“Class, an outbreak of the most horrid nature has come forth.” pronounced Priest Maximus, “Witches, servants of the devil, have been flying over the land, hurting good people such as yourselves.”
Several of the people in the front row gasped. One girl fainted. (Although, seeing as she got up almost right away, it was probably not genuine.) Meanwhile, in the back row, the girl with long black hair turned pale.
“Are you well, Cecelia?” asked the redhead. “It was unfair, what happened to your grandmother..”
“I’m all right, Holy.” replied Cecelia, trying to ignore the all too familiar feeling of shame tightening around her throat like a rope. Last year, her grandmother had been one of the first witches to be accused, and her father had died only a few months ago, leaving her and her mother alone in the rubble of a once respectable family. She knew that if her or her mom were accused, there would be no support to keep them away from the hungry fire that had consumed so many before them.
“We must stay strong!” Said the Priest, startling Cecilia out of her melancholy train of thought. “We must find a way to stand together against these magic makers, and protect each other from being harmed by their malicious ways! We must, or our lives as we know them shall crumble before our eyes.” Here his face turned sad, the prospect of losing the town clearly too much for him to think about. “And now, some of the people affected by witchcraft would like to come forward to talk about their experiences. Please welcome Abigail, Betty, and Ann!”
No, thought Cecelia. These girls had been the ones who had accused her grandmother, sentencing her to trials and prison. These girls would accuse anyone who crossed them, or anybody who seemed queer or out of sorts with society. Her pale cheeks burned like a thousand torches as the girls began rattling off the names of accused witches, peaking each name as though it was a spot of dirt on their expensive dresses. How she wished that none of this had ever happened, that her grandmother was still here, waiting for her to come home…
