding her in the depths of the forest and saving her from a monster that tried to attack her."
I turned my head to look back at Viola when I heard her whimper, her shaking worsening as she turned her head away to stare at the wall. I continued to listen out for what Peter had to say, though, as he went on.
"They're rumours that have been around for a while, apparently, but they used it as a warning to stop me from coming here. The other adults have, too! They think it was sent from the witch. That wasn't you, was it, Miss Emilia?"
I was quick to focus on Peter again when he asked this despite feeling Viola pull herself closer to my back to hide her face between my shoulder blades, shaking my head.
"No. There have been multiple witches in this house over the centuries. We come and go all the time. But I suppose to you it looks like it's the same witch committing all of these horrible acts."
Peter blinked in surprise at this, gaping.
"Really?! So, does that mean you're not centuries old?!"
I raised a brow and unfolded my arms, putting a hand to my hip. I should have expected him to assume I'd been here a while, but it still came as a shock.
"Excuse me. I'm seventeen, and not just by appearance. Just because I have magic, it doesn't mean I'm immortal!"
Peter started to chuckle at that and placed a hand to the back of his head, giving it a rub.
"Sorry. My bad."
"Whatever…" I sighed and shook my head in dismay, focusing my gaze on the bookcases lined up behind Peter. "Anyway, whilst we're here, do you want to look at any books? I'm sure I saw some picture books somewhere…"
I wanted to make sure Viola was okay before we moved on to the other parts of the house, but I couldn't do it with Peter listening in. He couldn't know that the real Viola was actually stood behind me.
With his eyes widening at my words, Peter was quick to turn to face the stack of books in the corner of the room again.
"I saw a picture book about insects over there! I'm gonna go look at it!"
I blinked in surprise as I watched him start to run in that direction before I even had chance to open my mouth to speak, having not expected my idea for a distraction to work.
'Well then… That worked better than I expected.'
With Peter now distracted I turned my head to glance back at Viola once more, now seeing her watching Peter whilst he looked through the spirit boy's books with her hands still clutching clumps of my cardigan at the shoulders. I hope he won't mind Peter having a quick flick through…
"… You okay?" I asked, keeping my voice low to make sure Peter didn't hear me and refraining from saying her name.
Viola turned to face me with a stiff nod, her good eye drooped a little.
"Yes. Sorry. His words got to me, too."
"Don't worry about it. I understand."
"But I should have expected it." Viola paused to huff, leaning her head forward to rest her forehead against the top of my shoulder. "It's something Ellen would do."
I raised a brow at this out of confusion.
"… What makes you think she did it?"
"She's the only one who had a reason to. My Father isn't like the villagers in my home. He keeps everything that happens to me or to him between the two of us." Viola paused to lift her head and stare at me with a frown. "But Ellen must have been the one to start the spread of the rumours. If people were to know about our 'promise'…"
"She'd be exposed," I muttered, finishing her sentence.
"Exactly." Viola's brow creased further with worry, her grip on my shoulders loosening. "I can't help but worry about what else she's been doing whilst in my body. I'm just hoping that those rumours haven't done anything to hurt my Father in any way."
I turned my body around to face Viola at this, placing both of my hands to my hips. It was obvious these thoughts had been plaguing her long before Peter revealed the information about the rumours. Viola was that worried about her Father that she couldn't help but also worry about the kinds of things Ellen had been up to. She would most likely have to keep up an act of Viola's personality in order to prevent anyone from getting suspicious of her, but even under that she was a former witch who knew how to manipulate others. It wouldn't be difficult for Ellen to use some of her former traits to her advantage.
But staring at Viola for a moment in silence caused me to get a sudden idea, one which I believed would help to bring Viola to ease and also aid me in meeting her request at the same time.
"… If you're that worried about your Father, why don't you just come with me to see him?"
Viola's good eye widened in shock at this, her mouth falling open. She obviously hadn't been expecting me to make such a suggestion.
"G-Go with you? O-Oh, no-! I-I couldn't! My soul has already been eaten by the demon!" She glanced down towards the front of her pinafore dress, her right hand placing itself to her chest. "All that's left of me now are fragments of my former self."
"I disagree."
Viola raised her gaze to me with a confused blink, leading me to move a hand from my hip and reach out an index finger to poke the middle of her forehead, watching her flinch at my touch and feeling myself do the same upon feeling the coldness of her skin.
