Page 10 of Mortal Desires

A chill ran down my spine, and I followed as Elisa led the way to the foyer. Soulmates were a bad omen, but all of us meeting ours on All Hallows’ Eve?

That was enough to shake me to the core. Up until today, I always believed Elisa could protect us from any harm, but now I was suddenly scared that she had no idea what was out there.

Our house was silent and illuminated only by candles. In our dark gowns and hats, we cast strange shadows on the walls.

Elisa took a breath, I held mine as she twisted the knob on the front door, opening it for the first time during All Hallows’ Eve. Marnie and I were the last in formation, both of us on our tiptoes trying to see.

“Trick or treat!” little voices giggled in excitement.

Children. They were just children.

We giggled, feeling silly, until Elisa stepped forward, pointing to something in the distance. “What’s that?” she asked the kids.

“What’s she talking about?” Marnie whispered to me, grabbing my hand with her clammy one.

“That’s the Halloween parade,” the kids explained.

“We don’t have a Halloween parade,” Elisa argued, but the kids never replied.

A beat passed, and for a great moment, I thought that was it. We were going to lock the house, start the rituals and keep things as they had been for so many years. I could almost hear our hearts beating in unison, wishing to end this night like so many before. But Elisa did the unthinkable, the only thing she told us our whole lives never to do.

When the moon is high in the sky and the veil between the worlds is thin, don’t leave the manor.

Yet, Elisa stepped over the salt line.

I gulped for air, desperate as I watched my sisters one by one do the same. Once we were out, the door banged on its own and I swallowed my fears, refusing to be the first to whimper. I looked ahead to the junction just outside our property line, a Halloween parade waited for us, like something not from this world, a mirage that only we could see.

“Are we going out there?” Lucia asked, unable to keep the fear out of her voice.

“Yes,” Elisa replied, ever the fearless leader.

We knew the drill and held formation, from the oldest to the youngest. Elisa to Marnie we stood there, watching the parade like it was the most frightening thing we ever saw. And in a way, it was.

“It’s not real,” I whispered to myself but none of them heard me. Not when Marnie was trapped in her own worries and Flo was trembling in fear, counting to ten under her breath just to start all over again.

I squeezed Flo’s hand trying to calm her down, but it was no use.

We were vulnerable.

“We’ll probably get separated once we get there. Always keep an eye on at least one sister,” Elisa ordered.

I could swear the ground shook when Elisa stepped forward. It was monumental, unheard of, dangerous, and I couldn’t hold back any longer. I whimpered in fear. We crossed the lawn, our shoes disturbing the red dust as we walked.

I laced my arms with Marnie and Flo. Flo grabbed onto Emilia. Emilia held onto Elena who took hold of Lucia and finally Elisa. We only held this tight to one another once. The day Elisa took the powers for herself and became the coven leader.

That day we were strong enough to end our father and with him, his power over us.

Since then, nothing scared us.

Until now.

Something tugged on my stomach, a force propelling me forward and away from my sisters.

I gulped, holding myself back, my hands closing in a fist, resisting the steps my feet wanted to take. We shouldn’t be here.

Not outside, not in the middle of a Halloween parade surrounded by potential threats. We were too vulnerable during All Hallows’ Eve, especially this one. I felt it in my bones. Danger lurking around the corner waiting to strike.

My heart hammered inside my chest, my lungs hurting with every breath I took, but I refused to follow the hook. I didn’t want to go anywhere without my sisters.

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