Chapter 3: Circe
"Wh- what do you mean? Who are you?" Kay demanded of the stranger who stood in front of her. The woman simply laughed at Kay's brave front. "Well, my dear Kay, I am your wish come true." she replied mysteriously, turning back towards the fire in the center of the dark chamber. Kay gazed at her suspiciously. "How do you know my name?" The woman turned to face Kay once more, the flames casting shadows, dancing across her brow. "I know much more than that, dear, much more!"
Kay sighed and slowly approached the dark woman. "What do you know?" she asked, not completely sure that she wanted to know the answer. The stranger stared deeply into Kay's eyes, piercing her soul. Her words seemed to echo throughout Kay's entire being, reverberating throughout her body like a deep baritone bell. "I know that you're in love with Miguel. And that you'd do anything to have him." The woman narrowed her eyes, the flames reflecting onto Kay's own, and smiled diabolically. Kay returned her stare, and answered her comment. "Then you should know that I have already tried everything. I even had the man's baby, for crying out loud!" Kay turned away, tears welling up inside of her as she remembered her failed attempts to win Miguel's heart. "But no matter what I do, he's always been in love with Charity, my cousin." The woman frowned, a mocking frown emulating Kay's self-pity. She wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulder, leaning in closer. "Oh, poor child. You had to learn the hard way that seducing a man may give you his body-" the woman uttered softly, holding her gloved hand in front of her, palm flat; suddenly, in her palm, a man's smoky blue form appeared, holding a woman's figure closely, embracing her firmly, sensually. "-but not his heart." The figure melted away, leaving the woman's form desolate and alone. The stranger closed her hand, engulfing the poor smoky form, before it vanished completely.
Kay turned to face the woman, awestruck by the spectacle. "How did you-" The stranger cast her hands outward, shooting sparks towards the floor. "Mere parlor tricks, I can assure you. And that's not what you've come for, is it my dear? Ha, you get enough magic tricks living with that... so-called witch, Tabitha!" The woman's face contorted at the name. She turned to face Kay, her rage evident, then slowly returned to a calm serenity. The woman stepped forward once more. "Oh, how rude of me, I still haven't even introduced myself. My name is Circe, and I am about to make all of your troubles vanish...."
"Hmpf, good luck with that." Kay replied, folding her arms, suddenly skeptical. "All my troubles can be summed up into one word; Charity. And that girl is indestructible!" Kay pouted, thinking upon all of her failed schemes to rid her -and Miguel- of that blonde princess. Circe crossed the room slowly, her back facing Kay. "Hahahaha! Oh my dear, I don't need luck; I'm a witch!" she retorted as she sat in a large, dark, and heavily cushioned chair, and motioned for her guest to join her. Kay walked past the huge fire that burned eerily in the center of the room, it's flames seeming to grab at Kay as she passed, and took her seat next to the witch. "You're a ... a witch?" Kay asked, not that she was surprised. Circe ignored the girl's obvious comment. She gestured with a gloved hand and a silver tray holding two goblets appeared. "Drink?" she offered; Kay quickly rejected the beverage. Circe rolled her eyes. "Please, Kay, I'm not going to drug you. It's just wine..." Using her free hand, Circe twirled her fingers, making the glass lift from it's position and float towards Kay. The girl slowly took the drink, still amazed by Circe's casual wizardry.
"Now that we're comfortable..." Circe smiled, sipping wine from the cup gingerly positioned in her gloved hand. "You were saying, Kay? Something to the effect of 'I wish Charity would just disappear'..."
"Wh- what do you mean? Who are you?" Kay demanded of the stranger who stood in front of her. The woman simply laughed at Kay's brave front. "Well, my dear Kay, I am your wish come true." she replied mysteriously, turning back towards the fire in the center of the dark chamber. Kay gazed at her suspiciously. "How do you know my name?" The woman turned to face Kay once more, the flames casting shadows, dancing across her brow. "I know much more than that, dear, much more!"
Kay sighed and slowly approached the dark woman. "What do you know?" she asked, not completely sure that she wanted to know the answer. The stranger stared deeply into Kay's eyes, piercing her soul. Her words seemed to echo throughout Kay's entire being, reverberating throughout her body like a deep baritone bell. "I know that you're in love with Miguel. And that you'd do anything to have him." The woman narrowed her eyes, the flames reflecting onto Kay's own, and smiled diabolically. Kay returned her stare, and answered her comment. "Then you should know that I have already tried everything. I even had the man's baby, for crying out loud!" Kay turned away, tears welling up inside of her as she remembered her failed attempts to win Miguel's heart. "But no matter what I do, he's always been in love with Charity, my cousin." The woman frowned, a mocking frown emulating Kay's self-pity. She wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulder, leaning in closer. "Oh, poor child. You had to learn the hard way that seducing a man may give you his body-" the woman uttered softly, holding her gloved hand in front of her, palm flat; suddenly, in her palm, a man's smoky blue form appeared, holding a woman's figure closely, embracing her firmly, sensually. "-but not his heart." The figure melted away, leaving the woman's form desolate and alone. The stranger closed her hand, engulfing the poor smoky form, before it vanished completely.
Kay turned to face the woman, awestruck by the spectacle. "How did you-" The stranger cast her hands outward, shooting sparks towards the floor. "Mere parlor tricks, I can assure you. And that's not what you've come for, is it my dear? Ha, you get enough magic tricks living with that... so-called witch, Tabitha!" The woman's face contorted at the name. She turned to face Kay, her rage evident, then slowly returned to a calm serenity. The woman stepped forward once more. "Oh, how rude of me, I still haven't even introduced myself. My name is Circe, and I am about to make all of your troubles vanish...."
"Hmpf, good luck with that." Kay replied, folding her arms, suddenly skeptical. "All my troubles can be summed up into one word; Charity. And that girl is indestructible!" Kay pouted, thinking upon all of her failed schemes to rid her -and Miguel- of that blonde princess. Circe crossed the room slowly, her back facing Kay. "Hahahaha! Oh my dear, I don't need luck; I'm a witch!" she retorted as she sat in a large, dark, and heavily cushioned chair, and motioned for her guest to join her. Kay walked past the huge fire that burned eerily in the center of the room, it's flames seeming to grab at Kay as she passed, and took her seat next to the witch. "You're a ... a witch?" Kay asked, not that she was surprised. Circe ignored the girl's obvious comment. She gestured with a gloved hand and a silver tray holding two goblets appeared. "Drink?" she offered; Kay quickly rejected the beverage. Circe rolled her eyes. "Please, Kay, I'm not going to drug you. It's just wine..." Using her free hand, Circe twirled her fingers, making the glass lift from it's position and float towards Kay. The girl slowly took the drink, still amazed by Circe's casual wizardry.
"Now that we're comfortable..." Circe smiled, sipping wine from the cup gingerly positioned in her gloved hand. "You were saying, Kay? Something to the effect of 'I wish Charity would just disappear'..."