Finding hearts.(Tassya) Cold eyes stared with malice.
I flinched, body shivering. My throat constricted and everything burns.
they sneered in response.
A kick came, then stones. Punches thrown. Painpainpain-
I screamed, my eyes opening. Terror, Horror. Mother, Father rushed. Figures blurring, fainting.
-----
Ann looked at her convulsing daughter worriedly, clenching her hands against her husband’s. Their hands trembled, faces ashen. The memories were returning!
She shook the thought away and rested her hands on Tess’ forehead. A chant was uttered and Tess looked noticeably better. ‘At least’, Ann thought, ‘At least this power could be a blessing.’
Bob levitated a warm blanket, covering Tess’s frail body. Worry shone in his eyes. They, freaks of society,shouldn't have birthed Tess. They should have known that abominations wouldn't be loved, wouldn't be accepted. Their faiths were misplaced and their daughter paid the price.
However, was this the right thing to do? Isolating Tess from the world, keeping her locked in this tower and forbidden of human contact? ‘Yes’, they thought darkly. As long as their precious daughter is safe, nothing else mattered. Nothing.
-----
-Tess-
Do you know how it feels to be alone? Alone in this suffocating dark world? It feels empty and hollow, like glass. Frail, and easily shatters.

‘Why?’ I once asked. ’why am I alone?’No one answered. Mother and Father simply froze and left without a word. Disappointment pierced my being and I never asked again.

