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HARRIET AND CORA both seemed to be frozen in shock, struggling to process what was going on. Everything seemed to be happening fast. In a blink of an eye, Hannah had disappeared from their views and Isaac, Lizzie, and Abigail were beside them. Cora had no idea where the two girls had come from.
"Mother made me stay home," Abigail explained, noticing the girl's confusion. Lizzie nodded along. "We heard the commotion and decided to come see what was happening."
"Why were they taking Hannah?" Lizzie demanded to know when Abigail finished speaking. "What happened in there, Harriet?" Harriet couldn't bring herself to speak. Lizzie huffed and turned her head to the other Watson twin. "Cora?" She received no answer from the girl either. "Isaac?"
"Caleb's convinced everyone that Hannah and Sarah are witches," he informed them, wrapping his arm around Harriet. He couldn't care less if Colin saw them at the moment. It wasn't like he was doing anything to help comfort the girl he was supposed to be marrying.
It wasn't making any sense to Harriet.
The day prior, everything had been perfect. She'd woken up, done her chores, and then went out with her sister and Abigail. She'd gone with Lizzie, Sarah, and Hannah to get berries from the widow. She'd had a wonderful night with Isaac.
It had been perfect.
But then the sun rose once more, and everything had went straight to hell. The fruits were rotten, the animals were going crazy, and Pastor Cyrus Miller had lost his mind. He'd locked 12 children in The Meeting House with him and brutally cut their eyes out.
"As sure as the sun rises, we will purge Union. . ." Elijah began, making the five teenagers turn to look at where his voice was coming from. A crowd had gathered around him, wanting to hear more about getting the witch. ". . . of this—" He grabbed Hannah's arm. "— wretched pollution!" He shoved her forward, making her fall to the ground, unable to catch herself due to the chains. "We will search every house, every inch of wood! We will not rest and we will not have mercy!"
"No mercy!" the townspeople agreed.
"So help me, God," Elijah continued. "We will be cleansed of these anathemas!"
