Elodie hissed, watching as her blood sipped from her slitted palm and dripped on the white paper, drenching it completely red. And soon a fire lit up all the candles, making the room bright.
"You still remember what to say?" Elodie asked Meredith, who nodded almost too quickly. They had a moment of memorizing the spell before they sat down to cast it.
Holding hands atop the red painted paper, they began to chant the spell. Elodie could feel the power in her body thrumming, and she was coming alive, like she was breathing again. She shut her eyes, chanting in sync with her friend. She felt like that whenever she used her magic.
Suddenly, Meredith was chanting a wrong spell. And for some reason, it was making her blood boil. It was riling her up. And why weren't her eyes opening? Her hands were tied, too. Her body wasn't moving. What was happening? She thought frantically.
"Meredith? What is going on?" Her voice was filled with terror. She had never felt this helpless before. And to think it was her best friend who was doing it to her-she found it hard to believe. "Why are you immobilizing me?" She knew the spell she was using very well. Meredith has locked up her powers. It terrified her to the core, and tears started to stream down her cheeks despite her eyes not opening.
"I'm sorry, Elodie," Meredith said, and then a hysterical laughter followed. It made Elodie shiver. This was not her friend Mer. She couldn't recognize this woman.
"Why are you doing this, Mer?" She couldn't help but ask, forcing her eyes to open so she could witness with her own eyes what the person she thought was her friend was doing to her.
"Why? You have always had everything, Elodie. Everything that I wished I had. It isn't right that it came easily for you while my parents or I have to work our arses off to obtain them. We have to kiss your father's feet, Elodie! I wanted everything that you had and never had it. And now," She laughed again, "I can't let you have Adrian too."
A pang of pain hit Elodie's chest, "But I am leaving, aren't I? I don't want Adrian!" She snapped. Feeling everything all at once. But the pain of betrayal from Meredith was at the top of the list. She never thought her best friend was thinking of her in that light. She never, not even once, treated her any less than she treated everyone. With love, sincerity, and kindness.
And with Meredith, she took things to the next level because they grew up together. Meredith was special to her. Her only true friend was a Princess. Everybody else was into her life for their own benefits... she wasn't. Not even once. So, how could she suddenly have a change of heart and pay her kindness with such cruelty?
"Oh, I cannot trust that your father and brothers wouldn't bring down hell only to search for you. As long as you are still in this realm, they will catch you. And return you and marry you off to Prince Adrian on the spot. And I…can't let that happen." Meredith said with a high-pitched voice. Not caring to hide her truest emotions anymore. Not pretending to love the Princess when she deep down knew all along that she loathed her. And like everybody else…she was only in her life for her own benefits.
Elodie sniffled, "But…we're friends." She breathed out, biting down her lip so hard she could taste her own blood. Meredith laughed at her words, and it felt like someone was nailing her body with a hammer. It felt like needles. Meredith chanted something, and finally, Elodie could open her eyes, and the sight that was before her smeared pain all over her being.
The look on Meredith's face was of a total stranger. She couldn't recognize her at all. She was livid. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her face full of disgust as she looked down at her as if Elodie were a peasant. She swallowed her pain, "I thought we were friends, Mer," she tried again, feeling like this all was just a bad dream.
"Friends? You and I?" Meredith crossed her hands over her chest, "We never were." She said with so much venom.
Her words made Elodie's heart shatter into a million painful pieces. Tears were streaming profusely. Her throat was filled with so much ache. She was speechless. No matter how much she tried to bring herself to talk, any words left in her died in her mouth before she could move her lips. Her shoulders dropped, letting her current predicament sink into her mind.
Yet again, she was broken by someone she trusted with her whole naive heart. Yet again, she was all alone with no one and nothing to lean on.
Elodie blinked her tears hard. Regretting ever trusting Meredith. Her lips trembled, and when she couldn't stand it anymore, a heart-wrenching sob tore from her lips.
Meredith looked even disgusted by her, "Look at you, looking so pathetic. Like a helpless dirty little pig at my mercy," she snickered and threw her head back laughing evilly. "You so much wanted to run away, didn't you? Too eager. Don't worry, I will ensure you never return." Darkness shadowed her eyes, making Elodie frightened by the sudden switch-up on her face.
Meredith picked up Elodie's book of spells and continued chanting away without a care for the Princess's pleas. She was begging her not to do it. But she was far too gone to back out now.
Suddenly, the paper burned into ashes, and the floor right where the black portal sigil was cracked open, black steam started to pour out from the wide crack. It looked like a deep hole of never-ending darkness.
The steam was swirling around like a tornado, causing an unimaginable wind to surface in the room, blowing things all around. It was promising so much chaos and distractions that were lurking and waiting for its prey.
And even though she once wished to pass through it to run away from her family, she wished not to anymore… now that she has set her eyes on what the actual black portal looked like.
Her golden locks were dancing with the furious wind, covering her vision, and some were pushing into her open mouth. "No. No, Meredith. Please, don't do this to me. I beg you!" She shook her head, screaming at the top of her lungs, but it all fell on deaf ears to her once dear friend.
Because no sooner could she feel her body getting lifted from the floor and floating toward the open portal. "NO! Mer!" She tried to thrash herself against the unseen energy that tied her up in a tight knot, but it wasn't working.
And her power was locked up, so there was no use trying to chant any spell. Emotions were flooding her senses, numbing her racing thoughts, ripping her broken heart, and encouraging her rapid breathing.
And then she stopped fighting, knowing there was no use. Everything went numb as if she had stopped existing. Her eyes became bloodshot as she stared at Meredith, dead in the eyes. Fire burned in her veins.
She fisted both her hands so hard that her nails were digging in her palms, letting the tears fall profusely. Surprisingly, the windows started to rattle as though they would shatter at any moment, and thunder roared from outside.
Which alarmed Meredith, fear sipping in her chest. Despite having locked her power away, she was shocked by how the elements were still able to be moved by the Princess. She rushed with the chant so as not to find herself dead before she could even execute her plans.
Even when she had the upper hand, one fact she could never deny…Elodie was the strongest witch she had ever encountered. And she was very smart to lock away her power right from the beginning. Or else she would have been reduced to ashes a very long time ago.
Elodie was now right at the mouth of the portal, waiting for her fate to be carried out. "I will never forgive you, Meredith. And mark my words, you will never find what you are looking for in life. You… will never know what happiness feels like. You…will lose everything, every single time." Elodie said with no emotion in her tone, but with raw pain. All the while the black steam began to engulf her body.
"It is quite amusing that you won't be here to see that happening, isn't it? It must hurt very much. Poor you. Send my greetings to others at whatever hellhole you end up in, Elodie." Meredith flushed with a sinister smile and bowed at her.
Elodie shut her eyes, tears sipping from the corners. She could feel the portal pulling her in. She wished she could turn back time so that she could live her life differently. So that she could change her fate. So that she would not end up with the same pathetic end as now.
"Regards, Princess,"
She squeezed her eyes even tighter when Meredith's voice came, accompanied by hysterical laughter, before darkness pulled her in, consumed her wholly.
And then she was free-falling rapidly, not even knowing where to hold to anchor her body.
Panic rose deep inside her, and a shriek pierced from her mouth before everything halted in an instant of terror. Her voice, the rapid movement, the panic, and eventually the sore pain in her chest…her heart.