Rising Phoenix

It's All Over But the Crying - Garbage

Wendy

"No, father. I wasn’t able to step inside the pack house and she isn’t the white wolf of the prophecy." I say for the hundredth time through gritted teeth, bearing through the pain.

He has lashed my back twenty-eight times so far today with the leather whip that has metal spikes at the end. His favorite. The wounds from the past few days still haven’t mended back together and each lashing reopens the scabs that haven’t had time to fully form back together and heal. He changes his methods of torture each day, but the end goal has been the same and I’m left on the cold ground bleeding from my wounds when he walks away from me.

An incantation linked to the tattoo on my wrist that binds me to Breckinridge Coven begins to burn hot like fire as my father chants it repetitively at my expense. He is going easier on me today, but I am sure it is because I have school tomorrow, and I’ve missed school last week. Witches can get human illness from time to time, but too many missed school days will raise alarms even though I am not part of the local coven, and the school is primarily catered to werewolves despite the inclusivity of other species. Alpha Jack of Pinewood holds all the weight there and I’m just a witch that wouldn’t open myself up to him at Scarlett’s birthday.

He raises his arm for another attack at my back but stops when my mother grabs his arm and whispers to him softly. I don’t know what she says because I couldn’t hear her low whisper, but I’m no longer floating and am curled up on the cold concrete floor of our basement. The landing was rough as I crashed to the floor, but it wasn’t the most painful thing I’ve experienced the last five days and now I’ll thankfully be left alone until the next time I face my father, Charles.

Father forbade me to use of magic for healing my wounds forcing me to endure the pain at human strength. I will have to wear long sleeves to cover my broken skin, so I don’t raise suspicion to anyone, although it is summertime and I’m not sure anyone would help me anyway.

As my parents only daughter I had always received love and affection from them growing up until I turned eighteen and everything changed. My parent forced me to get this tattoo when I came of age in December saying it was a Robinson family requirement and would link me to the Breckinridge coven. I didn’t understand because I was always told we didn’t belong to a coven, but when I began to ask questions, they forced me into submission.

I tried my best to ignore the changes in their behaviors when they were distant and cruel if I did something they didn’t like. Which, lately, seemed to be often and proved by the light scarring across my skin. I grasped onto the past as best I could in the time I felt I was loved and how things used to be, but it wasn’t enough to keep me from feeling broken.

I couldn’t hide the dress Layla gave to me after school and I didn’t want to throw it away. My parents questioned me and instead of attending Scarlett’s birthday as a guest, I would attend as their spy. It made my skin crawl, and I wasn’t yet powerful enough to defy them on my own. Plus, this unwanted mark connected me to them no matter how much I wanted to run away. No coven would ever take me in with this mark on my wrist and they knew that, and I came to understand it was their way of forcing me to do what they said no matter what.

I couldn’t hide the dress Layla gave to me after school and I didn’t want to throw it away. My parents questioned me and instead of attending Scarlett’s birthday as a guest, I would attend as their spy. It made my skin crawl, and I wasn’t yet powerful enough to defy them on my own. Plus, this unwanted mark connected me to them no matter how much I wanted to run away. No coven would ever take me in with this mark on my wrist and they knew that, and I came to understand it was their way of forcing me to do what they said no matter what.

My parents, like all witches of the Breckinridge Coven, have worked for the Rogue Alliance for the past twenty years. It is a small coven of twelve witches that will do anything for money because it was originally the poorest coven in finances, but the strongest in power. They were only powerful because they sold their souls to the devil himself. I’m currently the youngest member and do not want to marry my cousin to produce the next generation. I think that’s disgusting and luckily, I haven’t faced the devil yet because I have no desire to sell my soul to him to become more powerful.

My parents have been paid a hefty sum of money for each task they completed, which explains our lavish lifestyle. And although my bloodline is strong, they still use a spell for invisibility, which prevents anyone from locating us other than the members of our coven or those that we want to find us.

I failed to obtain the information they wanted most as a guest to Scarlett’s birthday. They assumed I would go inside the pack house for her celebration and would be able to see the layout and allow them to create a portal in and out of it as they pleased. I was sent through a portal to the pack gates because my parents have been there before and the reason for that sickens me to the core.

