There was a lot of knickknacks inside. The walls were piled high with old decaying books and feathers stuck in various liquids, runny, sticky, hard, or crusty. I could feel my skin crawling because of it, the dirtiness, the vile. It was almost to much to bear.

    Ren looked around, as if sizing up this place to be pretty normal. I couldn't see anything besides the filth, there was only one window, and that was the store front. I couldn't see anything past the various piles of junk and there was a nice layer of dust floating around.

        "Hello?" Ren called, I was half sure whoever manned this wreck was dead.

    A cackle sounded from behind one of the towers. A short, frighteningly old woman hobble out from behind it.

    It took me a few seconds to fully comprehend this woman. Her hair was bone white and trailed down behind in her in knotted clumps. She walking holding a staff and was covered in such a variety of sewed together cloth I'm not sure if she could undress properly. Her face was full of wrinkles and it seemed gravity had an especially strong pull on her skin, especially her nose. Her skin itself was flawless though, with no spots no imperfections, it was a creamy white color.

    "What bring you two young treats here today?" She asked, poking Ren's knees with her staff.

    "We were wondering if you could help us, see we have a problem-"

    "I know what your problem is boy, I just like to hassle you whipper snappers." She waved her hand toward the back, into the thick blackness. "Come on, I'll do my best but no promises."

    Ren grinned at me happily and I gave him a look I hope he knew meant: I don't trust this woman at all. He started following her back into her nest.

    I reluctantly followed.

    At least the space back here was a bit cleaner, it was a small room that had been draped off. Inside the tent-like composure there was a table, wooden, with deep scratched in it, but no splinters. The walls were covered in eyes, it was an interesting wallpaper to say the least.

    She sat us down at the table, and sat across from us. I felt like a cornered bird, for some reason this place was giving me anxiety.

"Hold out your hand son." She ordered, lighting a lamp hanging in the middle of the room.

Ren held out his hand, Palm up, in the middle, the witch reached out her old fingers and when she touched it, the lamp started burning blue fire.

"Hmm, interesting." She commented, tracing the lines of his hand.

"You have the hands of a strong worker, but they feel so young." She said.

She turned his hand over and there was a blue symbol on the back of it. It looked like a rose, but the stem was broke, and the was a bud growing out of it.

"What is your name boy?" She asked, staring at the symbol.

"Ren." He answered.

"Renatus, that is an old name, it's also a Latin name, one with great meaning. I can tell one thing about this mark on your hand boy." She dropped his hand and pointed at his face.

"What?" He asked, his blue eyes growing wide with curiosity.

    "You should be dead, this world is straining because you should not exist, I am a creature of old magic, I can tell that nobody can see, hear, nor feel you. This should wear off it a bit. Give it a few hours."

    "What do you mean I should be dead?" He asked.

    The witch shrugged. "I don't know the details, but you shouldn't be alive."

    Ren gave me a deeply worried look.

    "Do you want to have a turn girlie?" She cracked a smile, revealing several missing teeth.

    "I don't know-"

    Ren pushed my shoulder lightly.

    "Fine." I said, and slapped my right hand down on the table.

    She took my hand, and immediately Ren's blue lantern turned blood red.

    The witches eye's widened until they bulged. "Oh my heavens-"

    The lantern broke, glass splattered down onto the table. I snatched my hand back, but the witch seemed frozen in her position. She was staring at me like I was some sort of monster.

    Then her face relaxed and she acquired a rather dumb expression. The the witch blinked and cackled again.

    "Oops, oh well. I guess the magic doesn't like you girlie. Off you go unless you want to pay me!"

    My jaw dropped. "Wha-"

    "Shoo!" She shrieked, and we hightailed it out of there.

    The two of us stood out in the dirt road for a bit. Then Ren turned towards me.

    "I'm not the only one who saw that right?" He asked, deeply concerned.

    I frowned and held my hand to my chest. I had seen a symbol on the back of my hand. It had looked like a long stick, like a wand or a horn. Something had been dripping off of it.

    I shivered.

    "Come on, let's get out of this creepy town." I offered.

    He nodded. "I'm with you on that M'lady."

    We started walking for the outskirts, but had barely gone three steps before a loud voice shouted above all of the regular clamor.

    "There she is, get her!"

    I turned around to see a soldier dressed in full battle armor, his sword drawn, with three others standing behind him.

    He was pointing right at me.