In the dark when no one else is around,

The dreams come out and play.

They come alive and haunt me,

And then they devour my soul.

Arii stashes the tuft of hair in her bra for safe keeping and smiles with smug satisfaction, leaving the church in a hurry. She couldn't have planned it better, having Priscilla make the first move. A block away and the weight lifts from her chest, an oppression she has learned to live with. Church hasn't always been suffocating, only recently since she dabbled in black magic. Of course, it is strictly forbidden, but that isn't stopping her. The use of magic is punishable by burning but no one has witnessed such an execution, and now she has the final piece to her talisman. Soon the insufferable Priscilla will be out of her way.

The door to her house slams open, announcing to anyone who cares she is home. "Hello?" she says to be sure, and then proceeds to search room by room. "Perfect." She runs upstairs and pulls the box from under her bed. A touch of her thumb breaks the lock to reveal the raggedy doll she is using for a base.

There is a slight similarity to Priscilla she muses, admiring her handiwork. She applies a dab of glue to the bald head and in minutes the tuft of hair is in place. A few quick snips and she's finished. Now the resemblance is deeper than outward appearances. She feels a spirit stir inside the doll, the annoying goody two shoes spirit of the infallible Priscilla. Arii mumbles a few strange words under her breath. It is a spell of enchantment, practiced but not perfect and she knows it's working by the tightness in her gut.

"A little magic does not a witch make," she recites a recent article on the resurgence of the dark arts. Witchcraft is banned on Earth and witches have been banished to their own solar systems. It's in the constitution, upheld as infallible law, but she knows she's not a witch. "A little magic won't hurt anyone."

One long needle slides easily into the doll's stomach, and then Arii sheds her cloths and heads for the shower. She is thoughtful while her hands run across her perfect body. She has control over her life, her education, and her emotions. It all comes so easy, and in that is unrest. She wants something more than the boredom of living in a sophisticated society. Life is hiding a secret, she can feel it in her bones and she is determined to find it.

Spoiled comes to mind. She is aware of her entitlement mentality but it holds no sway over her life. In most ways, she is like the other kids. She plays hard, spending money and staying out late at parties. She can keep up with the best of them, if only to pass the time and bury the boredom in a lie called satisfaction. School is easy for her, a fact she loves and hates at the same time, living down to the lowered bar of expectation. It is another lie which doesn't scratch the surface of her rough exterior. Popular and cruel in the same breath, the imaginary standard by which she judges people has no moral compass. And she is a tease when it comes to her love. Some say she is a slut but she harbors a rudeness which keeps intimacy at arm's length. She lets them in enough to keep them interested, but has never gone all the way, never been in love, never let her emotions get out of control. It is a secret she hides well, but she hides other things too.

Please remember to vote!

Commentsare welcome!