Part 2

Her clock sounded the alarm at exactly 7:00 Am. Blair had forgotten what day it was. It was Sunday; Church day. The rest of her family were strict Catholics, with a strong faith in God. They attended church every Sunday morning, and expected Blair to do the same. So, every Sunday at 8:00 AM she was dragged to the place she hated most. Not only did it go against what she believed, but churches in themselves made Blair highly uncomfortable. The stuffy, formal atmosphere, the paintings that hung on the wall, they disturbed her.
“Blair, get down here!” her dad Burt called from downstairs. She let out a sigh and got out of bed; she had been hoping to sleep in late. Those missing four hours of sleep would surely come back to haunt her later. After she had gotten dressed, she went down the stairs and lumbered over to the breakfast table. It was already almost time to leave, so Blair stuffed a large waffle into her mouth. She was then marched out of the house, and filed into the red minivan with the rest of her wretched family. Her parents did not worry about the fact that Blair loathed going to church, after all, who likes it?
While on their way there, Burt talked excitedly about his day at work. He worked as business man in a big cooperate office. But no one else in the car seemed as excited as he was, not even his own wife.
“Oh look, we’re here…” Blair’s mom said, in a desperate attempt to quiet her husband. They pulled into the gravel parking lot, rocks crackling under the tires. Without another word, they got out of the car. Not even Blair’s dad said anything.
As they approached the brightly painted church, Blair drew her black sweater even tighter around her body. She wanted to hide, to disappear. She felt like people were staring. It felt like they could see right through her, like see her secret. This wasn’t really like her; Blair McGinnis was usually a very happy and cheery girl. She was always smiling and laughing. No one could see the pain she had locked up inside her. Nor would anyone expect her to be a witch. On the outside, she appeared a bit odd, but still like everyone else. She fit in, she was accepted. Blair’s biggest fear was that, if everyone knew, she would be shunned. She knew she needed friends, and she couldn’t afford to lose them during hard times like these.
Very recently, Blair’s father had gotten sick with cancer. Every day, she was scared of waking up and seeing her lifeless father lying still in his bed. She knew there was nothing she could do to save him; no magic could ever help him heal. But he was going in for surgery in a week. Although the surgery was very risky, Blair tried to have complete faith in the doctors.
Every time she looked at her dad, Blair was reminded of how sick he was really was. He was turning yellow, and had lost so much weight that his skin hung off his frame.. His legs looked like toothpicks, and he had lost all the strength in his arms. Yet he still managed to be active. He rode his bike, went on hikes with his kids, and cared for his beautiful garden. Blair knew he’d make it out in the end… somehow.
Once they got inside, they sat themselves down in a pew, and waited for the service to begin.. Blair grunted. Why did they have to come so early? It just meant more time sitting on an uncomfortable bench and breathing in the musky, moldy church. The building was so old that it was starting to decay. The paint had worn off the pews, and roaches were the new full-time residents.
After what seemed like an eternity, the service started. The priest began by giving some words of inspiration, and let them in song. Then he talked, for a long, long time, during which Blair had dozed off. Usually, Blair had the strength to stay awake during these incredibly long sermons, but her lack of sleep was definitely a factor.
Blair awoke to the sound of her mother’s voice. “Sweetie,” her mother cooed. “church is over. It’s time to go.”
“Mmmpphh… Finally.” Blair grumbled as she rose out of her seat. They were the only family left. Apparently her parents didn’t want to wake her, and hoped that she would get up on her own. It was now 9:30 AM. Maybe now she could go home and take a nice, long nap. But no, her parents wanted go to their favorite restaurant for lunch. So Blair was trapped in the car for another half hour, where it was impossible to sleep because of her whining brother. When they got to the restaurant, Blair wasn’t particularly hungry, so after eating only half her food, she lay her head down on the table and fell asleep again. Oh, how she dreaded Sundays. Always some formal occasion, whether it be church or a nice brunch. She couldn’t stand it.
Another unfortunate thing about Sundays was that the following day was a Monday. If it weren’t for all her friends, Blair would have hated school almost as much as she hated church.
So, the next morning, she was shipped off to her high school in a large yellow school bus. It was early October, so the school year had only recently begun. But by now Blair knew the drill; anyways, she was a sophomore. When she got to school, she was greeted by all her friends gathered in the cafeteria.
“HI BLAIR!” her friend Christine shouted as Blair walked through the double doors.
“Hey Chrissie.” Blair said with a smile. Christine was always full of energy, which matched Blair. They were almost like twins. Not only did they look somewhat alike with their firey red hair, but they also acted alike. Although, they didn’t act the same outside of school, Blair tended to be more calm and sensitive.
As Blair was practically swallowed by her large group of friends, she turned around, scanning the other side of the cafeteria. “Where is he?” she breathed.

