Chapter 8: An Angry Bald Man
"We thought you were dead," Jordan said to her mom. She hugged her tight. They were back in the living room after hiking back. The forest had only been a mile or so away from the farm.
"What made you think that?" Millie asked.
"Axict told us he killed you," David said. "He said you were burnt to a crisp."
"And you believed a demon?" Millie asked. "Never trust them. They're a slimy, filthy race."
"If so, why did my mom fall in love with one?" Charles asked.
"Axict was different," Sabrina said. "He tried to kill the demon in him, to love her. They tried, worked together, but never succeeded in getting rid of his demonic powers. A simple power binding spell didn't work on him. Nothing did. Soon, he couldn't hold back his demonic urge to kill. He killed an innocent that she was meant to protect, and she broke things off with him. And he turned to being full-fledged evil."
"Is it true what he said?" Charles asked. "Will evil consume me?" The question had bugged him, and the other three young witches, since Axict had talked of it consuming him.
"To be truthful," Millie said. "It's very possible. Magic can sway either way. Any of you could turn evil, but it's stronger in you of course."
"Is there a way to kill the demon part of me?"
"We could try a binding spell," Millie said. "But my bets are, if it didn't work on Axict when your mom tried, it won't work on you." They sat in silence for moments.
"What happens next?" Annie asked. "Do we just go back to our normal lives now?"
"No," Sabrina said. "The exact opposite."
"So, what? I'm gonna have to stay here? What about my dad? What about school?"
"Don't worry," Millie said. "I'm going to call your dad and hopefully, I can explain all this to him and hopefully, he'll understand."
"Quite doubtful," Annie muttered. Millie got up and called her father.
"How do you think he'll take it?" Jordan asked.
"He'll come out to the farm, demanding to take me home." Millie came walking in a few minutes later.
"He is on his way over. He sounds angry."
"Wow, you sure do know him well," Sabrina commented.
About fifteen minutes later, a station wagon pulled out in front of the farm. A balding man got out, his face red and angry. Millie, Sabrina, Annie, Charles, Jordan, and David walked out on the porch. Annie's dad started marching up to them.
"Annie, you're coming with me now," he demanded.
"Daddy, I can't," she said.
"You can, and you will."
"Gerv," Millie said, walking to him. "Please, listen."
"I'm not listening to you, you crazy hag," he said. Her eyes flashed with anger.
"What did you call me?" she yelled, as a crack of lighting flashed in the sky clear, summer sky. Gerv looked at her in fear. Her voice then returned to pleasant and normal. "Now, can we discuss this?" He nodded his head, afraid to awaken the anger inside of her. They all sat down on the porch. "I'm Millie, the person you spoke with on the phone."
"Hi," he said, shaking slightly.
"This is Sabrina," she continued. "And these are four talented teenagers. I am willing to take in your daughter to guide and teach her."
"Why would you want to do that? Why would you need to do that?"
"There are some things that you don't know about your daughter."
"What about her schooling?" he asked.
"They can go to the school in a nearby town. I can enroll them when the time comes. Jordan and David already go there." Again, he stayed silent for a while. He didn't want to let his only daughter go. She was all he had left, after her mother had died.
"It's up to Annie," he finally said, turning to her. "What do you want?" She didn't say anything at first. She really didn't want to fight demons, but she knew she had no choice.
"I…want to stay," she finally decided.
"Fine," he said. Heartbroken, he walked to his car. "But you be sure to call me everyday. I need to know that you're okay."
"I will," she said. She walked over to him and gave him a long hug. He kissed her cheek and drove away. She watched the cloud of dust as it faded away. She kept her chin down and walked back over to them.
"Now," Millie said. "Training will start tomorrow morning. Everyday, you'll wake up at eight o'clock sharp. You'll eat breakfast and after that, you will train your mind and practice magic. At noon, you'll eat lunch. After that, you will go to the gym where you will train your body and learn to use various weapons. After that, you can do whatever you please." She started to walk into the house. "Oh, and we'll have to squeeze demon fighting in there somewhere."