I hold out my hands and waves, summoning trails of fire that dances through the air. It dances meticulously and frolics around my view. The heat radiated warms my body, and for that I love it. It always brings a sense of calmness and peacefulness onto my heart.
A knock suddenly come through the door and I clenches my hands, instantly banishing the blaze. Mother and Father hate it after all, and why I’ll probably never know. They've practically ordered me not to use this… power when they've found out. But it’s hard not to.
Mother comes through the door bringing a bowl of porridge. I smiled in thanks and took it graciously. She looked at me for a moment, smile and left .Bringing the spoon of warm porridge to my mouth, I marveled at its wonderful aroma and took a sip. My eyes glittered. Mother’s cooking always brightens my world up but sad to say she abhor cooking- said that it brought bad memories- and thus it is rare. Father usually cooks. It’s not unpleasant, but I prefers my mother’ cooking.
After I finished eating, I lay in my bed. Drowsiness comes with fervor and sleep consumes me. I dread the time I’ll wake up, as it meant another day I have to go through.
-----
In the continent of Asre, mass panic happened. People ran and screamed. Soldiers marched onto the pavement wearing heavy artilleries and armors. Guns were shot around and blood splattered all over the road. Wails and cries filled the area, clouding it with dread.The soldiers were gaining hand.
12 year old Sarah Dankou wondered why this had happened. It was such a nice day too–until those men in red barged into the town hall of Lepta, the capital city of Asre .They all but demanded handing over the ownership of the country of Asre to ‘be their territory’. Sad to say that wouldn’t be happening soon, not on her watch.
Each decade a new guardian of Asre was appointed in secret. She knew about it; after all her late mother was one and now the title was passed to her.
Her gaze zoomed at a soldier that had struck a fallen man. She wanted to help- she really did! However time’s running out. She needed to locate the witch family quickly before everything ended. Mama in her death bed had requested she turned to the witch family for help, Help in protecting Asre as it’s only a matter of time before all of it would be conquered. Mama emphasized the importance of this mission, and warned that if Asre falls into the wrong hands, the world will be doomed. Why, she didn't know.As far as she knew, there’s nothing special about Asre but mama’s fearful face prevented her from further questioning.
“The family hid somewhere in the heart of Ysrill forest of Crez city.”, Mama continued, “And it is hidden somewhere between 3 slabs of stone. You’ll know” Knowing better than to question her mama she quickly found herself in the next train to Crez.
A groan jolted her from her thoughts and her eyes strayed back to the wounded man.Looking at those bleeding lacerations, she felt herself boil. However, before she took a step to help the man, the sounds of gunshots boomed loud. Startled and panicked, she broke off in a dash but not before throwing in a few bandages for the man.
-----
Friggin Marshmallows!
Ann cussed. She had slip on the mop and face planted. For a moment, silence reigned and she turned to the mop with murderous thoughts. However, seeing its cracked handle brought a bad feeling to Ann. That mop was blessed with ultra-hard-diamond-covered-diamond-alloy1090 and nothing should had been able to broke it.
“Oh no”, Ann realized. It must have been an omen…but which kind? Could it be that something would be coming here? What or perhaps…who? A sense of dread washed over her. Nobody knew of their current location-except for 'her' but as far as she knew that person’s dead.
‘No matter’, she thought, nothing could harm her daughter now anyways. She and Bob would use their power to the utmost and annihilate their would-be attackers, despite their feelings of using it.
She shook her head and passed the thought away. She picked up the broken broom and turned an annoyed look at it. Now she had to find another mop!
-----
The view of tall trees frustrated Sarah. She had been circling around Ysrill yet no sign of large stone was visible. Arrghh! How hard was it to find 3 large slabs of stone? The urge to yell out loud was tempting, but she didn’t want to risk disturbing predators. But then, Goosebumps appeared and a tingly sensation was felt on her right bicep. She turned slowly in apprehension and when she saw the tarantula, she screamed bloody murder.
And the moment she spotted the silhouette of a lion amongst the bush, she knew she’s a goner. Unfortunately, the stress of the journey had taken its toll on Sarah’s brain and therefore increasing Sarah’s stupidity by 55%, reducing her intelligence largely.
An idea struck her and she slowly stood rigid and took the pose of a tree, Arms spread and leaves held. She held that pose for a full minute before collapsing in shame.
Luckily, fear (and the approaching lion) snapped her brain into focus. A brilliant idea came and she took out an air horn from her travel bag and squeezed it.
It was loud-so loud as she bought the extra loud version. Her ears ringed and in the corner of her eyes, she saw the lion crying in agony. A hallucination perhaps?
The lion’s cries snapped her back into attention and she quickly ran away. A roar behind her made her stumble and she increased her speed. She looked back only to find the lion hot on her trail.
You can’t imagine the horror she felt when her eyes met the giant cat’s. She’d almost swear it was smirking at her. Her stamina was already depleted and her legs burned but she wouldn’t stop. No way. It was dumb to die by a lion.
She almost cursed when her face planted the ground. She had fallen, but how? Ah. You evil little rock that’s inconveniently placed in her path! Alas, the rock is her boon and now she’s experienced the time-slow people experienced in near death. She watched as those beady evil eyes are getting closer to hers and closed her eyes. A dumb death it is. Sorry mama for not being able to save the world!And-
A groan interrupted her thoughts and she felt annoyed. Can’t she spend her last seconds in peace? She opened her eyes intending to glare at the culprit but instead, her jaw fell to comical proportions.
The lion was holding its head as if in pain and continuously prod the air (barrier?) before it. What the heck was wrong in this forest? Lions weren't supposed to be able to do that! Their facial muscles were underdeveloped! And the barrier-Oh my goodness- what’s wrong with this place? Then again, with ‘witches’, she should have expected this.
She shakily stood, limbs still trembling with strain and uttered a thanks to the ‘barrier’ for shielding her from the lion. Inwardly, she noted that only humans seem to be able to enter the ‘barrier’ and filed it for further information. She turned around and face palmed at the scene before her.
It was three.large.stone.slabs sitting innocently as if mocking her being. She stared at the scene and proceeded to sigh in exasperation and relief. Now, all that’s left was only the task of requesting help from the witch family. She gotta go! Time is running out. That forest had taken a lot of her time!

Still, it’s funny with how she stumbled upon the place by pure accident.

