Gold Dust

Chapter 28

Warning: Violence

It was cold. And dark.

Two things that Tabatha didn't like. She was in some type of cave, with what seemed like rough stone floor and walls, the only way out was covered by a rusty old metal gate with a lock that was bespelled. The first time Tabatha had tried to use magic, she couldn't breath. She almost ended up passing out until she stopped powering up her magic and look in long deep breathes.

When she got her hands on the slimy ugly men that took her here, they'll pay for it with their lives. Kidnapping a witch was more than enough to start a war, and don't they know that when Diana and her two little puppies at her sides find out that she was taken they'll go after her. Not her dumb little sister and her little golden sidekick.

She has been in here for who knows how long. Enough for the bucket in which she had to use for a bathroom stinks and for a few meals of dried up bread and a glass of snow, dirty no doubt. Once she had found a stick in her water. She hadn't drunk anymore after that, even though her body was wishing more. What were they doing with her? They had taken her wand away, which infuriated her. Tabatha had almost clobbered the man who had taken it, almost ripping at his eyes with her fake nails. Instead she lost her left hand ring finger nail and a bruise on her neck.

Now Tabatha was trying to figure out how on Earth she could escape. Magic was useless, she's already tried a few more time. And it wasn't just her air blocked off, she could feel that ants were crawling all over her body, or even feel like she was drowning. There was no way she could transform that stupid metal gate into some weak form of topaz, and she couldn't even make a small glimmer of fire on her palm. She didn't know how to get out.

So she had to wait. Wait for Diana to come and get her. The werewolf could smell her out, the little dog could smell anything. And Ae- whatever his name was could breathe the men on fire. Which would be a pleasant sight to see.

Tabatha had her eyes closed, imagining the three men who trapped her in here were to suddenly combust into flames when the doors opened and something was thrown in. Tabatha opened her eyes, partly in shock because she hadn't seen the cage doors open before yet. Two of the stinky gross men sneered at Tabatha, and one clutched what looked like a wand in his hand as they closed the door.

Somebody groaned at Tabatha's feet, and she instantly recognized the pink hair of her dumb sister.

"Rose?" Tabatha hissed angrily as the men laughed to themselves and walked away. "What are you doing here?"

"Tabatha?" Rose looked up, her face bruised. "What's happening?"

"Congratulations, idiot! You just got kidnapped." Tabatha said in a fake cheery voice, before reaching over and yanking on her sister's hair. "What do you think just happened, Sis? Elves?"

"I just- we were just- and then they were," Rose's eyes glimmered with unshed tears. "Oh gosh, Grace. She's going to be so mad."

"Grace?" Tabatha narrowed her eyes at Rose, "do you mean the Gold Witch?"

Rose looked alarmed, "wait how do you know about Grace?"

"We've been tracking you two idiots for the last... oh I don't even remember!" Tabatha threw her hands up in the air, frustrated. "Oh no, Hecate popped by and she poofed up your apartment. Diana took one look at you little sidekick and now we have a fudging dragon who is moody as Hades and guess what?" Tabatha leaned over again and yanked on Rose's hair even harder, "it's all your fault!"

"No it isn't!" Rose tried to tug back her hair, but Tabatha tightened her fist. "Stop hurting me Tab!"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Tabatha roared, her patience snapping. She grabbed her sister by her scalp and threw her head first into the wall. "You are nothing but a weak good for nothing witch! You don't even deserve to be called a witch! You don't even have any magic, you're just a ditzy idiot brat who thinks they'll get the easy way in life!" She continued to raise her sister by the hair and slam her head into the wall. Rose was sobbing, trying to speak but her words came out as gibberish until Tabatha held her face to the stone wall and ground it against it.

"Shut up. And don't talk to me." She let her sister go, and Rose fell to the ground limply, still sobbing. "SHUT UP!" Tabatha yelled again, this time kicking her sister. "If I hear another sound come out of your mouth, I will hurt you."

Rose tried to muffle her sobs, and Tabatha was tempted to just start up again, but this time she was interrupted by one of the kidnappers appearing.

He swore, and called down the hallway, "they're beating the crap out of each other!"

There was another curse down the hallway, and another man came with keys jangling in his hands. "You." He pointed at Tabatha, "if you move you'll regret it. Try anything, we'll activate the curse charm on the cell, you got it?"

Tabatha kept her mouth shut, but silently nodded. Rose was wheezing now, and one of the men walked into the cell and picked her up. Rose was unconscious, bleeding from her nose and a gash from her forehead. Tabatha sat there, until she heard the two men walking away with Rose in their arms.

Against the cell wall was blood slowly oozing to the ground, and Tabatha laughed.

She got what she deserved. Her bloody Rose got what she deserved.

And Tabatha laughed and laughed.

Time slipped away again, but Tabatha's mood didn't change. Every time she'd glance over at the wall and see her sister blood drying against it, she'd grin. Because it was worth it. Every single boring second that Tabatha wasted trying to find her worthless sister had been worth it. Nobody was around to stop Tabatha from hurting her sister even more, no harsh words telling her that her twin sister was a gift, and that Tabatha should treat her with respect. The only small mercies that she gave to Rose was to send her to Wisconsin, or occasionally Antarctica. To get as far away from Tabatha as possible, but where she could look at her sister maybe manipulate the men around her to break up with her. The last serious boyfriend... what was his name again? Jeremy? Something like that, anyways. It had only taken him about five hundred dollars to leave her, which was cheap. Rose should find somebody like her, trash.

Footsteps were coming, but Tabatha didn't open her eyes. It was just one of the ugly men coming to check on her, yeah that happened a bit. It wasn't like she was going anywhere. The footsteps stopped at the cage doors, and there was a shuffling sound.

"Rose?" Asked a voice that was definitely not a mans. Tabatha looked over in surprise to find pretty girl with blonde hair and brown eyes. She had a button nose, and a small splatter of freckles across her face, that seemed to work with her hippy clothes. A small smudge of dirt was over her eyebrow.

"Ah," the Gold Witch said, raising an eyebrow, "not Rose. Tabatha, I presume."

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