(Previous chapters 1-8 available here.)
Beatrix stared at Arthur with horror. “Wh-what would it w-want with me?” she stuttered. But, before he could answer, the weakness overcame him, and he fell into a deep sleep. Beatrix sat beside him. Tears welt up in her eyes, and began to fall and splash on the pavement below. Footsteps grew closer and she looked up. A little old lady walked up to her and said “Oh my goodness! Dear, do you need a hand?” Beatrix wiped the tears from her eyes and nodded. “This way darling” said the little old lady. She began to walk down the sidewalk. With the snap of her fingers, Arthur, still unconscious, rose from the ground and drifted in the air behind her.
Beatrix followed the woman through town. They walked up to a little yellow house. The woman bounced up the steps, opened the front door, and went inside. Arthur hovered behind her. Beatrix walked through the doorway into what appeared to be a little sitting area. Though the outside of the house was bright and cheery, the inside was dull and lifeless. The walls were covered in old greenish brown patterned wallpaper that had begun to peal down at the ceiling. The windows were covered with tattered curtains, letting through only small dots of light. The architecture in the interior had a completely different look to it than it did on the outside. Beatrix looked at the ceiling. The paint was peeling, and wires hung down from where she presumed once used to be a light fixture.
She followed the little woman through the house. With each step she took, dust rose in small clouds around her feet like miniature explosions. Each room they walked through looked different than the last. “Excuse the mess” said the little old lady as she brushed away cobwebs in the doorway. They had reached a grand hall. Beatrix was surprised by the size of the space, given the exterior of the house was so petite. Large crystal chandeliers covered in hundreds of candles cast a dim, orange glow around the room. They continued walking across the black and white tiled floor. Straight ahead was a gigantic, marble fireplace ablaze with a large fire. Ornate carvings of strange creatures covered it from floor to ceiling. The fire created dancing shadows around the room as it flickered and burned. The little old lady sat down on one of the many chairs in the room. Arthur drifted beside her, and slowly came to rest on a chaise lounge. “Come dear. Sit” said the little old lady.
Beatrix walked over and sat next to Arthur on the chaise lounge; setting her shopping bag on the floor next to him. The fire danced wildly in the old woman’s eyes. Arthur twitched slightly then went back to rest.
“So where are you from?” asked the woman.
Beatrix looked at her. The old woman did not at all look interested in Beatrix’s reply. She grinned as if she already knew the answer to the question.
Beatrix looked at the woman with a confident glance, and said “Here. From town.”
The smile faded on the woman’s face. Beatrix grew uneasy as the woman stared at her. Beatrix looked over at Arthur whom began to move a little. “Never mind him” she said in a snarky tone. “I need you to come with me.”
“W-where?” Beatrix replied.
The woman did not answer. Suddenly, the fire went out. The old woman stood up from her chair. She turned around and began to walk away slowly, as if Beatrix should follow her. Large blood red feathers peaked out from underneath the old woman’s blouse. The tips of the feathers looked as sharp as knives. They flashed in the candlelight as she walked.
Beatrix looked at the old woman puzzled. The feathers were not there before. She also realized how, even though the woman was walking further away, she began to appear taller. The old woman turned around to reveal glowing black eyes; each illuminated with a little white orb of light. “COME!” demanded the woman in an otherworldly voice.
Fear overtook Beatrix. Frozen in place, she began to tremble. Crimson red sparks swirled in the air around the woman as she began to transform. The razor sharp red feathers cut through her blouse and spread out into wings. A sharp, black beak formed on the woman’s face. A long tail protruded from behind the woman, who now was more creature than human.
The creature stared daggers at Beatrix. It took a step toward her; shaking the room, and rattling the crystals of the grand chandeliers above. The creature let out a loud roar that rattled the windows in the hall. It began to move toward her; each step shaking the room. Dust and small pieces of plaster rained down from the ceiling with each step the monster took. Beatrix began to back up. She fumbled over small tables and other furniture as she attempted to keep her distance from the creature. Something made a banging noise on the other side of the hall. The monster looked away to see what it was. Beatrix swiftly ran and hid behind a large chair.
She peered out from the side of the chair. The monster frantically looked all around for her, and let out another deafening roar. Beatrix shook and began breathing fast. The monster paused for a moment and the hall went silent. It strained its ears, trying to listen for her. Beatrix crouched down slowly, and as she did, a pen glided out of her pants pocket onto the cold hard floor.
Her heart sank. The monster began stomping towards her. It knew where she was. Beatrix tried to think of a way to escape. The monster drew nearer with each passing second. Suddenly, a little metal device rolled across the floor and stopped next to her. It was one of the scurtlekwibs. The gadget opened up releasing waves of swirling green light. Beatrix put her hand in the waves of light. The room began to contort and spin. She swirled in a barrage of flashing lights. The world around her slowly came to a halt. She was sitting in a bedroom. She glanced at the night stand. A little sign read: “The Ravenstoop Inn.”
Beatrix looked out into the room. A small ball of green light grew in front of her. The lights in the room began to flicker. It swirled and grew before her, revealing Arthur. Arthur began pacing back and forth with a concerned look on his face. He stopped and faced Beatrix. She looked into his vibrant red eyes, as he said “They know more than I thought. They know you’re here now.”
Beatrix looked at him and asked in a panicked voice “What do they want me for?”
He looked at her and replied “You are more unique and special than you realize, Beatrix Percival. With the blood running in your veins, if you choose the right path, you are on the road to becoming one of the most powerful witches of all time, and they know that.”
Beatrix gazed out the window at the stars in the sky. They seemed to wink at her as they twinkled.
“There is no time to lose.” he said. “We need to begin your training tonight.”
I am using the tag "beatrix-percival", so you can easily find all the previous chapters, as well as see the new ones as soon as they are released!