Chapter 4:

The ground shook with fury. The castle was bound to collapse. I thought the roof would drop on all of us. The magic that held our dwelling might crumble. The cracks on the walls and ceiling came deeper. I held onto the bedpost frame father used to sleep in. I couldn't provoke Andrea from her accusations or pay attention to the looks of fear from my stepsisters. I looked down at my father's body; it vibrated and shook from the earthquake. Tears filled my eyes again. Blood poured from his neck, pooling on the hardwood floor. A big boom blasted the ground caved in. Andrea yelled out something that was incoherent. I watched as the ground sucked my father. No. no no no. I crawled on the shaky ground to take him before it swallowed him whole. To the place that I didn't want him to go. The Underworld. I reached for his arm in time, but I couldn't take him. The fabric of his pajamas ripped, and it swallowed him up. The ground shook under my knees until it stopped. I stared at the floor and it closed up, back to normal like nothing happened. The crack remained but it looked as if it was a repair gone wrong. My father's gone, he wasn't here anymore. My mother was gone, she wasn't here anymore. No one to protect me, love me. Impulsively I almost killed Andrea. He had to come back, come back. There wasn't time to drag his body, the blood on my hands dripped to my fingertips. My tears didn't stop, I kneeled in the same spot like a statue, numb from the events that transpired. "See! She is the cause of this! She murdered him!" Andrea accused me again. I narrowed my eyes at the spot, the nerve of this woman. My voice was hoarse from speaking. Cassandra and Amanda gasped, claiming the same thing. Cassandra accused me of putting a spell on her last week when she had breakfast. In reality, I made the eggs the way she wanted, over easy with no salt. She ate everything. Amanda began to sob uncontrollably, shoulders shaking and face turning red muttering 'how could you?!' If I defended myself, the screaming and pointing fingers would continue. Someone grabbed me, the force of anger and grief filled me.

"DO NOT TOUCH ME!" I screamed and pushed away whoever tried to assault me. Cassanadra's face was stunned when I pushed her, she slid to the other side of the room on her posterior. Her mouth gaped open, staring at me.

"You're a monster!" My eyes stung, I got up and exited the room, running out and slamming the door behind me.

I knew I had to get out. I had to leave in case I got burned. I knew what they were capable of. I closed and locked the door behind me. I looked down at my hands, father's blood was still on my hands. I pondered what to do. I knew exactly where to go. Where did I put it? I rushed to my dresser, pulling out one of the drawers. I kept it here, didn't I? "It has to be here," I muttered to myself. I left it for safekeeping. I threw out the remaining clothes and spotted it next to my dagger. The glass vial. I smiled softly, taking both of them. Pounding rang at the door, my heart was beating fast. I popped open the cork of the vial, let the blood from my fingers drip as much as it could before it dried up. I had to make sure it was liquified.

"Open up! Come out and we will not hurt you!" It's the police. They worked quickly. The window, that's my escape. I peeked to the corner for any surroundings. There was police in front of my room window. My escape chute. Yes. I tucked the dagger in my garter, quickly grabbed my satchel, two more items, and I stepped to the tall mirror hanging on my wall, removing it gently. I lifted the chute door, the banging didn't stop. I had to make sure they didn't follow me. I uttered a spell for one of my drawers to block in place. I slid down the chute that led to the forest and ran. I ran until my calves burned, until my ankles wanted to give out. I used all the energy within me to escape. I ran far enough until I couldn't see the castle anymore. Panting, heart racing fast I dropped to my knees. The mossy forest was welcoming but lonely. I breathed in and my throat was sore, my vision blurred again and my eyes out. No one was around, I was content with the sobbing. To mourn my late parents, to grieve the news to my sister Rochelle. If she was here, she would have protected me. She would have been the one to defend and have my back. Instead she left me by myself to jet off the world with her dragon while I suffered. I could have had time to take my father's body for preservation. Preservation. Dragon. Godmother. Vial! Cauldron! I had them in my possession. I shook my head, wiped my face and stood up. The cauldron, our cauldron we kept at the abandoned house at the end of the forest. It wasn't far from here. I jogged, beginning my journey to my means of communication. I walked through the mossy grass, ignoring the thickets against my ankles when my pants rose up. I didn't get a chance to grab my compass, and had to rely on the shadow of the sunset to guide me. If she was able to help me with my dress, she would be able to help me with this task. I was in dire need and grieving from a lost family. Rochelle had to come home. She had to know. I reached the neat yet small cottage, surrounded in roses and wildflowers and a rooftop filled with a variety of mushrooms. I breathed in sharply, approaching her dwelling. I nipped at my bottom lip and knocked on the door gently. "Who is it?!" My godmother sang from the other side.

"Princess Addyson!" I announced, trying not to sound like I've been crying two hours ago.

"Oh, Dearie!" She yelled in excitement, unlocking her door and opened it quickly. She was changed from her blue frock to a lacy nightgown. Her hair up in a bun and brown eyes was filled with elation. She grinned. "Dear how are y-" her words cut off when she noticed my appearance. Her eyes browsed my ensemble up and down. "What happened?"

"Can I come in?" I asked in a soft voice, but it cracked. She maneuvered out of the way of her threshold for me to come in. I stepped in, her home was cozy and warm. I smiled while browsing the fireplace. Above it was a picture of her and a young boy she held tightly. His blonde hair covered his forehead and his smile was wide and genuine. "Your son?"

"My grandson," she answered.

"He's adorable," I blinked away my tears again, moving away and wiped it quickly.

"Dearie, what is it? Did you not dance with the Prince? Was he not handsome?"

"My father is dead," I stated.

"Oh, no." She reached over and hugged me tightly. No one has hugged me in a while, besides dancing with the Prince. It seemed like a faded memory. I broke down from her sweet embrace, crying on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry."

"She killed him, she killed him. I'm-I'm- I need to contact my sister. I need your help."

"Of course," she said immediately.