As they taught me, the horizon can be a mountain range, a row of trees of a forest, skyscrapers in a cityscape, where the sea meets the sky or, simply, a line.
Mine is a wall. It is not an ugly wall, it has its charm, with its red bricks and vines with pink flowers. As I recall, when I went to the doctor, there are many ugly walls around the world. Dirty, rusty, broken... It was a sad sight.
Not my horizon. It is tall, soooo tall, and invincible. The sisters ask me to stop looking at it and be with the other children, but how can I avoid it? Whatever direction I look at or from any window, it is there.
I do not like much to look toward the gate. It is taller than the wall and made of dark wood, like a lifeless shadow, a night that will not go away. There are nights when there is a cry coming from there and a sister brings a baby, or babies... They say it was like that for me, I came to this world through it.
The only thing I like about the gate is when it opens, but it is almost impossible to see, the sisters do not let even take a peek from the window. I remember people with different clothes, vehicles on a road that goes on and on, until it reach a curve where everything ends. I remember buildings, I remember them because they were open and people could get in and out. I remember them having banners and signs with funny letters and colorful drawings, they were more colorful than the wall.
But the wall is not ugly, no, it is my horizon. I like to hear the sound that is beyond it. The sounds of steps and engines, people talking, children laughing and crying. The distance is so small that I can imagine myself being on the other side.
They say there is only one way to get out of here and never come back, and that is through that dark gate, and never alone. Sometimes adults visit us and the sisters ask us to behave, as they can be our future families.
I had a friend. He thought it was funny that I kept looking at my horizon all the time. I thought it was funny that he ate the flowers from the vines and did not have a stomachache, but when he stuck his finger in a thorn, he screamed. Very dumb. However, some adults liked him and I could not even say goodbye. They like to take the youngest, those who do not understand where they are and where they are going, this is all very dumb.
Nobody wants me, but the sisters say it is not a problem. God can be my Father, He will always want me.
But I do not care what others want, I care what I WANT.
That is why it is my horizon, a line to cross and I will go, go, until that curve where everything ends. I will cut my roots with this place just as I will do with the vines. My arms and legs are getting longer each day, but my fingers are still thin enough to hold in the cracks between the red bricks. When I start, only I will tell when it ends.
If I go against God, the sisters said that He sends me to hell. I do not care, I do whatever it takes.
I kill Him.
Red earth
The dormitory lights went on.
"TIME FAH THE SLEEPIN' BEAUTIES TA WAKE UP!"
"Aw shit..." Alice did not want to open her eyes, as the screams from Revenant reminded her of where she was.
"YA HAVE TEN MINUTES TA MAKE YAH BEDS 'N USE THE BATHROOM. TWENDY FAWR BREAKFAST. HURRY! TODAY WILL BE A SPECIAL DAY."
"Spe... ciawwwl...?" Maya yawned and strands of her messy hair ended up in her mouth.
"This is just ta motivate the dorbs." Alice slapped her own cheeks to wake up for good.
The congestion in the tunnel to the bathroom was the harbinger of the heated dispute over taps and toilet papers. It was a great perk for the sisters to have a bathroom on the other floor just for them.
Alice and Maya, who was unable to stay in front of the mirror long enough to straighten her hair, went to the refectory as soon as possible. There they found Madre behind the kitchen counter, her smile plastered on her usual serene countenance. There was bread, dried fruit and dark yeast paste.
[And no meat. Fuck this!]
Maya smiled at her friend's reaction. [They really want the breakfast to be fast.]
What was stranger was the fact that Madre was distributing canteens to everyone. "Please, keep it."
As soon as she received it, Alice shook the canteen and opened the lid to smell it. [It seems to be water, but why?]
The canteen came with a long strap to wear, which Maya tried on. [Maybe Revenant didn't lie.]
After the short breakfast, the two girls returned to the dormitory. There they saw a group of more experienced novices, who had already returned and were sitting on some beds and enjoying a chat with Lucky.
"They say Generalíssima eats grief seeds with milk for breakfast," a novice said.
Lucky nodded as she stroked the pair of rabbit ears from one of her white-furred revolvers. "Hehe. Everyday! Ya can bet on that."
Then another novice said, "Dya know why it's difficult ta find Walpurgisnatch? 'Cause she lives hidin' from Generalíssima!"
And one more spoke, "They say Generalíssima killed Katrina with a punch."
Confused, a novice asked, "But isn't that true?"
Accompanied by a colleague. "Yeah, I don't remembah the history of the Bastion of New Orleans well, if it was a punch... but I'm sure it was with a single blow!"
The novice who had mentioned the leader's feat was pondering. "Hmmm... Look, as fahr as I know, no one alive was neah Katrina ta see how it went. But when Generalíssima acted, the witch was defeated in an instant."
"Hey! Hey! I have a good one!" Lucky was spinning her revolver drum frantically. "If Generalíssima kicks yah arse 'nd launch ya ta the othah side of the planet, don't worry, she has all the time in the world ta get there and wait for ya." Then she aimed the gun at her head and pulled the trigger, the drum stopped in a click and nothing more.
The novices shuddered and opened their eyes wide.
The bunny girl frowned. "Huh? Didn't ya like it?"
"Sorry sistah..." A novice looked at the others. "I think we were all nervous for a moment."
"But why?" Lucky pulled the trigger two more times. "Ya know who I am."
A more relaxed novice smiled. "It's true, but this is a natural reaction."
"Haha! No worries, luck is always on my si-" Lucky felt her revolver be pulled violently, to the point that she lost her balance and leaned on the bed where she was sitting. When she raised her head, she gaped.
With a serious expression, Revenant was aiming the gun, her finger already on the trigger.
The bunny threw herself. "Sh-"
The black woman pulled the trigger and the gun fired. The bullet almost hit Lucky, making a hole in the pillow.
The novices jumped in a fright. Alice and Maya returned their attention to that group, with no idea of what had just happened.
