Four: The Beginning
Part Six: Immense Emotions
By chuckles1414
Chapter 1: Whatever It Takes
"Annie Heins?" Mrs. Ford asked. "Is she here?"
"No," Charles said glumly. He looked over at her empty chair. He couldn't help it, but a tear came to his eye. He quickly dried it before it fell down his cheek. He felt alone without her there with him.
The rest of the school day went by slowly…more slowly than normal. At astronomy, the last class, neither Jordan nor David spoke a word that didn't have to do with plotting stars on a map. None of them knew what to say. When the bell rang, they each went out to their vehicles without saying much to each other. Charles drove straight back to the farm, even though he was supposed to work. Millie and Robert were both in the living room. He was looking through a magazine, while she read a book.
"Charles, you have work," Millie said when he walked in.
"I don't feel like going," he said. She put down the book she had been reading and looked at him. She could tell the strain he was going through.
"Just because there's one less of us in this house, doesn't mean you should put aside all your responsibilities." He knew that she was right, though he didn't want to admit it.
"She's right," Robert said.
"I know she is," Charles said, rather testily. He left the house and got in his car. He knew work wouldn't be the same without Annie there.
"Hello, Annie," Heru said, flaming in to her new abode to see her. She was inside a cave in a mountain of the Rocky Mountains. "Nice to see you found somewhere…so…why are you in a cave?"
"I hear the Underworld is hot, and I didn't feel like visiting there," Annie said.
"You shoot fire from your hands and you don't like to live in the Underworld?" He walked over to her. "What kind of warlock doesn't live in the Underworld?"
"This one," she said. He fought back the urge to force her down there, but instead, changed the subject.
"I brought something for you," he said, reaching under his cloak with a long, shriveled, red hand, which had long, yellow fingernails. He pulled out a black book with a strange mark on the front.
"What's that?" Annie asked, taking it and examining it.
"It's the Grimoir," he said.
"Hmm…Grimoir," she said. "And that is?"
"Remember your wretched Book of Shadows?"
"Not so wretched, it got me to where I am today," Annie said.
"Well, think of this being the evil version of that. It's got every good being there is, and it tells how to vanquish and fight them."
"Really?" Annie said, flipping through it. "Hey look, I'm in here. It says here that my power of illusion can prove a powerful advocate, but if I'm alone with no help, I can be easily overpowered." She glared at the page. "How dare it!"
"But that's all changed now," Heru told her. "You're powerful now. You could overpower anyone that tried to take you on. They're no match for your power." She continued reading through her page.
"Hey, I had my own vanquishing potion?" she asked.
"Yes, but I don't think it'd work anymore," Heru said. "But we have more pressing things to discuss."
"Uh huh," Annie said, looking through the Book, finding several people that she knew. "Like what?"
"Like you needing to kill an innocent," Heru said. Annie slowly looked up at him.
"What?" she asked, rather surprised.
"To become a full warlock, you need to use your new power to kill an innocent." Annie paused for a moment. A flash of uncertainty swept through her.
"I'm not sure if I can do that…"
"You must! If you want your full powers, you'll do it." She nodded her head.
"I'll do whatever it takes."