Chapter 45

"Are you surprised?" I could feel his breath on my skin. He was so close to me on the master bed that I knew if I turned, my face would definitely touch his, so I just shook my head lightly.

"Why do you ask?" I was really surprised because I didn't know Maria was not ordinary. At least I thought she was naive, but after her shenigans with Lucas, the quiet cutie pie ever since the annual camp began, I couldn't tell anymore. Robin didn't answer me. Instead, he took my left hand and rubbed it, as if to say, "Don't be afraid, I'm here" . I kept my gaze affixed to the screen on the wall. I looked around to catch a glimpse of Miranda and Mash but I didn't see them. One thing I realized though was, a lot of the students of Enchanting Promises High School had superpowers. What was I thinking? The name itself meant something extraordinary.

"What is she?" I asked him after a while. The way he rubbed my hand was soothing enough to take most of my nervousness away. He inches backward a little and then he stared at me for what seemed like an hour, and then turned back to the screen without uttering a word.

"What is.." I didn't finish before he responded this time.

"A witch" he mumbled. "She's a witch". I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat upon the realization before me. A witch? Maria was a witch? I couldn't believe it.

"There are two varieties of witches, Ariana. White and black. White witches and their male counterparts called wizards, do not harm people. Rather, they help them, and they are very wise. But the black? You know what they do"

I nodded affirmatively. I never read about witches. Or wizards. Like I said, I didn't read horror stories or watch horror movies because I didn't have a heart to take the scenes. My childhood was horrifying enough. My childhood, in Cameron's house.

"What do they do?" I asked even though I knew.

"I told you to stop being curious about everything. You'll hurt yourself in the long run, because you're not the type to hear alone, I know you'd want to venture deeper into it. Leave it, it's dangerous for you, Ariana"

I decided not to drag the conversation further. I turned back to the screen. He did the same, without leaving my hands. Maria was still the one displaying her powers on the screen. Each time a contestant or candidate (whatever they called themselves) came out to display their power, they always had their mate follow them, except of course they didn't have any. This time, Maria had a mate. And I saw him clearly when she stopped flying band clung onto him. It was Lucas. I gasped. That shouldn't have surprised me after I caught them both rubbing hands and smooching on his bed back in the cabins, but still, I was taken aback.

My innocent thought was "Maria is only twelve or thirteen" What was she? "How could a girl so young indulge in sexual stuff?" But what did I know? After Joe died, Robin said he died at a old age but that it was not so ripe because he could have lived a thousand years more. Joe was only ten when he died. But Robin had said "He was old and weak"

Maria could be thirty or fifty too or a hundred? Who knew? I decided not to judge and not ask him as well. He said I was too curious it might land me in trouble.

"Were you here last year?" Mrs Charlotte asked Maria.

"No, your Lordship. I was not mated yet, so I was sad and lonely" she said. Lucas patted her on the back.

"Yeah that is true. Thanks for the talent, you did quite well. So, apart from flying to distant places without or with wings, what else can you do? And what else would you love to say, before I call on the next individual?"

"Hi all, my name is Mario Cornell. Some call me Maria but it's fine. I am a white witch."

Oh. I sighed. I didn't exactly know what it meant or if black witches were not better but white spelt positivity in my ears.

"I help people who are in trouble, ' she continued, " Including pregnantand old women. I also use my ability to stop accidents. I can also turn any inanimate object to dust. I do this in case I need to fly over without restrictions"

Then , she did some gesticulations towards the table before her, and before my very eyes, the table was reduced into dust, and she didn't even touch it. She did the hand thing again and the table was restored in its perfect state.

Everyone clapped. It was intriguing and terrifying at the same time.

"One more word. I am here to seek your support in the task I'm about to carry out.

She was silent for a while after saying that. She kept swallowing.

"I am reinitiating myself from the white world into the black world" When she finally let it out, everyone yelled. Some shook their heads. Others screamed Nooo. Mrs Charlotte just sat there and stamped her feet on the ground. She seemed to be disappointed. Lucas held Maria's hands and whispered something into her ears. He seemed to want to change her mind, but it looked like she had already made up her mind.

