Ensnared Page 9

  She wanted to live. Simply.

  Sashqua stopped the car outside a place called Sara’s Nursery. It looked like a small farm with tons of different plants in different pots neatly packed everywhere. A small house in the front near the entrance gate, had a sign that read, RECEPTION.

  Amari climbed out of the car and followed her mom towards the small house.

  “Hello?” Sashqua called. “Sara?” she added.

  There was a crash, a few choice swear words and then a great thud before an older looking woman all but tumbled into the room.

  “Sorry about that,” she said hurriedly. “I was spring cleaning old stock out and got a fright.”

  Sashqua smiled and held her hand out. “Not at all, I’m sorry to have frightened you. I’m Sashqua, Jono’s wife, he asked me to pick up the bags of fertiliser he ordered from you last week.”

  Sara dusted her hands on her worn blue jeans and shook Sashqua’s hand. “Sara, owner. Yes, I remember the order; I can get my kids to load it in your car if you want to open up the boot.”

  Sashqua nodded. “Thanks, and my daughter was hoping to get a few herbs to start a herb garden. Do you sell that sort of thing as well?”

  Sara smiled at Amari. “Yeah, we do, what do you have in mind? Or do you just want to browse?”

  Amari brought out the list she had made. “Do you have these?” she asked, handing the list over to Sara.

  “All except Chamomile. I can order it if you really want it, though it’s a hard herb to grow.”

  Amari bit her lip and said, “I really, really want it.”

  Sashqua laughed. “Amari likes a challenge. How long would it take to order it?”

  Sara held a finger up. “Give me two seconds,” she said and went behind the desk, picking up the phone and calling someone.

  While Sara was busy, Sashqua told Amari she was going to open up the car so long and left her to look around the nursery. Amari walked out the house with Sashqua, but instead of going to the car, she went left to look at all the different plants. Sara seemed to have them all, even strange exotic looking ones.

  There were three young men moving among the plants, tending to them, pruning and making sure they had enough shade and water. Amari watched them, watching how they cared so carefully for the plants. They were so gentle for men.

  “Two days.” Amari jumped as Sara appeared next to her. Sara smiled. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to return the favour.”

  “No, that’s fine. I was just watching how they are so gentle with the plants.”

  Sara smiled proudly. “Yes,” she said. “They are my three sons; they grew up around plants and luckily for me seemed to have inherited my love for them.”

  “I didn’t think that plants could be so interesting, but I have been reading recently about how different plants can be used for different things,” Amari said, which was a half-truth; she knew plants could be used in spells and for protection.

  Sara nodded. “I see why you want a herb garden then. Thinking about using some of the plants medicinally?”

  “For now, I just want to try and keep them alive. You said two days?”

  “Yeah, I managed to catch my supplier before he left the main farm and he can get some along his way.”

  Amari nodded. “Oh, that’s why you wanted to phone right away?”

  “I had already placed my order and wanted to catch him before he left. Do you want to leave me with your number? I can call you once it arrives?”

  Sara held out pen and paper and Amari wrote down her father’s cell number, saying, “Here you go. I don’t have a phone at the moment, but you can call my dad.”

  A loud whistle then sounded. “Boys, I need ten bags of fertiliser loaded into the car outside. Chris and Weston, can you guys handle that while Delton helps me grab some plants?”

  The two older boys nodded. The one Amari assumed was Delton came to his mother, who said, “We need us some Rosemary, Fennel, Mint, Juniper, Mugwort and Sage. I’ll grab the Juniper, Mugwort and Sage. Can you get the Rosemary, Fennel and Mint plants and put them in the car as well?”

  On their way out of town her mother stopped at the grocery store to get supplies for the house. Amari ambled through with her mother and when they got to the fruit and vegetables section she paused, looking at the strings of garlic.

  “I read that you can plant bulbs like this and grow your own garlic,” she commented. “I’d sure like to try it.”

  Sashqua poked her in the ribs. “Could your hints be any more subtle? Okay, get two strings of garlic and work some magic.”

  Her mother had no idea how close to home that comment struck for Amari, who picked out two strings of garlic and placed them in her mom’s basket.

  As they walked they chatted amiably about many things. How the farm was doing, how Amari’s studies were going and how much Sashqua stressed less at the farm then she ever did in the city. Amari mentioned her idea of the stall to her mom and she loved it. They discussed where the best part of the road would be to set it up, how they would like to use crates as rustic decorations. Then they started joking about the names they would use, trying to come up with ones that were puns. This resulted with them in fits of giggles as they paid for their groceries.

  All in all it was a day out with her mother that Amari really enjoyed.

  As they drove back, she wound her window wide open, joking about the disgusting smell of the fertiliser. “We should just get a couple of cows to pooh everywhere. It’ll probably be cheaper!”

  Her mom was clearly trying not to gag either and it didn’t help that Amari kept making her giggle. Sashqua wound her window down fully as well. “It smells better than your father does when he comes in from a day’s work on that farm.”

  Both burst out in giggles.

  They turned onto their dirt road and Amari looked down it towards her home she was going to cleanse. She thought of Kiara playing in the woods and how she must miss her parents. She briefly wondered if the trees would start growing properly again if she freed Kiara. It would be a sight to behold.