Now…what to do? Mama had said that she would know what to do but she didn't know what to do so what’s she going to do now?
Apparently she did not need to do anything as witch family-minus the daughter- had decided to present themselves in all their glory, glaring at her.
Whoop Dee Doo.
-----
Bob was awakened from his afternoon naps by the sound of alarm. He intended to return to sleep when he shot back in focus. The alarm would only be sounded when something walked in the divinity of their area. Animals were crossed of the list so that left… humans. What were they doing here? Were they here to attack them? How did they found them?
He stood from the couch and met the eyes of his wife. A silent understanding passed and they geared themselves for the confrontation that was about to come. They may not be in their prime but they sure as heck were still fit. As fit as 40 year olds could anyways.
They walked together out of the hidden tower intending to ‘annihilate’ the intruder. They however were not expecting the intruder to be a girl of Tess’ age and therefore were gob smacked. Remembering their current situation; they quickly masked their surprise with mock anger to keep up appearances. Both of them had nothing against cute and pretty little girls even if they were humans but they had appearances to keep. Oddly, the girl looked familiar…
“Who are you!”, Bob demanded before contemplating something. “What are you doing here and how did you find this place?” He added in a softer tone.
He saw the little girl looking momentarily stunned before shouting, “My name is-“
“Who are you?”, A voice interrupted.
-----
The sounds of the alarm woke Tess up from her sleep. Her eyes twitched in annoyance. She was dreaming about finally getting a friend and the alarm interrupted it!
She must find the alarm and burn it to ash quickly and return to sleep. As she passed by a window, her gaze zoomed in a figure she had not seen before. Her curiosity reared up and she sneaked outside.
It’s a girl, with blond locks and a heart-shaped face. Her eyes were large and so blue-like the sea. She’s quite short and slim and had tanned skin. Tess could feel her curiosity coming up again. A question passed by her mouth before she could rein it in.
“Who are you?”, she asked.
-----
Sarah eyed the newcomer with interest. The girl looked cool, with jet black hair tied into a ponytail. She had pale, almost unhealthy, skin. She’s plump but not overly so. Her face is mixed between curiosity and excitement.
“My name is Sarah Parkou”, she said.
Sarah gave a start when the girl’s parents let out a surprised squeak. She had nearly forgotten their existence!
-----
Parkou? Something clicked on Ann’s brain. That person’s (very unique) last name was Parkou either! No mistake about it! Things now made sense to Ann and she saw that Bob recognize the name too. No one had that last name aside from her! They also have the same facial structure!So 'she' had a daughter...
A loud cheer snapped them back into attention and they were surprised to find their Tess conversing enthusiastically with the little gir-no, with Sarah. She looked the happiest she ever had in years. Guilt gnawed inside and they decided to let Tess and Sarah be friends, as she was that person’s daughter after all. Other people, even if it is a little girl, wouldn't be allowed to have the honor of being Tess’ friends. Sarah, being who she is, automatically made her somewhat a part of their family. Even then, they could tell that she was different. Her eyes had a look of innocence and veiled intelligence… They turn to each other and nodded.
Ann smiled a broad grin, expression turning mellow and gentle as she gazed at the only person she considered sister’s daughter. She looked at Bob and nodded, ushering Tess and Sarah into the house.
-----
-Sarah-
Okay, this is like, so weird. One moment I am being interrogated by the witch duo and the next thing I know I am manhandled into the house by duos whose attitude has drastically changed. Hm…
I am snapped back to reality by Tess’s excited chattering. I smiles warmly and replied back in equal fervor. Being with Tess is so fun! How long has it been since I has a friend?
-----
-Tess-
I am so happy today. My dream came true!I have made a friend –with the permit of my parents no less! I can't help but be excited and so I drags Sarah, My new BFF into her room and we talk all night long.

That day, a wonderful bond is created.
-----
Sarah opened her eyes only for the harsh rays of sunlight to assault her bleary eyes. She blinked and was befuddled at the scene presented before her. This environment was not familiar to her clouded mind until the happenings from the previous day registered on her mind.
She smiled a bit in happiness and closed her eyes intending to return back to sleep.
…if not for the fact that she remembered her forgotten task.
She instantly shot up from the bed ignoring the surprised squeak beside her and gripped her hair. She.had.forgot! She scrambled to find the television she had familiarized with last night and turned it on. A feed of the red men was immediately shown on the TV. The men were almost conquering the whole country and Crez is next.
Uh oh.
-----
Ack!
A blow to her ribs woke her up and Tess instantly lurched upwards in pain. What kind of animal did this? She blinked out the sleepiness from her eyes and searched for the culprit. Her eyes were drawn to the TV at the small noise of it turning on and located Sarah. Curiosity brimmed and she headed closer to her BFF. Turning to Sarah she was perplexed as to why she stood frozen with eyes wide. But then, as she watched the TV segment of people being tortured, waves of memories suddenly came assaulting her head and she screamed.
"ARRGHH!!!!!!"

