Fifteen minutes passed. Luke was still sitting there waiting for Enid and Sabrina to return. ‘Why aren’t they back yet?’ thought Luke as he started calling Enid on his cell phone. It rang and rang, but no one answered. He tried calling twice more, but no one was answering.
‘How long can they take at a makeup booth?’ thought Luke doubtfully. He knew Enid spent much time doing makeup, but that was in her space. Not at a fair full of people. The makeup booth shouldn’t take up that much of your time.
“Luke?”
Luke lifted his head and recognized Xavier.
“Xavier?”
“Why are you alone? Where’s Enid?” asked Xavier.
“She went with Sabrina to a makeup booth, and because of the crowd, I lost them. Because of these two stupid stuffed animals,” said Luke, pointing his thumb at the stuffed animals next to him.
“Sabrina? Was it true she went with you two?” asked Xavier.
“Yes. How did you know?” asked Luke. He hadn’t told anyone he was going with Sabrina to the festival.
“I ran into several friends who saw them, and they told me. I don’t think Ajax liked me when he found out…” said Xavier with his hand on his chin.
“We were with Enid. There were three of us. It wasn’t a date with her. Her boyfriend shouldn’t get jealous,” Luke said with a grimace and a dismissive wave.
“You know they’re boyfriend and girlfriend?” asked Xavier.
“Yes. Thanks to the interrogation Enid did on her for her blog,” replied Luke.
“Where’s Bianca? Didn’t you come with her?” he added.
“Yes, but…” said Xavier as he sat defeated on the bench. He began to tell him how their date was lousy, and everything had gone wrong. Which was why Bianca had left early.
‘At this rate, they won’t last long… I don’t know how he puts up with that annoying girl,’ Luke thought, tapping Xavier on the shoulder.
Luke was surprised at himself. In the past, it would be almost impossible for him to pat someone. You could say he considers Xavier his first friend at Nevermore.
“It’s almost twenty minutes past, and Enid isn’t answering my calls,” Luke said, looking at the time. He already wanted to go back to his dorm to sleep.
“I know where the makeup booth is. We visited it with Bianca. Follow me,” Xavier said, getting up and carrying one of the stuffed animals. Luke took the bear stuffed animal and followed him.
They arrived at the makeup stand, but the two girls were nowhere to be seen. They approached, and Xavier asked the stall attendant if she saw two blonde girls. Luke chipped in by telling her about the flashy outfits Enid and Sabrina had on.
“Oh, the enthusiastic girl dressed in pink. Yes, she came here. Are you her friends?” the manager asked, and they both nodded.
“Not long ago they finished with their make-up session. I couldn’t see where they went because of all the clients there,” replied the woman, shaking her head.
“I saw them,” said a boy, who was holding a couple of things, and had black circles in his eyes. It seemed that helping in this stall where only girls were passing by wanting to get their makeup done was tiring work.
“Did you see where they went? No matter how many times I call her she doesn’t answer,” asked Luke.
“Yes. They went with some guys from my school. That way,” replied the boy pointing towards the woods. The make-up stand was in the area near the forest.
“Are you from Jericho High School?” asked Xavier, and the boy nodded.
“Those kids from my school are bullies. They don’t have a good reputation, least of all with Nevermore students,” the boy said with some concern.
‘You saw two girls go into the dark woods with bullies who hate Nevermore students, and you didn’t do anything…’ thought Luke. It seemed the normies didn’t think very highly of them. The feeling was mutual.
“Let’s go,” said Luke, walking towards the forest, and Xavier followed him.
‘They don’t look too worried…’ thought the boy scratching his head. He thought Luke and Xavier would run into the forest to save their friends from the bullies, but they weren’t.
Luke and Xavier weren’t worried about Enid and Sabrina’s safety. They would even be more concerned about the safety of the normies. Sabrina was an elemental psychic who could create a fireball easily. Enid had superhuman strength, speed, and reflexes.
The bullies wouldn’t last long against both girls.
“Should we call for an ambulance?” asked Xavier with a slight smile. He expected to find several unconscious normies on the ground.
“No. Let them spend the night in the woods,” Luke replied with a faint evil grin.
These normies would learn the hard way not to bother Nevermore students anymore. Some outcasts were not very strong and could be defeated by a gang of normies, but that was not the case with Sabrina and Enid.