Still gaping, Lucky looked at the other sister. "ARE YA NUTS?! DYA WANT TA KILL ME?!"
"If ya really trusted yah luck, ya would be aimin' fawr yah gem," Revenant stated, as she dropped the gun on the bed, "weren't ya supposed ta be cleanin' the kitchen? Today the novices will stay with me."
Lucky put the gun in her holster and stood up. "Well, no need ta rush..."
Revenant tugged her arm, forcing her to walk towards the exit.
However, Lucky still stopped and turned around, smiling. "No hard feelin'." And sent a kiss.
The woman crossed her muscular arms and made a surly face, widening her eyes.
The bunny waved and leisurely walked to the exit, wagging her tail.
"Drongo..." Revenant went to the middle of the room, talking to herself, "time ta thicken the skin of these princesses..." As soon as she arrived, she clapped her hands and announced in a strong voice, "Novices! I wanna ya follow me! We're gonna leave now."
Alice and Maya looked at each other, the blonde soon said, "What does she mean by 'leave'?"
The woman left the room, with a line of novices behind her. They went through the tunnels until they reached the spiral staircase that connected with the lower floor.
It was at that moment, for the two friends, that day became special. Going down those stairs was not forbidden, but it was far from being part of the daily routine.
Arriving at the intersection of corridors, they saw Madre and Generalíssima, both with an expression of satisfaction.
However, Maya noticed more the man next to the two sisters, who appeared to be a priest dressed in white. She did not have the courage to look at him in the eye, but she noticed his red gem. The first times she saw him, she did not believe it, were there really magical boys?
Generalíssima asked, "Did you explain to the newcomers what you're going to do?"
Revenant smiled with that conversation, rehearsed so many times. "I'll let their skin speak fawr me."
"There are many of them this time," Madre said, "be careful."
That was not in the script, Revenant stopped smiling. "I bet they're willin' ta do that right now." She then looked at the man, but he did not express anything, there was no sign of interest. "Okay, let's go." She went into the wide, dark corridor.
The lights in the corridor were turned on automatically, probably by a motion sensor. This is what Alice and Maya concluded. The ramp was long and steep, they had no idea how far they had gone up, but they could already see where they were going.
A giant door, the largest they had ever seen, reinforced with solid metal. It should easily withstand a big explosion.
Revenant stopped at that and turned to the novices. "Okay, ya can rest fawr a moment while I deal with some things."
Alice was anxious and she was sure that her best friend was too. That door was the exit, there was no way it was not, and soon they would be seeing the sunlight.
Revenant sent a telepathic message. [Invader, what's the situation? All clean?]
The answer came almost before she finished the sentence. [There is no one within a radius of more than a hundred miles. With no satellites photographing the region at the moment, a Chinese spy satellite will come in two days.]
[So we have time. You can open it now.]
Some novices were startled by the sudden noise. It was the locks on the door that had been released. Unlike the others, that door did not slide but opened out slowly, making the floor vibrate and letting in a cold air.
Alice and Maya gaped, frowning. Aside from the light from the corridor, there was nothing outside but darkness, but it was not night, the two girls did not even consider this, as they had never seen a night as dark as that. Where the concrete ended, the floor was smooth, moist rock, with small puddles.
"Fawr those who're leavin' fawr the first time," Revenant instructed, "ya must have noticed that the floor looks slippery and it is, so be careful where ya step. C'mon!"
What used to be anxiety turned to hesitation when Alice and Maya walked through the door.
"Go! Go!" Revenant disappeared into the darkness. "We hafta get away from the door."
It was becoming impossible to see anything, the two became closer to each other with the only reference being the nearby novices.
The light behind them started to fade. Maya turned, just in time to catch a glimpse of the door closing.
Total darkness. With the silence, it was possible to hear the sound of dripping and the girls' breathing.
[Hold my hand.]
Maya heard her friend's voice and felt herself being touched. Her hand quickly reached for it. At the same time, a blinding white light hit her face. The source was not far away and it was waving.
"All of ya, lit up yah gems," Revenant spoke.
The two friends noticed that the most experienced novices had already obeyed that order, using the rings on their hands as lanterns. They had never done anything like that, was desiring for it be enough?
Indeed, it was.
Maya pointed her blue light to where they had come from, trying to avoid blinding someone. The light revealed a rock wall and no indication that there was that huge door. She pointed up and saw an irregular ceiling, with many stalactites.
"Befawre we leave this hole, I have a warnin'," Revenant stated, "I have only one grief seed, and it's fawr me. So don't do anythin' stupid with yah magic. Now follow my light."
Maya and Alice saw the woman point the light at a wall, where there was a large fissure.
As soon as she got there, Revenant climbed the wall to the fissure and crawled into it. Other novices soon followed suit.
"Do we hafta do this?" Maya asked, bringing her hand to her mouth when she realized she had spoken out loud.
"Yeah, I think so..." A novice who was passing by said, concerned.
"I'll go first," Alice replied, "ya come right behind me, okay?"
Maya nodded and saw her friend climb the wall.
When the blonde reached the fissure, she stopped and looked down.
It was her turn. The wall was cold and very damp, strength was not a problem for a magical girl, but having a place to put her hands and feet was still a challenge. Maya saw no other way besides supporting her whole body against the wall, ruining the uniform.
"Take my arm and I'll pull ya."
Maya accepted the arm offered by Alice, but she was pulled so hard that her knee hit the hard surface. She held back the cry of pain.
"Are ya okay?"
"Yes... go."
Alice entered the fissure and Maya could only see the soles of her boots with the light coming from her own ring. She followed her, crawling too.
What they feared has come true. The path through that narrow tunnel was long. The smooth rock helped to crawl, but it was difficult to find a foothold to get an impulse.
Worst of all for Maya was still the darkness. In her attempt to find something to hold with her hand, she ended up cutting it with a sharp rock. With the shock of pain, she lifted her head and hit the ceiling. The limestone scent intensified with hard breathing.
The sole of the boots she was following disappeared.
