Chapter 5-The Witch of a Smaller Mountain
When I woke up in the morning there were pajamas on the night table next to the bed I had slept in. Ace must have put them to the side of my bed when he found me sleeping. I had felt so much better than yesterday. I got out of bed barefoot, and walked to the living room. Everyone was there eating breakfast on the dinner table. I must have woken up really late. I scratched my hair and yawned, while walking towards them. "Good morning. Are you feeling better?" Ellina said.
I yawned again, "Good morning. And yes, a lot better thanks."
"Would you like to eat breakfast? You woke up later than us, so we ate already." Ellina said.
"Ok thanks." I said.
Ellina returned with a blob of something on a plate.
"Here you are." she said.
"Thank you." I said. At first I was afraid to eat it, but when I put it near my mouth I noticed its essence was delicious. I couldn't tell what it was, but I ate it all. When I went to the kitchen to put my plate in the sink Ellina stood next to me washing dishes.
"April, we have to get going right away to look for the other Meris. The faster we try and find your father, the better things will get. I doubt we're going to even find any Meris." Ellina said.
"What do we do if we don't find any Meris?"
"We'll have to continue on our own. Don't worry, all we need to find your father is a witch, any witch. She'll locate him for us, and then we'll see what happens."
"Ok then, I'll do whatever I can to help. I have to save my dad."
"Ok, let's get going." I nodded.
We both left the kitchen and waited at the door for Ace and Blake. They finally made it and each of them had changed. Blake changed from his light blue shirt and jeans into Overian clothes it seemed. He was wearing a white shirt with the golden necklace things and a metal piece on the collar like my tank top, and heavy black pants with lots of pockets, and they seemed to be filled with stuff, and dark boots. Ace had changed from his jeans and shirt into similar clothes as Blake, except they were grey.
"Great. You guys are ready! Where should we go first?" Ellina said.
"Let's go with the first houses down our block." Blake said.
We all headed out the door. The streets seemed less gloomy than yesterday. Maybe I got used to it. We passed by a lot of houses on the right, but they would either not be Meris, or they would just slam the door in our faces. All the houses looked the same. They were old and miserable. After ringing the doorbell of over ten hopeless houses, we decided that this would be the last one. Ace rang the doorbell. A man opened the door. He was tall and broad, with grey eyes, and black hair. He wore clothes like Blake and Ace.
"Excuse me sir, are there any young Meris living with you that you know of? It's important." Ace said.
"Nothing is important anymore! My life ends today, I didn't obey Izel and now I pay! Go away, Izel comes back today!" the man seemed to have a trauma from Izel and he slammed the door in our faces.
"Well that didn't go well at all!" I said.
"I think we know that Spalding!" Blake said angrily.
I stiffened my eyebrows. How will I ever find my dad now?
"Well, maybe we could try that house?" Ellina said pointing at a random house.
"No, since Izel is coming today, everyone is going to act like that man, just like they did in our previous houses. They're all completely angered and frightened." Blake said.
"So what do we do, just go back home?" Ace said.
My eyes started to tear from the thought of losing my dad again, "Ellina, you're a liar! You knew that I would never be able to find my dad again! I bet you knew he's still dead! You just used me so that I would help you get whatever you needed, and then you were just gonna send me back!"
I saw the look on Ellina's face. She was offended. For a moment, I felt bad for saying all those words about her, but I couldn't stop my emotions nor could I stop my everlasting tears. I didn't know what was happening to me. I was panting, and tired. I hated to feel that way. I didn't want to faint again. I wanted to find my dad. He was all I thought about. Daddy…dad…dad…
"Shh, it's ok baby girl, I'm right here." Dad said. I turned and saw my dad standing next to me, stroking my hair.
"Daddy!" I cuddled in his arms, tears filling my eyes. I'd missed him now more than ever.
"It's ok honey, I told you, you can get through this. Just breath sweetie, just breath. Never frighten, never—"
"No dad, don't sing that song! I don't want to hear anything about that stupid world. I want to go back, I want you back with me, like how everything used to be. Come back Daddy. Is it true you're still alive?"
