The moors of Wales were saturated with gray mist, more so than usual on this particular Sunday in November. Cool clouds circled lofty evergreen trees like hats atop elegant mistresses and the lake that the small brick cottage lived by was placid and reflective of the somber sky.

All was quiet.

No bird chirping, no wind wailing, not even the rustle of grass broke the eerie silence.

And then, a cry.
Piercing and sharp, the cry from the cottage rang through the valley. A burst of air followed the cry, ringing out from the cottage and blowing back the trees with such force that their hats flew off, leaving them gazing down upon the cottage newly bare and green.

The dismal shroud covering the sky's blue was uncovered, leaving the glen bright with the sun's afternoon light. As if the cry was a signal to begin, an orchestra of chiming songbirds proclaimed joy about the glorious happening inside the cottage.

The year was 1978. A witch was born.

⌘⌘⌘

The creak of a door opening. Closing. Footsteps. A hushed voice.
"Mona, wake up."
A hand pulling back my covers. A chill was in the air.
"It's time to get up, darling."
A hand brushing my hair back from my face.
"Mona, please. You have to get up."
An urgency in her voice.
"Alright, mum, I'm up!" Getting out of bed was more or less falling out of bed, the sheets tangling my legs as I tried to stand. "Mum? Where are you? It's so dark in here." Grabbing my wand from my bedside table, I whispered a spell which summoned a glow from the end of my tool. The glow reached out far, but not quite far enough to reach the dark corners of my room. It illuminated the space enough for me to see the familiar baby blue hues of my walls and the homey weathering of the gray oak floors beneath my bare feet. Cool morning air was drifting in from the rickety windows of my room, dotting my arm with goosebumps. The air seemed to circle my room and dance with scents, picking up the fresh, juicy scent of the berries that grow in voluptuous bunches this time of year, and mingling with smells of lavender I plucked from the back garden and placed in a glass jar on my vanity.

Sunlight did not trail after the air as I expected it would.

The air was alone.

"Mum, why's it so dark outside?"
"Nox." The light in my room went out with a simple word.
"Mum, what're you doing?"
"Hush now, sweetheart. We have to get your things packed."
"Mum, what time is it?"
The rustling of clothing being shoved into a duffle.
"Mum?"
A zipper.
"Mum."
"Ramona, please. Now hush up and come help me. We must hurry."
She heard my wand clatter to the floor as I reached for it. "And no spells."
Without question, I felt my way to my wardrobe and began pulling out my clothes. I packed them away in the duffle in no particular order, just quickly and efficiently. I learned not to question my mother very often. Unless it was about a certain dish she wanted to make for the first time. Mum never was much of a chef.
I quickly changed out of my pajamas and put on street clothes. Who knew where we could be heading.

"Are we leaving? For good?"
"We're leaving. Indefinitely."
"Is the house coming with us?"
There was a moment of silence. Then, "Not this time."
"Are we coming back?"
I could barely see my mother's face in the pale light that decided to come through my shutters, but I could read it like a book.
The answer that shone in her eyes as tears broke my heart.

I put my duffle down on my bed and then put myself next to it. I reached with a shaky hand for a tissue. I wasn't crying just yet, but the west tears were inevitable.

For the past six years of my life, Durmstrang Institute had been my home, and the professors and students my family. My heart split in half at the thought of leaving them behind without any explanation.

What would Victor think?

I put the tissue down. No need for it. No tears.
It didn't matter what Victor would think. It only mattered what my mother thought. I don't know the reasoning behind why she moves us from place to place, but I have never doubted her judgement. If she believes I need to leave Durmstrang, then I leave Durmstrang.
But I couldn't help but wonder—"Why?"

Barely a whisper,
"They've found us, Ramona."

⌘⌘⌘

The sun was timidly peaking through the misty mountains as we closed the cottage door behind us. My hand lingered on the brass knob for a moment, almost unwilling to let go.

Everywhere we went, the house went with us. France, China, Brazil, North America, even. The house was the only constant thing we knew. That and mum's terrible cooking. The house was like a family member. It always kept us safe. I loved the house.

My goodbye to the house was cut short when mum suddenly pulled me away, urging me to run. She looked like a fierce warrior, running valiantly ahead of me with her wand out. I looked around me. Gray upon gray upon gray. Gray mountains, gray trees, gray sky.

