Chapter 5 (I had to edit this one as well)
As Serena handed Rachel a warm cup of tea, she tried to work things out in her head. "So, just what happened to you?" Vanessa asked. Rachel shook her head. "All I can tell you is what I saw." She tried to explain everything about what she had seen. When she was finished, they were all quiet for a second.
Then, Jimena spoke up, "Alright, so what do those words mean exactly?" (A/N: In this story, I've decided Jimena's gonna know.) "'Absent mind, absent soul. Summon my freedom now.' It's from a very ancient spell book. The only ones able to read the text are the three most powerful magician's in the world." "Then how do you know?" Catty questioned with her arms crossed. "He was taught." Rachel answered simply.
The simplicity of the comment drew stares from everyone. "Taught?" Vanessa asked suspiciously. "We were taught self-defense magic in case we should ever need power beyond our reach. Unfortunately, you have to have magical blood for any kind of magic to work. We didn't have any. But our father didn't want to take any chances. I was supposed to learn by the age of six. But..."
Cassandra shrugged. "You can't exactly blame him. In that time era wasn't there a great suspicion about that if anyone was different, then they were automatically associated with the dark arts?" Stanton and Rachel nodded. "Different? How?" Tianna asked. Stanton looked up at her. "It didn't matter. Birthmarks, disabilities, different accents, people who didn't come into town or church. Anything, or anyone that people thought was unattractive, different, or unusual was destroyed."
"I knew a little girl, sweet as peppermint. But people kept on saying that she was strange because of her lisp. After a few years, those village idiots felt that she spoke differently because it was a form of witch talk. For that, she was burned alive." Rachel's fisted clenched. That night her father had sent them to bed, but she had snuck out to see what would happen to her friend.
He had ordered the people to leave the girl alone, but the foolish ignorant's stole her from her home, and burned her that night. She still remembered the way the poor girl tried her best to get away from the people, dragging her to the pole. But one of the large men kicked her in her stomach, and they lifted her up, tied her to the pole, then uttered quick prayers that the lord would protect their souls from the 'witches' spell.
Then, they lit the torch. The smell of burning flesh filled the air, and her screams ripped into the empty night. Rachel began to cry, and her father ripped her away from the scene, and did his best to stop the commotion. Those who had attempted to murder the girl were killed. And Stanton and Jacques stayed with her all night, trying their best to sooth her pains, and destroy her fear.
She never slept that night, for fear that if she went to sleep, her friend would die. The last thing she said was, "Thank you." Stanton put an arm on her shoulder, making her jump. Knowing that she what she had just relived, he put his 'It's all right,' arm around her. "What's that mark on your hand?" Rachel glanced at her palm, and traced the outside of the odd colored orb. "I don't know."
She looked helplessly at anyone, begging for some help. Seeing looks that simply mirrored her own, she turned to her brother. He seemed to be pensive, but he said, "Got to go." He changed to shadow, then vanished. Rachel jumped, and asked desperately, "To where?" Serena came up to her, and put a hand on her shoulder. Cassandra took the discolored, scarred hand with hers. After about an hour, they ate some candy bars.
Suddenly, Stanton popped in front of them; once again drenched, but this time, he wasn't happy. More like agitated and out of breath. A large, rusty colored book was carried in his coat. "Where have you been?" She asked him. "England." Everyone started asking questions, but he pulled out the book, and thumbed through the pages. "What are you doing?" Rachel asked. "You see, our tutor who taught us this stuff marked down the pages! She must have been one of the top three."
"Calm down! What's happened?" Serena asked him. He looked up, "We studied magic in the basement of our castle. Amazingly, both of them were still there. I her spell book. You see, if we can figure out why this happened to Rachel, then maybe we can at least figure out how to remove it." They all looked at Rachel with sympathy. An emotion she hated to have directed towards her. She jumped up. "Alright, but can we take care of this later? I'm really in a partying mood!" She said with forced happiness. Stanton's concern vanished as he realized his sisters need for normality, and he smiled.
