The Shattereds

Chapter 4

A few days went by. Servant Vine took Emily to the training room. They practiced spells together. One day, Emily started cleaning her room. "I can clean it for you," said Servant Vine. Emily looked at her. "Why don't you go to the library? I'll meet you there," said Servant Vine. Emily shrugged.

"Ok. I guess," she said. She left. She started walking down the hallway. she then saw a door open a crack. She stopped. It had always been closed, like the rest of the doors. She stopped and looked at it. "Vine" was written on it. Emily knew she probably shouldn't go in, but she peeked inside. It was an unused bedroom. She walked in. She saw something in the mirror. She looked at it. It showed an image of two gravestones. Names and dates were carved in them, along with a message along the bottom. The names were Melanie Vineward and Christopher Vineward. Emily looked at the message written on the mirror. "You can now see your family forever," read the message. Emily backed up. She turned. There was a dresser. On the top were a bunch of pictures and an old camera. Emily picked one picture off. It was of Servant Vine and a Magicalness student. Emily could tell by the robes. She looked at all the different pictures. They were all of her and Magicalness students. There were nineteen pictures total.

"What are you doing in here?" asked a voice. Emily turned. Servant Vine was in the doorway. Emily didn't know what to do. Servant Vine looked hurt.

"Sorry," Emily said. "I should have known better." She looked at the mirror, then back at Servant Vine, who sighed.

"That was Witch Broom's cruelest trick. She said if I worked for her, I could see my family again," said Servant Vine. "Now it will forever show me their graves."

"They all died?" Emily asked.

"It never showed me my sister, just my parents," said Servant Vine. "I watched them grow old and get sick together. They died hours apart. My sister was there. I should have been there. My boyfriend was there, even though I was no longer there." Her voice was shaking. She wiped her eyes, shaking her head. "I watched the world go on without me," she said. Emily walked over to her.

"I can help you. You say a message, and I can write it down. I can bring it to your sister, boyfriend, whoever you want me to send it to," said Emily. Servant Vine bit her lip, then covered her mouth. She started crying. Emily hugged her. Servant Vine threw her arms around Emily. She hugged Emily tightly. Emily could feel her shoulders shaking. Emily didn't know what to say.

After a few minutes, Servant Vine let go of Emily. She put a hand on her cheek. "I'm afraid you can't do that. The paper will disintegrate when you leave the castle grounds," said Servant Vine. "But thanks for offering." She took her hand away. Emily sighed. "Come on. I'll take you to dinner," Servant Vine said. She brought Emily out of the room, shutting it behind her. She wrapped an arm around Emily's shoulders. She led her down the hallway. When they arrived at the dining room, Witch Broom was waiting.

"I feel like you are ready for a forest run," she said. "Come with me." Emily turned to Servant Vine, who looked terrified. Emily then went to Witch Broom. "Servant Vine, why don't you go clean yourself up and then go wash Emily's sheets?" said Witch Broom. She led Emily away. She led her out of the castle. "Just so you know," she said, turning towards Emily, "Servant Vine can never leave this place, neither can her memory. To the outside world, she is just a servant, nothing more. Not a daughter. Not a sister. Not a girlfriend. Not a friend." Emily stayed silent. "Alright. Let's go," said Witch Broom.

She started moving quickly, like a ghost. She held a purple ball of flames in her hand. Emily had to run to keep up with her. Emily chased her. They entered the woods. It was pitch black, except for the purple flame's light. Witch Broom kept moving like a ghost. Emily saw things moving around them. Something howled. There were growls. Bugs buzzed loudly. Emily was starting to sweat. Something slimy passed by her ankles. She jumped. Suddenly, Witch Broom went through a large oak tree. Emily dashed around it.

It was pitch black. She looked around, but there was no Witch Broom. She felt a bug bite her arm. She then decided she would have to run back to the castle. She started running. She held her arms out in front of her so she would not hit anything. She ran for what felt like forever. She then arrived at the castle. Her arm throbbed. Her head ached. She ran up the steps. The door opened. She went inside and collapsed on the ground, exhausted.

She felt someone carry her to her room. They laid her down on the bed. A cool ice pack was put on her head. She sighed. Her vision was fuzzy. She couldn't make out who was helping her. Her head was spinning. She tried to reach for the person, but her body hurt. "Agh," Emily said.

"Shh. Rest," said the person. It was Servant Vine.

"Sera ine," Emily said, trying to say her name.

"Shh. It's me. You're okay," she assured Emily. She pushed some hair behind Emily's ear. Emily smiled. She felt comfy, like she floating on a cloud. Servant Vine started saying something, but it sounded too distant for Emily to understand anything. Emily felt a cold hand on her head.

"...magic bug bit her," said a voice. Emily couldn't make out what they said first or who said it. She was dreaming of running gracefully through clouds. She then seemed to go back down to earth. She could see someone's face, then she completely passed out.