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Sebastian
I didn’t have the heart to tell Kitty Sue that this time traveling thing is scaring the shit out of me. I have to admit it though... this magic stuff is so freaking cool. The wormhole we walk into to travel through time has me thinking this is what being up close to a Comet is like. The colors are surreal, and the only sound is wind. I think there are some kind of pictures playing, but I can’t really tell. When we land, it’s like we get tossed out of a plane and have to land without a parachute. We end up in another field, but this time there is no small cottage.
“Looks like we’re going to have to walk to town to make sure we’re in the right time.” Kitty says as she looks toward the tiny town down the hill. I nod, following her as we walk through the tall grass, passing cows and other livestock.
“Who are we looking for exactly?” I ask as we walk at a quick pace.
“If we’re in the correct time, Cyrana should still be Sarah Good. Also, Abigail Faulkner should be alive in the same time and same place. She’ll at least be helpful for us to observe Sarah.” She responds as we make it to the outskirts of town. There aren’t a lot of people out at the moment, probably doing some work.
“What are we trying to observe?” I ask, still really confused as to why we are wanting to see the demon before she is a demon. Wouldn't it have been easier to just jump us back and kill her?
“Cyrana made the deal with Satan in a supposed attempt to save her unborn child’s life. Something besides motherly love must have brought her to do something as crazy as selling one's soul. We’re going to try to find out what, and use that to figure out a way to trap her back in the depths of hell.” She says as if we are just going to walk into a library and do research for an essay. We head to the town center, and I wish I had my cell phone to take a picture of the hanging noose in the center. It’s creepy that these people really believed that others were witches and that hanging them would work.
“Should we just start knocking on doors?” I whisper looking at the supposed adults that looked a little older than us. “They’re so young with kids.” I notice as some of the families start coming out of their houses. Must have just finished dinner or something.
“Back in this time, most women were married before they were 15 I believe.” Kitty Sue responds smiling politely at a few other women. I watch her walk over to another woman holding a small child. The woman smiles and nods a bit before pointing to a small house down the lane. “Abigail lives over there. I figure we should try her first.” I nod and follow close to her, trying to walk like the men I’ve seen walking with other women. Katerina said to try and blend in, and I really didn’t want to end up hanging. Technically we are witches in a time when people were hung till dead just for being different. Kitty Sue looks to me when we get to the door. It takes me a moment to realize that as the man, I need to knock. A very pretty woman opens the door, a smile on her face.
“Hello, can I help you?” She asks, looking from me to Kitty Sue.
“Abigail Faulkner?” Kitty Sue asks. The woman nods and smiles. “May we come in? I’d like to talk to you, and it would be better in a private setting.” Abigail looks around and opens the door wider. She’s older, probably in her 30s, but still very pretty.
“If anyone asks, you’re my cousins from out of town.” She hushes as we move to sit at the small kitchen table. “What can I help you with?” She asks right away. I’m so confused on how she knows we need help. Maybe people of this time just assume everyone needs help.
“You know I’m a witch?” Kitty Sue asks. I swear... I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to this witch thing.
“I can read auras. You’re a witch, but he isn’t.” Abigail says, bringing over some water in glasses.
“Before I get down to why I’m here, could you tell me what year it is?” Kitty Sue asks taking a sip of water. I opt not to as it looks a bit murky.
“It is the year 1692.” Abigail smiles. I watch Kitty Sue nod, but I’m completely lost. I did not pay enough attention in history class, but I feel like this trip through time will be a good way to gain some extra credit.
“At least we’re in the right time.” Kitty Sue whispers to me. “We’re not from this timeline.” She admits to Abigail. The woman’s smile doesn’t falter.
“Yes, I’ve figured that out as well. You’re here for a reason though, what is it? This is a trying time to be around here.” Abigail states looking very serious. I look to the table, wondering how I can even help at this point.
“We need to observe Sarah Good. She’s going to be making a pretty bad choice here soon, and we need to know what causes her to make this choice.” Kitty Sue says, making sure to keep her voice soft in case there are ears listening.
“I would assume she is home.” Abigail says, going to a window and looking out. “Edmund!? Is Ms. Good at home?” She yells out the window. “Thank you dear. Tell your sister to hurry and collect the eggs before sunset.”
