Scarf 2

Astrid’s Point of View

The following day, it was a Friday morning, and I was up bright and early. As soon as I finished fixing my bed, sweeping the floor, and cleaning my closet, I decided to make breakfast for everyone.

For some reason, it felt like it was supplying me with tremendous amounts of energy from within.

"Astrid, you've woken up too soon!" My mother said, and I noticed her looking a little drowsy when she walked out to use the restroom.

I prepared and cooked a meal for my family. I made the decision to make everyone happy. It was possible that I would be able to borrow some gems, jewelry, or other material possessions that had value from my parents if they saw me as a good daughter to them. I hoped they would be able to provide me with some so that I could use them in my talks with the witch from the abandoned church.

"Astrid, you didn't have to do all these things," father commented when he noticed that I had already cooked breakfast for the four of us.

"It's time for me to express my gratitude to you, Mama and Papa, for all of your hard work," I replied with a smile. I took a step toward my father and hugged him tightly.

"You made me proud, Astrid." A bittersweet smile escaped my lips when he stated that.

Atasha was walking down the stairs when I looked over my shoulder.

"It smells so nice!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"It was your sister who was in charge of the cooking. She did all of that!" My father exclaimed with delight.

I then noticed my mother exiting the restroom, and she hugged me. I hugged her back.

"Astrid, you've matured into a beautiful and hardworking young lady. I admire you and I'm incredibly proud of you!" she said this and then patted my shoulders.

At that point, Atasha came and held my hands. She looked at me with a soft expression on her face.

"I'm sorry, Astrid. I hope you'll share whatever it is that's bothering you with me one day." she stated. Then she went on to explain, "If it has anything to do with our classmates at our school, I have already defended you in front of those people. The reason I went outside and played with them was to convince them that everything they were saying about you was completely false—"

"Everything is fine with you, Atasha. I'm perfectly all right, and I appreciate your support. I really appreciate what you've done. I could never express how grateful I am to have a sister like you," I said as I shook my head, cutting her off and pulling myself out of her arms.

My parents appeared puzzled by what Atasha had said regarding the situation at the school, so I instantly changed the topic of conversation. I didn’t want our parents to find out about all of the rumors circulating around me at school. It would only embarrass me more.

"Do not wait for our breakfast to turn cold! Let’s dig in!" I told them. All of them agreed, and they settled themselves to their respective seats.

I blinked, and all of a sudden, I became terrified. Everything turned crimson, and in front of me was my family, who were eating the food I had prepared. The normal dishes became parts of a human body, and behind Atasha was an image of a goat who had horns, with a human body and was grinning at me.

I carefully opened my eyes after closing them, and everything was back to normal.

"What was that?" I whispered to myself.

When I joined them at the table, unexplained goose bumps engulfed my entire body. The mental image of the goat with a human body lingered in my mind for a long time.

It looked a lot like what I observed in the abandoned church just a few nights ago. For some inexplicable reason, the hairs on my body were standing up and my hands were trembling. I couldn't explain it.

"Astrid, you’re smiling. I wonder what the reason for that smile is." Atasha inquired, a bit curious. "Are you perhaps thinking about your love? Is that the reason why you have not been your usual self lately?" Then she chuckled.

"Is that true, Astrid?" my mother asked, and my father choked on his food as he proceeded to sip his coffee.

I was completely unaware that I had smiled for a split second. It was strange, and I took a deep breath because I needed to figure out a way to get what I wanted from my parents so that I could bargain with the witch on my terms. They should not be thinking about me having a relationship with someone.

"But it's odd because you smiled so widely that all of your teeth were visible. I hadn't seen that kind of smile before," Atasha said, making me conscious of my facial expressions.

What was she saying? I was sure that I didn’t smile like that.

"No, I hadn’t thought of those things yet. I haven’t met my mate yet, and I’ll wait until I hit eighteen years old. I was just thinking about how I might be able to provide you with a satisfying meal," I responded, and continued, "How does it taste?" I asked.

They all expressed their satisfaction with the meal I prepared.

"Don't worry, I'll find a way to prepare meals for you all every day," I assured them, a smile on my face.