"My sister was killed" she mumbled and immediately, everyone fell silent. Beside me, Prince Robin stiffened and adjusted himself on the bed. He grabbed my hand tighter, but warmly.

"I am not allowed to see who murdered her. White witches don't see or do evil. That's why I'm going into the black world. There, I'll know who did this and gain the power to avenge her death because the sinner shall not go scot-free, including everyone who knew about her death but hid the truth from others" she sounded hurt rather than angry. I knew it. The other time I had seen her rubbing her arms, she looked like someone who had something planned and was waiting for its execution. There it was. The plan.

I shivered within me. Robin stiffened. He didn't look afraid but he sure was attentive.

"I have decided to join the vampires to fight against whoever did this. I am doing this in order to redirect or distract the vampires' attention from starting a war with my werewolf friends. I love them and I don't want any war for them. I sincerely hope who I'll be fighting with, will not be a werewolf" she said , made a bow and turned away.

The screen snapped blank. Robin had stopped it. I was grateful for that. Even though the show had not ended, I was not ready to hear or see any more viles. It was beyond me. I had always liked Maria despite that I didn't know until then that, we had something in common-- we both loved werewolves.

Although the first time I saw one face to face, I was dead scared and wanted to flee, yet I liked them. But it didn't mean that I wanted to have any strong relationship with them. I just admired them. It's just like you admiring your teacher's wife because she's beautiful and kind but you don't particularly want to be her friend or snatch her out of your teacher's hands.

I didn't want to be mated to them. I didn't want to live in their world. It was terrifying, though I also found it interesting. Strange, isn't it?

Now that I thought of it, it was indeed weird to wish to have one of them for a pet. Hilarious.

Now I have got myself into trouble because of my love for creatures that didn't exist in the natural world, and whom the people in the natural world believed did not even exist at all.

The more I related with them, the more I got into trouble. But it wasn't my fault. Joe started with me. He related with me first and I didn't even like him, not until I realized he was an animal that I admired so much. That was when I started to like him.

I have got into trouble with Vera, the vamp and Nick? Now, Mario was out to fight me too. She did promise to avenge the death of her sister, Anita. Robin was her murderer, and I was the witness. Hadn't she said on the screen, that she would get rid of both her murderer and the witness? I didn't know what to do. Curiosity will kill me one day, I'm certain.

If I stayed with Robin, he'd surely protect me. But I wasn't too sure if a black witch was not more powerful than he was. I had to stay with him. I had to, even if I didn't want him like he did.

"Are you okay?"

I looked up. I was on the floor and he was bent over me , rubbing my forehead. I didn't realize I had slipped from the bed. I tried to get up to see if I had any injuries but I had none.

"Are you okay? Huh?"

"Yeah I'm okay" he lifted me up swiftly and when he was sure that I was fine, he made for the door.

That moment, I wanted him to stay with me because I was scared. The thoughts of everything I had seen keot recurring in my mind.

"Robin" I called.

Before I knew it, he was right beside me again. "I'll protect you. Don't worry about anything"

"I can't sleep. I can't stay here alone, everything keeps coming back" I cried, holding on to him.

"You'll need the purging"

"Purging?"

"Yes, I'll purge you of your memories. I'll remove them, those ones you just saw and you don't find palatable" he smiled.

"Really?"

"Yes, if you want me to."

"You really can do that? I won't remember any of it?" I was fascinated by his words. Just when I thought he couldn't do more than healing and moving swiftly.

"I promise you"

"Please do it. I really do not want to remember some parts"

"I'll be back" he said and left quickly. I was left alone in the dark room. I switched on all the lights in the room, and sighed. Still, my heart palpitated in my chest. I was only human.

I had to send for Elaine and Judo. They came in an instant and kept my company. They were both excited but they made sure they were not directly touching me.

"Tell me, where are you both from?" I asked both of them. They told me about how they were married to two men who turned them into werewolves just by getting them pregnant. They had been humans with superpowers like me. Just a human with special power. The difference between them and I was, they now had the wolf's blood in them but I didn't. Their babies were taken from them by their countrymen and they were banished from their lands. They told me that they didn't exactly know how they found their way to the Were-castle but they could have been homeless if they weren't here.