Kayla woke, expecting to be sitting in the living room with the seven witches. Instead, she saw the inside of a small cottage, the walls lined with animal skins and old pots. The room felt cozy and rustic, if not a little bit cloying. In the corner, a stone fireplace burned brightly. A filigree crane held a Dutch oven over the fireplace. The smell of fresh bread and spice filled the small room. As Kayla propped herself up on her elbows, she felt a wave of dizziness and nausea. She allowed herself to fall back onto the bed.
The door opened abruptly, and she bolted up just as fast, multiplying the sense of nausea. Her father entered the cottage with an armload of wood to keep the fire burning.
Through the wooziness, Kayla tried to focus.
"Where am I? What's going on?"
"Kayla, it's me, your dad. Do you remember me?" He looked at her hopefully. That look broke her heart.
Even though she had spent the last twenty years fine-tuning all of the things that she would say if she was ever face to face with him, all she was able to get out was, "Daddy, is it really you?"
"Yes, honey, it's really me."
She pulled herself up and wrapped her arms around his neck. It felt so good to have the man she had hated for so long here with her. She never imagined that this day would actually come, and she wasn't even sure that it was here now.
She could still hear the faint shouting in the distance, and it made her feel uneasy. She released her father and looked into his eyes, now wet with tears. Seeing him so emotional made her feel emotional as well. She was unable to hold the tears in, and they erupted in a flood. Her whole body heaved with each powerful sob. After a few minutes, she was able to calm down enough to talk to her dad.
"Is it true that you're going to die?"
"Yes, Munchkin, I am going to die soon. That's why I'm here. We don't have time to waste. I have to tell you a few things, and we need to decide what to do about your mother." The mention of her childhood nickname sent a fresh roll of tears streaming down her cheeks, but she was determined not to allow herself to lose control like before.
"What can we do? She is so powerful that everyone is afraid of her. One of the witches saw her kill a vampire in a bar and not even blink."
"That sounds like something she would do," he laughed.
"I'm scared."
"Don't be scared, Munchkin. I'm here now, and we can get through this together." He placed a consoling hand on her shoulder, and she felt the warmth and love that she had been craving since the age of twelve. She was a little girl again who needed and loved her daddy.
She couldn't shake the sound of the shouts in the distance, but she tried to ignore them. There was nothing in the world that could disrupt the euphoria she felt being here with her father.
"We should get you something to eat. You are going to need your strength." He rose from the bed to get a plate of bread from the fireplace. Out of the Dutch oven, he ladled a mug full of what looked like a hearty apple cider. He placed the plate and mug on the small wooden table, and Kayla got up from the bed and took a seat. The sweet cinnamon apple smell from the mug mixed with the decadence of the warm bread and butter made her feel even more like a little girl again.
She took a small bite of the fresh bread as her father gazed at her from across the table. She was amazed at how good she felt to be here with him, despite the situation. She was losing all the disbelief she had in this environment. She had started out believing that it was an illusion, but now she was not so sure.
The shouting from the distance was getting louder and louder. She strained to hear what the distant voices were saying, even though she found them to be little more than disruptive of her special time with her long-lost father.
"Kayla, don't…" is what she thought she was hearing from the distance.
"Munchkin, why does she want to hurt you?"
"Money. Your insurance policy, to be exact." She held the warm apple cider in her hand, the spicy, homey scent filling her with nostalgia for an imagined childhood.
“Don't…” that voice from the woods yelled again.
"I never meant for her to know about that. I tried to keep it a secret, but Carolyn is so powerful, she found out. My abilities are nothing compared to hers."
"You're a witch, too?" she asked incredulously.
"Yes, I am. I am not half the witch that Carolyn is, though."
"You mean she's a conniving, evil bitch."
Her father seemed to take offense to the criticism.
"Carolyn is a very powerful and beautiful sorceress. You would do well to remember that," he snapped at her.
"She is a hateful, demonic shrew that is trying to kill me," she pushed.
Her father was obviously getting irritated with her opinions of Carolyn, and Kayla had to wonder why he felt so strongly about a woman he had walked away from twenty years earlier. She swirled the cider in her mug and again enjoyed the strong scent. She lifted the mug to her lips, but then moved it away, wanting to press the issue of Carolyn.
"Why are you glorifying her? She's an awful person who’s treated me like nothing but trash since the day you left. She is actively trying to kill me! How can you defend her?" She noticed that as she spoke, her father's eyes darted back and forth in time to the motions of her cider mug.
"I, uh, I'm just stating facts. She is very powerful." He seemed to be nervous. "Drink your cider before it gets too cold."
She brought the mug to her lips again, but brought it down as she saw the expectancy in her father's face.
"Drink up, Munchkin."
"Why did you leave her, Dad?"
The not so far away voice still yelled, “Kayla, no…"
"Drink it, now Kayla. We're running out of time."
"Why?" She raised her voice, now being fully assaulted by the reality that this was just a dream.
Suddenly, her father lurched out of his seat and grabbed the mug from her hand. He took hold of her throat, and she struggled with all of her strength, scratching at his hands. He was so strong! She tried to get up out of the chair as he lifted the mug over her head. He moved his hand up to her cheeks and pried her jaw open. While the hot liquid poured over her cheeks and ran into her mouth, she opened her eyes to try and visually plead with him to stop.
Kayla was shocked to see Carolyn standing above her, forcing her to drink the liquid.
"Swallow, you little bitch! You're not going to ruin me. I am the strongest, the most beautiful, and the most powerful. I will have that fucking money, and all of your power!" Carolyn yelled at her, plugging Kayla's nose.
Kayla drank the hot liquid to avoid choking to death, her throat feeling like she had swallowed lava. Her cheeks and neck burned like they had been touched with fire. Carolyn let go of her face and stepped back, allowing Kayla to jump out of her seat.
Kayla felt like she had been on one of her weeklong benders. She was unstable and nauseous, and the intense burning had traveled down from her throat into her chest. She was finding it hard to breathe. It was even harder to focus on Carolyn. Kayla swung her weak fists at the Carolyn closest to her. That was apparently not the right one, because her fists found nothing but air.
Kayla attempted another swing as the door of the little cottage swung open with a bang. Carolyn jumped in surprise as Jess burst into the room. All of the strength drained from Kayla's legs, and she fell to the floor. She watched Jess jump at Carolyn as the taller witch raised her hands in protection.
"Mortem et dolorem tibi!" Carolyn shouted as a streak of light shot from the palm of her hand and struck Jess right in the middle of the chest. He crumpled to the ground next to where Kayla lay losing consciousness. Her friend Jess stared directly in her eyes while the life drained from his. She reached out and grabbed his hand.
"I'm so sorry, Jess. I'm so sorry," she said to his now lifeless body. She began to cry softly as her world went completely black to the sound of Carolyn's satisfied laughter.