warlocked

Hazel could feel the unpredictability inside herself. Her skin was itching, burning and the sweat was dripping down her. She looked up at the moon, but it was nowhere to be found. Yet… she could feel the wolf inside her clawing to get out. She clutched her wrist falling to the floor with a wild scream. 

@hollowstarters​

He heard the scream before he saw the girl. William turned around, his eyes scanning the street for the source of the noise, hands already pulsing with magic, senses alert. After everything that had happened throughout the last month even more trouble was not what he was looking for. But he would not leave behind someone in help either. Then his gaze found her, the girl lying on the floor, and with a few quick space he was beside her. "Can you hear me? Hello? Do you need help?", carefully he reached for her head wanting to make sure that she had not hurt herself while collapsing. "Can you hear me?"

The last page of Talias book left her reeling, she’d read just about everything her cottage had in regards to novels. Not having someone there to replenish new material for her would be something she’d gave to get used too. She pulled her jacket in around her, it wasn’t cold but she was unsure of herself as she stared up at the sign that read “Spellbound Secondhand Book” and urged the door open. The smell of old books overtook her, making her feel immediately at ease. She smiled, one of the first real smiles she could recall in quite sometime. Her fingers brushing over the gently loved, cracked spines.

She was convinced that the spine of a book could tell you it’s entire life, if it was well loved, if it was never taken off a shelf, hardback or paperback.

She pulled a few books from their spaces on the shelves to read the backs, nothing immediately grabbed her attention but she had nothing but time. She hummed quietly too herself, lost in the paper paradise.

After what had happened with Adrienne William was in dire need of a location spell. And - maybe even more importantly - he needed to reinforce any and all security spells upon the museum's building. Slowly but surely he was reaching his own limit, especially with the strange things he had felt in the Goal and that powerful full moon still looming above their heads. He needed help but he was still not desperate enough to forget his pride and ask the rest of the coven for it. So Spellbound books it was, and hopefully a tome that could help with either of his current projects. 

The bell above his head chimmed when he stepped into the shop and his eyes quickly scanned the room for any other souls. He needed ot be sure that no one was ears dropping when he asked the owner about any and all security spellbooks. It was not easy though, since the shop was filled with piles and stacks of books, shelves upon shelves. So William decided to take a turn, and make double sure. 

He stepped through a narrow pathway between two rows of shelves and rounded a corner. And yes, there she was. The blonde girl he had met the night at the Goal, coincidence? Or fate? "Good day to you", his eyes wandered to the books she was paying attention to and he realised with a smile that they did not seem to have anything to do with the town's mysterious ruins. "Any luck in finding the right book so far?"

Kai nodded in response to the questions, taking a moment to form his own reply. “Yeah, magic and science. I look at myself, I look at the world around me. I believe everything is made of both,” he told the other. “That’s very true, did magic first make our earth… or was magic made from it?” He raised a brow. “Well, I definitely believe in the moon.”

William looked into the sky, where the full moon stood high above them, and then back towards the young man. “Well, it’s up there in the sky every night so if you were to admit not believing in it”, he made a face - both eyebrows raised, “I am pretty sure most of the city would call you a little crazy. Though I have heard of people claiming that the moon was nothing but an illusion” There always were witches with strange ideas around and, as museum’s staff, William sooner or later had to handle their belongings. “The moon influences all of us, no matter what or who we are. Some more than others though. And Night magic is always tricky”

@hollowstarters​

Kai flopped on the bench, his eyes glanced up at the dark sky. “Hey,” he said, letting out a soft sigh as he leaned back. “I feel like I spend my entire life… thinking about the phases of the moon. It’s always on my mind. I love science, I do. Do you believe there is a mix of magic and science?”

William looked up from his phone, confused for a moment where this conversation had come from. “A mix of magic and science?”, that sounded like something dangerous. Something he had no time for right now, not with everything that was going on in the museum. “I think one comes from the other, and I think that everyone needs to decide for themselves what came first. I know that science has facts and importance, but I am a child of nature. So I chose for the moon and the tide and the wind to guide me”

Hazel came stumbling out of the shadows with as much tact as a werewolf could give. Her hands touched the stone cold walls as she descended down the steps. It felt… odd. She wasn’t from Holloway and knew nothing of the ruins or the old Gaol. Tales of what had happened in the building hadn’t tainted her mind and yet she just felt the darkness every time her foot came in contact with the concrete floor. She paused as she heard a voice, a shiver down her spine… she’d been at the Scarefest. How had she got there?

