Violet felt her ire rising with every step she made into the cabin. She wondered what the odds were she’d run into THIS woman again. Though, she supposed, it wasn’t that uncommon. After all, her mother had taken her to see almost everyone in the local area she could get her hands on to remove the curse. She’d run into many of them over the years, though few recognized her. At least the witch wasn’t someone who’d tried to kill her in the past, reconnecting with people like that was always awkward.
Violet still didn’t want to run into one of these witches though. She eyed the hanging decorations. Hanging charms, old trinkets, mirrors. She desperately wanted to be petty and say they were all just the signs of a con artist, but sadly she knew it wasn’t true. Lots of witches she’d met over the years held a large number of charms along their homes, often for good reason. It turned out when you made a living helping those who were cursed, or being followed by an angry spirit, or any number of other mystical threats, you tended to attract certain vengeful apparitions. Better to ward them off before they tried to make you fall down a flight of stairs or something worse.
“I know why you’ve come,” the Witch of the Pale Moon said.
“Oh?” Violet asked. “Can’t say I’m surprised.”
“You’ve taken on the curse of another,” the witch said. “A dire fate indeed.”
“Yeah, the direst,” Violet said with a shrug. “I guess you noticed the necklace, then?”
“It reeks of the foulest, darkest taints,” the witch said, a few of the nearby charms lightly rattling. Violet couldn’t help but wonder if that was coincidence or if the woman had somehow gotten them to do that every time she said anything ominous.
“So, uhhhh, that is why we’re here,” Tani said. “Can you help us?”
“I can tell you the same thing I told Ami,” the witch said before taking a seat at a table with a few candles and a cleared out area in front of her. “The necklace you wear is a foul, twisted thing. Cursed. In order to be free of it, you must give it to another or drag it down with you to your grave. The curse is slow, but steady. Once it has firmly taken hold you will be in truly grave danger.”
“Yeah, that’s not going to happen,” Violet said with a soft sigh. “Listen, I’m sure you have this whole ‘ominous and mysterious’ act down to a science, really. But I’m a hunter, I’ve been dealing with curses like this since I was a child. Do you know how it’s actually broken?”
The woman gave an old, wicked laugh. “You believe such things can be so easily broken? You know nothing of curses.”
“I probably know more than you,” Violet said curtly.
“Bah, the naivety of youth,” the witch said. “If you didn’t desire my help, why come to me?”
Violet barely suppressed the urge to lash out at the woman, though her tail flickered from side to side angrily. She cringed when she knocked over a small stack of books.
The witch didn’t seem to notice, or care. Instead, she motioned for her to sit across from her. “But very well. If you wish to be rid of this curse so desperately, to face it at the source, take a seat.”
“I’ll stand, thank you very much,” Violet said bitterly.
“Then leave,” the witch said. “You dabble in darkness you do not understand. You will only bring misfortune and death down on yourself.”
“Yeah, as if I haven’t heard that line before,” Violet said before turning to leave. Tani stared at her, confusion on her face.
“I thought we came here for answers?” Tani asked.
“We did, I just…” Violet said, before sighing. “Whatever.” Grudgingly, she turned back to the witch and took a seat across from her, ignoring the awkward angle it bent her tail. She then held out her hand.
------
Violet sat at the table across from the woman, her hands nervously held in her lap. She didn’t like this place in the slightest. Why did her mom keep taking her to these places? They were scary. Not the good kind of scary, either. Not like the stories her grandmother told her about monsters and demons.
No, this place felt bad. Hot, stuffy, with things hanging from the wall. Old shriveled heads, what she hoped were fake spiders in the corners. This place felt foul and tainted in a way only a few of the others had felt. She glanced to her mother again, the woman pacing back and forth.
“Cease your pacing or leave,” the witch told her mother. “These are dark, foul magics that taint your son. I will require focus, not the scampering of frightened feet.”
“Sorry,” her mother said softly, going entirely still.
Violet hated that. Why would her mother get so angry and vicious towards her, but this creepy old woman could make her act so meek? Nothing was wrong with her, she was a girl. That was all.
“Give me your hand,” the witch said.
“No,” Violet said, shaking her hand. The woman held her hand out, but she didn’t want to take it. It was creepy and looked weird. Covered in so many pieces of jewelry. Why did so many of them wear jewelry like that? She knew there was a logical reason, her grandmother had explained something about attunement and some magical lifeforce before, but she didn’t really get it.
