The Shattereds

Chapter 1

The night was beautiful, despite the terrible tragedy that happened. A girl was driving down an old road. She was coming home from college, but not just any college. She graduated from the College of Magic. She was the most powerful of her class, and was finally going to go back home after four long years to share that news with her parents. However, little did she know she would never get to share the news with her parents. A blizzard came out of nowhere. The wind was too strong for her little car. Her car rolled over and started tumbling down a hill, the girl stuck in it. At the bottom, she lay lifeless on the ground. Shattered glass surrounded her. The windshield was broken. The seatbelt hung torn and limp. The airbags had all gone off, but far too late.

After the blizzard past, a woman in an old black cloak approached the girl. She walked through the snow, her boots making perfect shapes in the snow. She walked over the glass. She waved her finger, and the snow disappeared off of the girl. She pulled out the locket from around her chest. She held her whole arm out. She then clenched her fist. A small blue light came out of the girl. It made its way into the woman's hand. Then, the girl started to move around. She was groggy, but looked around. "I'm alive?" she asked. She then saw the woman. "Did you save me?" she asked.

"You aren't alive. I just changed your soul so you couldn't die," said the woman. The girl was confused. "You have a choice. I can bring you back to life, but you will have to serve me until you die, or you can go ahead and die right now," said the woman. The girl thought for a moment.

"Um. I guess I'll serve you. As long as I get to see my family again," she said. The woman smiled cruelly. She put the blue light in her locket. The girl then could feel her heart beating again. "Who are you?" asked the girl.

"I am Witch Broom," the woman answered.

"Well I'm Rose Vineward," said the girl. The woman pointed her finger at the girl.

"You are now Servant Vine," she said. She snapped her fingers. The girl passed out, but was held upright by an invisible force. The snow started rising and surrounded them. When it went down, they were standing in front of a large castle. Servant Vine woke up. She blinked rapidly. Witch Broom smiled. "Welcome to your new home," she said. She walked forward, Servant Vine followed her. The castle was made of old stone. The grass was brown, but it seemed alive. The sky overhead was cloudy and gray, but not stormy.

As soon as Servant Vine entered the castle, a red bracelet appeared on each wrist. "You can only do the magic I allow you to," said Witch Broom. She looked at her new servant. She waved her hand. She then wore a totally black maid's outfit. Her short blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail held back by a black ribbon. Her eyes turned from light blue to gray. "Clean the castle. The whole thing," said Witch Broom. She let out a cackle, then disappeared in a burst of black smoke.

Servant Vine looked around. Old portraits lined the walls. The people in them seemed to stare at her. She shrunk against the cold stone wall. Other servants walked towards her. They wore the same outfit, but they all were older and had white eyes. "We are the head servants. We will tell you Master Broom's orders. You must clean the entire castle," they said in unison. Servant Vine was terrified. A broom and pail of water appeared in front of her. "Begin," they commanded. Servant Vine watched them walk away. She then picked up her supplies.

"I'll do this. That way I can see my family again. She said I would," Servant Vine told herself. She started cleaning. Other servants passed her. They had gray eyes, like her. Not all of them had bracelets around their wrists. Servant Vine worked for days. When she started cleaning in one bedroom, she saw her name in it. She went to the mirror. She could see movement in it. She then gasped. She could see her family at the police station, looking for her. A message was written in red ink on the mirror. "You can now see your family forever," it read.

"No!" screamed Servant Vine. It was all a trick. She fell on her knees and sobbed. She banged on the mirror. "Mom! Dad! I'm here! I'm alive! I'm here!" Servant Vine screamed. They could not hear her. She put her head on the mirror. Tears rolled down her cheeks. Her shoulders shook. It was all a trick. The old witch had tricked her into working for her for the rest of her life. Another servant came in. She shook her head.

"She did it to you too, didn't she?" asked the servant. "She did the same trick to me." She walked over to Servant Vine. She knelt down beside her. She shook her head again. "You can see them again though," said the other servant. "Like actually see them." Servant Vine looked at her, hope filling her eyes.

"You have to beat Master Witch in a magic duel," said the other servant. "However, if you lose, you have to serve her for eternity, not just your lifetime." Servant Vine looked away.

"I'll just wait until I die. Maybe I'll see them again," said Servant Vine.

"This place is all a trick," said the other servant. "The mirrors. The doors. The stairs. The portraits."

"What?" asked Servant Vine.

"The mirrors won't show you the truth. If you need one, ask someone with a handheld mirror, as long it's not a White-Eyed. Not all the doors are actually there. They're just illusions. The stairs will lead to different places. Just stay on the main floor unless you have to go up. And the portraits. They are Master Broom's spies. Just be careful," said the other servant. Servant Vine could only nod.