  As they passed the gate, Amari ignored Maggie still sitting and kicking her legs, and imagined the woods were green and full of life. She pictured animals returning, rabbits hopping between the trees and birds singing. She then pictured her parents, herself and Kiara having picnics in the clearing, enjoying the food they harvested from the farm.

  The house got closer and as it did dread slowly replaced her feeling of hope. She looked up at the house and for just a second she saw Kiara through the window of her bedroom; she had a hand pressed against the glass and she looked so sad. Standing behind her was the shadowy figure of Raven; her eyes were no longer black but red.

  As the car drove up, Amari could no longer see the window and quickly climbed out of the car, looking up. She could barely see it, only making out a hand pressed against the glass. It didn’t look like a solid hand; it looked like paper, almost transparent in the light. Just as suddenly the hand was pulled back and the window went black.

  That was when the windows shattered in their entirety and glass rained down upon the car and Sashqua, who had just gone to open the boot.

  Amari tried to shout, tried to scream and warn her, but she was rooted to the spot in horror as her mother put her arms over her head, trying to protect herself. Jono yelled and came running from the fields.

  Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Sashqua fell down and that was when Amari saw the blood, so much blood, just pouring from various wounds. Jono knelt beside her, ignoring the glass that cut into his knees. He yanked his shirt off and pressed it against Sashqua’s lacerations.

  “Amari! Amari! Open the door!”

  She snapped out of her trance and ran to the passenger door behind the drivers, pulling it open.

  Jono lifted Sashqua into the car murmuring, “It’s okay, baby, it’s going to be okay.” Jono closed the door and jumped into the car. “Stay here!” he yelled as he pulled off in a hurry.

  The
plants, which had been packed neatly on top of the bags of fertiliser, flew from the boot and were strewn across the driveway. Jono hit the brakes and Amari sprinted to the car, slamming the boot closed so he could take off again.

  She watched, tears in her eyes, as the car disappeared. She turned back and looked up at her now gaping window; she glared at her dark room, tears streaming down her face.

  She balled her hands into fists and screamed, “You will pay for this! You hear me! I AM NOT AFRAID OF YOU!”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Amari knew she wasn’t going to get much done because she was so worried about her mom. She started by picking up the plants that had fallen from the boot. Once she had set everything on the front porch, she got the garbage bags from inside the house and made her way around to the different windows, closing them up with the bags and duct tape. When that was done, and she was sure all windows were closed up, she went outside to pick up the glass as best she could. The sweat dripped off of her body despite the chill in the air, and she sniffed as her nose started to run.

  She couldn’t stop the tears that continually ran down her face, anxious as she was about her mom, angry at what happened and blaming herself. There were too many emotions going through her heart and head for her to concentrate on what she was doing and it was inevitable that she accidentally cut herself as she finished picking up the shards of glass.

  Amari tossed the last of the glass into the large bin outside and went back inside, heading straight for the bathroom to clean the cut. She wrapped her hand up in a small bandage and watched as the blood soaked into the cream coloured cloth.

  Who thought that this was the best material for a bandage? she wondered, almost amused.

  With everything that just happened she didn’t feel much like focusing on the bad, and allowed her mind to drift. She was so unaware of what was going on around her that it took her a moment to realise her reflection was not in the mirror. Kiara watched her sadly, with her hand pressed against the glass.

  Amari reached up and pressed her fingers against where Kiara’s were and whispered, “Don’t give up.”

  Raven appeared behind Kiara, wrapping her hand around the girl’s mouth and her other arm around her neck, yanking her out of sight. The whole movement had not seemed natural at all. One minute Kiara was there and the next, with an arm around her neck and hand over her mouth, it was as though she was pulled backwards without her or Raven taking steps.

  Amari shivered. It was all unnatural, but she was going to end this. Tonight!

  She went downstairs to check on the herbs they bought that afternoon. Her mind drifted back to the happiness she felt spending the day in town with her mother. Her heart felt so heavy now, thinking about the pain her mother was suffering because of her quest to free Kiara. She couldn’t stop now though, because if she did she would feel guilty forever, knowing that Kiara was suffering. Raven wouldn’t stop harassing her, or her family.

  Hearing the sound of an approaching car, she ran towards the front door, throwing it open rather violently and running onto the porch. Jono stopped the car and got out quickly, going around to the passenger side and opening up the door.

  Amari ran to the car. “Is mom okay? What did they say?”

  Jono helped Sashqua out. She appeared pale and exhausted, her arms wrapped in bandages, and yet somehow she still managed a smile for her daughter.

  “I’m fine, Amari. The doctor said I was lucky and that I would heal in no time.” She leaned against Jono, letting him help her into the house.

  Amari followed closely. “I taped all the broken windows shut with bags and I cleaned up as much of the glass as I could.”

  She followed them into their room where Jono helped Sashqua into bed.

  “There you go, love,” he said gently before looking at Amari. “Thank you, but I think mom needs to rest, and actually I think I’m going to turn in too. All the excitement from today has exhausted both of us.”

