It is called a Love Curse. It bounds Ophelia McQuoid witchy soul in a tall, red crystal. She is only released every 50 years for a total of 30 days. In order for her to break the curse, she needed to find an immortal soul that would trade his life f...
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Ascension Day was nearing and the villagers were becoming restless and anxious. Freya was having nightmares almost every night. It was almost impossible for my parents to put her to sleep. Even warmed milk couldn't settle her down. She was convinced this year was her year.
After several days of keeping my parents up, Freya crawled into my bed in the middle of the night. Her red curls soft and cradled her face. The night before Ascension Day. I woke up to her crawling beneath my sheets.
"Freya?" I asked drowsily.
"I'm scared, Fei." She curled up to my side. I wrapped my arms around and patted her back and ran my fingers through her hair.
Freya was six years old. At school, they would teach her all about Ascension Day. No wonder she was frightened. I was six years older than Freya, but I've gone through six years of not being picked. I had another four more years and I would be free from selection.
"You won't get picked Freya. Look at me. I didn't get picked and it's been six years already."
"But what if I get picked?"
"You won't."
"But what if I do?"
"Then I will take your place. So, you have nothing to worry about. You can stay with mama and papa."
"I can't have you do that."
"I can and I will."
"But Fei-"
I shushed her. "Everything will be okay, Freya. Go to bed. Tomorrow is a big day."
I apparated in Atla's bedroom again. Turning to the red crystal, it glowed brightly and then dimmed. That was abnormal, but I knew immediately what it was. I could feel it in my body. I'm losing myself to the red crystal. It was draining my life force.
From the corner of my eyes, Atlas was still sleeping on the bed. A wave of exhaustion hit me and my vision shrouded in a black fog.
My mind wandered back to my dream. It has been a long time since I dreamed about my family. It almost felt like humanity was seeping back into my bones. There was a sharp pain in my chest. It ached to the point where it was hard to breathe. Vomit and nausea were like a ball in my stomach.
"Freya McQuoid!" The head witch announced.
And then there was weeping and cries of protest. My father struggled to keep them from taking my sister. My mother held onto my sister like it was her lifeline. I stood just out of reach.
At that moment, everything around me seemed to slow down. It drowned noises out and I could only look beyond the chaos at the head witch. Her eyes met mine, and I knew it-I knew this was my fate.
