Chapter 4

Picture this; a once solid particle slowly changes to something almost translucent, see through. A change in molecular density (don't ask how or why I know that), making all solid things turn almost invisible. It would be fascinating to watch but creepy to experience.

Right before my own eyes, I saw my skin turn pale white before turning to a crystal like color (if it exists)! I was shocked and with my heart in my mouth already, I didn't know if I could handle another shock. But the surprises were far from over.

Turning my head, I looked behind to find that it was a guy with a grin hanging on his face that had hugged me.

"Hang tight, love. This won't be easy." He said, in an accent that sounded like he was a northerner. He held on tighter before jumping, through the window!

Sigh, this is hard to explain. Picture this, you have jump through a window. Not like, break the glass and jump, not open it and jump, literally through it! You know, like how ghosts do it.

The guy held my head down and pushed me further into his embrace. I felt suspended in the air for a fraction of a second before feeling the gravity pull us back down. I lifted my head but didn't have time to let the dizziness settle before I shuffled back into my bed.

"Take care, love." The guy whispered in my ear after making sure he had tucked me in. I looked up from my sea of sheets that he had buried me in and saw the motley crew of five. The kind lady came and properly huddled the blanket around my neck before leaning and giving me a kiss on the forehead.

"Good night." She said right before they disappeared.

I kept on staring at the spot where they stood stuck in a daze before the sound of stomping and lock clicking woke me up. Hurriedly, I burrowed into my warm haven before facing the wall and calming my breathing. Pretending to be asleep, I closed my eyes and opened my ears even wider.

"Raven, I know that you're awake." Came the voice.

"Aidan. Him?" I thought. "Heh, so he finally remembered of my existence? I'm not so easy to appease so, suffer a little while longer."

Yes, my thoughts were plain evil, but he deserved it. They all did.

I had never felt even more angry than I did at that moment. How dare he show up?!

"Listen, Raven. I'm sorry I couldn't let you join in on the fun. It was an...." he started before being interrupted.

"It's her duty to follow through with orders. We all have to." Said the newcomer abruptly.

It was Pecku, my oldest brother and also my greatest enemy. For as long as I could remember, he had always hated me. No, hate is a small word. He loathed my existence. I thought that it was because I was the last and had the least expectations or maybe because I was a girl but he hated me with a fiery passion.

In the beginning, he would always hit me whenever he got the chance, hard enough to for the pain to be felt but not for a mark to be left. He liked to hit my arms, as I would always wear long sleeved dresses so they were easy to cover up.

Over time, I got used to avoiding him and would always act in line so as to avoid "punishment " like Pecku calls it. Of course, I would still get hit. I got used to it, but it still hurt. Hearing him say all these hurtful stuff made me feel numb inside out, that's how bad this all is.

"Sometimes, I wish you weren't born. You have become a stain to the family." Added Pecku. That hurt, even though I was numb, should be numb, that still hurt.

"What wrong did I ever do? Being born? Being myself? Being alive? Why do they all hate me so much?" I thought with anguish. It was too much. I couldn't take it anymore. The abyss was to drown me.

I felt myself curl up into a fetal position and felt my lungs be blocked. Bile and blood rushed up my throat and made me choke even more.

I felt myself drown in a river of sadness, long and black, filled with broken dreams and lost hope. Everywhere I turned, seeking help, I was kicked out, cursed at and abused. Even when I turned to my family, I was greatly disappointed. Maybe I should have not had too many high hopes and expectations. That way the pain wouldn't be so deep....

....

....

.....

"She's cursed. Ever since she awakened, all that has followed her is bad luck. " says a voice.

"It's true. I hear that she is a black witch in a family of white witches. That's why she is cursed." Added another.

"I feel sorry for her though. She's too pitiful." Came another. This one sounded familiar, like a servant we once had back at the winter manor. What happened? Last I remembered....

"And the way she keeps on blacking out, what is the matter with her?" Asked the first one.

Maybe it was because I was tired of hearing nonsense that I had heard for so long, I forced my eyes open.

The glaring sun pierced at my eyes but even that couldn't stop my eyes from staying open and glaring at the two imbeciles bold enough to degrade me in my presence. With a smirk, I tilted my head to the side and let the light reflect off my eyes.

I looked every bit menacing, judging from their facial expressions. Good. Time for me to leave the goody two shoes attitude behind.

"I'll have you know that ill talking about your master in their own presence is a punishable act. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Oh, my voice sounded colder. Good, this should emphasize my point more. They looked very unfrightened though, which I found strange.

"You seem useless as is in that bed. What are you going to do that will scare us?" Asked the bolder one of the two. The other seemed scared though, as if she knew she was in the wrong. Turning to her, I asked;

"Do you think so as well?"

She seemed frightened now that I had switched my focus to her. She immediately dropped to her knees, something that caught me by surprise. I quickly masked my face back to indifference as they didn't need to know a thing.

"Please forgive us, lady Ravenna. We will not do it again." She pleaded.

"Oh come on, Emma. She is useless. She can't do anything to us. She fell out of good graces with the rest of the family." Added the other.

Oh, this was now interesting.

Witch, they called me. Heh, let me show you what it means to be one.

Feeling something erupt from deep within, I was ready to release it upon the two insolently fickle minded maids but Emma's words made rethink my decision.

"Nonetheless, she is still a blue blood. Don't forget your position, Stacy."

Emma's intelligent, Stacy, not so much.

"Emma, grow a back bone." Stacy said with ridicule. See, very dumb. They just had to be the servants assigned to me. Time to change that.

With a glint in my now cobalt blue eyes that I hadn't noticed yet, I prepared to attack.

"You need to learn some manners, Stacy."

An outstretched hand later, ...