Caged in Darkness (Caged #1)(6)

I became a ghost, misting through their home, while avoiding as much interaction as possible. Occasionally, they would notice an item that had been moved, or leftovers that were eaten, but those were the only clues to my presence. I often envisioned a medium coming to their home to banish my existence, or a priest to exorcise my demons. I wanted to keep my interruptions to a minimum.

It wasn’t until my sixth month there that they became fed up with my avoidance issues. I slithered into the kitchen for some food. It was around midnight, and my new family was waiting for me. The kitchen was abnormally large with oak cabinets and a long counter that divided the kitchen from a dining room. This was not to be confused with the larger dining room, whose doors were always closed.

Maye was sitting at a table in the room beside the kitchen. It was a circular structure with one leg shorter than the others. The table wobbled whenever something touched the top of it, but was stable enough to eat at.

Ash leaned against the counter, while popping grapes into his mouth and looking amused at my obvious confusion. I couldn’t understand why they were waiting in the kitchen. It was late, and I knew from experience that this time of night was the safest to leave my room.

I paused next to the counter on the opposite side from Ash. It helped to have a barrier between us. “Why are you both up so late? Do you want me to come back later?”

Maye snorted, and swiveled in her chair to face me. “Dear, this is an intervention. Do you know what that is?” Her voice was a bit hoarse with a tint of annoyance.

I knew what an intervention was. My parents had limited my education, but since coming to live with Maye I had been sucking up as much knowledge, as my mind could handle. I spent every day closeted within my room reading any book I could get my hands on, which made me grateful that my mother had originally employed a nanny who taught me the basics.

“Yes, I know what an intervention is…” My voice trailed off and I looked at Ash for a clue to what was going on and he shrugged. “I just don’t understand why you think I need one.”

Maye lifted her frame from the chair and crossed to the counter. She stopped at the end and acted as a physical bond between Ash and myself.

“Child, you are part of this family now. You cannot keep hiding in your room; it’s unhealthy. This has gone on long enough and it needs to stop. Are you unhappy here? Have we done something to make you feel unwelcome?” Her hand reached across the counter and folded itself across my own; I yanked mine away.

“No! Oh, God no. You’re the best. You and Ash are the kindest people I have ever known. If it wasn’t for you, I’d still be living in a physical portrait of hell. I love being here. Please believe that!” I felt guilty that they didn’t know how grateful I was. I made a mental note to make a greater effort to include myself. I had no idea how to do be part of a family.

Ash shifted his feet and looked at Maye, and he nodded. “Savannah, we don’t want you to leave. We want you to start hanging with us. I mean, we are a family. Normal families eat together, they watch TV, and… I don’t know… they get sick of each other and argue. You only come out at night, and whenever you see us you agree with everything we say. It’s kind of weird.” He wrinkled his nose, and continued. “ It’s not that we want you to start doing something you are uncomfortable with, but ummm… maybe stop acting like a crazy person who is afraid of people. We don’t bite. I promise.” He snickered. “At least I don’t. I can’t make any promises about Maye.” He cocked an amused grin at Maye, and grabbed another grape.

Maye sighed, while shaking her head. “I do not bite. I just nibble a bit.” She then glared directly into my eyes. “Child, we want you to be happy. I already suggested you have counseling with a member from our sister coven that specializes in psychiatry, but you refused. If you can’t find natural paths to help heal, I am going to insist on her treating you. What happened to you before is horrifying, but you have a chance here to live a normal life. You can have friends, find a hobby, go to school and even learn magic.”

At my blank expression, she continued. “What you are or where you came from is not important. It is who you are and the choices you make, that determine who you will become. If you can look inward and be satisfied, the opinions of others should melt away."

I knew I would never be someone who is comfortable enough with other people to develop friendships, and I wasn’t sure that anything interested me enough to become a hobby. However, the last two options made me pause. I had never been to school. School was for normal kids, with normal lives and normal problems. I wanted that. Magic on the other hand was at the opposite end of the spectrum from normal, but in this town… abnormal was the new normal.

I looked across the counter at Ash and then at the end of the counter to see Maye. They both fixated an expecting look on me. I wanted those things; I just didn’t believe that I was capable of them. I had spent the past nine years bound in a prison of eternal darkness. My parents had torn through my innocence and left me with a tar-like substance that was corrupting what was left of me. I could feel it at night; slithering and curling around my soul as it slowly devoured me.





4: Gothic





Fourth Entry: My Ghost





The day I first came to Meadow Falls is little more than a dream, though that little girl plagues me every day. I still hear her crying out, and my skull fractures as pain is inflicted on her. She remained frozen in an eternal chamber of torture, and I did not know how to help her escape. Though, I would never escape her. She would follow me around for the rest of my life; a ghost waiting in the wings for me to acknowledge her. Her soft trailing fingers would continue to attempt a connection that I refused to allow; that I couldn’t allow if I wanted to survive. That ghostly girl was weak and insecure, while I needed to be strong and confident.