“Would you make a deal with the Devil to save your child?” I ask, wondering if Sarah was really just doing that to save her kid. Abigail pauses for a moment to think.
“There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for my children, but making a deal with the Devil doesn’t sound like I’d be saving any one of them. My first child died, and I would have done anything to save her. No deal in the world can stop death. If it’s meant to happen, then it will happen.” Abigail states. “Now, Sarah lives two houses down. You should go say hello, and bring her this bread and jam from me. That way you have an excuse to be talking to her.” Kitty Sue takes the parcel and I stand to head to the door. I open it, holding it for Kitty Sue to walk out. As we head toward Sarah’s I get a weird feeling, like the little hairs on my neck standing on end.
“Something is wrong.” Kitty Sue whispers as we exchange pleasant smiles to passersby on our way to the small house.
“I can feel it too.” I whisper back as we stand at the door to Sarah Good’s house. I don’t want to talk to this woman. I don’t want to be here. I’d rather be listening to my science teacher drone on about atoms and radiant bonds. “Maybe we didn’t go back far enough.”
“I think that whatever is happening had nothing to do with her hanging.” Kitty Sue says before taking a deep breath and knocking... completely forgetting about the fact that I should be knocking. There’s a shuffling behind the door before it opens to a woman that looks very much like a witch.
“Hello, my cousin Abigail asked us to bring this over for you.” Kitty Sue smiles handing over the bread and jam. The woman takes it with a smile, looking from Kitty Sue to me and back.
“Would you like to come in for some tea?” She asks. Kitty Sue tilts her head slightly.
“We would love to, but my cousin is expecting us for supper. We mustn't dwaddle.” She sounds very proper as if she really is from this time. The woman simply nods.
“Tell Abigail thank you for the bread.” She says before shutting the door. We head back toward Abigail’s house, but Kitty Sue keeps walking toward the field we came from.
“She did not make that deal for her child. That woman was evil well before that. I can’t believe I’m descended from her.” Kitty Sue grumbles as we walk farther from town. I look down at her confused.
“She’s your ancestor?” I ask, wondering if I should start looking into my family tree.
“Long story...I’m going to jump us back to your time.” She says. I grab her hand, stopping her from walking any farther and starting her spell.
“No. We need to stay. You said we need to figure out why she made the deal. Something that you can use in the future. So, we need to stay and observe. We can go back to Abigail’s and then jump after you have something.” I say trying to drag her back toward town.
“Sebastian, I can read minds. I don’t want to see what’s in Sarah’s house. I don’t want to be around her.” That little tidbit of information has me shocked. She can read minds? Geez! How often has she read mine? I can feel my cheeks heat in embarrassment. The thoughts I’ve had of her that are vastly inappropriate for me to have for my girlfriend is enough to have me embarrassed for the next decade.
“So in that two second conversation, you were able to get all the information you needed to jump us back?” I ask. I’m trying my hardest to be very serious. I look to my bracelet that is slightly glowing. That’s weird. “This thing is glowing.” Her eyes move down to the bracelet as well. I take a moment to just look at her and take in all her beauty. Even dressed like this, she is so beautiful. I haven’t taken the time to appreciate her in a while. We’ve only been dating for a short time, but in that time I’ve felt drawn to her more and more. Maybe it’s the soulmate thing Katerina was talking about, or maybe it is magic. Either way, if something is going to change that makes me forget her, or make me more connected to her, I’ll choose the latter.
“I think it’s a warning that we can’t leave yet.” Kitty Sue sighs, turning to walk back toward town. I grab her hand, pulling her into my arms. I haven’t even gotten to kiss her since the morning we first left to time travel. It feels like we’ve been gone for days, though I’m sure it’s only been a couple hours.
“Are couples in this era allowed to kiss in a field, or will someone call us witches and hang us?” I ask, hugging her to me. She smiles, her worry seeming to melt away. Good. I like that I can make her forget bad things and just relax.
“I think we’re allowed to kiss.” She answers, and I can feel her moving to her tippy toes. I bend down, meeting her lips with mine. I love kissing her. Her lips are soft and she always tastes like vanilla. Every time I kiss her, everything else around us just seems to vanish. I pull away because I’m afraid if I keep kissing her, it’ll lead to more, and we’ve only been dating a short time.