“I… you smell of magic, stay where you are. Who are you?” 

He realised that it was a girl, not just a girl, but no great and evil monster that had been lurking in the shadows. So instead of staying where he was William took a step back. "I am not here to hurt you", he raised both hands, magic slowly dying down, "But yes, magic it is." There was no reason to lie to someone with such sharp senses, wolf he supposed.

"My name's William Cassidy, I am with the Museum here in Holloway", he gave her a smile, hoping it was reassuring, "You can see my staff ID, if you want?" He had no idea why the wolves were at the Goal, no mention of anything planned by the packs - neither by his superiors at the museum nor by the coven - so he tried his best to appear friendly, while staying alert. "Now it's your turn though, who are you?"

Joey had lived in town her whole life, she embraced everything about Halloween. She’d been told the stories since she was a small child, passed down through the coven. The young witch loved the eery night, she could feel something in the air and her excitement could be seen on her face as she made her way around the rides and food stalls. 

She wandered off, feeling bold, a little tipsy and certain her magic was heightened. There was so much energy in the Hallow Goal, it lingered around her and she was sure she felt shivers down her spine. Though she had not expected to see someone down there and the young woman jumped at the voice. “It’s Joey. Just Joey. I’m not here to scare anyone. I was just…” He eyes fell to his hand, her own fisted containing her own magic. “I’m just little Joey. I… come down here sometimes.”

He relaxed his shoulders as soon as he saw a familiar face approach him. William let out a small sigh, “It is dangerous, to be here on a night like this”, he raised an eyebrow, his voice scolding only a little. Who was he to judge her? But since she was a fellow witch of the coven, William knew that Joey could be trusted and he allowed his magic to settle, raising his open and empty palms towards her. "I am not scared, Joey, you know me better than that. I am simply confused. Tell me, what brings you to Hollow Goal? I am sure the Fair is a much better place to be right now, or this trick or treat thing. You should enjoy tonight"

William was not a lonely man, he had friends. And he was always active when it came to the coven and the many things that needed to be done in Holloway. But he was no teacher nor scholar. He was a protector, that was why he had been given the job in the museum in the first place. Although he had met many of his fellow kin and knew the young witch in front of him he would not yet call them friends. Still he hoped she would speak the truth when he asked: "You are not here to cause me some trouble? Do some forbidden magic?"   

She took a moment to fully assess the situation. She probably looked absolutely insane , stumbling into the run down building in the middle of the night, on Halloween no less. She vaguely recalled the old tales her grandmother had warned her of, this place was supposed to be haunted and she wasn’t entirely sure how she wound up here. As weird as it was for her to be here it was strange that anyone was here at all.

She licked her lips as they began to run dry with fear. Subtly looking around in attempts to identify exits that wouldn’t require her to turn her back or go through the bulk of the building. She inhaled shakily picturing a soft glow calming her from her toes up to the tips of her head. “William? Nice to meet you” she smiled trying to push the words out. “Um I can find my way home if you can show me the way out of here” she gestured around the echoing building.

She purposefully dismissed the intrigue around who she was or where she came from, she didn’t need any help looking crazy as it was. “I was locked in a cottage for twenty four years because of places like this and people like you”. She chewed at her lip nervously, praying she wasn’t as transparent as she felt.

The woman in front of him seemed uneasy, nervous even. And William disliked that, in his business - the business of artifacts and magical remains - it was never a good sign when people were uneasy. And he had a protectful vein somewhere in his body, so he did not like to see anyone in this situation, no matter the setting. But he decided to give her the shadow of a doubt, ignoring the circumstances in which they had met - This place, this night. Maybe she was just as spooked as he was about being in Hollow Goal. Maybe she had grown up on the same ghost stories. After all this entire town was aware of its history. 

“The way out of here?”, she was lost. That was the reason for her frantic actions, it made sense. He’d be scared, too, being lost in such a building. “The fastest way is up the stairs and back to the parking lot on the main street”, he mentioned with his thumb over his shoulder, “I just took that route, so it’s back up there.” William stepped aside so she could pass him, knowing fully well that being close to a stranger in such a situation might only make things worse. He tried to be nice, he really did. 