As Serena handed Rachel a warm cup of tea, she tried to work things out in her head. "So, just what happened to you?" Vanessa asked. Rachel shook her head. "All I can tell you is what I saw." She tried to explain everything about what she had seen. When she was finished, they were all quiet for a second.
Then, Jimena spoke up, "Alright, so what do those words mean exactly?" (A/N: In this story, I've decided Jimena's gonna know.) "'Absent mind, absent soul. Summon my freedom now.' It's from a very ancient spell book. The only ones able to read the text are the three most powerful magician's in the world." "Then how do you know?" Catty questioned with her arms crossed. "He was taught." Rachel answered simply.
The simplicity of the comment drew stares from everyone. "Taught?" Vanessa asked suspiciously. "We were taught self-defense magic in case we should ever need power beyond our reach. Unfortunately, you have to have magical blood for any kind of magic to work. We didn't have any. But our father didn't want to take any chances. I was supposed to learn by the age of six. But..."
Cassandra shrugged. "You can't exactly blame him. In that time era wasn't there a great suspicion about that if anyone was different, then they were automatically associated with the dark arts?" Stanton and Rachel nodded. "Different? How?" Tianna asked. Stanton looked up at her. "It didn't matter. Birthmarks, disabilities, different accents, people who didn't come into town or church. Anything, or anyone that people thought was unattractive, different, or unusual was destroyed."
"I knew a little girl, sweet as peppermint. But people kept on saying that she was strange because of her lisp. After a few years, those village idiots felt that she spoke differently because it was a form of witch talk. For that, she was burned alive." Rachel's fisted clenched. That night her father had sent them to bed, but she had snuck out to see what would happen to her friend.
He had ordered the people to leave the girl alone, but the foolish ignorant's stole her from her home, and burned her that night. She still remembered the way the poor girl tried her best to get away from the people, dragging her to the pole. But one of the large men kicked her in her stomach, and they lifted her up, tied her to the pole, then uttered quick prayers that the lord would protect their souls from the 'witches' spell.
Then, they lit the torch. The smell of burning flesh filled the air, and her screams ripped into the empty night. Rachel began to cry, and her father ripped her away from the scene, and did his best to stop the commotion. Those who had attempted to murder the girl were killed. And Stanton and Jacques stayed with her all night, trying their best to sooth her pains, and destroy her fear.
She never slept that night, for fear that if she went to sleep, her friend would die. The last thing she said was, "Thank you." Stanton put an arm on her shoulder, making her jump. Knowing that she what she had just relived, he put his 'It's all right,' arm around her. "What's that mark on your hand?" Rachel glanced at her palm, and traced the outside of the odd colored orb. "I don't know."
She looked helplessly at anyone, begging for some help. Seeing looks that simply mirrored her own, she turned to her brother. He seemed to be pensive, but he said, "Got to go." He changed to shadow, then vanished. Rachel jumped, and asked desperately, "To where?" Serena came up to her, and put a hand on her shoulder. Cassandra took the discolored, scarred hand with hers. After about an hour, they ate some candy bars.
Suddenly, Stanton popped in front of them; once again drenched, but this time, he wasn't happy. More like agitated and out of breath. A large, rusty colored book was carried in his coat. "Where have you been?" She asked him. "England." Everyone started asking questions, but he pulled out the book, and thumbed through the pages. "What are you doing?" Rachel asked. "You see, our tutor who taught us this stuff marked down the pages! She must have been one of the top three."
"Calm down! What's happened?" Serena asked him. He looked up, "We studied magic in the basement of our castle. Amazingly, both of them were still there. I her spell book. You see, if we can figure out why this happened to Rachel, then maybe we can at least figure out how to remove it." They all looked at Rachel with sympathy. An emotion she hated to have directed towards her. She jumped up. "Alright, but can we take care of this later? I'm really in a partying mood!" She said with forced happiness. Stanton's concern vanished as he realized his sisters need for normality, and he smiled.