"You fit the requirements for an Ekimmu, according to the Babylonians and Assyrians. And do you know what Ekimmus can do?" Viola shook her head, giving me the expected answer. "They can rise from the underworld and haunt the living if not properly buried or given proper offerings. You've had neither of those, and yet here you are. You've taken on the physical form of a spirit, despite being eaten. I can bet the demon's stomach has some connection to the underworld to allow you to exist like this. So, if this is possible for you, I'm sure you can easily step outside of the house."
"I don't know…" Viola replied, reaching a hand up to place on her upper arm and give it a rub. "The last time I saw Ellen, I was feeling and thinking things that made me scared of myself and the kind of person I was becoming. What if I start doing the same again when I see her with Father…?" She closed her eye and gave her upper-arm a light squeeze. "I wouldn't be able to look at myself in the face."
My brow furrowed with worry as I retracted my finger and stared at the blonde spirit girl standing before me, completely understanding what she was getting at. Although I had already gone past the point of no return, Viola appeared to have enough common sense and a clear enough head to know just how far being in such a situation could make her go, and that she didn't want to go down that same path again. I suppose being dead for as long as she has granted her time to think over everything that happened and reflect.
After allowing the silence to drag on long enough, I reached my hand to place on her opposite shoulder, waiting until she opened her eye and flinched at my touch again before I dared to speak up.
"I'm not forcing you to go if you don't want to. I only made the suggestion because you've been left in the dark for a year now regarding your Father's wellbeing and the former witch's antics. I thought that if you came with me, you could finally put your mind at ease. But if you're afraid of what will happen, then don't worry. Just remember that I'll be there with you the entire time if you do."
Viola's good eye widened as she listened to what I had to say, with me witnessing the sight of the tears beginning to well up in it. They were clearly tears of gratitude.
"Emilia…"
I allowed a small smile to appear at this, opening my mouth in preparation to make a response. However, I was quick to close it when I saw Viola blink in surprise and turn her head in Peter's direction, prompting me to follow suit. My eyes widened when I saw him sitting on the floor to the left of the stack of books with his legs crossed and one of the books opened out in his lap, looking straight at me. His own eyes widened when our gazes crossed, the two of us staring at each other in silence for a moment.
'… Don't tell me he was listening in this entire time!'
Peter was the first one to break the eye contact and the silence, however, turning his gaze down towards the book in his lap as his cheeks flushed a light shade of pink from embarrassment.
"D-Don't mind me! P-Pretend I'm not here-!"
After a couple more seconds I heard Viola beginning to laugh at Peter's reaction, my head turning her way to see her holding a hand to her mouth and her good eye closing, her shoulders shaking with amusement. All I could do was shake my head in dismay and close my eyes, huffing at the kid's antics. He was just too curious and intrigued for his own good…
"Are you sure I can keep these clothes, Miss Emilia? A-And take some of this food with me, too?"
Walking beside Peter down the corridor from the dining room towards the entrance hall of the house, I turned my head to see him staring down towards the black satchel hung over his right shoulder just as I'd finished adjusting the black, hooded cloak I'd found whilst searching for the satchel around my shoulders, the former of which I'd taken the liberty of filling with a couple of pairs of clean clothes close enough to his size, along with some food from the kitchen which he could take back for him and his grandparents. I figured it was the least I could do to help him instead of just casting him back into the wilderness and hoping for the best. I'd taken the cloak for myself as an added bonus in the hopes it would grant me some immunity to the weather outside, as well as hide me from the unsuspecting eyes of other villagers I was to encounter. It's not like I was going to need any of the things the former witch had decided to hoard from her former victims.
"The clothes aren't mine. The last witch must have been hoarding them. You might as well have them and put them to good use." I paused to reach up a hand and place it on Peter's head, giving his hair a quick ruffle and retracting it when he lifted his gaze to mine. "And don't you go worrying about food! I'm well stocked here. You need it more than I do." I scowled. "But do you remember what I told you to say if your grandparents ask where you got all this from?"
Peter gave a wide smile and put his hands behind his back, straightening it out to exude an air of confidence.
"Yup! If they ask I say, 'I got them from a young woman who lives near the depths of the forest'."
"And do you mention me at any point, along with the house?"
Peter shook his head. "No, ma'am."
"Well remembered!" I remarked, a smile of amusement slipping onto my face when Peter chuckled with glee at my response.