“Kent,” her mother said.
Violet gave a light hmph, but didn’t answer. She was fine having ‘Kent’ as her middle name now, but she wasn’t going to answer to it if that was all she was called.
Her mother gave a sigh. “Violet Kent Antonsen, give the nice lady your hand.”
“What nice lady?” Violet asked huffily. If her grandmother wasn’t doing another hunt, she’d have never stood for this. Grandma was okay with her being her, so why wasn’t her mother? Why did they keep having to go to these places?
The witch sighed. “Kent, you do not understand the forces you are dealing with. Foul, dark magic that corrupts not just your body, but your very soul.”
Violet gave a light hmph, but kept her hands in her lap.
“I merely want to help you,” the witch said.
“Then stop trying to break me into something I’m not,” Violet said softly. “I’m Violet. Vi-o-let.”
“I’m so sorry,” her mother said. “He used to be such a nice boy, I can’t believe he did this.”
“I understand,” the witch said softly. “A curse of any kind leaves a foul, vicious mark on those it touches.”
“It’s not a curse, it’s a blessing,” Violet said softly.
“Oh, a blessing is it?” the witch asked. “If it’s such a blessing, why are you afraid to give me your hand?”
“Because you want to take my blessing,” Violet said softly.
“Do you believe I can so easily? Or are you frightened I’ll reveal to you the truth you’re so scared to accept?” the witch asked.
Violet gulped but, very nervously, she lifted her hand up. It wasn’t a curse. They kept trying to say it was, but it wasn’t. She’d prove it. Slowly she gripped the woman’s hand.
The hand was cold, clammy, the metal rings uncomfortable against her skin. But it didn’t feel any worse than the others she’d dealt with. In fact, the spell the woman did felt just like the others. She almost felt relief. Despite the strangeness of this particular shop, it was exactly like the others.
“Vile,” the witch said before pulling her hand away. “What has been done to you, child? Why do you desire to have this done to you?”
“I’m not,” Violet said softly, quickly pulling her hand back. “I’m fine, I--”
“Your form has been twisted, corrupted, not man, not woman. Some foul inbetween. Going against the natural order. Twisting you into a vile, sickening tainted being. You must see, Kent, that this is not what you desire. You must fight this curse, resist it, allow yourself to be cleansed and purified. It is the only way for you to regain the happiness you once had.”
“I was pretty happy before I got dragged off here,” Violet said softly. “Timmy brought his lizard to class and we were going to feed it flies during recess.”
“I see,” the witch said, her voice condescending. “You play with lizards often?”
“I mean, no,” Violet said. “But it’s pretty cool.”
“Does that sound like the kind of thing a ‘little girl’ would do?”
Violet blinked a few times. Was it? Probably not. But she knew one girl who would. “I mean… Grandma would.”
“Would she, really?” the witch asked. “Is that why you desire this? You wish to be more like your grandmother? Child, this is no way to go about it. Cursing your very flesh into this twisted form.”
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“No, I don’t, I…” Violet floundered, trying to come up with good excuses. She didn’t know how to explain it. Sure, she was hardly the most girly girl around. She still played with a lot of the boys, got in little fights, wasn’t scared of bugs. But there were other girls like that. Her grandmother was awesome and wasn’t scared of anything. So what if she wanted to be like her? She was awesome.
Her grandmother was okay with it, so why wasn’t anyone else? Violet tried, desperately, to defend herself against the accusations, against the words. The threats, the accusations. She didn’t know how, though. The witch poked little holes, again and again, in her answers, as she struggled to explain what she didn’t fully understand herself. She was so much happier now, why wasn’t that enough?
In the end, all that had come of it was that she’d been dragged home, crying and sobbing. Another failure to her mother. Another argument between Mom and Grandma when they got home. Another night where she’d lay in bed and wonder what was wrong with her. So what if it was a curse? She didn’t feel cursed. She felt happy. She felt right.
Why couldn’t anyone else see that but her grandmother?
------
Her fingers were gripped by the witch’s and once more the spell was cast. Except, this time, the witch pulled her hand back, her eyes wide with horror. “What have you done?” she asked.
“What?” Violet asked.
“This, this thing,” the witch said before grabbing a small charm off the table and rubbing it across her hand as if she was trying to wipe the taint away. “What have you done? This curse, it is nothing like it once was. This is foul. Vile.”
