How did she know that it was her mother? It was the way she held herself, as if she was a leader, a powerful person that didn't know they were powerful, the way her auburn hair bounced the same way hers did. It was the clothes she had chosen, a white blouse with ripped blue jeans, daggers along a belt. The sparkle in her eye that let you know she had a sense of humor. The second she saw her she knew she was her mother. She ran as fast as she could, the wind seemed to be pushing her forward, helping her get to her mother. She ran into her mothers arms and cried. She let the dam walls crumble. She let out everything that had happened that she hadn't had a mother to lean on for. Her mother just stood there and let her cry, knowing that she needed it. "Mom?" she said, not wanting to ruin it. "Yes my child?" She answered. "Why did you leave?" she asked, knowing that she would get some answer like 'I had to leave so you would be safe', or 'To protect you'. "I had to leave to protect you sweetie." Her mother said softly, with tears forming in her eyes. Ding ding ding she was right. "C-c-can you explain what is going on!?" She said, as she was slightly impatient from her lack of answers from Whiskers. "Come my child, I'll take you to our house and I'll explain everything." Her mother said kindly. Then her heart was whole. It was the way she said 'our house' like it was her's too. Like they were finally a family. She led her through winding streets filled with witches running about, casting spells to get there quicker, gathering entire baskets of fruit with a flick of their hands. After walking through streets filled with colorful houses filled with people in clothes made out of clouds, and strings of color weaving around everywhere they reached her mother's house. As she followed her mother into the house, all the memories she never got to have with her flashed through her head. Her 11th birthday, her first day of kindergarten, all those times she had come home crying because of the bullies at school. She walked into the house with her mother, looking around at the houses next door. Her mother's was by far the biggest. It was four stories, made out of white wood and bricks on the chimney. The chimney, like all the others we had seen, had rainbow smoke drifting out of it, that instead of polluting the air, went into the clouds and made them change colors so that the whole town had rainbow light shining down on it. As they entered the house she saw her mother's kitchen. It was beautiful! It had tile that shone like the sun, and the counter had a marble top with a fruit basket in the middle. The chairs were so soft that you could fall asleep in them! The cabinets were a nice creamy color with light blue nobs. "Come child." Her mother's voice came from in front of her. She followed her mother down the hallway past the living room, up the stairs, and into the bedroom. "I am deeply sorry that I made you grow up without a mother. But I did it to help you. If I was there you would have died." Her mother said, trying to console her because she had started crying. "What do you mean I would've died!? I still have no idea where we are, WHAT I am, or what I'm doing here! I thought you were dead my whole life!!" She cried, not caring that she was her mother anymore, just mad. "Where have you been all these years! You just left us without even bothering to make sure I knew what was happening, or who you were! You could have at least let me know you were ALIVE!" She yelled angrily. "I-I'm sorry." Her mother said ashamedly. "Don't be. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. you're my mother and I'm just happy to have you back." It was my turn to be ashamed. I sat down at the edge of her bed. By the feel of it, it was filled with feathers. The quilt was sky blue and the walls were a light laurel green. On the right side of the room was a window reaching down from the sealing to the floor with white velvet curtains. On the floor was a white and blue circular rug. The ceiling swirled with clouds and sky. Her mother noticed her staring at the ceiling in wonder. "I see you noticed the ceiling. It's enchanted to show the morning sky." Her mother said gently to break the tension. "W-why did you have to leave mom?" She asked, curiosity finally winning. "Well, I live in a society of witches. We are not the witches of fairy tells though." Her mother said. Suddenly I felt whiskers curled up in my lap, listing to the story. "We don't go around cursing children or making green potion with cauldrons. No, those witches are made up. Although there are some bad witches out there." Her mother said, with a look of sadness. "But they are bad like humans are bad. They do not have green skin. We are just normal people with the capacity to go beyond our normal abilities." Her mother said, noticing the look of surprise on her face. Now, only girls can be witches of the sky. There are male witches out there, but they are a completely different thing." Her mother continued. "So there are only females in this town. I was not supposed to leave the town, but I did. I did not do it out of curiosity of the world though. I did it because one day your father stumbled across this valley. For some reason he had the ability to see the town. Only witches of the sky should be able to, so he intrigued me. We wiped his most recent memories so that he would not go blabbing to the world. I couldn't resist though. I followed him back to his town. I saw him ridiculed and beaten. I couldn't take the hostility of it all. I used a spell to make all of the people doing this to him forget their entire lives. This is a spell I am not supposed to use. It is forbidden. But I couldn't stand it. I used the spell. Your father saw me. I didn't have the heart to wipe his recent memories again like we did when he found this place because using it so soon could cause permanent damage. I explained to him who I was and took him to the tent I had set up on the outskirts of the town. I told him all about me, and he in turn told me all about him. We soon fell in love. Then I got pregnant with you." Her mother's eyes seemed to glitter with happiness and sadness at the same time as she talked about her father. "I had to leave soon though, for if the other witches found out that I was in love with him, I would be exiled and stripped of my powers. I left your father with you and told him that when the time was right, to give you that charm bracelet and ring." My mother said, this time the sadness showing through in her voice. Whiskers got up and said "But we have her back now Cassandra." Her mother smiled at her "Yes, you're right Whiskers. We do have her back." Her mother said this in the kindest way she ever could, but it felt emptier without her father there. Her father, who she had leaned on for years, was gone. "Layla, my darling, you are a witch." My mother finished. "That's what Whiskers said! But I don't know what that even means!" I protested. "Witches are people who have the capacity inside of them to do beyond what a regular person could do. For instance, your father was not a witch, but I was. You could have been a human, but you are a witch. Do you know how we know this and why you were born a witch?" Her mother asked her. "No! That's what I've been asking!"I said, exasperated. "You were born a witch because I had more magic in me than your father, and whoever has more magic in them, the child is born as the same species. "You are a very powerful witch. Most would not be able to fly all that way without any training, or knowledge of our world." Her mother said with a troubled look in her eye. A woman through open the door and ran into the room. "We're under attack! The shadowai are back!" The woman said, panting, then passed out. She noticed a cut in the woman's side. "Layla, I need you to stay here and heal her. We will not let another die to them. That includes you. No leaving the room under any circumstances!" Her mother said sternly, though she could see the distress in her eyes. And on that, she ran out of the room with a sword in her hand.
YOU ARE READING
The Witches of The Sky
FantasyYoung Layla wakes up one night to have her father stolen. Her mother she had been told was dead her entire life is alive? She is told she will have to fight the unimaginable, see something never seen before. Is she up for the challenge?
