PAINT IT BLACK | NICHOLAS SCRATCH

prologue

IT ALL STARTED on her sixteenth birthday. The long black dress she wore fitting her perfectly, it trailed against the soil beneath her bare feet. The coven's members stood waiting for the girl to kneel in front of Father Blackwood.

Her mother and father stood side by side. Her father had no expression per usual,were as her mother had a big happy grin on her face, in Cassandra's opinion her mother looked rather stupid. Her brother Xavier stood tall beside their father, he nodded and gave his sister a small smile before looking too Father Blackwood.

Cassandra's eyes looked over at the Ross Family, her eyes landed on Finnegan Ross, her fiancé to be. His mother was also smiling brightly, his father smiled shortly at the black haired teen.

Her eyes brightened when she saw Circe Goldrest, her best friend since they had been young babes. The Goldrest girl gave a dopey grin, making Cassie's nerves loosen.

For an unknown reason her eyes stopped at none other than Nicholas Scratch. The boy had an intense stare as she watched her walk closer to Father Blackwood.

Her mother and father then moved behind her as soon as she came to a stop. "Welcome daughter of night, who presents this child for unholy baptism?" The high priest asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Felix Hunt and Marie Hunt, Father." Her mother's voice ring through the silence almost creating an echo. Father Blackwood nodded then saying,

"Disrobe her sister and brother." Her mother and father unzipped the black dress off of their daughter. The dress slipped off to show a dark red garment. Cassie felt rather naked in the lights of only a few candles.

"We are gathered here together in these woods, in the presence of our dark lord," Father Blackwood started, "With all the souls , the living and the dead, of our coven. The most unholy church of night."

"Kneel child" Cassandra knelt down slowly to make sure she didn't crease the dress, though it was inevitable. Father Blackwood then dipped his finger in a bowl of, blood maybe? Cassie didn't really know."Our dark lord teaches us, there is no law beyond Do what thou wilt." He then made a cross on Cassie's forehead.

"The Dark Lord asks you, Would you like to be happy, child, to be free? Free to love, Free to hate?" Her eyes caught Nick Scratches eyes and they held the gaze for many moments, Father Blackwood voice drowned out until her father poked her shoulder.

"Yes, Father"

"Do you believe in Lucifer, the archangel, who preferred the loss of heaven to that of his pride?" Father Blackwood asked.

"Yes, Father."

"In exchange for this belief, you will be granted powers that will enable you to be of service to our Dark Lord, Cassandra Helene Hunt, are you willing to forsake the path of light, and follow the Path of Night, wherever it may lead you?"

"I Am."

"And are you willing to place our Dark Lord above all others in your life, be it your loved ones, your family, your friends, your neighbours?"

Cassandra paused before answering with a small, "I Am."

"Now it is time to sign his name." Father Blackwood extended his arm to the teenage girl. Cassie took his hand and stood up from her knees. He then led her to the book of the beast.

She looked at all the names before her and thought, oh shit, this is it. Father Blackwood lifted her soft hand. She cringed and fought off a shriek as the knife cut her skin. Father Blackwood closed her hand into a fist and let a small drop of blood fall on to the old paper.

He handed her the feather typed pen, she took it slowly and steadied her hand. She slowly but surely signed the name, Cassandra Hunt.

As she signed the last T in her last name a round of applause and a cheer from Circe, that got a glare from her parents commenced. She looked back at her parents, Her father nodded and her mother had a big grin on her face.

After the baptism a small party and feast was held at her family's small mansion, with the whole coven packed around the Hunt's dining table. She wasn't allowed to talk to her friends that evening, instead, every time she went to make a move over to her friends her mother or father pulled her away to an adult from the coven.

Her night was turned around when instead of making out with her boyfriend in the old broom closet, she ended her night with the one and only Nicholas Scratch