Samantha opened her eyes slowly. At first, she wasn't sure where she
was. But then it all came back to her. She remembered everything down to
the last detail. She glanced down and to her left to find Emily sound
asleep. Slowly, Samantha stood. She didn't see any of the older girls, so
she went to the end of the cave and walked out into the sunny morning. She
shivered a bit and glanced around. She didn't see anyone. She was close to
panicking when she saw Anne-Marie walking over.
Anne-Marie smiled as she approached. "Did you sleep well?"
Samantha ignored the question and asked one of her own. "Do you know why my mom sent me and my sister away?"
"I . . .well, I . . .how would I know? I didn't know your mother, Samantha," Anne-Marie stuttered.
"Mommy said that liars are damned to hell . . .but she could have just been saying that to keep us from lying," Samantha said seriously.
"You're very mature for someone your age . . ." Anne-Marie said to change the subject.
"Did you know her?" Samantha blurted.
Anne-Marie didn't answer right away. She bit her lip. "Yes, yes I did."
"How?" Samantha asked curiously, yet cautiously. It seemed a bit coincidental that she and Emily just happened to run into old friends of their mom's.
"She was . . .in our coven," Anne-Marie said, hesitating a bit at the end.
Samantha frowned. "No. She couldn't have been. She didn't practice that . . .that witchcraft!" She yelled the last word.
"Shh! Samantha, please. Don't speak so loudly. If witch hunters are around . . .whether you believe us or not, we're all you have. If we get taken, what will be left of you?" Anne-Marie questioned.
Samantha lowered her voice. "Was she . . . did the witch hunters get my mom?" She asked, lip quivering.
"I don't know for sure, sweetie. I informed some of my friends in the town and asked them to let me know if they found anything out. Hope, Caroline, and Abby are also out trying to find answers," Anne-Marie replied.
Samantha sat down on a rock, fingering the moon charm. She glanced at Anne-Marie, not wanting to believe it. But what other choice did she have? It kind of made sense . . .all the weird herbs her mom had in the cottage . . .the table she had set up that she and Emily couldn't touch. And the fact that her mom always sent Samantha and Emily outside at the same times each day.
"Don't tell Emily," Samantha hissed.
Anne-Marie nodded, then sat next to Samantha. "You didn't know she practiced?"
Samantha hesitated, then shook her head. "But, she did certain things and had certain things that only a . . .Witch could have."
Anne-Marie nodded. "I'm sure your mom didn't tell you for your safety. She always was the more cautious one of us." She smiled and laughed.
Samantha pulled out the paper that her mom had given her. "She gave this to me . . .before I left. She said I should use it only in an emergency."
Anne-Marie took the paper and read it over. "It's a spell to send someone into the future."
Samantha frowned. "Why would my mom give me a spell like that?"
"I guess . . .maybe she thinks it's safe there, if it get too dangerous here?" Anne-Marie suggested, though she was lying. She knew the real reason why Katrina had written this spell and why she had chosen the time she had chosen, but she didn't tell Samantha this. Instead, she said, "If anything happens to Hope, Caroline, Abby, or myself, I want you to hold Emily's hand and read this spell, alright?"
Samantha nodded slowly, taking the paper back and folding it up. She slipped it into her pocket. "What will happen when I read it?" She asked, sounding scared.
"The spell will propel you forward in time. I don't know to where, exactly, though. It may end up being very different. I want you to be brave. If your mom wrote the spell specifically enough, you will be sent to three young women who will help you. Trust them and do as they say, alright?" Anne-Marie asked softly.
Samantha hesitated, then smiled. "A-alright. I will." She paused, looking down. After a moment, she glanced up at Anne-Marie. "Will . . .are the women witches, too?"
Anne-Marie nodded. "They are. In their time, witchcraft is still feared by many. But it is not prosecuted like in our time. But they are good people, good witches like your mother and I. You can trust them to protect you."
Samantha nodded. She was about to say something else when she heard Emily scream from within the cave. Samantha jumped up and ran to her little sister, Anne-Marie close behind. Once in the cave, Samantha slid down next to Emily, who was crying.
"What is it, Emily? What happened?" Samantha asked gently.
"I want my mommy!" Emily cried softly. She flung herself at Samantha, sobbing.
Anne-Marie frowned, then heard Hope calling out to her. She was too distracted to hear the fear in her voice. "Calm Emily down. I'll be right back." She left the cave and went outside.
Hope came running over, tears in her eyes. "Anne-Marie! They got them! The witch hunters got Caroline and Abby! They're coming here! They're coming for us, too!"
Anne-Marie took Hope's hands in hers. "You're positive they're coming here?"
Hope nodded frantically. She glanced up, hearing hooves and angry voices in the distance.
