Captive Witch

Chapter One

I sit on my windowsill, watching as cars drive by, a black car, a red truck, a beige car, as the years went by, it became a game of sorts, to look at the vehicle and guess who it belonged to. The black car would belong to a single woman living alone with a dog but not a cat because she doesn't want to be a textbook cat lady, the red truck would belong to a man, he worked as a fireman and in his off time he let his kids fool around with his truck and act like they were saving people from fires, the beige car would hold a couple who wanted a child but couldn't have one or had lost one....

I turn away from the window, not wanting to pine away about the outside world anymore, this was my life and I just had to endure it. "Nox, let's go." He stands up from the floor, briefly stretches and then pads over to me, his head butting against my hand gently, I roll my eyes and scratch him behind the ears, ignoring his rumbling purr, I drop my hand and leave the room, with him following close behind me, he never did like it when I was out of his sight. Silly really, weren't jaguar's supposed to be independent, fierce creatures?

Sure, with others he wasn't so friendly, but with me he was almost like a true house cat, if not for the difference in size and the constant need for my attention. I twirl around as I dance down the stairs, my white dress flaring out around me, I skip into the living room and turn on my iPod, blasting Black Sea by Natasha Blume, my favourite song for the moment, but considering that changed almost weekly, it wouldn't last long.

"You twist, I turn, who's the first to burn. You sit and stay, I don't obey, Where do we land in the Black Sea?" I twirl around again as Nox follows me, chuffing at me as his tail twirls around my legs. I giggle as I stumble on the slick fake fur carpet, I spot him out of the corner of my eye and freeze, I huff and flop onto the floor, my cheeks red with embarrassment that he caught me acting like such a child. "Mikhail! When did you come in? I thought you weren't supposed to come for another few days?" His lips tilt up into a slight smile as he stares at me with amusement in his eyes, but my words cause his lips to tilt down slightly, I read his expression before he even has to say anything. "You're not coming back in a few days anymore are you?"

He sighs and reaches over to the table, picking up the remote and turning off the stereo so we could talk in relative silence. "No, I am sorry my darling girl, something came up with work, but your birthday is coming up soon, what would you like?" I ignore Nox as he bats around my hair like one of his string toys, he was right, I would be turning twenty soon.

"How about a trip to the beach? I've always wanted to see the ocean." He frowns at me, his eyes sad, I huff in annoyance already anticipating his response.

"You have an entire lake on the grounds with more than enough beach and you can see the ocean from the windows of the house, besides you know that you are not allowed off the grounds. Be reasonable Valerie, you know the rules." I turn away from him irritated, ever since I was little, well as far back as I can remember, I've never been allowed off the grounds, don't get me wrong, it hasn't been horrible. The grounds span for miles, allowing me a great deal of area to roam about in, I had an entire house to myself, though google has revealed that it would be better called a mansion, because as far as I can tell my home was easily three times the size of what a large middle class home is classified as. I usually got everything I wanted even if it wasn't a special day, but my birthday was one of the few days Mikhail would give me anything I asked for, and I do mean anything, without any protest, as long as it didn't conflict with his rules. That's how I got Nox, I admit, I was a little shocked when Mikhail let my fifteen year old self get a jaguar cub as a pet, but I could never say how grateful I was that he allowed me to have him.

Nox is the friend that Mikhail's rules never let me make with humans. My entire life I've only ever really known three people, Mikhail, who was I guess you could say my adoptive father, though as weird as it sounds he only looked about twenty-five and he looked exactly the same as he did when I was little to now, almost twenty years later, google told me he must be a vampire, but that just doesn't make sense, he eats normal food, he's warm to the touch, he has a heartbeat, he doesn't glitter, and he can go out in the sunlight, so maybe he has just aged really well, to tell the truth I've never really worked out the courage to ask him how he still looks the way he does.