"Alice..." She had no breath to call for her friend, the air must be running out. The tunnel seemed to narrow further, they would be trapped there. Then she felt someone push her leg, a novice.
"Go!"
The palm of her hand was umid with a thick liquid, it must have been bleeding. "I can't!"
[Come on, wimps! I'm bigger than you, if I can get through, you can do it too!]
Revenant's voice sounded in her mind and the urge to cry came. "I can't..."
[Maya!]
It was her friend's voice and she saw the sole of the boots again.
[I couldn't see your light anymore. Hold my foot.]
Maya clung to it and she got the impulse that gave her hope.
Further on, the tunnel became wider, but also steeper, and the smooth rock became an obstacle again. The only way to make any progress was to press their back against the wall to get more friction.
An idea started to come into Alice's mind that they had died and were in purgatory, when she saw a light in the tunnel, which quickly intensified as she overcame the distance. Suddenly, the novice in front of her was pulled.
Clouds and the clear blue.
Arms came and she was pulled. Alice first felt the breeze cool her sweat and then the warmth of the Sun bathing her skin. When they released her arms, she rested her hand on the reddish soil, with many rocks. She took a deep breath of fresh air and crawled to make room for her friend, only when the novices pulled Maya did she decide to stand up.
Maya soon got up, thankful that she did not hit her head while doing this. However, she found that she was completely filthy, the shirt with small tears and blood marks. The palm of her hand had indeed been deeply cut and the blood had mixed with the earth, forming a sticky mass on the wound.
Everyone present was in a similar situation, including her friend Alice.
Including Revenant. "Ya took too long ta get out of this hole! The Sun is already very high!"
While the sister and a few other novices hid the tunnel entrance with rocks and pieces of bushes, the two friends tried to find out where they were.
It was a small rocky hill and where they could see there was a vast expanse of red sandy soil, with a sparse distribution of shrubs.
This view brought some comfort to Maya. "It's the outback..."
"Yeah... We didn't leave the country." Alice used her arm to provide a shade for her eyes. "But I don't see a road or construction. We really are in nevah-nevah." Then her eyes met those of the pale girl, Evie. She was looking in their direction!
"OK!" Revenant drew the attention of all novices. "This was just the beginnin'." She then pointed with her finger. "Are ya seein' that rock formation ovah the horizon? WE hafta be theah befawre noon, unless ya prefah ta cook yah arses in the Sun."
Seeing the black woman go down the hill, being followed by the novices, Alice commented to her friend. [Let's go, maybe we can find some sign of civilization.]
The terrain of that almost desert was not challenging, but the distance to be covered was great and the Sun, which had once been a blessed reencounter, punished more and more. Adding it all up with the effort to leave the cave, Maya was so thirsty that her canteen was already half empty.
With her dark skin shining with sweat, Revenant did not seem to mind, she accelerated her pace and started to sing, "INCUBATOR, FACK YA!"
"INCUBATOR, FACK YA!" The most experienced novices followed the song.
"INCUBATOR, FACK YA!"
"INCUBATOR, FACK YA!"
Maya looked at her friend and saw that she was also making a cringe face. Other novices were covering their mouths to hide their laughter. That was funny for being so stupid.
"I'M A HAPPY GIRL!"
"I'M A HAPPY GIRL!"
"THE SISTAHHOOD WELCOMED ME!"
"THE SISTAHHOOD WELCOMED ME!"
"AND I KILL FACKIN'LOADS OF WITCHES!"
"AND I KILL FACKIN'LOADS OF WITCHES!"
"HEYYYAAA!"
"HEYYYAAA!"
"FACK YA!"
"FACK YA!"
"INCUBATOR, FACK YA!" Alice sang the chorus. It was stupid, but it was a good way to vent.
"STOP!" Revenant raised her arm to make it clear that it was not part of the music. While the novices stopped, she walked around a bush with fruit. "Wild tomatoes. Come and get it."
The novices surrounded the bush. Maya did not have time to pick it up, but she saw that the tomatoes, some ripe while others not so much, were small as cherries, pretty cute.
"Don't eat them yet, they're poisonous, ya need ta dry them first." The sister instructed them as everyone started walking again.
And a new song was sung.
"MY GEM IS MY PRIDE!"
"MY GEM IS MY PRIDE!"
"THE SISTAHHOOD IS MY PURPOSE!"
"THE SISTAHHOOD IS MY PURPOSE!"
"WE'RE LIKE ONE SOUL!"
"WE'RE LIKE ONE SOUL!"
"THAT SHINES MOAH THAN THE STARS!"
"THAT SHINES MOAH THAN THE STARS!"
"U,U, URRAH!"
"U,U, URRAH!"
The rock formation was still distant, but Maya was now certain that it was immense. The canteen was almost empty and the vegetation would be denser ahead.
The group stopped again. Behind so many novices, Alice stood on her tiptoes to see what was going on.
Revenant was facing a serpent. Her steps were careful as she approached the animal. When the lunge happened, the woman jumped with incredible agility, and she was quick and precise to grab close to its head. Without waiting a moment, she twisted the serpent's head and ripped it out. Then she lifted her own head and let the blood from her prey's body pour into her mouth.
Alice's eyes widened and Maya winced.
Satisfied, Revenant showed the body still wiggling to the novices. "Meat fawr tonight." She licked her lips, still stained with blood. "The rivah is close now."
The river was actually a dry riverbed, with some puddles.
"Ya can rest while ya wait fawr the othahs to fill the canteens. Whoevah is gonna use a bush ta do the necessities, make sure it's empty first."
Alice came close to a puddle and did not like what she saw. "The watah is filthy as shit..."
Revenant passed her by, saying, "A cholera or parasite is nothin' ta yah gem compared ta dehydration."
Maya followed the black woman with her eyes until she saw her suddenly stop and turn toward a novice.
Revenant chided, "Why aren't ya sweatin'?!"
The novice remained silent.