“Ready to go back to Abigail’s now?” I ask once she opens her eyes and looks back up at me. She smiles and nods.
“I’M GOING WITH YOU.” I say to Kitty Sue in as serious a tone as I can. We’ve been in this time for a couple days and she keeps finding excuses to not go over to Sarah’s house, but that ended this morning when Sarah invited her for tea, and Abigail agreed for her. Kitty then decided that she would just go alone, but I’ve been shooting that idea down for the last hour. No way in hell would I let her go over there by herself. Not only is she the only one who can get us back to our time, she’s my girlfriend and I’m supposed to protect her.
“It’s not normal for a man to go to tea with women.” Kitty Sue says for the tenth time. I don’t care what protocol says, I’m not letting her go alone.
“You can’t go there by yourself.” I growl at her. Abigail’s laugh sounds from behind me. She has been so kind in allowing us to stay here. Two complete strangers being treated like family.
“I’ll accompany her to Ms. Good’s tea time. I would appreciate you staying here to watch over the children.” Abigail says, placing a shawl around her shoulders. Kitty Sue’s smirk of victory makes me angry, but at least she wouldn’t be alone.
“On the contrary my dear, Mr. Good has just invited me over to assist him in constructing a crib. Perhaps our dear cousin could join and help me.” Abigail’s husband, Francis, states as he enters the house. I smile back in victory as Kitty Sue grumbles about me being in danger. The four of us head over to the Good home, Kitty Sue holding my arm as Abigail holds her husbands. We look like two ordinary couples just walking to a friend's house. The hairs on my neck stand up again as we make it to the door. Sarah is already waiting with it open, a creepy smile on her face. It’s odd because she looks younger than when we saw her the other day.
“So nice to have some company.” She gushes as she moves to allow us in. The house looks normal enough, but the feeling of unease in my stomach only intensifies. Kitty Sue and Abigail are both very rigid, but they have kind smiles on their faces. The women stay in the kitchen area, sitting to drink tea. I go with Francis into what I assume is the main bedroom. A small child must also live here as there is a small bed in the corner.
“Thank you for coming to help.” Sarah’s husband says. I nod along with Francis and walk over to the small pile of lumber, hammer and nails. I once watched my cousin put together a crib, and there were a lot more parts than this. I don’t know how much help I’ll be, but I did pretty well in shop class.
“You’re a cousin to Ms. Abigail?” Mr. Good asks as we get to work trying to figure out the design. I feel like we are building a coffin, not a crib.
“My wife,” man that sounds weird, “is her cousin. I just married into the family.” I smile. Abigail had told us that boyfriend and girlfriend is not something that people understand here. If you are courting someone, chances are you are married if you are kissing them. So we are just going with that.
“Sarah says family is really important, but I swear, she loves talking to her pets more than she talks to me.” Mr. Good chuckles as he starts hammering a nail into the wood. “She got our daughter a snake. Cute little thing, but I told her she’s gotta keep it hidden. People round here think any animal as a pet is a bit odd.”
“My mother allowed me a dog when I was younger. I want to get one for the children, but they seem to enjoy playing with the horse.” Francis responds, keeping the conversation light.
“I hate to ask, but would you mind if I got some water?” I ask, hoping for an excuse to go see Kitty Sue. Both men smile and nod, going back to their work. I walk toward the front of the house, looking at the objects on the walls. I stop to look at the wall by the bedroom. It’s about halfway to the kitchen, and should house a room, but there’s nothing here. I place my hand on the wall, feeling for anything odd, and hear it creak as a door slowly slides over. I look around to make sure the noise didn’t get anyone’s attention. My heart is beating so loud I feel that anyone could hear it. I take a breath, listening. I hear the men still hammering, and I can hear the soft giggle of women. My bracelet glows, creating an almost flashlight effect. My eyes widen in complete shock. Not only is this woman a witch, she’s a fucking evil witch.
