If you’re scared. Mina loved that statement. That meant that someone was actually daring her to do it and she was usually more than happy to oblige. She wasn’t scared. Why would she be? What many didn’t know was that she wasn’t afraid to die either and that was what made her a dangerous opponent.
“Nah,” Mina brushed her off. “I’m in, all the way.”
“Happy to hear that,” Reeba smiled a genuine smile. “Let’s start then.”
They headed towards the same hole in the wall, got out, then started elbowing their way through the forest. Mina was silent. So was Reeba. Both of them were too busy tracking through the woods, stepping over uneven terrain, jumping over small brooks, and listening to the leaves rustling underneath their feet.
The forest welcomed them. That was, at least, how Mina felt. The soft breeze caressed her cheeks. She didn’t mind the cold. Inside, she was burning with crazy hope. No wind could ever extinguish the fiery hope she was feeling, the incredible potential of this evening.
“Are you following?”
Mina heard Reeba, as she tried to keep up behind her. Mina had no idea where they were. Last time, she had managed to find the place purely by accident. If she had to do it all over again, she wasn’t sure she’d have so much luck.
“Yeah,” Mina called out after her.
“We’re almost there,” Reeba said, then disappeared between some thick bushes.
Mina rushed after her and once she passed through the same impregnable shrubbery passage, she realized they were in the same clearing as that night. A few girls were already there. The bonfire was ready, right in the middle of the clearing. All they needed to do was light it up.
“Hey girls!” Reeba greeted everyone and all at once they turned around.
Mina recognized some of the girls from school. Two belonged to the literary club, which Mina herself was a part of. They were very clever and insightful, so Mina wasn’t surprised to see them there. That actually explained a lot. The rest also looked familiar, simply because they all belonged to the same school, but she had no idea who they were.
“This is Lucy, the girl I told you all about,” Reeba reminded them, and smiles cheered up their faces in confirmation.
“I’m really grateful you girls allowed me to witness this,” Mina smiled back, curiously looking at each and every one of them.
“No worries,” one of them replied and the others simply nodded.
They started preparing for the Sabbath. They took off their jackets, hoodies and sweaters, all remaining in white dresses or robes. All of them h
ad their hair down, loose, fluttering in the wind. A few picked up some flowers and put them behind their ears. They all looked so beautiful, like forest nymphs.
“You know, I’m glad you’re here,” another one told Mina, as she bent down, over the little heap of branches and dry grass.
She was carefully arranging them upwards. Her fingers gently worked the dry heap, almost caressing the branches, cleaning them of green leaves, leaving only the dry ones. The others already started forming a circle around her, holding hands. Mina remained on the sides, only a bystander, waiting to see what was going to happen. She felt fidgety, she could barely wait. Her palms were getting sweaty and she wiped them nervously against her thighs.
“People always think we summon the Devil during this,” the same girl spoke again and the rest of them giggled.
“Isn’t that what you do?” Mina wondered, hoping that this question wouldn’t leave them feeling offended.
“You’d better explain it to her, Rose,” Reeba smiled at the girl who was talking.
“That’s what we used to do, of course,” Rose continued, rising up, obviously happy with the way the dry pile was looking. It was finally ready. “We would gain access to the Dark One, offer him our devotion, maybe even a sacrifice, and he’d grant us supernatural powers. Everyone always thought that was the only reason why we did it, just so we could get those powers and harm those around us.”
Mina had to admit, she was thinking that same thing. Witches were bad, everyone knew that. Witches were also in communion with the Devil. But, this was the 21st century. Many things had changed since the day the first witch walked the earth.
“But, that’s not true,” Rose continued, smiling at Mina. “The Dark One is too busy nowadays to come to us, he’s having too much fun out in the human world. He would come to us, of course, but only if we gave him a blood offering. As you can see, we have no such thing on us.”
Despite her best efforts not to do so, Mina quickly surveyed the clearing for any possible blood offerings. She was relieved when she saw no such thing.
“Then, what is the purpose of this Sabbath, if not to talk to the Devil?” Mina wondered.
“We wish to speak with our elders,” Rose explained.
“Your elders?” Mina repeated.
“The ones who have crossed over.”