The next day had arrived a lot quicker than I had initially hoped for and had been prepared for. After ensuring that Peter was properly recovered and that he had waited it out long enough for his pursuers to be deterred by forcing the cat to have a quick scout of the forest (to which he reported there was no sign of those hooded people as far as he could see), I decided today would be the perfect opportunity for me to head to Viola's village and return Peter home, whilst also checking in on Viola's Father and viewing his interactions with Ellen.
Viola wasn't with us today. She'd returned to her cell the day before just as night had broken out, giving me the directions needed to find her home and the details she could remember regarding her Father's usual routine (if things had remained the same since a year ago). I had once again asked Viola if she wanted to come with me, reminding her she wouldn't be on her own, but she said she wasn't sure. She claimed she'd have her mind made up by the morning, and that if she didn't come to me by the time Peter and I were leaving I should just go on ahead without waiting for her. Although I thought it would be beneficial for Viola to face her 'demons' (so to speak) and finally put herself at peace of mind, I wasn't going to force her along if she didn't want to. Perhaps her wounds were still too raw and she wasn't ready to face her past yet.
The moment we reached the front door of the house, Peter was the first one to reach out for the handle and push it open, stepping out onto the path and raising his head to glance at the morning sky with a bright smile on his face. It looked a little cloudy for a summer morning, but from where I was stood in the doorway I could feel the warmth lingering outside. The weather was still quite nice despite there being little sun around.
I heard Peter suck in a deep breath and then release it through his mouth with a sigh of bliss as I pulled the hood of the cloak over my face, all in preparation to step outside.
"It's good to be outside again!" He turned his head back to face me just as his smile morphed into a grin. "Have you left the house since you came here, Miss Emilia?"
I shook my head to that, causing Peter's grin to widen.
"Then this will be great for you! I think you'll really like the village I come from!"
'I highly doubt it…'
I kept that thought to myself as I watched Peter turn and start to jog up the path towards the shrubbery ahead, prompting me to begin the walk after him once I'd pulled the door of the house to. For a malnourished kid, he was surely lively…
"I can't wait to show you the stalls in the market where you can smell the best food, and all the best places to hide from the bullies-! Oh-! And I can show you my house, too! It's much smaller than yours, but-"
I shook my head in dismay as Peter rambled on whilst staying ahead of me, occasionally looking back from time to time to make sure he wasn't getting too far away as I partly tuned him out for a moment. I admit, it was a little refreshing to see him like this after he collapsed a couple of days ago. I was just hoping he wasn't going to end up passing out again…
However, just as Peter had started to enter the bushes and trees at the edge of the clearing whilst following the path, the click of the door to the house opening sounding behind me caused me to blink in surprise, the sound of footsteps crunching against the dirt forcing me to turn around to look.
"Wait-! Wait for me-! I'm coming too-!"
My eyes widened in surprise as I took in the image of Viola sprinting up the path towards me, having not expected to be seeing her at all before Peter and I chose to leave. I stayed that way even when the blonde slowed down to a stop just in front of me, bending over a little to place her hands onto her knees. Being a spirit, I doubted she would lose her breath given she no longer had any, but the actions she exhibited were probably out of habit. After all, she was once human and alive. You couldn't just break away from such a mindset if you were programmed to follow it from the moment you were born.
"… Viola?" I eventually addressed her after the silence between us had gone on long enough, prompting Viola to raise her head and straighten out her back, frowning out of determination. "What are you doing?"
"I've been thinking over what you said, Emilia, and you're right. I've been left in the dark for too long." I blinked in shock at her words as Viola clenched her hands into fists at her sides. "I can't let my fears hold me back any longer. If I let them keep me in the house, I'll just wind myself up with silly thoughts. So, I'm going to try to leave the house, even if there's a chance I can't! It's not like I have anything left to lose at this point."
I smiled in amusement at Viola's words, being glad at her sudden gain in confidence even if there was irony to what she said.
"… Well, that's- that's great to hear, Viola. I'm really happy for you. But there's a teeny-tiny flaw you appear to have overlooked…"
Viola relaxed her brow and blinked at me in confusion.
"What is it?"
I hesitated for a moment, wondering if it was worth telling her instead of giving her the chance to work it out. But in the end, I found couldn't resist the urge.
"… You're already outside."