  Amari nodded. “Of course.” She moved to Sashqua’s side of the bed, scooting past Jono as he walked around to his side and sat down. Amari leaned down and kissed her mother’s head. “Everything is going to be fine, mom.”

  Sashqua smiled sleepily. “Of course it is.”

  Amari left, shutting the door behind her, and quickly went up to her room and extracted the two spells from where she had hidden them. She read through them and realised the problem she would have - the Chamomile that she needed, she would have to wait two days for it. She wasn’t sure they would survive two days with Raven targeting her parents now.

  That was when it dawned on her - the kitchen! Her mom kept a wide variety of tea on hand at any given time, for any ailment as she said, and Amari was sure she would find some Chamomile tea there. She could break the tea bag and extract the herbs. She stuck the spells in the back pocket of her jeans and quietly made her way downstairs. This was going to end, tonight.

  Amari found the tea easily enough and took out a bowl from the cupboard to break the tea bag over, catching the herbs inside. She took the bowl outside to where she had stacked the herb plants neatly on the porch; she took a handful of each and added it to the bowl. Taking the spell out and reading it in the light escaping from the front door, she nodded to herself to make sure she had everything. All she needed now was a bowl made from wood and something to set the plants on fire with.

  She left the bowl on the porch and went back into the house, searching through the drawers in the kitchen for anything she could use. While rummaging near the back door she found a box of matches and pocketed them. She continued her search for a wooden bowl. When she didn’t find one in the last cupboard she searched, she stood up and placed her hands on her hips, looking around frustrated. She wasn’t sure where she would get this bowl from.

  Amari glanced at the door leading to the basement, her father’s work space, and where he stored all his knick knacks. She hadn’t been down there yet; she hadn’t been in his workspace at their old house either when it had been in their garage - it just hadn’t interested her. There was a possibility that he could have what she needed. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door. The stairs were dark; it was like a huge mouth open and ready to swallow her, and it was rather intimidating.

  She felt the wall to her left and once her fingers found the light switch she flicked it to be blinded by the sudden brightness. She blinked a few times, the light imprinted on her eyes so when she blinked she could still see it. Once her eyes adjusted, she made her way downstairs and looked around.

  There was just stuff everywhere. Amari couldn’t think of a better word for it. All kinds of things, too, from old radios to car parts to antique toys, her father collected anything he thought might one day work again or be of any worth. She started by just walking up and down between the shelves, looking over everything. She then opened cupboard doors and checked inside, rolling her eyes at the amount of stuff her father had.

  A shadow passed through the shelves. Amari saw it in the corner of her eyes and she looked up quickly. There was nothing there. She shook her head and opened another cupboard, scratching through what looked like a postcard collection … when she thought the shadow passed again.

  She straightened, the hairs on her arms standing on end. Shivering, she noticed when she breathed out, her breath rose as a vapour in front of her. The room temperature had dropped and she realised she was not alone anymore - she needed to move faster.

  Finding a wooden box on one of the shelves, she briefly debated with herself whether or not she could use it as a bowl of sorts. That was when things started flying, quite literally.

  It started at the end of the basement furthest from the door; things flew from their places on the shelves to the opposite side of the room and, as Amari watched, the stuff closer to her threw themselves violently as well.

  She grabbed the box and ran for the stairs. She was slower than Raven, and objects began to hit her. Amari winced, hugging the box to her chest as she tripped her way to
the stairs. The light above her suddenly exploded and showered her in glass and sparks.

  Finally she made it to the stairs and climbed. Seeing the open door she was hopeful, and that was when the hand caught her ankle. It went through the stairs and grabbed her, tripping her so she landed with the box under her, which knocked the wind out of her, and her chin banged on the step higher up. Dazed from the blow, she tugged her leg away, but the hand held on. The room filled with a loud shriek and she finally managed to yank her leg free and, getting to her feet quickly, she ran up the remainder of the stairs.

  She tossed the box onto the kitchen counter and turned to shut the door. Light streamed through it and when she looked downstairs there was no sign of the destruction that had taken place. She shut the door without turning the light off and retrieved her box.

  Amari only paused once while leaving the house - to retrieve a torch from the drawer where she found the matches - and with that she went to fetch her bowl of herbs. They seemed untouched and Amari wondered about this as she scooped up the bowl that held them, making her way towards the forest, turning her flashlight on while she did so. She then realised it had something to do with the protection herbs she had gathered. Perhaps Raven really couldn’t go near them.

  Good, Amari thought, then they will keep her away while I complete the spell.

  She walked steadily down the road. The forest looked, if possible, even more frightening this night. It was probably because she knew what she was about to attempt, and the fact she prayed it really did work so they could be done with this. Amari walked all the way to the boundary wall before turning left, knowing this path would take her to the clearing and to where the spell needed to be performed.

  She followed it, hugging her stuff to her. She didn’t look to her left through the trees as she normally would have, because she knew if she did she would definitely see something there. She could almost sense the shadow moving through the trees next to her, just out of the range of her light. She didn’t want to look, no matter how much curiosity drove her to just peek, because she knew the horror she would witness would be enough to take away the courage she had managed to muster up.