Recap:

When I reopened my eyes my body was tumbling through the air. Sweltering heat licked at my limbs as I made the descent towards the pits of hells. A scream tore through my chest as I stared at lava pool directly below me. As a young girl of sixteen I had never given much thought to how I would die but I never believed it would be by falling into a pit of lava. My thoughts drifted to my mom and Cam, I briefly wondered if was going to be reunited with them. People say when you're about to die time slows down, but in milliseconds I had dropped to the surface of the pool. I braced myself and waited for the impact to hurl me into the great oblivion.
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Caddie POV:

I didn't expect falling into a pool of lava to feel hard like cement. Holding my breath, I waited for the ravenous lava to consume my body under its fiery depths. Eventually I had to release me held breath or else I would have died from suffocation rather than being burnt alive. Peaking with my left eye I could see the swirling bright colors of red and orange directly below me. The rational part of my brain began to function once again when I noticed my body was laying on something cool and hard instead of being submerged in the depths of hell.

When I realized the world wasn't playing a twisted joke on me I opened both of my eyes and sat up. My heart palpitate don my chest as I assessed my new situation. Somehow I had managed to cheat death, only to land myself in a more dangerous situation. Black and dark purple scales, each were the size of my hand, covered the reptilian monster that I was straddling. The beast I sat upon only existed in medieval quests and in the nightmares of small children. Holding my breath I watched as the beast's humongous head whipped around to look at me. The irrational part of me debated whether being burnt alive or being eaten alive was more painful. The more sensible part of me was telling me to teleport before he got the chance to make me dinner. However as I stared into the green slitted eyes I felt my body stiffen. His blood stained forked tongue slithered past his razor sharp teeth. I was going to be eaten by a dragon; this is just one reason why I hate Mondays.

"My my aren't you a lucky girl," a voiced called.

Unwillingly my eyes drifted from the terrifying beast in front of me to an old woman who standing at the edge of the lava pool. Her dark eyes were cold and distant but somehow that darkness gave me a sense of security. Even though I was sitting on dragon with a lava pit directly below my dangling feet I managed to calm down. The old woman was a soothing presence with her sagging features and relaxed posture, she reminded me of my own grandmother who died when I was eight. She gave me a reassuring smile before letting out a loud whistle.

The dragon responded to the whistle by flapping his enormous black wings and flying dutifully to the rocky shore. The kind old woman did not cower away from the gigantic beast, instead she patted it's snout and whispered gentle praises. The dragon's forked tongue rolled out of his mouth, as he leaned into the woman's touch. The interaction between the two creatures would have been heartwarming if it wasn't for the fact that I was still clinging to the dragon's neck.

"I'm surprised Murphy saved you," the old woman told me, with amusement coloring her tone. "He prefers to eat the objects that fall into the lava, not save them."

I knew she said that calm my fears, but the idea that I was sitting on a flesh eating, fire breathing dragon named Murphy didn't sit well with me. Murphy looked back at me, his reptilian slit eyes were menacing but a feeling peace and serenity radiated off of him. The tense muscles in my back relaxed as I realized that Murphy meant me no harm.

"Well then, thank you, Murphy." I awkwardly patted Murphy's scaled neck.

Thick charcoal colored smoke blew from his nostrils as he snorted. I couldn't tell if he had to sneeze or if he was making fun of my uncomfortable attitude. Heat flooded my cheeks as I felt amusement radiate off of him. Great, I could add Murphy the dragon to the list of people who've made fun of me.

"I know Murphy is a charming young fellow but do you plan on sitting on his neck for the rest of the night," The old woman's thin brow arched as she asked the question.

Before I could respond Murphy lowered his head to the ground. His neck and head turned into a slide as I slid down the steady slope. I tried to hold onto his scales to keep myself from falling but I had suffered from a severe case of butter fingers. Letting out a mouselike squeak I slid down the bridge of Murphy's about until my feet hit the charred ground.

"Very graceful," the old woman muttered sarcastically.

I gave her an icy glare before brushing dirt off of my jeans. I was more than aware of my inability to walk on a flat surface, let alone slide down a dragon gracefully. When I was convinced that my jeans were presentable again I turned my attention to the woman who was rooted in place. Her hand was hanging in midair, and her mouth hung agape.

"Dunkle Hexe Nora?" The woman gasped.

I took a step back at the mention of mom's name. Neither my aunt or my dad enjoyed talking about my mom. Anytime I would bring the subject up they would discreetly find a way to change the topic. I was just beginning to realize that most of my relationships were built on a mountain of lies.

"What?" My voice cracked, momentarily revealing my shock. Placing an apathetic mask on my face I concealed my inner turmoil. In a more controlled voice I asked again, "I don't speak German, what did that mean?"

The woman ignored my brief change in tone and laughed as if nothing happened. Her laugh was throaty and raw from old age. I decided in that moment that I enjoyed hearing her laugh, it was real and not fake like the rest of my world.

"Forgive me child," she began with a toothy grin, "you looked a lot like a young woman I used to take care of years ago."

The old woman's hazel eyes flooded over with remorse as she reminisced the past. As the painful memories attacked the elderly woman her blazing smile slipped off of her face. Feeling her overwhelming amount of grief I wanted to comfort her, but I didn't know how. Even though I felt the emotions of others that never stopped me from handling situations in an awkward manner. So as the old woman reflected on her past I let us drift into an awkward silence. It wasn't my place to ask her about her past but I couldn't ignore the little demons in the back of my head wondering if she had known my mother.