The moment my words left my mouth, I saw Viola's good eye nearly bulge from its socket, her mouth dropping open in shock as she twisted her body around to glance at the house behind her. My smile widened as her gaze jumped from the house, to the trees on her left, then the trees on her right, and then down towards the pathway to stare at her feet, her hands reaching up to hover in front of her mouth.
"Oh my…"
Viola fell quiet when a gentle and cool breeze brushed past us, leaving her standing still as she focused her gaze on the slight raising and ruffling of her golden braids hovering in the wind. It was clear based on her reactions that it had been a while since she'd last felt or seen anything outside of the house, but from where I was standing I could also tell that her outer appearance hadn't changed since she'd stepped outside. My assumption had been right.
"Miss Emilia! Are you okay?!"
I glanced behind me at the sound of Peter calling for me, just about catching Viola as she closed her eye in bliss as I did so, seeing him standing on the edge of the clearing with a confused frown. I raised a hand to wave off his worries as an act of reassurance, quite literally.
"Everything's fine! I'll catch up to you in a minute! Don't wander off too far, though, okay?"
"Got it!"
When Peter nodded and turned around to head back down the path, I focused my gaze back on Viola. With the wind having died down now, she had moved her hands away from her mouth and held them up in front of her face, her eye widening in awe at having stayed the same in appearance and probably feeling nothing different about herself. I could only imagine how many memories were possibly running through her head right now, and how many more would sprout up when we headed towards her village.
As Viola finally lifted her gaze to stare at me, I couldn't help but smile again at the shock still lingering on her face. The poor thing was in complete disbelief.
"… I told you, didn't I?" I said, reaching out a hand for Viola to take before she even had chance to make a retort. "Come on. We'd better catch up to Peter."
Viola stayed silent for a moment, turning her gaze between me and my outstretched hand. But soon she was mirroring that same smile on her own face, giving me a stiff nod and moving forward. However, instead of taking my hand, she instead reached out both arms and wrapped them around one of my own, causing me to flinch in surprise. I didn't mind her doing so, though, quickly complying with her request and turning around to start walking down the path again with her close at my side and clinging to my arm.
I could feel my heart pounding fast in my chest as I continued the walk away from the house, the realisation that I was venturing out into unknown territory for the first time in the last couple of months only just beginning to sink in. I admit that I was feeling nervous about not having the protection of the house and its magic to help me if I got myself into trouble, and that in hindsight I was making myself a sitting duck for my target. But aside from wanting to help Viola and make sure Peter got home safely, the curious part of me wanted to see the former witch of the house in action, as well as get information out of her regarding the nature of the witch's house and all the other things the demon was hiding from me. She probably wouldn't co-operate, but I knew I had to give it a try, whether I hated her for what she did to Viola or not. I needed to know what the demon and the house wanted me to get into, and she was the only one who could give me straight answers at this point.
Watching both Peter and Viola whilst walking through the forest with them was probably the highlight of my morning. Seeing them getting so excited to be outside and in the forest reminded me of when I was younger and I would do the same whenever I had the chance to leave my home.
In the beginning it started out with Peter running around in circles ahead of me with his arms out on either side of him, trying his best to imitate the murder of crows flying overhead and remaining oblivious to Viola running after him and admiring the trees and clearings as she went. When Peter was jumping over fallen logs or walking along them as if they were bridges, Viola was crouching down and admiring the flowers (some of which she told me she shared her name with when they were in bloom). When Peter was yanking me along by one arm to show me the clearings where he'd seen wild rabbits and deer hanging around when passing through, Viola was yanking me along by my other arm to show me the clearing where she used to go to relax and pick wild flowers. But despite finding joy in the same things, I could see the sparkles in their eyes were caused by different reasons; Viola's for nostalgia and Peter's for happiness. Regardless of this, however, the bright smiles on their faces were enough to show me that the two of them loved this forest and its mysteries to its very core. It was a nice sight to see the two so happy and acting their ages.
Even as I found myself following them through it and allowing them to bombard me with everything they knew about their nature playground, I couldn't help but be intrigued at its maze-like structure and be indulged in the fact that I was walking free out in the open without my former shackles for once. The first time I had felt like this was shortly after the death and destruction of my village. It had felt strange walking around with the cat with the knowledge that there was no one aside from my target holding me back with fear to linger outside, with my safe haven and those I'd cared about long gone. That same feeling had returned now, even if I knew I was still in danger. However, I did spend some of the time keeping a close eye out for any signs of those hooded figures, recalling Peter's description of them clearly. I was hoping they had no connection to my target and were just random witch hunters intrigued by the house. The last thing I needed was to have a run in with them when I hadn't gotten my act together yet.
