The Coven: The Beginning

Prologue (MUST READ FIRST)

Prologue

Chadwick Apartment Complex

Chicago, IL

Mila Carrier-McCoy

    The humid Lake air soaked into my skin, my pores bubbling out sweat- I couldn't take this anymore. My mother says it's my hormones, but lately everything within me had been warping, my bones smelting into an unknown gold. But what's even worse, I’ve been-doing things. It started with the remote, it was a particularly lazy night and I wanted the TV remote so badly I-I made it move. It just flung across the room into my hand. I thought I was dreaming, but then came the thoughts and the rhymes, I began unconsciously writing in my notebook, my arms, and even tables. Leaving these confusing thoughts behind, I strolled out onto our small 5th floor balcony, hoping to catch a slight inner city breeze. Nothing.

"Mila, I'm home!" My mother shouted from my bedroom door, her delicate voice echoing through the cramped, incense clogged apartment.

"One sec." I quickly muted 'Rhiannon' playing on my radio and moved swiftly into the kitchenette, my thick brunette curls bouncing behind me.

"I got some cake mix for tomorrow, it's a very special day" mother said with a flicker of flame in her eye. That was how I knew she was excited.

"Well it's just my Birthday?"

"Your sixteenth birthday Milanne, it's very important."

"Yeah, for normal kids who have sweet sixteen’s and get Cadillac’s, not for a poor 'hippie'.

    I then blushed in shame as I processed what I had just said. But before Mother could scold me, the phone rang. As usual she immediately picked it up, just incase it was a client. We always needed the money. Especially after my father died. So for the last three years we've been struggling to get by. I mean, we aren't poor-more like the low end of what you would call 'middle class'. Half the reason is Mother won't get a real job. She is a 'herbalist' except she uses them for healing and protection and all sorts of voodooy things. That's why I always think of us as hippies. So as usual I just trudged back to my room to listen to my queen, Stevie Nicks.

    The air was now slightly cooler, for the sun had already bid farewell. Closing the windows darkened the room immensely, it was eerie. Suddenly a rush of excitement flooded my cool veins, dizziness set in. The heat was suddenly unbearable. One by one, the each of the candles in my room bloomed into a fiery blaze. I felt my self fall, fall deeper and deeper into the flame. Then I felt, nothing.

8 Hours Later

"Milanne, it's time, wake up."

    My mind raced with thought's, I could feel a growing power racing around inside me. I had a excruciating migraine. I opened my eye's focusing on my surroundings. It was my mother, she was standing at the foot of my bed in a long velvet robe, I had never seen before.

"Ma? What happened? I-I don't feel well, what time is it?"

"It's ten-to-three. It's okay my dearest, its just your powers manifesting."

"My powers? What the hell? I think I’m drugged? Why are you waking me up so late?" I flung my aching body back onto the mattress.

"Mila, I know this seems very strange, I should have never bound your powers. Then you would've grew into them naturally, but my Coven is here, and they can help." Mother cooed as she helped me out of bed. 

    The two of us walked into the living room, Mother was right. Lining the outside of the small room were at least thirteen robed people, four men, the rest woman. I wanted to feel frightened, but there faces seemed welcoming. 

"I'm so lost right now?-Ouch!" a sharp pain jolted through my head.

"You have to know something Milanne, you are a witch-"

"-You mean like a green pointy nosed freak?!" I couldn't help but shout out.

"Well, no. You see Mila, we are the descendents of Martha Ingall’s Carrier. She was a was a witch, hung in 1692 during the Salem witch trials. Martha was the only 'real' witch to actually be accused. The rest had fled. But the point is, you and I have natural abilities. We are different. Same with them." My mother waved her hand back to the group of people. "They are witch's as well, I’m afraid the only other ones left other than the New Orleans Coven, Northampton Coven, and a few other scattered witch's."

"So why is all this happening to me now?" My naturally pale complexion completely losing its color.

"I bound your magic when you were born Mila, I wanted you to live a normal life, and let you come into your power when you were ready. I guess you are." I saw the same flicker in her eye, but this time it was a reflection. I glanced down to her hand in awe. Levitating in the center of my mother's palm, was a small ember of fire, growing larger every second it lived. 

"Fucking amazing!" my mouth hung down in awe. "Can I do this?"

"We won't know your abilities or strength until we unbind the spell." Mother led me to the middle of the center of the room, a circle of candles were placed around me.

"Wait, I lit the candles in my room, before i passed out? Does that mean I can light these?" I suddenly felt a rush of adrenaline, something wanted so badly to tear it's self out of me, but another part of me didn't want it to.

"We won't know until you are unbound." an older woman spoke from the circle that surrounded me. With a swift flick of her hand, the five candles sparked. A sudden flaming Pentacle connected them. Everyone began chanting Latin. The heat sizzled at my skin, I felt a sharp snap within myself as the whole room seemed to capsize around me, my mind drifted further out of the confusion as the rush of power filled me. It was only seconds later I noticed that I was levitating off the ground. Then the bright wave of power that warped the air in the room shot it's self back into me, I collapsed to the floor in a limp heap. 

     The Spell must've only lasted seconds, but I cried out at the damage it had done. I sat up, the witch's around me now lying lifeless on the scorched floor. What have I done? What has this beast inside me done? "Mother!", I was frantic to find her. But the furniture was overturned and burning around me in the darkness of early dawn. But that didn't stop me from seeing the one true person I couldn't live without...dead.

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Authors Note

    Welcome to 'The Coven" you have just experienced a glimpse of what's to come in the book, I promise the more chapter's you read, the more it will draw you in. In 'Chapter One' you will get a sneak peak of Zoe, Queenie and Cordelia. Feel free to comment your thoughts or any ideas. And vote!

-Jarod