However, my concern grew as I became aware that something strange was taking place earlier that I was not aware of.

***

After school, I immediately went to the abandoned church to see if there were any witches lurking around. With the goal of seeing one, I dashed directly to the midst of the cornfields right next to it, but hadn’t seen one.

"Does anyone happen to be there?" I screamed, but all I got was a resounding echo back at me.

I sighed, hoping against hope that I might be able to spot one, but it seemed that there were no witches wandering around this area. I walked away, thinking that I could go back some other time once I had an item I could give them.

I then realized that Leo's birthday was on Sunday, which was coming up soon. It looked like I wouldn’t be able to attend because I didn’t even have a nice dress to wear. I smirked. I had an idea. I might as well use it as an opportunity for me to get money or gems from my parents. I went home, having already decided to approach my mother and ask her if she had any jewelry for me to use.

"Astrid, none of those things are available to us. What is the purpose of you wanting them? " My mother inquired, her voice full of wonder.

Then I scratched my head and explained that I wanted to buy something for myself, "A lovely dress because I'm thinking of attending Leo's birthday."

She seemed surprised, but what I told her was a lie. My mother then suggested that I wear an old dress that she had lying around, but I refused.

"Mom, don't worry about it. I'm not going to attend the party, I guess…" I said, and I noticed that her face was saddened by my statements.

I went into my room and shut the door behind me. Mom followed me after a few minutes and said something behind the closed door. When I opened it, she handed me a bag of gems, which left me astounded.

"Please, Astrid, don't tell your father about this, okay?" she requested, and I nodded and smiled in response.

"Thank you, mom." I was so happy that I hugged her so tightly.

With the bag of gems, I went out of the house without any second thought. As I raced to the church, I was startled by the sound of thunder as the sun began to sink beneath the horizon.

"It looks like it’s going to rain…" I whispered as I looked at the sky, which seemed to grow denser and darker.

I raced through the cornfield, then made my way all the way to the witch church, where I was welcomed by darkness and an eerie atmosphere. I slammed the door and looked around.

"I have a bag of gems here with me. Please, someone, help me! I'm in desperate need of your expertise! Is there anyone out there? Are there any witches out there?" I let out a shriek.

Later, a mysterious woman appeared. Her face was shrouded in darkness and she was wielding a massive wooden stick in her right hand. She took off her hood, and I caught a glimpse of her face just as lightning struck, illuminating the entire chapel in a brief second.

The flames from the candles begin to burn. It was already nighttime, and the candles were the only source of light for the interior of the church. Suddenly, the chandelier came to life, and as I looked at it, I was bewildered to see that there were several snakes swinging from it.

"I have exactly what you're looking for!" I screamed bravely.

I took the bag of gems from my pocket only to find that it was empty. I then examined it to see if it had a hole in it. There was.

"What exactly went wrong? What happened to this?" I whispered.

Later, the witch approached me and wrapped her hands around my neck. I was strangled.

"So, where was it?" she exclaimed angrily.

"I had it earlier in the day. I'm sure I can find it! My bag only has a hole in it, and it's possible that it was dumped in the midst of a corn field!" I explained to her. She then stopped strangling me, and I was finally able to regain my breath.

"You're a fool. Someone might have already taken it from you. That's why there's a hole in your bag," she explained, laughing. "You're extremely ignorant."

Her words made me enraged and frustrated. But I needed something from her, so I had to calm down. I then bent my head and knelt on the ground to pay my respects.

"Please consider my plea. I want you to cast a curse spell on someone…" I muttered.

She refused, and she told me that I needed to get to my feet, then she turned her back on me.

"This is my one and only opportunity to seek my vengeance in this world!" I yelled, which caused her to turn to me and stare me in the eye.

"I really like your eyes," she said, which completely caught me off guard. "Would you be willing to exchange it for these?" She took out a large glass container with water in it, and I noticed some floating eyes inside it as well. The sight of it made me frown. "Trade your eyes for these ones that I have, and maybe I’ll change my mind…"

I sucked in a breath. I didn’t want to trade my eyes for the ones she had... And I had no idea what she was up to, but a thought popped into my head. I should have known better than to be duped by this unsightly witch.