"Didya use magic ta not feel heat?" The woman put her hand on the girl's forehead. "Ya dingbat, yah brain is fryin', this'll take a toll from yah gem. There're two ways that a magical girl serves the Sistahhood, remembah that!"
While seeing Revenant push the girl's head and walk away, Maya tried to understand what that meant, or accept it.
After the 'river', there was no further stop to the cliff. The Sun was at its zenith when they arrived and the rock wall did not provide much shelter.
Revenant looked at the top of the wall. "Okay, ya can rest fawr a while, until the Sun moves and we have a biggah shadow."
Even under the few available shadows, the heat was unbearable. Alice took a sip from her canteen, the taste of muddy water was horrible, but she was grateful for that, as it inhibited her from drinking it all at once.
Maya tugged on the collar of her shirt to let air in. "We didn't find anythin'."
"Nobody lives in this hell, only this stupid Sistahhood." Looking at the other novices, Alice searched for the pale girl, trying to be content with the fact that she must be suffering too.
In fact, Evie could no longer be called pale, as her skin was red from the Sun. Despite that, her face was peaceful, sitting on the ground alone, away from the other novices.
"The rest time is ovah!" Revenant caught everyone's attention. "We're gonna climb now."
Alice said to herself, "I knew it..."
Maya looked at the giant wall, frowning. "Climb?"
"When I say climbin', it's really climbin'. If I see a girl flyin' or jumpin' to the top, I'll go aftah her and rub her sorry face on the ground that we're now on!" Revenant nodded and smiled, showing the contrast of her teeth in relation to her skin. "I think the newbies have already got it. Ta become a strong magical girl, ya need ta be a strong girl first. I hope yah wishes have paid off, 'cause yah cushy lifes are ovah."
And they all started to climb the wall. Like the other time, Maya waited for Alice to go first to follow her.
The height they needed to climb was worrying, but Maya realized that it would not be like the cave. There was no darkness and the rock was dry and rough. It was not difficult to find points to put a hand on, and the fact that a magical girl could effortlessly support the entire body weight with one arm made everything easier. The only problems were the wound on the palm that had bothered her again, and the stomach.
Alice was concerned, and impressed by the speed with which Revenant had climbed the rock. While she and Maya had not even made halfway, the woman was almost at the top. The worst was Evie also doing well. "Maya, we have ta go faster. I don't think they'll wait for us."
She saw her blonde friend take more risks to reach higher points with her hands. "O-Ok..."
"Watch out!"
"Huh?" Maya heard her friend and the sound of rocks falling through the wall. They were small pebbles, but they could certainly hurt. Then she heard a shout from above, she looked to see what it was.
A novice's body falling, then the impact on her face. It was an instant for Maya to notice that she was falling too. She opened her eyes and saw the ground approaching. There was no time to scream, just the reflex of protecting herself with her arms before the shock. The right side of her body was the one that hit first and where the pain was worst. Her eyes had closed, a reflex act too, and she did not have the courage to open them or breathe. She heard the sound of the breeze, a lull, and wondered if the injury was serious. It came to her the morbid idea of dying and her body rotting there, as nature intended. She soon dismissed that.
The sound of another impact, the ground shook a little, and someone calling.
"Maya! MAYA!"
She opened her eyes and looked up, seeing her friend Alice's hands and her desperate expression.
"Can ya speak? Broke somethin'?! Where does it hurt?"
The pain was not very strong. Maya moved carefully and rubbed the right side of her body. The arm was ok and did not seem to have any broken bones, not even a rib, a miracle if she was not a magical girl. "I think... I'm fine. Help me to stand up."
Alice helped her and she looked for whoever had fallen with her.
"Sorry..." The novice was still sitting on the ground, panting. The ear cartilage had broken and it was bleeding badly.
"GO BACK TA CLIMB, NOW!"
Revenant's scream echoed from the top of the rock and the novice stood up and went to the wall saying to the other two girls, with all her experience, "That's how it's..."
Alice and Maya looked at each other.
The climb had no further incidents, but it was slow and careful, no one wanted to risk losing all progress again. Because of this, the end result would be no different.
When the two friends finally crawled and rolled their bodies on the top of the rock, Revenant was waiting for them, arms crossed. "Congratulations, ya're the last. As a prize fawr yah performances, no one heah had the privilege ta rest, so GET UP!"
They obeyed. Alice looked crossly at the woman.
"I know it's yah first time, but dya think a witch cares about that?" Revenant pointed to what was happening behind her. "Help the othahs ta clean the area 'n prepare the fire. This has ta be finished befawre night. In the meantime, I'll be huntin' fawr somethin' else fawr us ta eat."
Alice saw the woman go to the edge of the cliff and take a big leap, landing at a distant point. "What a jerk, why didn't she climb down, huh?"
Maya did not answer, she was engrossed in watching the landscape. She found the small hill where the cave entrance was and she found that there was a lake near it, but no construction or road.
The Sun was beginning to set, and a steady and increasingly cold wind was the prelude to what the night would be like. The novices work together to remove the bushes and gather dry branches and leaves for the fire. Although there was a lot to do, Alice noticed that the vegetation in the area was not as dense as the rest of the top of the rock. Probably the other novices had already been there before.
With the pile of branches and leaves growing large, Maya wondered how the fire would be made. She remembered a show on television where they rubbed sticks for it, but that idea was gone when she saw a girl launch red sparks from her gem.
There was no more sun, just a clarity near the horizon. The ground was no longer warm and the wind made the skin crawl. The novices were as close as possible to the fire, which was fed with more branches and leaves.
Feeling weak and hungry, Alice and Maya had already resigned they would sleep there.
"A good fire, well done." Revenant emerged from the darkness, carrying some green leaves and two dead rabbits. "Look what I brought, two Lucky!"
Few novices laughed. However, the atmosphere became more lively. Maya was happy to know that she had not brought more snakes.
Revenant left the bodies near the fire and walked away. "I'll prepare them latah, now I wanna ya form a big circle around me. Ya can sit if ya want."