By the time the clouds in the sky had begun to part and give way for the afternoon sun to rise, the three of us finally found ourselves approaching a small settlement Peter pointed out was his village. Thankfully, we had succeeded in reaching it without encountering any of the supposed 'witch hunters', so there was currently nothing for any of us to worry about. With Viola walking close to my right side and Peter to my left side, we came to a stop on the edge of entering the village, allowing Peter to take in the return to familiar surroundings, and Viola and I to get over our different bouts of shock caused by the sight before us.
With wooden houses scattered about with sloped and flat rooves and rectangle and square-like structures (either having two floors or one), I was left questioning for a moment if the village I formerly called my home had been resurrected from its ashes. Of course, this village wasn't my home. It had been completely burnt to the ground and abandoned, but the atmosphere was so similar that I could have easily mistaken it for my home had the faces of these villagers not been unfamiliar to me; the young children I could see running around in between the homes and laughing out of pure innocence, the one woman I could see hanging her washing out on the clothes line to dry in the front garden of one home nearby, the lone man in the house next door chopping away at a pile of wood placed on top of a tree stump, the sound of dogs barking at each other from one garden to another… If I could go on I would have been stood in this spot for the rest of the day. But witnessing this spectacle was enough to show me just how close this community of villagers were, and how serene the atmosphere between them was.
They were all so trusting of each other, and that realisation caused me to swallow back a bit of bile I thought I could feel crawling up my throat. The parallels between my home and Peter's, especially with the knowledge of how he'd been treated by those bullies before, made me sick to my stomach. I was very tempted to turn around and bring Peter back to the house with me so he didn't end up down the same path I'd gone (should he be in any such position in the future), but Viola's movement out of the corner of my eye was enough of a distraction for me to pry my gaze away and focus on her instead of my thoughts.
Her good eye had widened as it took in the sight of her former home, faintly glistening with tears beginning to well up as she placed a hand to her chest. It was obvious she was struggling to believe that she was really back in a place she never thought she'd see ever again.
"It's… It's just how I remember it," Viola mumbled, her shoulders trembling slightly as her head turned to take in even more of the scene before us. "N-Nothing's changed. And here I thought I was never going to see it again…"
Viola trailed off when her voice started to crack, her eye closing as the tears finally trickled down her cheek. I wasn't sure if she was overwhelmed with happiness or misery, but I was going to assume the former based on her words.
"So… what do you think, Miss Emilia?" I turned away from Viola to stare at Peter when he spoke up beside me, finding myself staring into his grinning little face. "Pretty neat, huh?"
Deciding to allow Viola a moment to compose herself and get her emotions out of her system, I gave a shrug of my shoulders and dared to turn my gaze back onto the bustling people as they went about their business for a brief moment.
"… It's a quaint little place, I'll give you that. It almost reminds me of the village I came from."
"Most of the adults and children here are nice and friendly, missing out the bullies, of course! Were the people in your village nice and friendly, too?"
My brow furrowed as I focused back on Peter again, deciding to give him a forced smile to hide the pang of pain I felt strike my chest. I couldn't believe he could say that after the way he'd been treated. This boy truly did have a kind heart…
"… I suppose they were, to a certain extent."
Peter chuckled at my comment and reached out a hand to grab my wrist, walking forward and preparing to pull me along.
"There's so much I want to show you! I don't even know where I should start-!"
I was quick to interrupt Peter by pulling him to a stop with my wrist, leaving him to turn around to look at me with a confused blink as I went to respond.
"Actually, Peter… I think you should go and see your grandparents first. I can bet they're very worried about your recent absence. You can take me on a tour of your village another time."
Peter's shoulders slumped in dismay as his grip on my wrist loosened, his face forming into a pout.
"Aw… But I was hoping to show you now! I don't know when you're going to leave the house again!"