Anne-Marie rushed to the cave, Hope not far behind. She slipped down next to Samantha. "Honey, listen to me carefully. We have . . .Something is about to happen. I want you to hide here in the cave. If anything bad happens, read what's on that paper. Alright?"
Samantha nodded her eyes wide with fear. She watched Hope and Anne- Marie leave the cave. She stood, forcing Emily to stand as well. She let her over to a large rock and sat down behind it, pulling Emily close. She listened carefully.
"Good day, gentlemen. May we help you?" Came Anne-Marie's voice from outside the cave.
"You, Anne-Marie Parker and Hope McCoy, have hereby been accused of practicing witchcraft by the town of Salem. The sentence is death by hanging," growled a man's voice.
From behind the rock in the cave, Samantha gave a soft gasp. No! Now what would they do? Then she remembered the slip of paper. She tried to calm down long enough to hear the rest of what was going on outside.
"Then we will go quietly and willingly," Anne-Marie said stiffly.
Hope gave a soft sob.
"Take them," the man growled at two men. Moments later, the sound of shuffling feet was gone. And so were Anne-Marie and Hope.
"Check the cave. Maybe those two Grover brats are hiding in it. They deserve the same fate as their mother," hissed the man.
Three men shuffled into the cave looking around. Emily let out a soft cry and Samantha put her hand over the little girl's mouth. Slowly, she took out the paper and unwrinkled it. She took a deep breath as the sound of the men came closer. She read the spell and closed her eyes, holding Emily close.
In a swirl of golden lights, Samantha and Emily disappeared from the cave. What felt like only minutes later, they reappeared, the golden lights swirling around them. After a minute, the lights disappeared.
Samantha blinked and looked around. They were in a house of some sort, but not the kind of house she and Emily were used to. They looked around the strange room. From somewhere in the house, Samantha could hear voices. She gasped and ducked behind a strange piece of furniture, holding Emily close, a hand over her mouth.
"Piper have you seen my glasses?" asked the voice of a woman.
"No. Check the living room," replied the one named Piper. A young blonde haired woman entered the living room and looked around. She spotted her glasses on the couch.
"Here they are," she called back to Piper. The women walked to the
couch and picked up her glasses. She slipped them on, then frowned.
She glanced over the back of the couch. Her eyes widened.
"Piper! Prue! I think you should come in here!"
Two young women entered the room. "What happened, Phoebe?" asked one
of the women
Phoebe pointed behind the couch. The other two women looked behind the
couch and reacted almost the same way as Phoebe had.
Samantha and Emily starred up at them, fear on their faces.
Anne-Marie smiled as she approached. "Did you sleep well?"
Samantha ignored the question and asked one of her own. "Do you know why my mom sent me and my sister away?"
"I . . .well, I . . .how would I know? I didn't know your mother, Samantha," Anne-Marie stuttered.
"Mommy said that liars are damned to hell . . .but she could have just been saying that to keep us from lying," Samantha said seriously.
"You're very mature for someone your age . . ." Anne-Marie said to change the subject.
"Did you know her?" Samantha blurted.
Anne-Marie didn't answer right away. She bit her lip. "Yes, yes I did."
"How?" Samantha asked curiously, yet cautiously. It seemed a bit coincidental that she and Emily just happened to run into old friends of their mom's.
"She was . . .in our coven," Anne-Marie said, hesitating a bit at the end.
Samantha frowned. "No. She couldn't have been. She didn't practice that . . .that witchcraft!" She yelled the last word.
"Shh! Samantha, please. Don't speak so loudly. If witch hunters are around . . .whether you believe us or not, we're all you have. If we get taken, what will be left of you?" Anne-Marie questioned.
Samantha lowered her voice. "Was she . . . did the witch hunters get my mom?" She asked, lip quivering.
"I don't know for sure, sweetie. I informed some of my friends in the town and asked them to let me know if they found anything out. Hope, Caroline, and Abby are also out trying to find answers," Anne-Marie replied.
Samantha sat down on a rock, fingering the moon charm. She glanced at Anne-Marie, not wanting to believe it. But what other choice did she have? It kind of made sense . . .all the weird herbs her mom had in the cottage . . .the table she had set up that she and Emily couldn't touch. And the fact that her mom always sent Samantha and Emily outside at the same times each day.
"Don't tell Emily," Samantha hissed.
Anne-Marie nodded, then sat next to Samantha. "You didn't know she practiced?"
Samantha hesitated, then shook her head. "But, she did certain things and had certain things that only a . . .Witch could have."
Anne-Marie nodded. "I'm sure your mom didn't tell you for your safety. She always was the more cautious one of us." She smiled and laughed.
Samantha pulled out the paper that her mom had given her. "She gave this to me . . .before I left. She said I should use it only in an emergency."