Violet rolled her eyes. “Yes, yes, we’ve gone through this. The point, breaking it. What do you--”
A loud clatter arose in the cottage as a powerful breeze seemed to flow through, shaking trinkets, blowing out the candles and scattering books on the ground.
“That was you, wasn’t it?” Violet asked, trying to keep the spike of anxiety out of her voice.
“Get out,” the witch said, her eyes wide, pale. “Out. Leave. LEAVE!”
“What?” Violet asked. “What are you talking about? It--”
“I know not what tampering you’ve done, why you have done this thing,” the witch yelled. “GET OUT!”
Violet stared at the woman in bewilderment before giving a small shrug and getting up to leave.
“What’s going on?” Tani asked, staring at her.
“I don’t know, let’s go,” Violet said before heading out through the cabin. The witch wasn’t very far behind, slamming the door the moment they were out. “Strange woman.”
“That was weird,” Tani said. “Right?”
“Eh,” Violet said with a shrug. “Curses, I guess. Leaning towards ‘old, ancient spirit’ now. It’s probably all part of her act. She couldn’t figure out how to fix it, so she acted like it was so much worse rather than admit it. Come on, let’s go home.”
“You really want to go home after that?” Tani asked.
“I’m going to make some calls,” Violet said. “I know some--” She stopped when her phone started to ring. “Oh, sweet. Maybe it’s some ancient spirit calling to let me in on the details.” She pulled it out and answered. “Hello? Ancient, vengeful werewolf spirit?”
“What?” Scarlet’s voice came from the other end. Despite herself, Violet couldn’t deny feeling a little relief.
“You woke up?” Violet asked.
“Yes, it’s late. I thought you’d be back by now,” Scarlet said.
“Hm? It’s not that late, we just…” Violet trailed off when she looked at the sky. The sun was already setting. Had they really spent that long? “Right. We’re just heading back now. Sorry it took so long.” She motioned to Tani to start towards the car.
“Oh, okay,” Scarlet said. “So when will you be back?”
“In a few hours,” Violet said. She opened the door and slid inside. She was, against her wishes, getting pretty used to her special ‘tail seat’. “Awww, are you worried about me?”
“Yes,” Scarlet said. “What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing, it’s cute,” Violet said with a small smile. “Is lil vampire nervous being home all alone? Afraid the boogeyman is going to come get you?”
“I’m worried about you,” Scarlet said. “You’re the soft one. Besides, I was supposed to dress you up tonight.”
Violet managed to barely suppress herself from squirming. “Well, I’ll be home in a few hours, you won’t be alone for long. We’re driving home now.”
“Fine,” Scarlet said softly. “Just be careful, please?”
“Me? Not careful? When am I ever not?” Violet asked.
“I seem to remember you asking me to hit you,” Scarlet said.
“Okay, fine, I’ll be more careful than that,” Violet said. “We’re coming home right now, okay? Just wait a little longer. You know, considering you’re immortal, I figured you’d be more patient.”
“I’ve seen enough vampires die to know we’re not immortal. You’re the one who seems to think she’s untouchable,” Scarlet said.
“Right, right,” Violet said. “Relax, I’m with another hunter right now. Tani, say hi.”
“Hiiiii,” Tani said. “Don’t worry, I’ll get Violet home before she turns into a scaled pumpkin.”
“You’re still a dragon?” Scarlet asked.
“Yeah,” Violet said.
“I thought you said you’d have it fixed by now?” Scarlet asked, her voice actually a little whiny.
“I’ve hit a bit of a snag, relax,” Violet said with a roll of her eyes. “It’s not so bad having me be all dragony for another night, is it?”
“If anything it’s too good,” Scarlet said, her voice soft.
“What?” Violet asked, certain she had to have misheard that.
“Nothing,” Scarlet said. “I’ll smell you-- see you when you get home.”
“Bye,” Violet said with another roll of her eyes before turning her phone off. “I swear, she worries more than my mother.”
“Vampire?” Tani asked.
“Yup,” Violet said.
“You’re blushing,” Tani said.
“No I’m not,” Violet said.
“Oh, you totally are,” Tani said with a light snicker. “I thought she was just someone you were helping get registered?”
“She’s a lot of things,” Violet said, her eyes focusing outside. Slowly, a frown formed on her lips. “Ah shit.”
“Hm? What’s wrong?” Tani asked.
“It’s getting foggy,” Violet said. She glanced up at the sky and, right on cue, it began to rain. She gave a soft sigh.