All novices accepted the last suggestion. With the circle formed, Maya commented to her friend. [What will it be? A speech?]
[She must want us to say a prayer.] Alice looked at Evie and her eyes met hers. She was looking in their direction again!
"Now I wanna ya take yah clothes off," Revenant said.
Maya and Alice were both stunned, uncertain if they had heard correctly, until they saw the other novices taking off their shirts.
Revenant had already taken off her shirt and she was lowering her pants. "C'mon! It's ta remove everythin', even the shoes."
Alice saw that Evie was already naked. "Shit..." Still reluctantly, she started to undress, trying to find a justification for that. Considering the religious background of the organization, she could only conclude that it was a kind of initiation ritual. After taking off her boots and confirming that her panties were in a deplorable state, she hugged herself and went to see how Maya was doing.
The girl was still fully dressed. Despite holding the shirt, with intention to take it off, she did not move.
"Maya, Maya!" Alice called to her, glancing at Revenant. "Ya hafta take it off or we'll get in trouble."
Maya whispered, "But it's cold!"
It was too late. The black woman saw and rushed towards the novice. "Why are ya still wearin' yah clothes?!"
Hearing the reprimand, she lowered her head.
"Ya again..." Revenant came very close to her. "Dya like ta always be the last, novice?"
Without the clothes, the woman was even more intimidating with her muscles, yet Alice tried to explain, "She's feelin' cold, just wai-"
"Shut up!" Revenant did not take her eyes off the dressed girl. "Won't ya answah me? LOOK AT ME! LIFT YAH HEAD!"
"HOW?" Maya shivered. "With that bush on my face..."
Revenant raised her eyebrows and she even heard some giggles coming from the novices.
Due to tension, however, soon there was only the crackle of the fire.
The woman asked the girl, "What's yah name?"
"Maya."
"Dogshit? Is that yah name? It suits ya."
"Huh?" She looked at the woman.
"Now ya raise yah head..." Revenant pressed her lips together. "A fresh fat turd, comin' out of a dog's arsehole. Those that make me feel disgust ta see."
"Hey!" Alice tried to get up, but was easily intercepted by the woman's hand.
"Sit down!"
As if she were made of paper, Alice was thrown against the ground.
"It seems that this novice wants ta suffah moah than ya. I wondah why? Ah, I know..." Revenant smiled at Maya. "She's the bloody bitch who shit ya."
Some novices did not hold the laughter. This was not the case for Evie, quite the contrary, she watched the scene unfold closely.
"Now, Dogshit..." In an aspect of fury, the woman's eyes widened and her teeth opened wide. "Take off yah clothes or I'll rip them off ya! And I'll make ya go back ta the base naked!"
Maya quickly removed her shirt and, crestfallen, started to take off her pants.
"I don't wanna see tears around heah." Revenant returned to the center of the circle.
Still feeling pain, Alice asked her friend. [Are you okay?]
[Yeah.]
"Dogshit was bothered by my hairy pussy," Revenant said to the novices, "which's funny, 'cause witches were magical girls and most magical girls are teenagers. At that age what do they've in mind? Within barriahs, I have come across many 'artistic expressions' of genitalia, but that nevah distracted me." She got more serious. "If ya get distracted, ya die."
The blonde gritted her teeth. [She will pay for that.]
[No, she won't. She's very strong, just by seeing you already know that.]
Listening to her friend, Alice had to admit. To make matters worse, she noticed that Evie was once again looking at them.
The woman went to the pile of branches that were being used to fuel the fire and took one. "But that's not why we're naked." She returned to where the novices were and began to draw a circle on the ground. "People started ta weah clothes ta protect themselves, they felt vulnerable. This is what I wanna ya feel. The cold, the hard ground, the insects..." After finishing, she raised her arm with the branch, pointing to the starry sky. "With the universe ovah our heads to remembah how small and fragile we are. The same can be said fawr our souls, no mattah how powerful the magical girl is. If ya understand that, ya may be able ta reach my age." She watched for a moment the reaction of the new novices and left the circle she had drawn. "The rule is simple, two novices entah the circle, only one remains inside it. Spells and weapons are forbidden, don't ya dare ta cheat me, but strengthenin' yah bodies with magic is allowed."
"Does she want us to fight?" Maya thought aloud, horrified, the night was getting worse.
Alice did not like it either, wondering when they could eat. However, she felt an opportunity. She glanced at Evie.
At that moment, the pale girl was paying attention to the sister, carrying the usual apathetic expression on her face.
"You, and you." Revenant pointed to two experienced novices. "Show newbies how it's done."
Maya saw the two girls enter the circle. Both were smiling, they must be used to it. With no warning of the start of the fight, the two struggled, each trying to push the other out of the circle. With the impasse, one of the girls decided to jump...
Like her friend, Alice lost sight of two fighters. The jump was so high that they disappeared into the sky.
Looking up, Revenant was not impressed at all.
Suddenly a thud on the ground.
"Ahh!" Maya was startled by the novice lying on the ground, noticing late that the other also had the same fate. None of them ended within the circle.
Revenant gave her verdict. "Both lose."
The two fighters stood up with some difficulty, but smiled at each other as a sign of camaraderie.
"In a life 'n death situation there's no tie." The black woman pointed to two other novices.
Aware that her turn would come eventually, Maya shook her head. "No, I won't do that..."
[You can do it.] Alice encouraged her. [We have no choice.]
The fights continued. When the winner was defined, there was no celebration, just a gesture of approval from Revenant before selecting the two new contenders.
"You..."
Alice's heart sped up when she saw the woman pointing at her. She stood up, looking at Evie.
The pale girl exchanged glances with her, but soon her interest was in Maya.
The dark-skinned girl felt a certain fear.
Alice, on the other hand, could hardly manage her anxiety, trying not to smile defiantly.
"And you."
Another novice stood up and headed for the circle, much to Alice's disappointment.