Anne-Marie took the paper and read it over. "It's a spell to send someone into the future."
Samantha frowned. "Why would my mom give me a spell like that?"
"I guess . . .maybe she thinks it's safe there, if it get too dangerous here?" Anne-Marie suggested, though she was lying. She knew the real reason why Katrina had written this spell and why she had chosen the time she had chosen, but she didn't tell Samantha this. Instead, she said, "If anything happens to Hope, Caroline, Abby, or myself, I want you to hold Emily's hand and read this spell, alright?"
Samantha nodded slowly, taking the paper back and folding it up. She slipped it into her pocket. "What will happen when I read it?" She asked, sounding scared.
"The spell will propel you forward in time. I don't know to where, exactly, though. It may end up being very different. I want you to be brave. If your mom wrote the spell specifically enough, you will be sent to three young women who will help you. Trust them and do as they say, alright?" Anne-Marie asked softly.
Samantha hesitated, then smiled. "A-alright. I will." She paused, looking down. After a moment, she glanced up at Anne-Marie. "Will . . .are the women witches, too?"
Anne-Marie nodded. "They are. In their time, witchcraft is still feared by many. But it is not prosecuted like in our time. But they are good people, good witches like your mother and I. You can trust them to protect you."
Samantha nodded. She was about to say something else when she heard Emily scream from within the cave. Samantha jumped up and ran to her little sister, Anne-Marie close behind. Once in the cave, Samantha slid down next to Emily, who was crying.
"What is it, Emily? What happened?" Samantha asked gently.
"I want my mommy!" Emily cried softly. She flung herself at Samantha, sobbing.
Anne-Marie frowned, then heard Hope calling out to her. She was too distracted to hear the fear in her voice. "Calm Emily down. I'll be right back." She left the cave and went outside.
Hope came running over, tears in her eyes. "Anne-Marie! They got them! The witch hunters got Caroline and Abby! They're coming here! They're coming for us, too!"
Anne-Marie took Hope's hands in hers. "You're positive they're coming here?"
Hope nodded frantically. She glanced up, hearing hooves and angry voices in the distance.
Anne-Marie rushed to the cave, Hope not far behind. She slipped down next to Samantha. "Honey, listen to me carefully. We have . . .Something is about to happen. I want you to hide here in the cave. If anything bad happens, read what's on that paper. Alright?"
Samantha nodded her eyes wide with fear. She watched Hope and Anne- Marie leave the cave. She stood, forcing Emily to stand as well. She let her over to a large rock and sat down behind it, pulling Emily close. She listened carefully.
"Good day, gentlemen. May we help you?" Came Anne-Marie's voice from outside the cave.
"You, Anne-Marie Parker and Hope McCoy, have hereby been accused of practicing witchcraft by the town of Salem. The sentence is death by hanging," growled a man's voice.
From behind the rock in the cave, Samantha gave a soft gasp. No! Now what would they do? Then she remembered the slip of paper. She tried to calm down long enough to hear the rest of what was going on outside.
"Then we will go quietly and willingly," Anne-Marie said stiffly.
Hope gave a soft sob.
"Take them," the man growled at two men. Moments later, the sound of shuffling feet was gone. And so were Anne-Marie and Hope.
"Check the cave. Maybe those two Grover brats are hiding in it. They deserve the same fate as their mother," hissed the man.
Three men shuffled into the cave looking around. Emily let out a soft cry and Samantha put her hand over the little girl's mouth. Slowly, she took out the paper and unwrinkled it. She took a deep breath as the sound of the men came closer. She read the spell and closed her eyes, holding Emily close.
In a swirl of golden lights, Samantha and Emily disappeared from the cave. What felt like only minutes later, they reappeared, the golden lights swirling around them. After a minute, the lights disappeared.
Samantha blinked and looked around. They were in a house of some sort, but not the kind of house she and Emily were used to. They looked around the strange room. From somewhere in the house, Samantha could hear voices. She gasped and ducked behind a strange piece of furniture, holding Emily close, a hand over her mouth.
"Piper have you seen my glasses?" asked the voice of a woman.
"No. Check the living room," replied the one named Piper. A young blonde haired woman entered the living room and looked around. She spotted her glasses on the couch.
"Here they are," she called back to Piper. The women walked to the
couch and picked up her glasses. She slipped them on, then frowned.
She glanced over the back of the couch. Her eyes widened.
"Piper! Prue! I think you should come in here!"
Two young women entered the room. "What happened, Phoebe?" asked one
of the women
Phoebe pointed behind the couch. The other two women looked behind the
couch and reacted almost the same way as Phoebe had.
Samantha and Emily starred up at them, fear on their faces.
