Witches Beware

Chapter Three: To máti an to ágnosto...

I can hear her whimpering, hear the ropes cutting deep into her skin, the chair creaking under her struggle. I was home, walking through the small hall to the living room. Why am I home?
A large shadow formed upon the wall; it had a long horn- a demon. I can smell the sulfur coming off his skin, hear the growl from his throat, see his gray peeking out his trench coat.
What's happening? Why am I here?

I opened my mouth to speak, but I couldn't. I kept walking, getting closer to the entrance of the living room, her whimper became louder, my heart pounded fast and stomach twisted. The harsh chill courses through my veins and made me shiver violently. I stopped just before the threshold, frightened to see what's truly going on. However, the mirror in front of me showed me everything, even myself.

I was short, my hair still in pigtails, the blue overalls barely covering my small body- I was a kid, no older than five. I remembered the outfit, it was the same day we came from the beach, but why am I in this form? The smell of sulfur became even more intense, along with the harsh chill that froze me in that spot- I was exposed. Suddenly, a pair of yellow orbs spotted me, I couldn't run- my body numb and unresponsive. The sound of his footsteps only made me panic, he's coming... Oh god he's coming!...

I gasped for air as the weight of my body came back to me, my hands stretched upright to the ceiling that was so close- I could run my fingers along the cracks. However, once waking up from a dream that cause you to levitate, it always ends up with broken beds and splitting headaches. Gravity took me down with both hands, before it could scream my ass has already hit the mattress and soon the floor. Both of my night stands received the same fate, along with my teddy bears and desk- mostly anything that wasn't held down fell back to earth and broke apart.

"Jupiter!" The door seemed as if it were blown off its hinges, but Aunt May just barged in with the cavalry following behind. Quickly scanning the room, she found me hiding cowardly behind the bed with a frighten gaze and fingers clenching onto the covers until my nails puncture me the fabric. She ran to my side and pulled me into an unexpected hug that even her own children were surprised of. "Are you okay?"

I took a deep breath to calm my fast beating heart and forced a nod. I wasn't okay, not even a little, but to admit I was losing my shit would only make things worse. "Night terrors, that's all."

"Night terrors?" Athena spat while eyeing the chaos scattered all over the floor, it looked like a tornado and earthquake went through this place. "I haven't seen this since-"

"Don't you dare, Athena." Maxine hissed while pouting and turning away in embarrassment. "I'll go make some tea, that'll calm your nerves." I can't blame her for running away from the freak show, I never experienced this before- to even use magic when asleep is something only... well, I don't even know who can do that.

"How about you share a room with Athena?"

"What?!"

"No, I'm fine Aunt May." I crawled onto the bed, my legs were too weak and all my energy went to the levitation. Besides, sharing a room with Athena is a no go, even when we were kids we never shared a room- there's boundaries we wouldn't cross.

"Athena." Sending her oldest daughter a shivering glare, Aunt May had made her decision. "Set up the air mattress."

Proving that she didn't like the idea as much as I, Athena huffed whether loudly before doing what her mother ordered. "Seriously, Aunt May, I'm fine." I said once again, breathless, exhausted, and in need of some sort of herbal tea Maxine is wiping up.