'Beating, pure torture. Eyes looked in glee and condescension. Helphelphelphelp. her eyes looked pitifully and pleadingly. A sneer answered. Dirt covered her body. Maggots swarmed her wounds. Pleasepleaseplease! Her throat burned. Her fire drenched. Can’t...Breathe… HELP! PLEASE!'

She convulsed and screamed and cried. Distantly, she saw Sarah and her parents. No...Sarah shouldn't see me like this! She will be disgusted and leave and pleasedon’tleave! She felt her power bursting out of her, Jerking and bristling in the room. But then she felt calmness and warmth. Distantly, she heard Sarah speaking and felt pure happiness. She then allowed the darkness to consume her.
"I’ll never leave you…"
-----
‘It wasn't common knowledge but Sarah Parkou was a genius with extraordinary observation skills. That enabled her to skip grades and at the mere age of 11, she had graduate Oxford with Flying colors. So it wasn't strange that she’s able to connect the dots and evidences in a matter of a short time. It’s also partially one of the reasons her mother instantly appointed her as the next guardian amongst other candidates. However, because of her mental prowess, Sarah Parkou had experienced harassment from an early age and hence had weaved the mask of an unstable girl and worn it. It was mutually benefiting. Sarah was no longer harmed and her peers was highly satisfied that the perfect little girl was finally imperfect. Such are the horrors of humanity.
‘The attempt was the result of raging envy and jealousy. The woman was a classmate of higher age and had been failing to ascend to the next grade for years. She wasn't alone. No, she had ‘friends’. Sarah didn't have friends; there were too large in a gap between her age and her peers and her intelligence never failed to bring forth frustrations and jealousy.Sometimes Sarah wondered if it would be better to not be intelligent after all. No, she refused to think like that. She should be thankful that she was able to live, to be able to be with mama...
‘Her mother was kept in the dark. Bruises were always hidden and she presented herself strong. However, she could see the knowing yet resigned glint on her mama’s eyes. She left it at that.
‘Sarah was strong. Mentally and physically. She kept strong when her mama died; when she was harassed; when she almost died and she intends to keep it that way.’
-----
-Sarah-
What? What’s happening? I was gaping at the TV before Tess started to scream. She looked so much in pain. I grasped her hands in futile attempts to try to make her better. Her eyes were dilated and full of fear. Sweat glinted and sparks formed around her body
I couldn’t take it anymore and I hugged her, ignoring the heat. Instead, I raked my hand onto her hair and whispered soothing words.
“What kind of life did she had?”, was my thoughts when I heard her pained mutterings. It must have been a cued recall. She started to become like this by seeing the TV segment. Judging by the time, it was at the time where the red men tortured someone.
‘…!’Was she tortured? Possibly; possibly because of her power…just like with me. This realization did not make me happy. No, not at all.
I shed tears and run my hand across her hair. Why should both of them experience this much pain? No one should have that kind of experience in their life. Not me, not Tess. What had she endured since childhood? Was it worse? Yes, possibly worse than mine.
I held her close and whispered, ”I’ll never leave you”. Slowly,as if magically, Tess started to calm down and slowly return to sleep. The sparks died out. Her breathing evened and the corners of her lips formed a tiny smile.
I frowned. Should I even ask her to help me in protecting Asre? No. She wouldn’t be able to...
Wait,there’s also something nagging at the back of my head..Her reactions had been too extreme. Don’t tell me! Had her memory been erased? That’s possibly the only reason I could think of. The suppression of the memory creates a possible reverse mechanic and the direct cued activation of it would release a backlash so hard because of the quantum physics and polarity of the human brain. Memories shouldn’t be locked! They should still be there to be a standing point for a person, to help them cope and affect their past. Without it, she was insufficiently strong and became weak mentally.
With that realization I started to glare at the only people capable of erasing memories. Somewhere before, I had noticed that they had rushed into the room. They flinched and I knew that they know what my expression demanded. The way they looked anywhere but our way attested to that either.
:::::
“…beaten and then,buried alive.”
When Bob finished explaining, my eyes widened and I grew furious. Such acts were inhumane and should never be condoned, witch or not witch.
“We had to erase her memory as we don’t want to see her hurt...”, continued Ann.
I nodded my head resignedly. Even though it was detrimental to Tess’ brain they did it out of love. It wasn't like they didn't feel guilty about it. They just didn't know what to do.
Then I realized that I had forgotten my task again. I face palmed and explained the situation to Ann and Bob. They were very, very hesitant. Understandable, but…if the world would be conquered, then Tess might not be safe as the red men might want to claim the witches’ power after conquering Asre. I present my findings and they gaped in horror. After what ‘they’ did to Tess, I no longer care about humans anymore but Tess could be harmed if we overlook that possibility. She’s my first best friend so naturally, I would feel protective over her. She’s my solace and I’m hers. Tess’ parents agreed with me but the problem of who would watch over Tess still exist.
“I’m *cough* coming with you!”, A voice I know well spoke.
I turned to the speaker and saw Tess, struggling and face flushing. I straightened up and rebutted her.
“No!”, I say,” You are not physically well enough to assist me in this quest! Rest!”Surely Tess knows that right? She would not be able to bear to see the torture because of her past.
However, Tess’ stubborn streak reared its ugly head again. I noticed its strong existence when she showed me her power and forced me to play with it.
A cough interrupted our conversation and we turned to see Ann smiling.
“Let her go with you Sarah. You are her best friend after all. It’s natural that she wants to go with you. Tess, you can use your blaze. And Sarah, You did say that Tess needs to cope with her past...we’ll watch over from afar” she said.
That sounds like permission. I saw Bob smiling too. Sigh...They chose now to make a good point? Tess’ face was beaming and I was pouting after being ganged by three people.
Suddenly, loud booms were heard outside and we all rushed to the window to see what’s happening. From afar, Trees were falling down…
Yikes, they were already near the forest? We need to be fast!
I turned to Tess and we nodded. I retrieved my short knife and Tess prepared her gloves. Determination filled us. We won't fail!