Sizzling noises arose from the rushing river of lava. Golden strands of my hair clung to my neck and forehead as my body began to perspire. I was standing two feet away from molten lava and yet I was dressed in jeans and ratty fraying white sweater. Even though my sweater had the word sweat in it, it was hardly the proper attire in the cavern. For all I knew I could have been dressed for winter weather, while standing in the bottom of a volcano. Murphy, the dragon, watched as I tugged at the collar of the my sweater with growing amusement. I'm sure I looked comical as I wrestled with my sweater.

"Well that's all in the past," the old woman shook her head and placed a small smile on her thin lips. I fought back a scowl when I realized her smile was fake. Okay it was official, the entire human race was completely incapable of being honest.

"If you don't mind me asking, did Dunkel Hexe Nora translate to the Dark Witch Nora?" I asked in a flat tone, not bothering to hide my contempt.

If possible, she seemed to get older as her frown lines grew more prominent. "Yes," she responded in a grave voice, "but you wouldn't remember her, she had died before you were born."

I didn't feel the need to to correct her. It was nice to converse with someone who didn't know who I was. For once I could speak to someone without any formalities or underlying fear. Quietly I gestured for her to continue on, I didn't believe that she only knew of my mother's title.

"Let's leave Murphy alone, it's getting rather hot down here," she commented and reached out for my hand. I my eyes narrowed in suspicion but I held onto her bony fingers.

"Volare," the woman said to no one in particular.

My stomach muscles tightened as my body began to levitate off of the ground. Last year was the last time I was levitated, and I had sworn I would never let Alix cast that spell on me again. Transporting to different places was more efficient than levitation and flying. Also, I seemed to suffer from 'flight' sickness. My stomach would churn every time I remembered my brief experience in the air. Quickly I closed my eyes and waited for my feet to touch the ground again. I didn't wish to see where I was going. All that mattered was that my heart would stop pounding violently and my stomach would relax. The crunching noise of dirt and rocks pulled me out of my mild panic attack.

I was no longer flying, but the tightening in my stomach didn't lessen. The old woman and I stood on a high ledge that looked down upon the pool of lava. Murphy no longer looked like a menacing beast that could swallow me in one bite. Instead, he looked like an adorable toy.

"I've never met a witch before who was not only afraid of flying, but heights as well." Her drooping cheeks lifted, making her look younger, as she laughed at me. Even though the old woman was making fun of me I couldn't find it in my heart to be mad at her. Her dark, cold eyes seemed to brighten with amusement. Color flooded to her pale, sagging cheeks which made her look less like a living corpse.

She muffled her laughter and turned away from the ledge. Warily I followed her into a dark cave. It probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, but she was an old lady. How much harm could she possibly inflict on me?

"I may be old but don't think for one second that I couldn't take you down, young lady. I was quite the fighter back in my day," she boasted as we ventured deeper into the dark depths of the cave.

I mentally thanked the darkness for concealing my scarlet blush. There was no need for me to embarrass myself anymore. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to say that out loud," I mumbled meekly.

The old woman gave my hand a gentle squeeze in reassurance. "Don't worry child, I've had worse things said about me during my lifetime."

"Did Nora have anything to do with that?" I asked curiously.

Her hand tensed around mine, clearly uncomfortable with the subject, but she responded anyway. "Yes," she spat out.

"W-what was she like?"

The old woman snorted, "Why do you care? Nobody mentions Nora unless it's in a curse."

Dread filled my stomach as I wondered what kind of woman my mother was. The woman made her seem like a monster found in nightmares. I stumbled blindly behind her. An eerie feeling settled in my bones as we stopped. Squinting my eyes I tried make out an image, but I couldn't even see my own hand. Magic coursed through my veins as I flexed my fingers. Sparks erupted from my free hand, offering some light in the blackened pit of the cave.

"Where are we?" I whispered, awestruck.

Before my eyes stood a tall wrought iron gate. The harsh-looking metal had been bent into whimsical curves. Ash covered veins wrapped around the rusted metal bars. Even though it was ridiculous, I couldn't help but feel intimated by its sheer presence.

"Didn't the Council Members inform you where you would be staying?" The old woman asked as she strode confidently over to the gate.

I forced my legs to make small steps towards the menacing gate. The longer I stared at it the more my mind traveled to forbidden territories. The dark magic that ran through my veins surrounded the atmosphere near the gate. I could hardly control my sanity as tiny demons whispered in my ears. They wanted me to turn my little sparks into a giant ball of black fire. They wanted me to destroy everything until my frustration waned.

I shook my head in a desperate attempt to rid of my demons before answering. "Not really," I answered truthfully, "I don't even know how I almost fell into the lava."

That wasn't completely true, but I preferred if my new friend didn't know who I was. I didn't want anyone else to fear me or keep secrets. The old woman muttered word I didn't recognize under her breath. The iron gate screamed in protest as it swung open. The other side looked just dark as the cave. Goosebumps formed on my arms as a cold breeze washed over my skin. I didn't know whether the lava was more dangerous than what laid behind the gate.

"I guess it's my job to show you around then," she solemnly concluded, "Welcome to Castle Böse."

**I think we all know now that I can't update on schedule or give you an edited chapter immediately. This is not my best chapter, but I wrote it in the hospital so I think it could have been worse. Tell me what you think and I'll try to fix the errors. Love you all, thank you for being so patient
XOXO,
Ro.**