“What?” Tani asked.
“Just focus on the road,” Violet said. She glanced around, but she didn’t see anything out in the forest. She’d be a lot happier once they were back on the main road again, though.
“You seem tense,” Tani said.
“Fog and rain,” Violet said. “A witch panicking, it’s getting dark, driving through the woods at night. This just screams bad idea. I’m probably worrying too much, though. It’s only been one day.”
“Huh?” Tani said.
“I said--”
“Not that,” Tani said. “Lights won’t come on.”
“I swear,” Violet said before she pulled out her phone. Of course, no signal. Now there was no signal. All day, just fine. Now? Nothing. Not a single bar. She’d dealt with enough vengeful spirits to know what came next. “Pull over.”
“What?” Tani asked.
“Pull over before--” Violet cringed when the car suddenly vibrated, letting out a low grinding sound before shutting off. Tani struggled to bring it to a stop, slamming on the brakes and skidding to a halt.
“What, what was that?” Tani asked.
“Angry spirit. Damn it. It has only been one day,” Violet said before leaning her head back in the seat. She took a slow, deep breath. “Good news or bad news first?”
“Bad news,” Tani said softly.
“I don’t know what kind of angry spirit it is or what I did with the necklace that has it all so messed up and pissed off,” Violet said. “Curses, though. You know?”
“And the good news?” Tani asked, her voice a little nervous now.
“It’s probably just after me,” Violet said. “So here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to get out of the car and you’re--”
“I’m not leaving you behind,” Tani said.
“Oh, yes you are,” Violet said. “Because I need you to go get help.”
“What?” Tani asked.
“Help, I’m going to need it,” Violet said. She reached up and stroked her enchanted knives. Thank you, Grandma, for teaching her to always ensure she was armed.
“Who?” Tani asked.
“I don’t know,” Violet said with a shrug. “Call the Security Forces. Call my grandmother. Hell, here.” She pulled out her phone and opened the contacts. “Call any of the numbers listed under emergency contacts.”
“What about you?” Tani asked.
“I’m going to try to not die,” Violet said. “And make sure nobody else does. Maybe find out what I did that woke this thing up and why it’s getting so much more violent all of a sudden. I should have had at least a few weeks before it did whatever this is.”
“Shouldn’t I be the one doing that?” Tani asked. “I’m already dead, you’re—”
“Exactly,” Violet said. “You’re already dead. That’s why I need you to get help.” Off in the distance she heard a wolf howl. Angry spirit, werewolf or just coincidence, she had no idea. “Just go. Please. I’ll be fine, the sooner you get going, the sooner I’ll have help.” She shoved the door open and tried to leap out as gracefully as she could. Unfortunately, the new seat got caught on her tail and she stumbled more than leaped out. “I’ll be fine, go.”
Tani stared at her for a few moments before turning the key again. The vehicle made a few chugging sounds before, once Violet was a good ten feet away or so, it sprang to life.
Violet let out a sigh of annoyance. She really, really, really wanted to believe it was all coincidence. But the thick fog that was rising up around her, the light rain drizzling down and the sound of the car now leaving her behind? Oh, it was too much for her to ignore.
So maybe she did hunt curses a little too much. In a day or so she was sure she’d be talking about this, laughing about how easy it was, how it was all sooooo over-dramatic. Commenting on how all spirits just always followed the same themes. Fog, rain, make the machines die, blah blah blah. Sooooo overdone. But the part she hated was right then and there. When she was alone, knowing there was something out there, something terrible, something monstrous. Something that likely wanted to kill her, or worse. Something that was likely tied to that stupid necklace around her throat.
She was scared. All of the laughter, the jokes, all of it didn’t mean anything. Even if it was over-dramatic, the classics were classics for a reason. It was easy to brush it off after the fact. The laughter during it helped make it less scary. But there was nobody here to laugh with, now.
Like it or not, she was scared.
Especially when she, finally, caught sight of something moving in the darkness, moving through the trees. So far away that, were she a normal person, she likely would have focused on it, peered at it, focused on it. Instead she turned around while drawing her knife, slashing at the thing that was appearing behind her. It cried out in an inhuman voice, the enchanted blade cutting deep and causing a foul, dark ichor to splash on the ground. She didn’t hesitate, instead turning and running.
On the other hand, while the classics were classics for a reason, a predictable monster was still predictable.