I raised a brow at Peter's reaction for a moment, opening my mouth to refute him. But I was quick to close it when I realised that he did make a good point. It was very unlikely that I was going to step foot voluntarily out of the house again, especially if my target was wandering around looking for me. Of course, Peter didn't know that. He was clearly aware that as the current witch of the house, I wasn't going to wander out in the open and risk people seeing me. And it was very obvious that Peter didn't have any friends, and thus had come to associate me as such… But I knew I couldn't take him with me to check on Viola's Father and meet with Ellen. After all, he would be in danger if I revealed her secret in front of him like that. Not to mention I didn't need him getting involved in my business. I'd already put him in danger by letting him into my little bubble. I couldn't put him at any more risk.
After a couple more minutes of staring at his disappointed face, I huffed in defeat and rubbed a hand against my forehead. Perhaps I could put up a compromise…
"Tell you what. If you go and see your grandparents right now, I promise to let you meet me back here in a little while so you can show me around. Does that sound fair?"
Peter's eyes lit up at the proposal I'd put forward, leaving only a few seconds of thinking before he was nodding his head eagerly, his silly grin having returned.
"Okay! Will you be okay to wait for me to get back?"
"I'll be fine. It's not like I've got anywhere to be."
Peter chuckled at my response, nodding again.
"Thank you, Miss Emilia! I'll be as quick as I can!"
I didn't respond as I watched him turn around and run off in the direction of the village just up ahead, leaving me to shake my head and wait until he'd disappeared into the swarm of villagers before focusing on Viola once more. She had since stopped crying and wiped away her tears, and had probably been watching the exchange between me and Peter go on until he'd left. She did glance my way when Peter was finally out of sight, staying silent and waiting until I spoke up.
"So… are you ready to go and see your Father?"
Viola gave a stiff nod to this without hesitation, causing me to blink in surprise as she started to walk forward. Her confidence was still rising, by the looks of things. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but I was praying it was the former.
"I remember the way, so try and stick close to me."
"Good, because I can't remember for the life of me which way you told me to go," I said once I'd been brought back to reality, hearing Viola start to giggle at my joke.
I did remember the directions she gave me, but it probably would be good for her to lead the way so she had a chance to walk down memory lane.
When I started to follow Viola further into the village and began to mingle amongst the scattered crowds of villagers, I found I couldn't keep my gaze locked onto Viola's back for very long. It constantly trailed away to look around at the other people going about their daily business; the owners of the food stalls yelling at the top of their lungs and trying to out scream each other to attract customers, the occasional couple strolling along deep in personal conversation or holding hands, the loud greetings and the enthusiastic waves between neighbours or friends as they passed each other by…
Although it did bring about feelings of nostalgia, the parallels between this village and my former one were no different. Like at home, I was once again the outsider to a community who wanted nothing to do with me, and that reminder only served to have my hands grip the sides of my cloak hood and bring dread to swirl around in my gut as I pulled it further over my face.
'Don't worry about them, Emilia. Just do what you have to and then get out of here. You're going to be fi-'
My thoughts were cut off at the sound of someone crying out in alarm, my body flinching and causing me to stumble backwards and gasp in shock upon feeling someone collide with my front. My grip on my cloak hood tightened as I regained my balance and glanced down, my eyes widening in surprise as my gaze crossed with wavy black hair moving away from me a little and stumbling to the side. The head the neck-length hair belonged to was soon lifting to stare up at me with a blink when they had regained their balance, revealing amethyst eyes that belonged to a young girl I had never seen before. For a brief moment my gaze was drawn to the mole I could see under her right eye, trying to find a distraction to ignore the shock of having bumped into someone and rendering me speechless.
From just within my vision ahead of me I could see Viola had stopped walking and glanced back upon realising I wasn't following her, all as the girl in front of me bowed her head and quickly raised it, her hands clasped together at the front of her black, knee-length dress with a petal-themed hem and matching overtop tied by string.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to run into you, miss."
However, despite her sounding and appearing apologetic, I thought I saw a glint of disappointment flash across her pupils when she raised her head to look at me, as if she had bumped into me on purpose and was trying to play it off. Based on what she was wearing and her beautiful porcelain complexion, she didn't appear to be a child pickpocket, despite her thin build. And yet I couldn't help but wonder…
'… Was she trying to knock my hood off-?'
"Agatha!"
I blinked in surprise at hearing a male voice call over the chatter of the villagers and cut my train of thought off, leaving me to watch as the little girl before me turned to look behind her as if she recognised the voice and the name being called. I followed her gaze and was met with the sight of a tall, muscular man approaching us, his hair matching the length and colour of the girl's. However, unlike hers (which was split down the middle) his hair was parted over his right eye. It didn't take me long to figure out that the man dressed mostly in black (trousers and shoes specifically) was probably related to this 'Agatha' due to similar looks, leaving me silently staring into his visible silver eye as the mentioned girl took off and ran towards him through the crowd of villagers moving around us.
