The day
Ebony met Hayley in the cluster of trees behind the church was not a good day.
Enough to say there is never a good time to meet Hayley. The church was where
she lived with her mother and father; they were a respectable family who had
been helping with the witch trials. Reverend Walsh, Hayley's father, had
ushered the girls inside and Ebony sighed, she had always want to join their
small circle of friends, but as always she stood alone in the bone numbing
twilight. Ebony was so busy watching the girls walk inside to wait for Hayley
to come so they could start that she did not hear the footsteps behind
her.
“Spying
are we?” asked Hayley with a wicked smile on her face, Ebony jumped and whirled
around. “No, I was just, I was just..... “ Ebony stammered she had never been
good at talking under pressure. “Spying?” supplied Hayley. “No, I was defiantly
not spying.” retorted Ebony. But Hayley just smiled, “If you’re sure. By the
way do you want to come inside it is dreadfully cold out here.” she said.
Surprised Ebony replied "Sure... I guess." Hayley started to walk
away, when she was just out of the trees she seemed to realise that Ebony was
still standing there and she turned, "Well? “She questioned. "Oh
right. Sorry." and Ebony ran after her.
A few
weeks later Ebony was waiting with her friends Valerie, Annabelle and the
others in Hayley's circle of friends, outside the church. Ebony was excited to
invited again, she was never included in anything and was amazed that she was
still here. But now she was part of the most popular group of girls in her
village.
Only
thing that tainted this amazing thing that had happened to her is that the
girls were always gossiping about the witches. If Ebony talked about it in her
house her mother would be furious; her mother a very respectable woman thought
that it was unholy to talk about such things. Sometimes they talked about girls
that they didn’t like and Ebony liked to believe that the fact the girls were
usually burned at the stake a few weeks later was all coincidence. But this
week would change everything.
It was the fourth night of moon’s wane and Ebony
was in the wood, she didn’t know why but there was a light ahead so she walked
through the trees. The trees looked very familiar and with a sudden realization,
they were the woods behind the church. By the fire up ahead, girls were dancing
in circles around a fire chanting in a language Ebony had never heard of, and
Ebony realized they were Hayley’s girls, her circle. And all of a sudden one by
one the girls fall down until the last girl standing laughs, with a jolt Ebony
realizes, Hayley. Ebony gasps and moves her hand up to cover her mouth but it
is too late, Hayley saw her, Hayley turned her head and laughed as she raised
her hand and pointed at Ebony. And again one by one the others stood, turned to
face Ebony and started walking towards her. Ebony screamed and ran but the
girls kept following and Hayley’s laugh echoed in her ear
Ebony woke with a
start, she was sweating and shaking. She eased out of bed so she wouldn’t wake
Valerie and Annabelle. They were over for a sleepover and they both were very
grumping if they were woken. Ebony walked down the hall and stopped outside
Fletchers room. He was always awake, she knocked and the door opened inwards.
He was sitting on his bed writing, probably some elaborate story. She sat next
to him; he looked over with that gilt in his eyes like he knew she had been
having a nightmare. “You okay?” he inquired Ebony replied “Sort of.” He smiled
“Go back to bed, your strong, you’ll be fine.” Ebony sighed “Fine, but you,
have to go to sleep.” “You know I won’t.” He taunted so she pushed him over and
left.