They kept walking, heading deeper into the woods. Luke pointed out to Xavier the trail of several footprints.
“Why did they go so far into it?” asked Xavier.
“I don’t know,” replied Luke shaking his head.
‘I hope Sabrina didn’t go too far… Why am I worrying about some normies?’ Luke thought. As for Enid, he knew she would at best give them a normal beating, but Sabrina seemed to detest normies more and could have led them deeper into the forest to teach them a harsher lesson.
Before following the tracks, Luke heard something. Like a whisper on the night breeze, a chilling echo echoed close to his ear.
“Luke…”
He quickly turned his head and looked in one direction of the forest. It seemed darker than the other parts and above all more eerie.
Again he heard the whisper coming from that part of the forest. The voice was barely a murmur, barely audible, but cle enough to send a shiver down his spine.
Had he imagined that? Or had he heard his name, whispered with malicious intimacy? Since
when did trees talk?
“What’s wrong?” asked Xavier, looking over to where Luke was looking.
“Didn’t you hear it?” asked Luke without looking away from the dark forest where the
whisper came from.
“Hear what? Hey, man, you’re scaring me,” said Xavier, looking at Luke’s face.
Luke knew there was a malicious presence not far behind them. He didn’t know why he was so
sure, but he knew something was waiting for them if they headed that way.
Now, he remembered that he was in a world of terror and monsters. Not just outcasts with
superpowers.
“Luke…”
He heard again the whisper that seemed to be getting closer and closer. Also, he felt a
distinctly hostile presence.
‘Maybe Natasha was right…?’ thought Luke, remembering how paranoid the redhead was. It could be his archenemies trying to assassinate him.
“Something’s coming. I don’t know what, but I don’t think it’s coming to greet us,” Luke said, feeling the presence getting closer and closer. It seemed to be running, and he felt a
great murderous intent directed towards him.
“What?” said Xavier, looking back in the direction Luke was watching. In the silence of the
forest, he began to hear a noise through the trees.
The rustle of branches snapping, the rustle of grass being trampled. Each sound echoed in the darkness, coming closer and closer to them at increasing speed.
Xavier tensed. He knew this was serious. He could already feel the heavy pressure and murderous intent. Running away was useless. They would no longer have time, and they didn’t seem to be able to gain speed from whatever was going to appear.
Luke also braced himself. He was nervous but excited at the same time. His senses were heightened by the adrenaline pumping through his veins.
He would finally have his first battle to the death. He would be able to use his powers to the fullest if his nerves didn’t betray him.
Finally, he could see the creature that wanted to kill him. Emerging from among the trees appeared a humanoid figure with a hunched and twisted body. It was covered in shreds of dirty cloth and rags. Deep wrinkles furrowed his pale, withered skin. His eyes glowed with a malevolent, maddening light.
“A hag…” said Xavier, swallowing spittle and with sweat on his forehead.
The Hag’s features were distorted and twisted, with a mouth full of sharp, uneven teeth that
seemed eager to tear flesh. Its hands, with four fingers on each, waved in the air with a frantic trembling, as if eager to reach its prey.
But most disturbing of all was the aura of madness that surrounded her, a palpable sense of imbalance and chaos that seemed to emanate from every fiber of her being.
‘Hag…’ Luke thought with a frown. It was the first time he had ever seen one. He had known the term in the subject of Marginal History.
A hag was its origin an outcast with psychic powers. Like Luke, Sabrina, Xavier, or any other
psychic. How did they end up in that state? By succumbing to the corruption of their powers. Becoming savage and deformed beings. Their appearance reflects the corruption they have experienced. Causing them to go insane and act unpredictably. Their aggressive and savage behavior makes them dangerous.
They are attracted to the flesh of children and retain enhanced psychic powers but at a very
high price. Usually dark magic.
They are shunned by the outcast society for their insanity and aggressiveness. Being hunted, as they are a danger to outcasts and normies alike.
Eyes that gave off madness looked first at Xavier and then fixed on Luke.
“Luke!” shouted the witch with a deafening roar. Her shrill scream echoed through the trees
and the entire forest. The leaves on the trees shook and the branches rustled as if they were being shaken by an invisible force.
Luke and Xavier had to cover their ears with their hands. The shriek was too loud and high-
pitched.
The witch unhesitatingly lunged forward with supernatural speed. Her target was Luke.
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