Witnessing Viola returning to my side out of the corner of my eye, I continued to watch as Agatha (if that was her name) wrapped her arms around the waist of the man's black trench coat and looked up at him with a blink, with the latter reaching out a hand to place on top of her head out of affection but frowning in a stern manner.
"You need to watch where you're going. You're going to hurt yourself."
Agatha's eyes drooped slightly, her head lowering a little as if in shame.
"... Sorry, Father. I just wanted to see under the lady's hood."
I blinked in surprise at this revelation, but then scowled when she admitted to her antics.
'… Knew it.'
I turned my gaze to Viola to see her staring at the pair with her good eye widened.
"... Do you know who they are?" I whispered to her, pulling part of the hood over my mouth to muffle my speech so they couldn't hear.
"I'm not sure." Viola frowned in thought and placed a hand under her chin, her gaze still focused on the pair before us. "I don't recognise the girl, but I think I've seen the man with my father before."
"You have?"
Viola nodded. "Mhm. I can't recall his name, though-" The blonde interrupted herself with a small gasp of surprise. "They're coming this way!"
My back stiffened as I focused my gaze back on the mentioned pair, only to see the man walking the rest of the distance towards me with his one arm wrapped around Agatha's shoulders. With my grip on the side of my hood loosening I could only gulp and await my judgement when the gap between us was closed, the man towering over me a little.
'Here we go. I'm about to be finished off by an angry father…'
"Please excuse my daughter," the man started, causing me to blink in confusion as he turned his gaze down to Agatha still clinging to his waist, having not expected that answer. "She gets a little carried away sometimes."
I smiled a little out of awkwardness at realising how wrong I'd been with my assumption, leading me to raise a hand up and wave it in a 'brushing away' motion.
"I-It's fine! There was no harm done! Kids are going to be kids, right?"
The man nodded in agreement, but was soon giving me a quick look up and down with his visible eye. This action caused me to see Viola take a step closer to my side out of the corner of my eye, as if she could sense the suspicion in the air.
"I've never seen you around here before. I would remember doing so. We are a small community of familiar faces."
My smile widened a little due to nerves as I tried to remain calm and avoid suspicion, having not expected such a scenario to occur between me and a random resident. Apparently, Viola thought the same, as once again I saw her move out of the corner of my eye, raising herself up on her toes and leaning close to my left ear with her hands covering either side of her mouth.
"Travis," she whispered, which I didn't see the point of since no one could hear her but suspected it was to prevent her from distracting me. "Say you're here to see 'Travis'."
"Yeah… I'm just visiting for business," I began, keeping my gaze on the man and Agatha even as Viola flattened her feet and returned to her original position. I was thanking her in her my head for her quick thinking. "Maybe you could help me, actually. Do you know a man named 'Travis'?"
The man raised a brow at my question, with Agatha staying silent and continuing to stare up at me from where she was standing at her father's side. I had to admit, it was a little unnerving for a child to be focusing on me so much…
"… I do."
"I'm supposed to be meeting with him, but I can't remember where he said his house was. Could you point me in the right direction?"
The man was silent for a moment as he and I stared at each other, leaving me to feel the sweat beginning to gather on my forehead at the idea that he was probably suspicious of me. I began to question for a moment if I'd laid everything on too thick, but when the man twisted his body towards the right and raised a hand to point further into the village, I felt my shoulders drop and relax.
"His house is on the edge of the village. If you continue straight and go right at the first turn, you'll find yourself surrounded by a row of houses close to the forest. Travis' home is the last one on that row, and looks a lot smaller than the others. You'll know it when you see it."
When he focused his gaze back on me, I gave a nod of acknowledgement, my smile dimming down a little.
"Thank you. That's just saved me a lot of time."
"You're welcome."
Nodding in return, the man turned to Agatha and tightened his grip around her shoulders, beginning to walk away and pull her along.
"Let's go, Agatha. Your mother's waiting for us at home."
Agatha walked along beside him without objection, only turning back once to look at me and raise a hand to wave when they got a little way away from us.
"Bye."
