Caged in Darkness (Caged #1)(3)

“I need to get to a place called Meadow Falls.” I rarely had opportunity to speak, and wasn’t sure how to greet a stranger, let alone a woman who unknowingly aided my escape.

“Little one, what happened to you? Where are your parents? Why are you in my car? Did someone hurt you?” She looked around at the only other people near the rest stop, and lowered her voice. “Do you know your home phone number or address?”

The woman had kind eyes, but she was overwhelming me. Her questions were stringing together and I couldn’t process them. My hands lifted to cover my eyes from the blinding sun. My parents rarely allowed bright lights within our home, and the sun was like needles in my corneas. I swung my feet over to sit on the edge of the trunk and considered what to say.

“I needed to escape them. My parents are...” I paused, swallowed, and began again. “I need to get to my other family. I didn’t know what else to do.” I paused, while I waited for her to say she was going to call my parents, but she had a knowing look in her eyes.

She sighed. “What’s your name?”

I wasn’t sure if I should give her my real name, but decided she couldn’t do much with a first name. “Savannah.”

I knew what she saw when she looked at me. I was nothing like my name. Savannah sounds exotic, beautiful and special. I was a nine year old child, who looked closer to seven years old. I had long ratted hair that hung in clumps down to my hips. It was impossible for her to tell the color of my hair with the grime that coated it. I wasn’t even sure I knew what color it was. I knew that the woman saw a child, who looked closer to a skeleton with a layer of skin. My eyes were bruised, lips cracked, and my cheeks were sunken. The only redeemable trait, that made me look more than a pile of rags, was my liquid silver eyes ringed with violet.

In that moment, with this kind woman framed by the sun’s rays, I felt that my life could someday be different. That it was possible for a malnourished waif to turn into someone completely ordinary.





2: Escape





Second Entry: My Escape





The kind woman, who unknowingly aided in my escape, dropped me off outside of the town Meadow Falls. She tried to convince me that I was far too young to be on my own, but seemed a bit relieved to have me off of her hands.

I stared down the stone road that led into town. I could see lights in the distance, but I had no idea what waited for me at the end of this path. As I walked, the sky blanketed over into a dark indigo mist, while the breeze became swift; it was pulling me towards the town. If the town were a black hole, I was the helpless star being sucked into oblivion. It was an oblivion I craved.

These were people who had stood against the wrongness that my parents represented. For me, this town represented an entire lifetime or a swift death. I could not go back. I could not be the frightened child chained to a cage of solitude. I needed freedom. I needed a home. Most of all, I need to know what safety felt like.

I came to the edge of the town. It was dark, except for the lamp posts guarding the road and a few lights that had yet to be extinguished. It was a secluded town that was much smaller than I expected. It was nestled within thick woods, housed a handful of residences, and an equal number of shops. The shops were not the sort that was expected in a small town, but instead had signs that said “Herbs and More” or “The Art of Divination.”

In the center of the town was an enormous circle. The circle embraced the wildlife and yet seemed to remain apart from it all. Stone boulders, large enough for an adult to sit on, rested at five points on the outside edge of the circle. Dark black stones acted as a conduit between the boulders. My knowledge of performing rituals was limited, but I knew more than most about watching them. The stone boulders would act as the five points of the pentacle, which was a five pointed star within a circle. The circle is a crucial tool for a witch, because it acts as a spiritual protection when witches are at their most vulnerable.

In the middle of the casting circle was an altar. My parents’ had an altar, though it was very different from this one. My parents’ altar was dark like their souls. They kept a bowl filled with the blood of the innocents they had sacrificed, an athame to use as their sacrificial tool, and a dark black rose that bloomed eternal. These items were placed on a small table covered with a black cloth. The cloth served a separate purpose; to hide a compartment. In that tiny chamber, where they kept their grimoire and other assorted items they deemed important.

The altar that this town kept was the polar opposite of my parents’ altar. This altar was as large as a coffee table, but stood much higher. It didn’t make me feel as though spiders were crawling across my skin. This altar didn’t make me feel as though evil whispers surrounded me.

The town altar was covered by an ivory cloth. On the cloth stood a slightly tarnished copper goblet with a bright sapphire stone imbedded in its spine. The athame was unmarred silver; the divination bowl was made of wood and did not have any contents that I could see. Still, it was dark and I knew I would see much more when the sun chased away the demons that were tracking and burrowing their way into my soul.

Where did I go from here? I didn’t know who I was looking for or even if they would help me. It was obvious by the dispelled lights that most of the houses were not an option. Past the stores lay three houses with lights still on. The first house was a one story ranch styled home in a sky blue shade with a stone porch. The second house was two stories, and had a light on in one of the upper windows. This suggested to me that the person was about to sleep. The third house was much bigger than the others in the tiny town. It looked as though it were the grandfather of houses; towering over the others and insisting on their obedience, while at the same time it seemed to tilt towards them to offer comfort. This house was one of protection. It spoke to me as it lurked in the corner, beckoning for me to approach.