Sorcery (Louis Tomlinson)

Prologue

The New Mexico night was cold and frigid, light snowflakes falling over the sleepy town. The full moon hung in the sky, it's light illuminating over a small shack of a house in the middle of the freshly laid snow.

The night was cold outside, but inside the house it was warm and comfy. A fire had been built in the fireplace in the center room of the house, a small couple laying on the couches inside. They were bundled up in blankets and admiring the little bundle they had created between them.

"She looks just like you, Amelie." The man teased his wife. Amelie rolled her dark eyes and smiled.

"She's barely a month old, she doesn't look like either of us yet." She pointed out, giving her husband a kiss on the cheek before getting up to prepare some hot chocolate for the both of them as well as heat up the baby's bottle.

As she entered the kitchen Amelie flicked her wrists, and suddenly the cupboards opened on their own, cups floating out and settling on the tabletops. With another twist of the wrist hot chocolate ingredients flew out of the pantry, the ingredients beginning to mix themselves in the mugs as she busied herself with heating up her daughter's bottle.

However, just as she was about to place the bottle in the microwave, she froze. The ingredients fell to the tabletops, hot water spilling from the kettle she had been moving with her mind. Her eyes were wide, hands shaking as she focused on the disturbance she felt.

"Amelie? Baby, are you okay?"

"No..." Amelie whispered, her eyes locking with her husband's. "They found her. They're coming."

Suddenly both parents became a whirlwind of movement, rushing to grab their emergency bags and make a break for it.

"How close are they?" Mark asked his wife, relying on her spot on telekinetic skills to sense the attackers. He watched in worry as his wife closed her eyes, a heavy sigh escaping her as she opened them again.

"Close, very close. Maybe a mile out."

"We have to hurry then." Mark said, quickly picking up his infant daughter and trying to hush her cries.

"Shh, it's alright." He whispered, his heart sinking when he saw several pairs of headlights lighting up the front of the house. They were here.

"They found us." Amelie whispered, her eyes falling to her husband and the baby he carried. It didn't take her long to make her decision, quickly handing her husband the baby bag she was carrying.

"Go, take the baby. I'll hold them off."

"Are you crazy? I'm not leaving you." Mark argued, loud footsteps getting closer and closer to the front door.

"I'll be fine, take her and go. She's the one they want." Amelie begged her husband, when suddenly an idea came to her.

"Curse her." She suggested, her husband immediately shooting her idea down.

"No. I'm not going to hurt her."

"Protectors don't ever get seriously ill. If you curse her with a health problem, they won't suspect her as one at all." Amelie explained, but Mark only shook his head.

"I won't do it, I'm not going to curse her to a lifetime of health problems just to keep her safe from them."

"Please," Amelie begged. There were tears in her eyes threatening to spill over. "You're the only one that can do it. Her protector talent won't allow it to get too bad. I need you to do this for me."

Several bangs sounded on the door.

"Please." Amelie said, tears streaking down her cheeks now.

Mark sighed as he looked down at the infant in his arms.

"What do you want me to curse her with?" He winced as he spoke, the very thought of hurting his baby girl pained him.

"Something major, something they would never expect..." Amelie began, only to be interrupted by a voice outside.

"Open up! I know she's in there!"

Amelie's mind summoned weapons of knives from the kitchen cabinets, the metal hanging in the air behind her ready to attack.

"Her heart. Curse her with a heart problem, they'll never expect her to be a protector with that." Mark opened his mouth to argue against the idea when the banging on the door got louder, the person shouting growing frustrated.

"Do it, keep her safe. I'll find you later." Amelie assured. Mark quickly kissed the love of his life before rushing out the back door just as the front one was busted down.

The worried father ran through the heavy snow, his daughter safely bundled up and warm in his arms. His backpack and the baby bag were all the luggage that he carried, his mind saying a silent prayer for his wife's safety.

He managed to find a hideout in the woods behind the house, setting the bags down and hiding amongst the trees. He had a great view of the house, and would therefore know when Amelie would escape.

The scene in front of him frightened him. Two Hummers were parked in front, several men in black trench coats rushing up to the house. Mark took a deep breath, his heart beginning to pound from fear. He hoped Amelie would be alright.

Truth be told, he wasn't really going to curse the baby. He would deal with Amelie's ranting later, but he wasn't going to hurt his own flesh and blood.

Mark took a lingering glance to his daughter, smiling a little when he saw her tiny hands trying to catch snowflakes. No, he wouldn't hurt her.

It seemed like a short while later when the men in black came out of the house, some yelling and other looking around their surroundings. That was strange, had Amelie escaped?

His heart was telling him otherwise when one of the men looked back towards the house, holding out his hand. A bright flame began to form on his outstretched palm, and with one throw the house had caught fire. Mark's breath had caught in his throat as he watched the house turn into a blazing inferno, and his gaze immediately turned to the locket round his neck, praying what he feared had happened wasn't true.

The green glow of the heart shaped locket had dimmed, one side of the metal heart flickering before turning dark.

Mark felt like his own heart was shattering into a million pieces.

Amelie was dead.

He didn't cry at first, his body still in shock from the startling news. He didn't have much time to process this, however, as the men in black coats had begun walking towards him.

They had sensed a protector was with him, and they were coming to find her.

Mark was about to gather his things and run away with his daughter, when his wife's request echoed through his head.

If he cursed his daughter, the men would stop hunting for her. They could attempt to hide in plain sight and live normal lives, his baby girl would never have to live in fear of being killed.

It's what Amelie wanted, he reminded himself.

So he took a breath, took one last glance at his perfectly healthy daughter, and placed his fingertips at the top of his baby's chest, casting a spell of woe for his baby girl's heart.

A red glow was emitted from his fingertips, and Mark could almost tell immediately that his curse had worked after the glow had faded. The baby's hands and feet grew colder, her heartbeat feeling weaker than before. Mark's guilt was almost eating him alive.

He was a healer, meant to save people's lives and heal their ailments, not cast ailments on those who were perfectly healthy.

Still, he had told Amelie he would protect her, and he wasn't about to break that promise to her.

And so, with a heavy heart and now sick baby girl in his arms, he began his trek somewhere safe. He paused to watch as the men in black coats gave up on their search for the protector, hopping in their cars and driving off.

I'll keep her safe, Amelie, Mark promised silently. No matter what, I'll keep her safe.