Keeping my smile up, I raised a hand of my own to return the wave until Agatha looked away again, eventually returning it to my side and turning to look at Viola beside me with a small smirk of triumph.
"That was quick thinking, Viola. I've gotta give you props."
Viola smiled a little and reaching a hand to place on the back of her head, closing her good eye and chuckling as she gave it a rub.
"Oh! I wouldn't say so! I just used my father's name! But at least you've been reminded of the directions to my old home now!"
Chuckling a little in amusement, I turned to face the way I had been going before and started my walk once more.
"Come on, then. We'd better get going, too."
I waited until Viola started to follow me and joined me on my left side before I dared to turn my head to glance behind me, my gaze focusing on the retreating backs of Agatha and her father as they walked through the swarm of villagers now hand-in-hand. A small ache appeared in my chest as I continued to watch them go, almost beginning to see a younger version of myself and my own father overlapping the pair's images…
"Why, hello there, little girl!"
Seven-year-old Emilia blinked in surprise upon hearing the patronising and deep voice of someone close by to where she was sitting on the steps to her home, her head turning in the voice's direction. She was met with the sight of a tall and large-looking man wearing a black cloak and circular, silver eye mask standing at the edge of the pathway staring her way, with the hood of his cloak pulled down and exposing his short, grey hair atop his head. Emilia couldn't see his eyes from where she was sat because of the mask, but the smile he gave her was a little too wide and exaggerated for her liking…
Because she didn't recognise him, the young blonde didn't make a response, only prompting the man to put his hands behind his back and focus his gaze down towards her lap. Emilia followed it, her eyes landing on the small, light brown and scruffy-looking teddy bear with a missing black button for its left eye and a green bowtie around its neck in her hands.
"Where did you get that teddy bear? Was it from the other little girl covered in stab wounds who you were talking to a moment ago?"
Emilia picked the teddy up under its arms and hugged it close to her chest, keeping her gaze on the man out of wariness. The 'little girl covered in stab wounds' was an injured person she'd helped only a few moments ago, and she remembered Sophie had told her that only she could see people like that and no one else could. So, how did this man know who she was talking to?
"… My mommy said I can't talk to strangers."
"I'm sure she did," the man replied, his tone overly cheerful as he took a step forward. "But I'm no stranger. I know your mother."
Emilia shuffled backwards on her bottom until she felt her back touch the door to her house, her brow furrowing as she brought the teddy bear closer to her chest.
"… You don't."
The man blinked in surprise at her response, but that didn't deter him from taking another step towards her.
"Oh, I do. I also know your little secret."
Emilia's eyes widened at this, prompting her to stand up as the man took three more steps closer, his saccharine smile remaining all the while.
"You don't need to fear me. I just want to have a little talk-"
"Daddy!"
Emilia turned around to face the door after yelling for Chad and raised a tiny hand clenched into a loose fist to bang repeatedly on the wood, causing the man to stop in his tracks and watch on with wide eyes.
"Daddy, help!"
A few seconds after her second yell and continued banging, the cloaked man was quick to turn around and start running away from the house the moment the door was yanked open, revealing Chad standing there with his eyes wide with alarm. His gaze briefly locked with the back of the fleeing man as he dashed away from the house, only to turn down to Emilia when he felt her wrap her tiny arms around his waist, the teddy bear dangling by one of its arms from her left hand.
"Emilia, what's the matter?" he asked, his brow furrowing with concern as he reached a hand down to place on top of her head when she glanced up at him, her lip quivering.
"That- That stranger talked to me-!" Emilia stuttered, closing her eyes when her body was beginning to tremble with fright. "He- He said he knew mommy and- and my secret-!"
Chad ruffled Emilia's hair in attempt to calm her down, his head turning to the direction he saw the cloaked man running away in seconds ago.
"Was it the man running away just now?"
"Uh-huh!"
Letting out a small huff, Chad shook his head and glanced back down towards Emilia when she opened her eyes, moving his hand away from her head so he could wrap his arm around her shoulders.
"It's alright now, Emilia. That man isn't going to hurt you. Come on. Let's get you inside."
Emilia showed no hesitation in nodding to Chad's suggestion, keeping her arms around his waist as he turned and began to lead her inside. But when the little blonde dared to raise her gaze to glance at her Father, she saw him glancing back outside with a frown of worry on his face, a tint of fear crossing his eyes. It was the first time she'd ever witnessed her father looking so scared.
