Standing before the small, ramshackle building that was the Second Salemers base unnerved you. It brought back unpleasant and painful memories of long ago. First hand knowledge of having barely lived through such dreadful persecution at the hands of those who acted in fear of the unknown, of things that were beyond their sphere of limited knowledge. In response, they had lashed out, killing those who they deemed evil and wicked.
You had always dared to hope that this day would never come. The day when you would step over the threshold and into this hellhole. It was a sore reminder of what you had long come to terms with. You had learnt to live the painful memories that lingered within the depths of your mind. One day, they would fade much like the ones that had come before. A small smile passed briefly across your lips, looking forward to the feeling of contentment, of peace when that day finally came.
You steadied yourself, taking in one final deep breath. This was all for Credence. His safety was imperative. You had failed him before, but not again. This was a mistake that you couldn't accept being repeated. Yes, it had been in a previous lifetime but still even if you did not remember the moment, the feeling remained with you. The sense of dread, of guilt and shame that came from failure would linger like a bitter aftertaste long after.
Tina remained frozen in place, watching from the back of the small crowd as the scene unfolded before her eyes. Her face blanching as Mary Lou's once passive face turned white hot with unrelenting fury at the mere sight of this young man. It was there but only for a second. She had seen it.
It washed over her like a wave, as she witnessed the fear in his eyes as his mother smiled in his direction. There was something venomous in how her lips pulled across her face. It held a subtle message that she could not understand but how Credence shook in place, told her enough. He was frightened of her.
"This seems like a good place to stop for today my friends" Mary Lou spoke, her words full of a false charm, trying to ensure the crowd would quickly disperse. "Now if you would excuse me" She continued, turning on her heel heading out of the room. Credence quickly followed after her like a duckling would follow its mother.
This was her moment to act, to see if she would garner any further information that she could actually present to Mr Graves. In order to quell any possible future problems. Tina snaked through the room, as if she knew where she was going. Blending in seamlessly like an uncover auror should. No-one questioned her as she moved, following several steps behind the pair. There was an awkward, uncomfortable silence hanging in the air as neither Mary Lou or Credence spoke. Tina noticed that he was hanging his head, as if he was a prisoner walking to his death. This was most definitely an odd sight to behold. She had more questions than answers in this particular moment in time.
Her feet stilled for a moment as the pair passed through a doorway. Tina slowly edged forward, trying her best to silence her footsteps as much as it was possible to. From her position, there were but a few steps between her and the doorframe. She stood for a second, waiting to see if there was any chance that she had been detected but she waited and watched no-one re-emerged from the room.
This was all that she needed as Tina closed the distance between herself and the target. Leaning against the wooden doorframe, she paused once more. The silence was quickly disturbed by the sound of a raised, angry but heavily muffled voice from within. She rested her head against the smooth panelling of the door, trying to listen but yet she could not make out anything that was being said. There was only one speaker, of this she was certain. A one sided conversation, if you could call it that.
She was grateful that she had not left her wand upon her desk, even though her superiors had commanded her to do so. A small smirk pulled at her lips, if she had done then she would not have been able to glean much more than surface value information. Nothing that would likely have been much help with this particular operation.
Her hand dove into her coat's right pocket finding the wand hidden within its depths. Her fingers gracefully danced along the familiar groves and damage that had been sustained from previous missions and encounters. The hazards that came with field work were listless, a damaged wand was better than a trip to the healers in her opinion. The brunette witch loved almost every aspect of her job, paperwork not so much.
The hefty wooden wand was more functional than understated. It reflected her to the tee, she was the career girl, wanting nothing more than to be on the frontlines, defending the ones she loved. She swiftly wrapped her fingers around the shaft, pulling it from the pocket.
Tina wasted no time, remembering the familiar movements for the spell that she had in mind. One that was ideal for covertly obtaining information. She placed the tip of her wand against the door once the spell had truly been cast, enhancing the sound on the other side for her ears to be able to hear what was once out of her reach.
You had not moved an inch, this wooden structure that had been made to look like a church was far from a place of safety for one such as yourself. It was a place that bred hate and rage towards those it deemed different and unnatural. How could you truly let your beloved Credence stay here a second longer. Yet the mere thought of stepping across the threshold shook you to your very core.
You were a coward, a scared child that was playing at being a protector to the one you dared to claim to love. You had impulsively flown from your home, rushing like a mad woman then frozen at the final hurdle. Your head hung in shame, your hand tightly forming fists out of mere frustration, firmly aimed inwardly.
Why couldn't you let yourself take one more step? One step closer to Credence. Fear was a powerful enemy when it reared its ugly head. It was a game changer. For it had knocked you down with one strike when you were most needed. You were needed but your body would simply not obey. This was to be another defeat, a victory for fear, not for you.
"Credence, I'm sorry" You whispered pitifully, as tears rushed down your cheeks accepting your failure. You were not as strong as you had thought, those memories still clung tightly on refusing to let go.
Salem was not a distant dream quite yet, it was still a raw, bleeding sore that haunted your dreams, twisting the pleasant nocturnal thoughts into rotting. Terror inducing nightmares that seeped into your every waking moment. This was just another manifestation of them, chaining you to the spot.