"I'm alive honey, and don't worry. Everything will be clear to you in a while. Just hold on tight, remember you promised me. I'll come and see you every night in your dreams so you don't feel alone. Take care of yourself baby girl. I'm always here for you."
"Dad I—"
"April? April, wake up! April?" Ace said.
"Daddy!" I yelled as I got up. I was laying on the street. Ellina came closer to me and hugged me.
"It's ok April, you're going through the transition. It's hard I know, it's ok you can get through it." Ellina said.
But I couldn't get through it. I wanted everything to end. My emotions were everywhere. I couldn't control myself. I couldn't stop crying. Ellina kept trying to calm me down and it slowly worked. I gradually stopped panting and crying, and after a while, I was calm again. I took a lot of deep breaths and soon, I was back to normal.
"Is she okay Ellina?" Blake said.
"She's fine. She's just very tense." Ellina said.
"Thanks Ellina. I'm sorry." I said.
"It's alright. I understand." Ellina said. I got up and stood on my feet. I was too embarrassed to look anyone in their faces. My head was down, "Shall we continue?"
"Yeah, yeah. Let's get out of here." Ace said.
"Going so soon?" said a voice. We all turned to see a girl, hunched on a wall, arms folded, and head down. She was wearing something that looked like a red sports bra but had it had those necklace things on them. I concluded that these necklace things were a traditional wear of Overia. She had so many bracelets on. On both hands she had big thick black bracelets that covered her wrists. She wore black tights and a maroon mini-skirt over them. Her dark brown hair was in a high tight ponytail. She had a golden headband that looked like metal in her hair. She had green eyes. She unattached herself from the wall and came near us.
"I'm Kayla." she said holding out her hand to Ace.
Ace smiled and shook her hand. "Ace." he said.
She winked, "Hot." I saw Ace blush.
I giggled a little under my breath, then stepped forward, "Nice to meet you Kayla, I'm April."
"Cool." Kayla said. "So why are you looking for Meris?"
"It's something that isn't your business." Blake said.
"Oh I'm sorry, I haven't clearly introduced myself. I'm a fire bender, a Meris." Kayla said.
"You're a fire bender? Cool." Ace said.
I said to Ellina under my breath, still recovering, "She's a fire bender, we could use her."
Ellina whispered back, "I don't know, she doesn't seem trustworthy, but we can give it a try." I heard Ellina clear her throat and step forward, "Kayla, how would you like to be part of a rescue mission."
"Rescue mission? Impressive. Rescuing who exactly?" Kayla said.
"Rescuing someone who you shouldn't care about. We don't need you." Blake said.
"I think we do." Ace said.
"Oh shut up Ace!"
"Hey calm your nerves Blake, you wanna show me another fire bender here that won't slam the door in our faces because of Izel? Just admit we kind of need her now, or we'll never be able to rescue her father!" Ace said.
"Whose father?" Kayla sounded interested.
"What the hell are you saying? The only reason—" This was getting out of hand. I had to do something. I spoke up, "STOP FIGHTING!" Everyone went silent. I hesitated then began, "If we're gonna work together to solve this, we have to treat each other well. I think that Kayla would be a good addition to our team, but to prove it for those of you who disagree," I turned to Blake. "she'll show us her fire bending. Kayla, can you please show us your ability to fire bend."
Kayla looked at me like I was stupid then moved to a position. She stiffened every muscle of her body and pushed her hands forward. Fire spewed out of her hand like a faucet being turned on too hard. Then she turned around so quickly and flipped in the air with fire coming out of her feet and arms. She landed on the ground and the sand beneath her flew in the air, "That good enough for ya?" she panted and looked at me. I hesitated and turned to Blake.
He seemed stunned, "Whatever." he said.
"Alright, welcome Kayla, we'll explain everything on the way. But first we have to find a future seeker." I said.
"So, who am I rescuing again?" Kayla said.
Ellina went over to her side, "This is more of a revolution," she whispered, though I could still hear her. Ellina spoke with her for a while and I saw a slight smile cross her face, as she joined us. She went beside Ace and he smiled. "Ok. Let's go then." Ellina said.
