Fated

Dante

I watch through the window of my study as a silver sedan slowly comes down the driveway. This is the moment i have waited so long for. I have spent what seemed like an eternity waiting for my fated love to arrive. I felt it the moment she took her first breath before she let out her first fragile cry. In that moment I knew she was mine. I watched her in my minds eye over the years. I watched as she grew, celebrated her milestones and cheered on all her accomplishments from afar. I was watching when she first came into her powers. She was quite young at the time…younger than any other witch i had ever known. Usually their power made themselves known after their 12th birthday, but my sweet Eve was a meer 5 years old. She was sitting at their dining table painting with watercolors. I watched as she carefully dipped the tip of her brush into the water and then lowered it onto the dry blue square. She was so careful when bringing it to the paper making sure not one drop fell onto the table. She lowered the brush to the paper with such precision and purpose. It had been so subtle at first and i had almost missed it. THe brush sat on the paper, but she did not move it. Instead the paint seemed to move itself. The colors all began to swirl onto the paper and twisted as they slowly created an image…a beautiful butterfly. Eve sat with her mouth agape as she watched the image form in front of her. After a moment her shock faded into sheer joy and she smiled at her masterpiece. It was my turn to be in shock as the image that was so lifelike crawled off the page and began to fly around the room. Eve cheered in delight as the butterfly flitted across the room as though it was dancing. It would be 2 months before her mother would come to know of her powers. It would 2 days after learning of them that she would forever ruin my sweet Eve.

Upon learning of Eve’s powers her mother sought the council of the high priestess of her coven. I watched as they laid her upon a table and as they began uttering the words of Eve’s destruction. I recognized the spell right away…a binding spell! They were stripping away her magic! I wanted to go to her right then and there and take her from them, but to do so would be to violate the arrangement I had made which in turn would mean losing her forever. Instead I lashed out at everything my hands could touch. Pictures, lamps, the computer monitor….all went flying across the room. Books being thrown with some of their pages scattering to the floor. I wanted to save her, but all I could do was wait.

I return from my thoughts in time to see Monica opening the passenger door of her car. My heart begins to race as my eyes fill with her, soaking in every detail of her. Her long flowing black curls that gently cascade down her shoulders, her perfectly curvy body that looks as though it was made by the gods themselves. I rush downstairs and stand at the door, listening as their footsteps grow closer. I can feel the hand reaching for the door and quickly open it before they have a chance to knock.

“Good evening Dante.” the shrill voice grates me to the core.

“Good evening Monica. Please come in.” I step aside gesturing for them to enter. I cannot take my eyes off of Eve as they walk into the foyer. Eve stands before me, but her eyes are fixed firmly to the floor.

“5pm sharp as per our arrangement. And…your offering?” Monica speaks as though this is merely a business transaction rather than what it really is…her selling her daughter for the promise of more power. I wave over my Housekeeper, Wendy, who is standing at the bottom of the stairs holding a large wooden box with intricate runes carved across the lid.

“You will find it is all there, but feel free to check.” The words slip out coldly.

“I trust you have ensured they are all there. I must be going now.” Monica quickly walks over and takes the box from Wendy before heading to the door and leaving. I stand in awe over the fact that she said not one word to Eve before leaving, not even a simple ‘I love you’. Come to think of it, in all the times I looked in on Eve, not once had I heard her say those words. Perhaps it was an attempt to not connect too much with the one she promised to sacrifice long before she had even been conceived. As my eyes find their way back to Eve I see a glistening stream of tears flowing down her cheeks.

“Let me show you to your room.”