Mira smiled at me pleasantly. As if I had just complimented her dress.

"Hello Rose." She greeted, her voice just as scratchy as the night I had last seen her, "You have no idea how happy I am to see you."

I said nothing, but this didn't upset her.

"I've been looking for you for a long time. Over a year now." She continued, all the while with a pleasant smile. "How have you been?" She asked

I still said nothing, "Not very talkative I see." She observed "That's fine."

The carriage lurched forward, I heard a horse whinny.

"I have a nice treat for you." Mira continued, "I think you'll like it very much."

As the carriage moved, the screams stopped. Perhaps we had already moved out of earshot.

Mira stopped talking for a moment and adjusted her grimy dress. Blood dotted along the bottom.

"We have a long trip ahead of us Rose," Mira told me, "I think it would be much more enjoyable if you talked back to me."

I still said nothing. Mira shrugged and instead started telling a story. "When you first left, I was very angry. You, the girl that had killed my son, slipped through my fingers." She paused and breathed in through her nose, "I immediately started looking for you. I knew the Witch Hunters had taken you in. Every time we found a group, we made sure they knew who we wanted." Her smile had turned slightly sadistic, "I suppose it's a good thing you made us so angry. Our spells got more and more powerful the angrier you made us." For a moment she looked like she was trying not to laugh.

When she regained composure she continued, "Three nights ago, you remember of course, when I told Thana about a witch I met in the forest, she told me about a necklace she had given her son many years ago. I told her to take care of the necklace, though my warlocks tell me she tried to kill you. I suppose it's a good thing that friend of yours jumped in front of you."

I stared at her, shocked that she would throw something like that in my face. Though I suppose I shouldn't have been, as like the book said, witches love others misery.

She smiled wickedly at my expression. "Oh, you didn't want to hear that did you?" She asked innocently.

Mira said nothing else, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Where did my thoughts wander? To the argument Michael and I had been having before the attack. I remembered how he said I was a danger to myself. Mira had proved he was right. If Eliana hadn't sacrificed herself for me, I would have died. It would be my body that bled out on the grass, not hers.

She and Michael could have had the life they deserved. When their cabin was completed, they could have married. Eliana could have had the children I knew she wanted.

Through the small window on the door, I watched as the sky got darker, until the sun was completely hidden by the trees. I knew from experience that the trek to the hollow was a long one, but when the forest started thinning out, I knew we weren't at the hollow.

I looked at Mira, wondering if she was planning on giving me an answer. She only smiled and said, "It's almost time for your surprise!"  

What that meant, I didn't know. The carriage continued to move, until it lurched to a stop. Screams filled the air once more. The door was thrown open and Mira grabbed my arm. "Shall we?" She asked, then threw me out of the carriage. I landed on the ground with a groan, sore from my fight with Thana. I pushed myself up with another groan and looked at my surroundings. I gasped in surprise.

Mira had taken me back to my village. Though the town was engulfed in madness, it was obvious. The church was sitting in the middle if the town where it had my entire life. In front of the church Reverend Brusco laid with his head bashed in.

Mira pulled me to my feet and dragged me in the direction of my parents home. "This is fun!" She said cheerily, "Don't you think so?"

The house looked the same way it did when I was taken. Everything from the wood stack on the side of the house to the curtains sitting in the window. Mira threw the door open and tossed me inside. My mother hid behind the table, holding Jane, much bigger than when I was taken, in her arms. My father stood protectively in front of them, his musket in hand.

"R-Rose?" My mother stuttered

Mira laughed behind me, "Oh just wait to see what else I have planned!" She cackled

"Who are you?" My father demanded pointing his musket at her.

Mira ignored the question and starting giving orders, "I want all of you out from behind the table, that's it! Drop the weapon. I said drop it!" Mira flicked her hand and the musket flew out of my father's hands. "Now on your knees!"

As my mother and father got on their knees Mira lowered her head at me, "You see Rose, I've had a year to think about what you did to me. You see I realized, to just kill you wouldn't be enough. You took away my family, so I'm going to repay the favor!"

My eyes widened, and I shook my head vigorously, "Please," I begged, the first time I had spoken since Thana, "they did nothing to you."

"So you can speak?" Mira inquired, "Rather rude for you not to speak to me on the way here!" She said shaking her head.

"Mira!" I pleaded, crawling towards her, "Please! Don't kill them!"

Mira watched me, still smiling wickedly, "Very well," I sighed a sigh of relief, "I won't kill them." She turned away from me, "I have someone else who I wanted to do it anyway."

"No!" I screamed, "Please!"

Mira ignored my screams and walked out of the house, presumably to get the person who would kill my family. I stuck my hand in my boot, where my knife always was but found nothing. I had given it too Michael, and hadn't thought to take it back.

The door creaked as it closed. I turned away from it. I didn't want to see the person that was tasked with taking my family.

Instead I looked at Jane. Tears streaked down her face as she wept, still held by my mother. Her round face was scrunched up and red. My mother comforted her as she herself cried.

My father didn't cry. He looked back at me. In the span of a year he seemed to have aged many. Wrinkles had appeared around his eyes and mouth, and his hair was flecked with silver.

"I'm sorry." I whispered, "I'm so sorry."

The door creaked open and his gaze shifted behind me. His expression turned to one of shock.

"It can't be." He whispered

My mother too looked shocked, she stopped comforting Jane, and sat frozen.

I suddenly wanted to know who it was. Who was the person my parents were so scared to see. I tried turning, but it felt like someone had placed stones on my back. I was unable to move, instead I was stuck looking at my parents, as they shook their heads.

"No." My mother cried, "No!"

The person behind me began to laugh, it was a woman's laugh. Though rapsy, that I could tell.

"Surprised?" She laughed.

Something about her voice, I couldn't point out what it was, but I knew it. I knew her voice.

"Please!" I begged, "Don't do this!"

The woman laughed louder, "From what I understand!" She cackled, "You earned this punishment!"

My mother cupped a hand around her mouth as she started to cry again. Vigorously shaking her head as she did so, as if she didn't want it to be true.

I tried harder to turn around, as I did the weight on my back becoming heavier.

"Not yet!" She taunted, "I want to savor this!"

"Who are you?" I screamed, "Let me see your face!"

The woman started laughing so hard I was sure she had doubled over. When she had finished, I heard her steps nearing me. She placed a hand on my back, the weight becoming near unbearable. "Are you really sure you want to know that?" She asked

"I want to see the face of the monster who will try to take my family from me." I growled, my father looked down at the floor as I did so. Tears silently streaking down his face.

The woman remained silent as she thought, "Very well." She said. She removed her hand from my back, with it taking the weight.

I collapsed in relief, then looked up. I was fully prepared to attack her, but instead of jumping on top of her, I lept back.

"Eris?"