Part 1

As day turned to night, Blair sat on the hill overlooking the forest, watching the different hues of red and pink as they played out on the canvas of the sky. It was almost time, almost time to go out on the hunt. Blair snickered – when she told people she ‘hunted’ at night time, they often assumed that she was actually out looking for prey. Though she did have a kind of blood fetish, Blair was not one to kill. She was a peaceful being. Her hunt was mostly a search. Not only for herbs and ingredients, but for answers.
The sun disappeared behind the horizon, and Blair was up and on her way. She walked the path to the forest, pulling her hood over her head. The moonlight illuminated her emerald eyes. Tonight’s mission was to find dead bamboo stalks, so she could harvest the powder inside. Bamboo powder for protection, she muttered to herself. As she went deeper into the forest, vines began to sneak onto the path, snaking around trees and plants. Blair made sure not to trip; she didn’t want to have to explain any injuries to her parents, seeing as she was supposed to be asleep in her bed right now. She let out a deep sigh, her breath rising into the chilly air. Sometimes, Blair wished she could tell her friends and family about her beliefs. But, she knew they wouldn’t understand. She wouldn’t expect them to. Although it would be a lot easier if everyone knew, it wasn’t worth the risk of losing everything. It was better to confide in a few, close friends. If anyone else found out, there could be a disaster… horrible things could happen. People weren’t very accepting. These thoughts clouded Blair’s mind, and she pushed them away. Now was a time for clarity, a time to be one with nature. These worldly dilemmas shouldn’t be eating away at her.
Fall was perhaps one of the best seasons for collecting ingredients. Everything was crisp and fresh – or even better, dead. Some might think Blair was a drug addict, as she always carried plants and had strange smells on her. But, smells that other considered strange comforted Blair. She thought about this as she inhaled, taking in all the mystical scents of the forest. The girl’s pace quickened as she took a look at her watch. She didn’t have much time left; and she needed that bamboo powder. She kept her eyes peeled as she hurried, she didn’t want to leave without what she came for. Finally, she came across some pale green shoots of bamboo sticking up from the ground. They were huddled close together in defiance of the cold. Though it was already too late, their lack of color showed that they were plainly dead. This didn’t mean that they were easy to get out of the ground, which Blair was not expecting. She battled with one shoot for five minutes, trying to yank it from the soil.
Once she had finally managed to uproot the bamboo, she laid it along the width of the path. Then, she stepped on it, breaking it in half.. As she shook one of the halves, pellets of white powder fell into her hand. Blair smiled; perfect condition, slightly damp. She removed several vials from her jacket, and poured the powder in, filling each to the brim.. It was difficult to re-cork them, and Blair was forced to abandon some bits of powder. Once all her vials were filled and corked, she stuffed them back in her pocket and began to sprint in the direction of home.
When Blair finally reached home, her watch read 3:00 AM. Perfect timing. Her parents were most likely still in bed; unless her little brother Michael had woken them up claiming he was sick. This happened frequently, but Blair had learned to deal with situations where she might run into her parents while coming home from a hunt. Sometimes she had to sneak in through her bedroom window, which required scaling up the side of the house. But not this time; her parents and her brother were sound asleep, and Blair was able to enter the house through the front door. Trying to be as quiet as possible, she climbed the stairs to her room. When she opened the door, the wonderful odors hit her like a bomb. It was welcoming, and it was also useful for keeping parents out of her room. Looking around Blair’s room, one could see potted plants covering every desk space and table. There were many different varieties of flowers and herbs, both intriguing and strange at the same time. In one corner, there was a large, onion-like bulb. Near the window was a prickly vine, curled up in its pot almost as if it were sleeping. Colorful lilacs, daisies and pansies lined the room. A large box of rocks and crystals lay open on the floor, and on a low shelf right over it, was a vial stand, missing all but two vials. Blair knelt down and took the vials full of powder out of her pocket and carefully placed them in the holder. She then removed her jacket and took her hair out of its bun, letting it flow freely around her shoulders.
How all this began is an incredibly long story in itself. This new way of life sprang from interest, curiosity, and pain. Blair did not lead the tortured life of a vampire or a werewolf, but she was of the same genre, something most people would shun and declare a fictional being. Blair was a witch, a misunderstood soul looking for the Divine.
After changing into her pajamas, she go into bed, and lay there, staring up at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to come.