"C'mon!" Revenant clapped her hands. "This isn't supposed ta take all night!"
Alice had already understood that the fight would start as soon as she entered the circle. The novice she was going to face had a bigger, heavier body. None of that mattered anymore, only anger, for not being able to fight Evie, for not being able to ride the tractor with Dad, for not being able to smell the cut wood and watching the trees grow. Especially angry at seeing Maya suffer because of that stupid Sisterhood.
The novice was surprised by the fury that the blonde came running at her. Still, she was ready, with the gem in her ring shining.
Alice crashed into her using the shoulder, but it was like hitting a rock. With the shoulder sore, she stepped back and her opponent took the opportunity to push. Alice made her gem shine even more, but she was out of balance and losing ground quickly.
"It's no use!" the novice said, "ya're just spendin' magic for nothin'."
"FUCK YA!" Taking advantage of her short stature, Alice reached out and caught under her opponent's groin. "AAAAHHHH!"
The novice opened her eyes wide when her feet could no longer feel the ground.
"AAHH! AAAAHHHH!" With her opponent's body raised over her head, Alice ran and hurled her at whom she wanted to share all those feelings of the past few weeks.
The novice flew towards where Evie was. She and the nearby novices managed to hold her without difficulty.
With clenched fists, Alice this time did not hide her smile as she looked at her.
Evie remained listless. She looked at the blonde and almost immediately started looking at the dark-skinned girl.
Maya turned away.
"Ah, we've a warrior heah." Revenant pushed Alice. "Ya just need ta learn ta get back ta yah place. What we do isn't fawr glory, but an obligation..." She then turned her attention to an old acquaintance. "Evie, do ya wanna go now?"
The pale girl rose.
With a gesture, Revenant called another novice into the circle.
Alice was already sitting down when she noticed that the novice was looking intently at Evie. She must also have accounts to settle.
The two entered the marked area and began to walk in circles, one analyzing the other and pretending that they would attack, looking for an error of the opponent.
Evie took the offensive initiative, but stopped halfway, already waiting for the counterattack.
The novice stepped forward with her arms in front of her, showing her intention to push, but it was only a lure to hide her real weapon: a kick in the shin.
Evie was paying attention. She took her foot off ground, or the magic-powered strike would break her leg.
The novice pressed the attack, improvising her own body to push her adversary.
Taking a long step back, Evie managed to avoid most of the impact, aware that the fight would be decided in the next fraction of a second.
With the hand as if it were a bird's beak, the novice made a sharp strike aiming at her opponent's eye.
Evie tilted her head to the side and felt the sudden pain in her cheek being cut by a nail. This only increased her focus, noting that her opponent was being negligent with the arm she had not used in the attack. She held it and twisted it.
It was the novice's turn to feel pain. She looked at the source of this and felt a hand grab her neck. She opened her eyes wide at her opponent.
With a bloody face, Evie showed nothing but apathy. The duel was over, her thumb pressed the jugular.
The novice tried to reciprocate the gesture, but she could not do it because the other girl had bowed her head. As a last resort, she began to punch violently.
The blows always hit her head, but Evie had already blocked all the pain and remained firm, until she saw her opponent's eyes roll and the body collapses. She did not let her fall, she quickly carried her and left her outside the circle.
The novice drew air through her mouth and her eyes returned to normal, looking at the victor.
"She's fine..." Evie said.
"Ya're slow this time," Revenant commented, "she gave ya trouble."
"She did well." With blood now streaming out of her nose and ear, Evie returned to her place.
[She is also strong.] Maya said to her friend.
Alice did not answer, wondering if she would do better.
Compared to Evie's, the duels that followed were child's play. None of this made Maya more relaxed.
"Dogshit, come!"
With the inevitable, she got up.
[You can do it.]
At these times, her best friend's encouragement was so painful. Maya slowly approached the circle. The novice she would have to face was short, with her body still prepubescent, her arms and legs were very thin.
"Get in already, Dogshit."
The two entered the circle at the same time. Maya saw that the little girl was afraid. She must have been a refugee too, and now she was dirty, tired, cold and hungry.
The novice started to approach, with her arms ready to push.
Maya raised her arms too, but remained where she was.
Grimacing, the novice leaned over to reach her opponent.
Maya withdrew her arms to protect her body and, to her surprise, that 'light' push pushed her feet off the ground. When she tried to put them again, she only saw the stars and felt her back hit something hard.
"WATTAFACK ARE YA DOIN'?!"
The stars were covered by the furious face of Revenant. Maya lifted her torso and found herself outside the circle.
"DOGSHIT! I'm askin' ya, what ta fack was THAT?"
Maya looked at the novice inside the circle. "She's a kid..."
"Is that?" Revenant said, incredulous, "So if a witch looks like a child, ya let her kill ya."
Maya frowned. "No, that's not what I sa-"
"HOW ARE YA STILL FAHKIN' ALIVE?!"
Evie, who was watching the Revenant's scolding, paying close attention to the newbie's reaction, noticed that Alice had stood up.
Maya looked at her friend, seeing she clenched her fists and anxious to act. When they exchanged glances, Maya shook her head slightly, it looked more like a shiver.
Alice gritted her teeth and looked down before relaxing her fists and sitting again.
The victorious novice was not very happy with that repercussion. "Sorry..."
Upon hearing that, Revenant turned to her.
Under that intense gaze, the novice froze.
In a sudden movement, the black woman readied a punch.
The little girl cringed and used her arms to protect herself, but the blow was so strong that she was knocked out, her body was immobile on the earth.
"What?!" Maya's eyes widened. "YOU ARE CRAZY!"
"Ya didn't want her ta get hurt, didya?" Revenant looked at her. "Well, this is what happens when ya FAIL."
The novice started to move her face, her mouth was bleeding and tears streamed down her still closed eyes.
Maya noticed and rose to go to her.
Revenant intervened. "Go back ta ya place, Dogshit."
"Yah arse I will!"