We were finally only steps away. We just needed to find an air bender and a future seeker by the end of the day. I sped up my pace to catch up with Ellina who was explaining everything to Kayla. Ace went back to Blake and they were both babbling about something. I rolled my eyes and tried to listen to Ellina and Kayla.
"I think I know someone who can help us find the rest of the Meris before Izel gets here." Kayla said. I was surprised. Could I really have succeeded? Could this be happening?
"You do? Well can you show him to us? Or her?" Ellina said.
"Yea, this way." Kayla said and led us to a turn. I looked behind me to see if the guys were there.
They were following us but they were still bickering. I rolled my eyes and followed Kayla. She lead us to a house that was built on grass. "Come in." I heard Kayla say. We entered the house.
"This is a witch's house." Ellina said. "I could tell from the decorations." The place looked really strange. It looked like an emo's house, black with knives hanging from everywhere. There were strange pictures on the walls. Herbs were sitting on the corner of each room. Kayla led us into one of the rooms. There was an old lady sitting in the middle of the room wearing the black dirty robe that I saw in my vision. The hood covered her full face. Fear rose in me. I stepped back and bumped into Blake. He held me tight. His grip was so strong. "Hey, watch it." He said. I saw him smile and it made me smile too. He lifted me back up and steadied me.
It was like the witch could sense us. I wondered if she were able to locate my dad. She didn't even look at us, but she knew who we were, "What brings you here Kayla, with your friends." she said.
"Hey Claire. I came to ask you if you could locate some powerful Meris for us, an air bender and a future seeker." Kayla said.
"Ah, you came to rescue someone from Izel's seize. It is a pleasure to be acquainted with you history seeker. I presume you want to know where your father is." Claire said. How did she know I was here?
"Yes." I said. "Can you help us?"
"Yes, yes of course but it will have to cost you." Claire said.
"How much do you want?" Blake said.
She laughed.
"No, no I do not want your money. I want the history seeker." Blake's grip tightened on me.
"You're not taking her away from us." He said.
The witch laughed again.
"I do not want to take her away from you. I want to give her something." She got up. I could see that she was holding something in her hand. It was glowing, but I couldn't recognize it at all. She came near me. She lined my face with her long fingernails as she hissed. My heart beat faster. I was scared. Blake suddenly let go of me. He was scared too. I felt all alone. Claire took off her hood and revealed her eyes. I stared in them. Something was in them. It was turning. I tilted my head and with a flash I was standing all alone in a dark room. What happened? Where am I, I thought.
I heard Claire's voice, "Come child, listen to me. The price you pay is not easy. Do what I say or I will curse you forever. You have to answer all my questions, one lie, and your life will be cursed."
"Why are you doing this?" I shouted.
"That my dear, is witch business, so answer all the questions that you will be asked understand?" her tone made me feel like I was going to die if I don't do what she says. How hard can her questions be? I nodded slightly to indicate to her that I had agreed to this ridiculous request.
"Very well," she continued. "What is your full name?"
I hesitated for some odd reason. I already knew my name of course, but maybe it was just the fear of her hissing tone. "A-April Fawn Spalding." I finally said.
I could hear her chuckle as if my name was funny. I waited for the next question but she didn't speak. And since I couldn't see anything I was afraid that if I spoke without being told to, she would send a comet or something to hurt me. So I shut my lips, maybe she was out of questions and was sending me back. Her hissing voice interrupted my thoughts, "What is your age?"
"I'm fifteen, turning sixteen in two weeks." This time I wasn't as hesitant, I figured if I said the truth then she can't hurt me. And again she paused for a long time, probably verifying if what I was saying was true or not.
"You love your mother, your father, and yourself. Who else do you love?" I paused before I could even answer that strange question. She had already mentioned all the people I loved. What did she mean who else? I was afraid that if I questioned her then, she would curse me. "N—no one else." I hesitated.
"You are lying!" she cried. At that moment my feet trembled. I couldn't swallow, or breathe. My eyes were focused somewhere in the darkness, but I didn't move them. But I wasn't lying. What was she going to do to me? I didn't know what to think or do, and from my fear, I fell to the ground unconscious.