"Assuming I accept, my request to cast a curse spell on someone will be granted, right?" I asked. "However, after all of my plans are accomplished, I should be able to claim it back."

She was perplexed upon hearing my statement.

"Listen to me. If the prophecy from your black book is correct, that marrying a cursed werewolf will be the cause of Montreal’s downfall, it means it will lead to the downfall of the entire werewolf land. If I fulfill that prophecy, it means I’m the catalyst. Then, in that manner, I’ll get my eyes back. Based on that prophecy, a new pack will emerge and I want it to lead it," I explained.

I then stated that I had someone that would be cursed as wolf-less, which was Atasha.

"I’ll bring that werewolf here so you can cast a spell on her," I added.

"How did you find the black book?" she asked curiously.

I didn’t answer her question and proceeded to get her to buy in on this agreement.

"You’re not sure what you’re dealing with, kid," she said and chuckled. "Here’s a deal. If you’re not successful with your plans, you’ll become blind and the curse will be bestowed on your offspring and on the next generation!" You’re not just going to be blind. In the process, your body will become so weak that once you get older and older, the bones in your arms and legs will shrink, which will make you look like a frog," she stated and chortled. "What do you think? Do you still want to do this?"

I rose to my feet and stretched my arms to shake her hands.

"Deal." I said and gave her a smile.

"I like you. What’s your name?" she asked.

"Astrid Greene…"

"Alright, Astrid. Let me take your eyes off of you now."

Those were the last words I heard before I lost consciousness that night. A heavy rain was pouring down and that woke me up from a bad dream. My clothes were dripping wet when I found myself outside of the church.

"Did I just wake up from a nightmare?" I murmured to myself.

I then rose to my feet and walked back to our house. It was raining so hard, I couldn't see anything. My eyes were a bit blurry. I passed through the cornfield, but my feet were already aching. I knelt down as my body was drenched in mud and the rain was pouring nonstop.

"Did I lose my eyes, already?"

My vision was indeed different, and the colors were pale. I then felt like someone was carrying me back to our house.

"Hang on tight," he said. It was a guy that I guess I saw at our school.

"My name is Alexander!" He introduced himself as he went on.

It didn’t take long, and we arrived at my house.

"Thank you for your help." I said, and I saw him smile a bit.

"Astrid, I was worried sick. Where have you been?" My mother rushed towards me as soon as I entered our house.

"Mom, I lost all the gems. I was trying to look for them, but I lost them. I’m sorry," I said and cried in her arms.

"Don’t worry about it. That’s fine," she assured me, and then she saw Alexander standing in front of our house. "Thanks for bringing my daughter home. Would you like to come in? You can change your clothes. I’ll give you new ones," she offered.

"Is that fine, Mrs. Greene?" Alexander asked.

"Of course, dear."

We all went inside the house. I changed my clothes immediately in our room and watched Atasha, who was sleeping soundly in her bed.

"You’ll be cursed soon…" I couldn’t help but smile.

I swayed in silence, and danced with joy.

"Astrid, Alexander will be going home!" My mother yelled from downstairs.

That made me come back to my senses. I rushed downstairs and looked at Alexander, who was standing in the doorframe.

"Hey, thank you for helping me," I said.

He scratched his head a bit and shyly smiled at me.

"I’ll get going. I’ll see you around then. I hope you’ll attend Leo’s birthday so we can talk more and I can introduce myself properly to you."

"I will try. Thanks again…" I said before I closed the door.

"Is that the guy you like, Astrid?" My mother teased me.

"No, Mama. He’s not. I mean, I need to wait until I hit eighteen to attend the mating season," I clarified, and I went upstairs as my head got dizzier.

When I crawled into my bed, the words from the witch lingered in my mind… that particular statement she said about me getting blind and weak and how it would be passed on to my offspring and to my entire generation.

"I made a deal from the devil," I uttered and realized the consequences of my actions, and I failed.

I would have to suffer a terrible fate.