Klasma: Goodbye sweet life.

Klasma: Goodbye sweet life. 

// This is another shot at Nëela's past and how her curse ruined any and every attempt at living a normal life among people (humans or supernatural creatures) this time, it's humans again doing what they do best. 

xxxx

The witch opened her eyes wide as she could, witnessing the fire ravaging the walls of what once was her house.  She had wrapped her head with a scarf, ensuring that her features were well hidden from the crowd that had gathered around her to watch the fire. She heard the whispers of a witch killed in the fire. Little did they know that she was the one who summoned the flames to burn her assailants. It would be unwise to reveal her true self, especially when the crowd was roused and excited about burning a witch.  Her golden eyes stared at the dancing flames before her, and she found comfort in their warmth.  She should have seen it coming a few miles away when she settled in this town. People with her complexion were barely seen as people. They were intimidated into submission by most of the townfolks because they didn't belong there. It didn't deter her from trying to make herself a home there and thriving. She was a florist with the most beautiful flowers all year round, much to the surprise of her fellow tradesmen. Ladies from all walks of life and from all complexions lined up for a chance to buy a bouquet from her, which forced her under the spotlight and the scrutiny of people. 

Soon enough, townsfolk started to talk about her timeless beauty, her kind nature, and the fact animals seemed to love her which earned her the title of "princess flowers." She was a princess like in those old folks' stories where princesses were loved by animals, always surrounded by the beauty of nature and beautiful themselves. It took like wildfire and soon enough, people stopped referring to her by her name but rather by the nickname "Princess Flowers". It irritated the witch to no end, but she decided that it was best to have a pleasant nickname rather than one that would incite violence against her, so she didn't protest when people addressed her as such. She didn't protest when the line to her shop grew longer and longer and her work became more tedious. Business was booming and she was living a comfortable life. She even started to have suitors, trying to woo her into marriage. She tried to keep them at bay, hoping that no one would ever discover her true nature or that her curse would betray her. She tried to maintain a polite but distant relationship with everyone but it took one rejection to ruin it all. 

Frank was a man she trusted and cared for. He was the brother of her friend Amelia, a woman who welcomed Nëela when she first arrived in town. Frank always tagged along with her sister, ensuring her protection from bad-natured men who could have tried to hurt her.  At first, he was a bit indifferent to the witch, noting her uncanny beauty but already engaged to another woman he loved deeply. Unfortunately, the more he spent time with Amelia and her friend, the more obsessed he became with "Princess Flowers". It was so intense that Frank decided to break his engagement to his fiancée to pursue Nëela. How could he not when he dreamed of her at night? How could he not when he wanted to taste her lips? When he wanted to hold her tightly? When he wanted to protect her from the lustful eye of other men? His jealousy grew in intensity when he saw that another man was trying to woo her too. He was a white man, but not just any white man, one who had humiliated Frank a while ago when he was trying to get a job in this guy's father's industry.  Could it be that "Princess Flowers" was interested in white men? Could it be the reason she didn't want him? Frank took everything personally, he misread the situation and was blinded by his jealousy so he couldn't see that Nëela wasn't interested in Marthy Thomas. He was a customer who paid handsomely but a customer nonetheless. He might have had a one-sided crush, but Nëela knew better than to let anyone get too close to her. So she flirted but was never serious about him. Frank didn't care for all he saw was a woman he was obsessed with being kind to a man he hated with a passion. 

An incident with Amelia stoked the flames of his hatred. The woman fell out of love with Nëela because she started to suspect she was a witch. She saw an old painting of a woman who looked exactly like her friend in the living room of one of her employers. When she confronted Nëela with her finding, the witch told her that it probably was an ancestor of hers or just a woman who looked a lot like her but was not her. Amelia didn't believe her poor attempt at a lie and started to ask questions to her employer about the painting. Flattered by the question and the opportunity to brag, her employer told her that it was found in a manor at the start of the century and had been painted a few centuries before by a famous French painter.  The model was said to have been blind because she never showed her face without wearing a pair of sunglasses. Exactly the same behavior Nëela exhibited. Besides, Amelia had always been suspicious of the flowers her friend was growing. How come they never faded? No matter the season the flowers were always perfect, watered, and well-behaved. It could only be witchcraft. She shared her thoughts with her brother who took the opportunity to go and teach a lesson to the woman he "loved". 

The attack was swift. it happened so fast that Nëela had been caught off guard. Frank broke into her house, with a torch and pitchfork. He went in with a couple of his friends, three huge men with various weapons in hand.  She looked at them, at first confused by their demeanor but rather calm. When Frank explained that he knew she was a witch because Amelia found a portrait of her, she stiffened. She tried to talk them out of attacking her, out of the ludicrous idea that she was a witch but failed to do so. Instead, they became more and more convinced that she was a real witch and she was trying to bewitch her. while Frank held her at a distance by the tip of his pitchfork, the other three men started to break her furniture, to destroy her home and the safety of this place. She tried to warn them to stay away, to stop, to just leave her alone but they doubled down. Frank then warned her that he was going to teach her a lesson. First, they would destroy her home and any sense of safety she might have, and then they would hurt her. She would be violated in such a way that their names would be etched on her soul. She would then be killed and her house would be burned as a punishment for going against God.  Danger... Again. Betrayal... Again. It all came into a full circle once more and despite her best efforts to make a good life despite her curse, everything was ruined once more. 

Her body became numb, the painful truth had already done a number to her heart and mind. She had decided that no matter what, no one should know the truth about her. No one should ever confirm the rumors about her supposed witchcraft and since these four men broke into her home and destroyed her peace, she had no other choice but to get rid of them. It wasn't so much the destruction of furniture that set her off, no, it was the threat of physical violence, a violence that way too many women, little girls, and boys had suffered at the hands of vile men. It was the threat of reliving the same experience hundreds of years ago, the same one Elijah rescued her from that set her off. So she removed her sunglasses and exposed her true nature to them. Frank squealed, both excited at the sight and scared by the calm she displayed. Her golden eyes stared at him and glanced at his pitchfork. She was focused and easily took control of the weapon that flew out of his hand and into the throat of one of the men. She then swiftly closed the distance between her and Frank to punch the man, stunning him for a few seconds. She then used her powers to lift the bodies of the two other men and smash them together, knocking them out.  Frank surprised her with a punch of his own in the guts. he then realized that the torch he was holding fell on the floor when she punched him and that it started a fire.  She manipulated the flames to have them circle around him, making it impossible for him to escape, and he started to scream, insult, and bargain with her to release him. She grabbed a scarf and wrapped it around her face, covering her eyes and hair. 

Before she could cross the front door to escape, he desperately pleaded for his life, citing her friendship with his sister as a reason to let him escape. She stopped and turned to look at him. Her eyes were glowing brightly, almost turned her gaze into white pools and her voice was deeper as she coldly told him that she didn't care about traitors. She wanted to live a decent life, she thought they were good people but she saw their ugly nature the day he decided to attack and kill her because she rejected his advances. She said that she could have made their lives sweeter. She could have made sure they never lacked anything. She could have given them the world if only they were true to her but in the face of betrayal and because they tried to take her life, she would spare one to see for herself the consequences of her actions. He would die and along with him would the other men he brought into his mess. She then left and commanded the fire to burn harder and convey her anger so the whole world would see that it would not be wise to try and cross her. Yet, as she watched the flame dance, Nëela couldn't help but mourn for the life she would never recover. She couldn't help but cry for her broken heart and for yet another proof that her curse would never fade away. She would never be loved, so why bother with it? 

-TBC-