The sky. Tattooed against the ash gray sky was a chilling symbol. A symbol I had lived in fear of since I was a young child.

A skull with a snake crawling out of its mouth.

The Dark Mark.

His mark.

I ran.
Wind cut through my hair and my coat, freezing me to the bone. I adjusted my duffle on my shoulder. We had almost reached the outskirts of the woods that circled our glen when a burst of red light pierced through our escape route, narrowly missing my mother's wand hand. She abruptly stopped in her tracks, causing me to ram into her, which stopped me too. Mum was staring intently around us.

Figures in cloaks of black and masks of horrible metal faces had encircled us like vultures stalking prey.

Death Eaters.

"Stay close to me, Ramona," mum whispered. I stood tall. I would not cower in the presence of these—these things. My wand was out and ready for use. 

The hideous masked creatures inched ever closer. Sweat trailed its way down my neck despite the cool weather. I had never been around Death Eaters to my knowledge, except for when I was an infant. His band of followers hunted me down. My mother got me to safety. I don't know what happened to my father.

"You really thought you could hide her from the Dark Lord for all these years, you ignorant harlot," said one Death Eater whose stark blond hair was covered by no hood. It was a statement piece, a declaration that he did not care who knew his identity at the moment. He swiftly moved up to my mother. He reached his wand out, but she petrified him by ripping his mask off. "You slag—" he spat, pure venom in his voice, his face twisted in an expression of vileness.

My grip on my wand tightened. "How dare you speak to my mother like that you filthy tw—"
My wand was flung out of my hand by a burst of red light from my left. Looking over, I saw a Death Eater, fully cloaked. Nothing to reveal his or her identity. My wand has landed in a patch of dead grass a few feet away from me. Panic washed over me like a dark wave. Without my wand, I was defenseless. How could I retrieve it?

The blond Death Eater turned his attention to me. "Ah, the girl has moxie," he calmly stalked up to me and place a smooth hand on my cheek. I recoiled from the corpse-like coldness of his hand. "The Dark Lord knows you'll be an excellent addition to his ranks, once we raise him. He has waited a long time for you, girl—"

"He shall keep waiting, Lucius." Mum said shortly, an equal amount of venom in her voice. She still had her wand, miraculously. With a flash of movement, she pointed her wand up to the sky and diffused the Mark in the clouds before yanking my hair, which was the most accessible part of me for her to grab, and bolting off to the right, firing off a kaleidoscope of spells behind her. She was met with an offensive legion of multicolored light. Pain shot through my back as I was hit with a hex. Mum just kept dragging me by my hair, pulling at my scalp. We stumbled up rocky hills, past trees, tripping and slipping on twigs and brooks. The pain had begun to bring tears to my eyes when she finally let go. I looked around. We were deep within the deathly cold forest. I could see wisps of my breath as I landed. Dark trees and dark people were with us in the forest. The Death Eaters had surrounded us again, each cloaked figure armed.

Mum grabbed hold of my wrist, her fingers circling around my bracelet.

I felt a pull at my navel. Light flashed. I closed my eyes. Dark. Light. Up, down, this way, that. Everywhere and no where. I felt my body crash onto a surface much like the one I was previously standing on.

I opened my eyes, heart hammering.

We were no longer in our valley. We were in yet another dark forest with tall trees. This forest reeked of magic. I brushed as much mud off of my jeans as I could as I stood up. I felt like I was choking, or having a heart attack, or both. Chilled fear wound it's way through my viens and to my heart, making my arms shake. Were we safe from the Death Eaters here? Did they follow us?

Looking around me, I decided we were momentarily safe.

It was dark again; no sun was in the sky to speak of morning.

Looking out of the crop of trees that we landed in, I saw a castle twice the size of the one I had called home for six years.
Finding my breath was difficult, and it was soon knocked out of me again as mum yanked me through the wood, towards the castle.

"Mum? What is that?" I coughed, almost slipping on a rock.
"This is your new school, Ramona."

⌘⌘⌘

WELL.

Wasn't that a wild ride? It was for me!

Hope you guys enjoyed your little taste of Slither and I hope you guys come back for seconds. Not sure when I'll be serving the next meal though, so stay seated!!

Don't forget to comment, vote, and share with your friends!

~ Maeve