I went to the party alone because they knew Jack would recognize them for their involvement in the disappearance of his fated mate, Clara. They kidnapped her from the pack gates when she left to visit the ruins of her old pack Crescent Moon after my parents helped destroy it with some psycho werewolves. She was then given to Alpha Mason at Red Dawn per his request, and they didn’t ask any questions as long as he provided them with monetary compensation. They say she’s still alive, but frozen in time. Whatever that means.

Despite their best efforts, Alpha Jack is smart, although he allowed me into the territory the celebration was an outside event meaning I would have no idea what the inside of the house looked like. Sure, my parents could get onto the territory now if it included the path I walked, but that takes away the element of surprise and earned me the lashings.

I’m relieved I don’t have the information they want, and they couldn’t force out of me.

It was excruciatingly painful to undergo a mind breech. It is not a natural talent for most and the dark magic that is used to access that power if it isn’t naturally given causes great pain to the person you want information from. They were disappointed that I had told them the truth in the beginning when they didn’t get what they wanted. My father was convinced the information could be beaten it out of me though.

I can’t imagine the impression I gave to Alpha Jack because I’m sure it isn’t a good one. I had disappeared so abruptly when my time limit was up too. One can only travel through another person’s portal power for up to four hours depending on the strength of the witch or warlock and my time was up around the third hour mark.

I didn’t indulge in conversation because I suspected my parents would invade my brain like they did, and I didn’t want them to know anything if I could help it. I tried to zone as much of their conversations out to keep it out of my brain and only focused on a few items that I couldn’t avoid. Scarlett isn’t the white wolf and that makes her safer although she is still a target because of her lineage. My parents know that the vampire and fairy families moved on to Pinewood pack territory, though, and that Marissa is mated to the future Beta. I don’t think they can do much with that information, but I still wish they didn’t know.

I slept on my stomach after cleaning and dressing my wounds as best as I could. I had a stash of Tylenol I had hidden from my father, that wouldn’t help that much, but it would be better than nothing. My father would know if I used magic in his home and I didn’t want more punishment, or to see his face ever again really. Before I cried myself to sleep, I vowed I would never let my parents take advantage of me or hurt me again. I just had to figure out a way to strengthen my own powers and break away from them entirely.

The next day at school only Luca showed up for exams. I suppose Scarlett and Marissa don’t have to come back since they have amazing grades. I sat in silence at the lunch table as he told me living on the territory was great and he liked being able to see his friends more often. His favorite part is being able to run as fast as a blur through the territory, which is something he wasn’t able to do freely before living in a human neighborhood.

I kept biting at my lower lip almost drawing blood as I listened to him. I wanted that too, but would Alpha Jack let me? How do I prove to a wolf that I am good? I’m not a wicked witch and I no longer desire to be a part of my parent’s lives. They openly admitted to having me out of obligation to the coven and not because they truly wanted me, which made me realize what I thought was love was their way to keep me at a distance by providing me with jig saw puzzles and other gifts that would keep me occupied for hours.

He has been my friend since elementary school and I’ve never lied to my friends or had ill intentions toward them, so I hope he helps me. I’m putting my trust in him to get me away from my parents and without their knowledge I’ve already investigated ways to remove the tattoo on my wrist, so I’m no longer tied to them or the Breckinridge coven too.

"All the vamps are staring at you today friend, I can smell an open wound on you too. Are you okay?" Luca asks me. I shake my head no. They know it’s against the rules to attack me at school, but since I can’t portal home, I’ll be free game once the bell rings. Using magic is a lot of effort and I’m too weak to zap my way to my parents or anywhere else right now.

Tears swell in my eyes as I open my mouth to tell him everything, but I produce no sounds and my lips feel chapped when I lick them.

He seems to notice my hesitation and begins speaking again, but he’s getting fuzzy as he is looking to me and his voice is starting to sound slurred together. I can’t make out what he is saying as my head is buzzing and my body feels like a bowl of limp noodles. I’m certain I am passing out from the pain as I faintly hear Luca calling out my name.

“Wendy!”

Soon I’m completely blacked out to the world as I feel and hear nothing.