The push launched Revenant away, but the woman remained standing with her firm countenance.
Maya also had a similar expression, but soon she put it aside to help the other novice to stand up.
Running her tongue over the blood that was still running from her nose, Evie's apathy became a malicious smile.
Watching Maya take the other novice back to her place, Revenant nodded and pointed to two other girls. "Right! I want ya and ya in the circle. I won't fawrget anyone, huh?"
There were a few more fights until all the novices had participated.
"Whoevah wants ta fight again feel free ta do so." Revenant summoned a small blade, made of a green metallic material, in her hand. "I'm gonna prepare the meat. Someone helps with dryin' the tomatoes."
While the sister removed the skin and guts from the rabbits and the snake, some novices used branches as skewers for the tomatoes and took them to the fire.
Alice was worried about her friend. After helping the novice, she was very quiet and with a lost gaze. "Are ya okay?"
Maya's hands were shaking. "I'm hungry..."
The novices brought the tomatoes, hot and withered. Even though they were small, each novice could only eat a piece or there would not be enough for everyone.
Alice smelled it and her mouth immediately drooled, she took a piece that fell apart in her hand. She did not care much about it and licked it off. The taste was strong, sour followed by a bitter aftertaste, it was not like the ones in the supermarket, but it was like the best one she had ever eaten in her life.
Also using branches as skewers, Revenant was already roasting the meat. The first one that was ready was the snake, from which the woman ate a good part of it, offering the rest to the most courageous and hungry ones who approached. When the rabbits were ready, she took them to the rest of the group. "After ya eat, ya can go ta sleep. Whoevah wants more, help yourselves." She pointed to the pile of guts on the ground.
The size of the rabbits was modest and, as with the tomatoes, each girl was only entitled to a small part.
When Maya received a piece, she was not sure what part of the animal it was. It was singed, with a few pieces of leaves stuck on the surface, the smell was not the best. When she put it in her mouth, she tasted blood mixed with smoke, the leaves that supposedly served as seasoning did not help much. However, the meat was tender and when the warm piece descended through her throat, it brought hope comparable to a grief seed being used in her gem.
After eating her share, Alice decided to check on Evie. The pale girl had put her pants neatly folded over the pair of boots, improvising a pillow, and the shirt was going to be the blanket or the mattress. The blonde then noticed something else. "Hey, didya see Revenant?"
"Nah..." Maya frowned, understanding her friend's concern. "The last time I saw her was when she brought the meat."
A novice was passing in front of them.
It was Alice's bed neighbor, she called her, "Hey, where's Revenant?"
With raised eyebrows, the novice looked at them and then looked around. "Ah, she must have gone ta talk ta God."
Alice frowned. "What?"
／人 ◕‿‿◕ 人＼
Sitting on the highest point of the rock formation, with the contours of her black skin glistening under the light of the stars, Revenant contemplated the horizon. She was certain that the faint range of light she could see was from a village more than a hundred miles away.
A movement in the sky caught her attention. It was a shooting star, tracing an ephemeral line in the complex art of the Milky Way and the infinite.
"There're so many girls in my care."
She smiled, despite the cold wind hitting her back.
"I learned so much from ya and I'm still scared."
She raised her hand and pretended that the lights in the sky were like a cloud of glitter floating in the air. Everything would be easier to achieve.
"I'll not fail this mission, I'll not fail ya..."
Revenant dropped her arm and hugged her own legs, leaning her forehead against her knees and whispering, "I miss ya..."
She returned to where the novices were. The fire was extinguishing, and in order to face the cold, many girls slept hugging each other. Walking carefully between them, the woman arrived where she had left her clothes and took the grief seed that was in her trouser pocket, and then started looking for those who needed it most.
／人 ◕‿‿◕ 人＼
"WAKE UP, STOP DOSSIN' AROUND!"
The morning was yet to come when they all got dressed and jumped off the cliff. They made their way back, crossing the 'river' and singing among the bushes they left behind.
They took less time. Without a break, Revenant forced the novices to enter the cave. "I'll go last ta hide the hole."
With a bad night's sleep and no breakfast, Maya and Alice had to say goodbye to the sunlight to brave the darkness in that harsh environment, at least now it was a descent.
The novices who were arriving in the great room of the cave waited for the lights of the others that were yet to arrive.
Especially the white light of the Revenant's gem. "Okay, stay still while I contact the Sistahhood."
Maya and Alice pointed their lights to see the woman approach a wall.
[Invader? I'm with our novices here. Has anyone seen us?]
The answer soon came.
[Good morning. Not even me was aware that you had arrived.]
[Great.] Revenant moved away from the wall. [We are ready to enter.]
Everyone heard the muffled but recognizable sound of the locks and then the wall moved. The tunnel lights came on, revealing the long descending ramp.
"We can turn off our gems now." Revenant led them.
When they arrived at the base's corridors intersection, Madre was there.
Revenant separated from the group, pointing to the stairs that went up. "Ya girls are gonna take a showah befawre goin' ta the refectory. I bet no one else will complain about the food heah."
Madre accompanied the sister. "Are they all right? Some are stained with blood."
"They're bettah than when they left." The black woman entered the bathroom.
／人 ◕‿‿◕ 人＼
After the very welcoming bath, Maya went to her locker to dry off. Conveniently, someone had already left new uniforms and a basket for the dirty and damaged clothes. She wondered if it had been Madre.
She did not have time to think about it anymore, as someone pulled her by the shoulder.
It was Evie. "Why do ya keep actin' like that?"
Maya's eyes widened. "Huh?"
"This isn't gonna work with me." And the pale girl seemed to be serious with her lack of apathy.
Alice pushed Evie, standing in front of Maya.
"I was already expectin' that." The purple gaze grew more intense as she smiled at the blonde. "Ya can't resist, can ya?"
Alice lifted her chin. "Why don't ya mind yah own business, huh?"
"Why do ya keep protectin' her?" Evie's voice became softer. "Have ya evah wondered about that?"