*****
-Tess-
The counter-attack was successful. With my fire and Sarah’s intelligence, we had successfully devised a way to won back the cities of Crez. The ‘soldiers’ were of no match. They were merely pushovers as they were the epitome of ‘quantity, not quality’. Mother and Father expertly took care of them in the shadows. The fight only lasts 4 days and 3 nights and even by the third day, their numbers were already reduced to mere hundreds and police officers throughout Asre were able to apprehend them and put them behind the bars.

I admit I was nervous when faced with the large crowd of citizens. We were called to the town of Lepta to give a speech for our victory. I steeled myself expecting barrages of insults when I stepped out into the open but instead, cheers were shouted. They spouted words of praise and gratefulness which shocks me and my parents to stillness.
“OUR HEROES!!”
“THANK YOU FOR SAVING US!”
“YOU’RE THE BEST!”
My eyes watered and I burst into tears. Sarah was smiling happily and we hugged. i can't believe it...We were accepted!

The story didn't end here. In the end Sarah chose to move to our tower. We were officially sisters in all but blood and Sarah had cried when she heard that. The guardian of Asre and a witch as sisters…It had a nice ring to it…
Sarah and I decided to travel around the world and see what it had to offer. It had been my secret wish…to be able to experience the beautiful sceneries and views of the globe. Sarah’s was to visit the seven wonders of the earth.
My-no, our parents are enjoying their retirement (kind of more than they should). Last time we visit the tower, there was a large party going on with Katie Perri singing on the living room.
All in all, it’s a pretty happy ending. We’re now on the Great Wall of China and sipping our cold Long Jing tea. Life is good. I had Sarah and she had me. Together, nothing can daunt us. We will prevail, we have no secrets. We are now one. This adventure had brought us together, and we intend to keep it that way.
-End-

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