1 The girl in the rain

Eva's POV

They were singing. I saw their mouths move in unison. I couldn't hear them though because my mind was in turmoil. I was going to die today. The men held me as I walked to a wooden platform where it would all end with one strike of a blade.

I finally tuned in to their voices. "Witch, witch!" They chanted. I felt so cold. It wouldn't be long now…

"She sacrificed my child to the devil!" A woman cried. I looked at her face. I had seen it before; in my dreams. They did come true after all. One after the other, my destiny had been fulfilled. I wanted to laugh and cry, but I only managed a weak smile. They walked me onto the platform and left me there. It was as though they wanted me to absorb more of the onlookers' animosity.

My eyes scanned the crowd now. Searching for him. He said he wouldn't come but I still saw him. He was in disguise but I knew it was him. It was his dark eyes but the violet glint in them that was unmistakable. His face held no emotion but I knew what he was thinking. I always knew.

I felt something cold touch my face and I looked up. The sky was darkening, it would rain. Like it had rained on the night my fate was sealed. The night it all began.

****

Eva ran through the forest with the foodstuff she bought at the night market. It was raining cats and dogs and she could feel the pressure of the raindrops penetrate her light overworn shirt and stab her back like a thousand needles.

She thought about what was waiting for her at home. Nagging Cecilia and her cocky daughter would be at home waiting to continue to make her life a living hell.

She was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she didn't notice the creeping root of a tree and slipped, landing on her face with a thud. Pain tore through her already exhausted body and she stayed in the uncomfortable position for what felt like an eternity.

With her ear to the soaked ground, she could hear thunder boom, the aggressive but rhythmic whistling of the wind and the new raindrops meeting the veteran rainwater to create an unusual beat that somewhat calmed her nerves.

With the help of the occasional lightning, she could see the foodstuff was scattered everywhere, just the thought of picking them up in her condition made her want to sulk. The carrots were in front, the lettuce could be seen a bit further away. The thought of the bread also made her frustrated, it was probably ruined. Soaked with rainwater and wallowing in a mud puddle somewhere.

She wanted to scream and cry but she knew no one would wipe her tears. She was alone here and in the world. She thought by now she would have been used to it but it still made her heart ache when the monsters back home put her through this. A particularly loud thunder struck above her head, the flash of light made the trees look intimidating.

She tried to get up but electricity shot up her elbow and knee not leaving behind her torso. She grunted as she managed to sit on the wet forest floor. If she wasn't quick not only would Cecilia punish her but she would end up with a cold.

She sat up and in the unforgiving rain examined her injuries. Her knee was bleeding and so was her elbow. Her ribs throbbed but didn't feel broken. She would know that because they had been broken before. By Lisa.

She felt discomfort on her face. She traced her face gently, trying to find the location of the probable injuries. When she was done with her examination, she was able to gather that she had a tear on her chin, her forehead and one cheek was swollen and a shallow laceration on her lip.

She tried getting up ignoring the painful complaints from her battered body. She got up and tried to adjust her weight until she was fairly comfortable. She staggered towards the items she could find and put them in the cloth bag that they had been kept in before.

She found most of the items except the beef. It would be a disaster if she didn't bring it home. It was expensive. After staggering back and forth looking for it, she was already thinking of the punishment she would have to endure at home.

She found the beef and beside, it was a piece of soaked bread. She picked up the beef and was about to walk back to the place she left the others when she noticed something eerie.

The bread had been bitten. Judging by the bite, it had been eaten by a human. She always made sure to check what she bought so she had not been cheated. She had not eaten it, Cecilia would have freaked out. Someone else did. She wasn't alone.

She heard a weak sneeze and nearly jumped out of her skin. To her dismay, this had only affirmed what she feared. And she would be able to run in her condition "Who is there?" Her voice was surprisingly stable. She slowly turned around in a circle so as not to be caught unawares.

She heard another sneeze coming from the back of a tree. It was dark but she stumbled towards the sound as though in a trance. She got to the tree and balanced herself on the trunk and peeped to see what was behind it.

She saw a shriveled figure crouched and shivering, covered with a dark cloth. Her heart was beating out of her chest and every hair on her body stood upright. She stood there glued to the tree, watching with wide eyes as the figure continued to shiver. She could hear teeth chattering.

"What are you doing here? it's raining, you'll get a cold." Speak for yourself, Eva mocked herself.

The figure stiffened and turned around slowly and as the person faced her squarely, she still could not see the face until lightning shined its bright light and then she saw her, an old woman but her features were not completely human but that wasn't the only thing that made her stumble backwards.

She also saw her cloak. Her purple cloak. She was a witch.