There are skulls... human skulls. A dead raven hanging by its feet, and a snake slithering in a tank. Must be the “pet” Mr. Good was just talking about. I squint looking at a picture in the center shelf. It’s of a woman and man. The woman is definitely Sarah, and the man looks a lot like me, but his hair is a sandy brown, not black. It is not Mr. Good. Next to the picture, hiding behind a goblet of some liquid I don’t even want to know about, is a ring. I grab the ring, inspecting it. Hearing the hammering stop, I quickly pocket the ring and shut the door.
“Oh! I didn’t hear anyone walking this way.” Sarah’s gasp of surprise sounds as I enter the kitchen. Kitty Sue and Abigail hold far away looks, and a sliver of fear finds its way down my spine.
“I’m sorry to bother you. Mr. Faulkner and I were just hoping for some water, and a ladies opinion on our work.” I say, forcing a smile. My voice seems to shake Kitty Sue and Abigail from whatever was happening. I keep the smile on my face, wondering how I can get Francis to leave. Luckily, I hear the men chuckling and coming closer. They must have finished.
“All set. Dearest, we should get going. The children will be looking for lunch soon.” Francis smiles, reaching his hand for his wife. She smiles, taking his hand, and I offer mine to Kitty. She grabs it tightly, and I understand the worry. We quickly say our goodbyes and head back to the Faulkner’s home. We don’t stop or anything until we are inside and the door locked. Abigail only paused to call her children inside. The women were shaking once we sit down.
“I’ll be avoiding that woman for a long time.” Abigail says, drinking some water. “Thank you for coming in. I fear if you hadn’t, we would have been in much trouble.”
“She was trying to get into our minds. It was like a snake slithering through my thoughts. I had to try very hard to keep her out of both mine and Abigail’s.” Kitty Sue says. “We should leave here. It’s almost the time that Sarah will be indicted. We don’t want to get caught up in that.” I nod, agreeing with her. She grabs my hand and we head toward the door.
“Thank you for everything you have done to help us.” I say to them as we sneak out the house and jog toward the field. Kitty Sue grabs my hand tightly, chanting her spell so that we can simply run into the wormhole without missing a beat.
“HOW LONG HAVE WE BEEN gone?” Kitty Sue asks as we step back into the hallway. Trinity, Dominic, Sophie and Salem are still standing guard.
“About two minutes.” Dominic answers, and I can’t tell if he looks confused or worried. “What are you wearing?” I look down at my clothes. We’re still in our stuff from 1692. Trinity turns to look at us and rolls her eyes.
“Don’t tell my aunt I’m doing this. She said using magic in this way is kinda frowned upon.” Trinity says before holding up her hand and snapping her fingers. In the blink of an eye, our clothes are back to what we had been wearing before we time traveled.
“Has she shown up yet?” Kitty Sue asks, hiding the necklace in her shirt. I quickly reach into my pocket, sighing in relief when I feel the ring. I pull it out, handing it over to Kitty Sue.
“I found this in a secret room at Sarah’s. It was with a picture of her and some guy.” I say, placing the ring in her palm. She smiles at me, stowing it in her little bag of elements.
“I’m sure it’s important. Thanks.” She smiles, moving to kiss me. I bend down, kissing her quickly. We don’t have time for a make out session as much as I would love one. Once we part, I feel a change in the room. As if the air has become thicker and gravity is pulling us to the floor.
“I have a feeling she’s here.” Salem says, looking around the room as if this demon is invisible. I pull Kitty Sue closer, wanting to hug her once more before anything bad happens.
“I need to grab her and jump her back before she can fuck anything up again. Once we go, everything will hopefully be normal.” Kitty Sue says, pulling out her necklace. She unclasps it, handing it to Trinity. “Please give this back to me after I take the demon. If I do this right, technically my body and my teenage self will still be here, and only my soul will jump this time.” She explains. I’m so confused about everything happening right now, but I’m sure eventually I will feel more comfortable with these weird conversations.
“Sebastian should head back to class. If he’s not here, we won’t have to worry about the Demon going directly for him.” Sophie suggests. Kitty Sue looks at me, a frown on her face and sadness in her eyes.
“I’ll come find you after next period, and give you a kiss.” I say to her, placing a kiss on her forehead. I don’t want to be in her way. I walk back through the cafeteria and toward the gym. If I could just leave school for the day I would, but I promised Kitty Sue that I would be here. I want her to understand that I’ll be here for her no matter what.