"Wow, what a difficult question..." Alice smiled too, a sarcastic smile. "It must be 'cause I STILL have a friend ta protect."
Evie's smile was gone as a purple light enveloped her body, drawing the attention of novices who still ignored that fight. When the light faded, she wore a black sleeveless jacket, with a large purple print on the bottom half that resembled drops hitting a liquid surface. The jacket was open and she wore nothing underneath, not even a bra, but not that she had much to show off. She wore black long-topped boots, closed with zipper, and shiny leggings, with a purple and black checkered theme, with a purple gem in the shape of a four-pointed star at the waist. Her forearms were covered with dark fabric armbands.
Some novices began to leave the bathroom in a hurry.
"Uuuuhhh..." The blonde raised an eyebrow. "I hit a nerve, right?"
"A-Alice?" Maya called, worried.
"Relax, she wanna scare us."
Shaking her head in disbelief, Evie said, "For real, have ya evah killed a magical girl?"
"If I already killed?" Alice shrugged. "Well, from what the Sistahhood says, I've already killed a lot."
"Ya know that's not what I'm talkin' about."
"Yeah, I have ta admit, I nevah killed anyone, but..." A flash of yellow light and Alice was wearing a yellow safety helmet, with a black stripe that started from the visor and ended halfway up to the top. She wore a short-sleeved white shirt with a tight collar, with a black stripe that started at the collar and passed between the breasts, ending just below them. The shirt was short and left the belly exposed, however, there were countless chains that connected the shirt with the yellow pants, where the chain that covered the navel had a metal plate containing a square gem of a mustard tone. The pants had a black stripe on each thigh and knee, resembling an exclamation point, and on the stripes there were several small cuts in the fabric, exposing the skin. She was wearing a modern pair of velcro sneakers. On her left wrist was a bracelet and a light enveloped her right forearm, materializing a chainsaw. "Ya're makin' it be very, very easy."
Maya raised her voice. "Alice! No!"
Evie tilted her head to the side, smiling and looking at the dark-skinned girl. "Ya can put an end ta it."
Maya looked away.
The pale girl stopped smiling again. "Or can't ya?"
"Hey!" Alice pointed to herself. "This fight is with me, loser."
Evie gaped and blinked. "I have been called of a lot of things, but losah?"
"Yeah, I know about yah story. Ya lost a war and ya has been heah for a long time as a novice." Alice nodded. "Now ya're takin' yah frustrations out on othahs."
"Ya brainless idiot, this isn't a school," Evie said, without showing much anger, "the Sistahhood chooses sistahs based on what they need, more than anythin' else. This crisis with witches disguised as magical girls is the perfect opportunity for me."
"Uh-huh..." Alice nodded again. "And I bet yah sistah's name would be Viper."
Evie froze for a moment and then smiled. "This wasn't supposed ta be a secret at all..." Above her armbands a swarm of small purple darts of energy began to appear, which began to rotate with great speed around her forearms.
"Yeah... Enough of talk." Alice started her chainsaw, which produced only the sound of the chain.
"No..." Maya saw no alternative to stop that madness other than screaming, but when she tried, her voice was canceled out by an explosive sound.
Dust and rocks hit Alice's face, which she had no chance to avoid. "Ah... Cough! Cough! What the heck?!" As the dust cloud settled, she saw that there was now a green metal bar between her and Evie. It was stuck in the concrete wall, forming large cracks.
No, it was not a bar, but a javelin. On its surface were engravings that appeared to be faces in agony. When the weapon evaporated, everyone looked at where it had been launched.
Revenant was wearing a large necklace of cylindrical bones and it was the only thing that covered her torso. She wore a green metallic skirt with copper details, it didn't seem to be very flexible and its smooth surface reflected the environment around her. The skirt had a large opening in the center, up to the thigh, allowing to see the space between the legs. She was barefoot, but there were copper bracelets on her ankles, as well as on her wrists and on her neck. An adornment, also made of copper, partially covered the half of her head's top where the hair was shaved.
Evie made her darts disappear.
Even so, Revenant approached with a furious gaze at her.
The pale girl did not lower her head or look away, even when the muscular woman was breathing on her and pushing her with just her body.
Revenant gritted her teeth and said, almost like a whisper, "Ya disappoint me..."
Alice smiled. The black woman's body had the size of two Evie, no, three.
Revenant looked back. "Why dya still have yah weapon? Is it glued ta yah arm? Do I hafta dismembah ya?"
The blonde got rid of her chainsaw, but the tension only increased when the woman stood in front of her. "S-She staaAAHHH!"
Even with her friend being pulled violently by the shirt, Maya did not dare to say a word.
Revenant placed Alice and Evie face to face and took a step back. "Now apologize ta each othah."
Alice grimaced at the sister, doubting what she had just heard. "What?! I won't apologize ta this conceited, disqualified shit who just wants ta screw others! There's no way!"
"Sorry, Alice."
The blonde looked at Evie, reinforcing her grimace of disgust.
With her apathetic face, she continued, "I ended up getting' carried away by the moment and yah bravado, but I really have nothin' against ya. I hope ta be yah real friend someday."
"It looks like she can do it." Revenant crossed her arms, looking at Alice. "And that's what we expect in the Sistahhood."
"Fuck the Sistahhood!" Alice shouted, "we didn't come heah ta be part of yah little group of fanatics."
"Ya didn't understand anythin' at all..." Revenant pressed her lips together, containing her anger. "The Sistahhood isn't an organization, nor a place."
Alice frowned and shook her head.
"If a witch appears and ya hafta depend only on each othah, ya two will be the Sistahhood!" Revenant pulled Evie and Alice's hair, bringing the two close to her face. Wide-eyed, she said, "If ya wanna hate someone, hate ME!"
The two girls were thrown against the wall like rag dolls and crashed on the floor.
Revenant exchanged one last look with Maya, who was as if her feet were nailed to the floor, before turning and leaving.
"I can take it."
Next chapter: Inconfidence