Chapter 1 (catalyst)

  By a vigorous outburst, her hand connected with a stinging impact  and again, and again. as if that wasn't enough she shoved him, "son of a devil!" the tone of her voice harsh and strengthened by a pang of great anger...

While the brawl intensified, Annie had caught horrific earshot and kicked off on a silent pace for the window in fear of her own life. she progressively got a foot over the wall of the casement and to her rising gorge, she barely managed to keep up with the gentle pace. Her clammy fingers slipped off the steel handle and there came after, a nasty fall against a pile of dampened grass. 

   Nearly a close shave as she got up, ready to hit the road until the devil caught her between him and the deep blue sea. With aunt Dinah's firm grim on her hair, it was an extreme struggle, Eddie had made a hasty run out through the door and blocked the way ahead.

    Nightmares foretold tonight when she would be not long for this world, and by Dinah's tenacity, Eddie's hidden ferociousness beneath that quite relaxed standing posture silhouetted against the darkest of the night, Annie clearly knew, she was done for.

    However, she put up with a hell of a fight, not a match for her aunt's strength, to be able to haul the eighteen-year-old  back in, through the same window she jumped through, and by the hair. 

    "what a close shave," Dinah confessed blithely, as Annie fell back on the hard floor also bearing in mind, Faith's existence. "better start saying the angelus cause not far from now, you'd be meeting your maker..."

   Annie's blood ran cold. it was by this time Dinah struck the terror into her that Eddie stepped in and she sedately confronted him.

    She muttered something underneath her breath, and he barely dissembled with a brave face to whatsoever was made known.

    "you act like a chicken, you're going down with her,"

   Eddie said, "we put her underneath for as long the predicament lasts. I should get over my first murder before thinking to carry out another."   

    "rather put your thinking cap on."

    "I've long thought about it; it'd be far long before I spill blood again."

    "really there's not a whit of sense in that head of yours. However, now, you brought her to think I killed her mom." Staring back at the young girl, "who knows how much more she heard... if we don't keep her mouth shut forever, it's all on you..."

    "there's been bad blood between the girl and I, but I can't imagine wiping her out completely. She's still a direct relative. Even if I were to put her to the sword, have you thought about your other enemy..."

   Annie squared up to the predicament. It, was a long, hard look that cut through Dinah's thick skin, initiating one intense time to get her claws in. she left Eddie standing and went back to the former, "are those heated eyes on me?" 

   Hastily, the young girl averted her gaze.

    "you haven't got a ghost of a chance of seeing tomorrow and I want you to bear that in mind, girl."

    "you better not lay a finger on me. I heard nothing."  her voice quivered. she was on a verge of tears and struggled to keep her composure

    "why make a haste for the window, then? I'm not giving you a chance Annabel." 

   Annie heartbeat palpitated, and by a pang of fury, she looked the witch right in the eye, "the world's your oyster, make the best out of it while the going is good, but when your chances are over you'll be thinking hell's a better place to pay the price."  

    "I could take your life and you know that,"

    "isn't taking lives your own way of life. Isn't that what you've always wanted to do. for Christ's sake you killed a human being only to have her body buried down in the cellar? What a curse!" 

   Dinah's palm bashed aggressively across her chin. The slap was sharp and sudden like a thrunder clap in a quiet room. In the fairly lit room, cut wood on Annie's lower lip was noticed by her cold step brother who had rather laid low, a feeling of concern.    

    "you know what, Annie? I'm sending you to hell, once I cast a spell on that handicapped, I'm gonna bring her along too."

    Annie might have made a mistake provoking the high tempered woman once she turned away to face some other business. She could've thought twice, before those fighting words tripped off her tongue by virtue of her feebleness in getting away.

    It was now the devil in Dinah's stead, grabbing a well carved pitcher on the trestle. She cerebrated how much harm that'll do if she delivered it right to Annie's temple, but she wouldn't go off dredging times of yore. Words put Dinah in a compromising position with an old buffer as such farther tormented her morale that she hit the road scurrying back to Annie. In a twinkling fit of range, the harden ware smashed against Annie's head.

    There came after, a sudden silence it was almost as if they could hear blood gushing and spilling over the wooden floor where a body laid stiff.   

    "go to hell, Annabel." Dinah growled, boiling with ire she gave her piece austerely, "and remember to give your mother my regards"

   Eddie reacted differently, "what? she's dead?"

    "we're getting rid of  the carcass tonight. Prepare a horse and a cart__"

    "what?"

    "didn't you hear me?"

    'how's this so easy for you." 

   Dinah had never been answerable to any one, and her cowardly son isn't going to be the first. "collect the shards. While I clean up your own mess in the down floor."

   He could barely collect his own self after the shock. He couldn't figure out which way to turn to, pacing back and forth perchance by now, in fear of his own life.

    "be in command of yourself, Edward!" she yelled.

Rather he began stammering, "h-how, can I? what if someone else had witnessed the scenario." 

   She quickly grasped he was on about Faith. Further vexed by some stupid anxiety he displayed, like a cat on hot tin roof, she snapped, "I have her under a spell, idiot!"   

    "right," took a long breath in and heaved a sigh, "right, right." Then bent over to collect the broken shards now directly facing the horrors of an evil act. She laid lifeless in a pool of blood, she could be dead...  he tried to feel her nape, his finger's shuddered, they only made it an inch close, for he was absolutely disoriented by the shakes...