But something in the way she looked... the fact that he had never seen her before, in all the years he lived in this town, it made him more than curious. And she had ignored his last remark, as if she was hiding something... “Are you sure you don’t want me to accompany you a part of the way? It’s already quite late. Or I could call someone to pick you up, if you’d prefer that?”

“Don’t shoot” she came out with her hands up. “I’m just trying to find my way back home, the Fair was a bust” she looked around anxiously. The night had gone horribly thus far and she just wanted to get back to the safety of her cottage until the festivities in town died down. “I didn’t mean to…” she ran a hand through her disheveled hair nervously, straightening her beanie “ I didn’t mean to disturb you”

This part of town was new to her and she was beginning to wonder if she wasn’t lost. Taking the path less traveled seemed to be the fastest way out of the crowd, it hadn’t occurred to her that all sorts of things lurk in the shadows.

“I’m Talia, I’m not new here but I might as well be”

Ursprünglich gepostet von onlyonejacksy

As soon as William saw that it was a woman approaching him and not some strange shadow right out of his childhood nightmares he relaxed a bit, calming down the magic within his hands. He was still alert, for he did not know her, but he took a deep breath and forced a smile. “I am not here to shoot anyone, I am sorry if I seem rather rough, but this night always leaves me on edge” 

He gave her a look, nodding at her explanation. William had thought about visiting the Fair later tonight, once his tasks for the museum had been done and all artefacts secured. But he now made a mental note to re-think that plan. First of all he needed to get out of this place. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Talia. Although I must admit I thought I knew almost everyone in this town”, she was not human, his magic could tell as much, but he had learned not to pry a long time ago, “I am sorry if I spooked you. My name’s William, do you need any help? Directions maybe? This is not a good place to be all alone in”

This was a terrible idea, but a necessary thing. Deep down he told himself that all would be good this year, like all the years prior. It was simply his grandmother's old tales of the Hollow Goal and the unspeakable horrors that once had taken place here that now left him so shaken. But if the new archivist and her tiny Ghost Tour were to come by Hollow Goal as a final stop, like planned, he needed to make sure. The magic was hopefully still calm, collected, ancient. 

He was only a few steps from the old stones away as a sudden movement to his left made him stop. The light from the street lamps painted circles onto the ground and William peaked into the darkness behind. "Who's there?", he called out, "I ain't in the mood for a Halloween scare" He fisted his right hand together, calling for the magic that slept within his heart for preparation.

Emma’s shoulders dropped, letting out a breath when she saw the familiar face. “It’s been a long day.” She pulled her coat tighter. “And you never know you know there are wolves in these woods and vampires and that’s without anything worse.” She started to troll towards the man. “I just have… got used to the city. I feel like the trees are watching me.”

“I grew up on fairytales filled with evil witches in deep dark forests”, he teased her a little, laughter ranging in his voice, “So I’d say we’re good, not matter the wolves and vampires” William did step a little bit closer though, if she really felt unsafe and scared he would not leave her behind all on her own, jokes aside he was trying to be helpful here. “The trees?”, William turned his head a little to look at bark and branch, “Magic has been a part of this place for a long time so I would not put it past the trees. I think there’s nothing you need to worry about right now though. Do you want me to accompany you to your car?”

J smiled, glad to get a response. He knew he could be forward, he’d always been that way. He enjoyed making conversation with people. “Either. Both, anything. Whatever you enjoy. Whatever live show or musical has moved you, made you feel happy, emotional,” he rambled on. “That sounds cool. German? I mean, there’s been a lot of variations on Treasure Island. Always a good one. I loved the cartoon movie Treasure Planet.”

"It's one of my favourite stories, Treasure Island", William tilted his head to the side, being momentarily lost in his memories. His father had adored that book and after his passing William had picked it up himself and somehow felt that strange sense of connection that moments, bits and pieces, gave to him. "But I never saw the cartoon vision. My parents weren't too big on cartoons back in the day", he laughed, leaning back in his chair, "Doesn't it take place in space though? Hence why it is a planet they are looking for?"

Emma jumped over the rock, taking out her phone. She’d lost her group about half an hour ago and was quickly regretting signing up to the hiking group. “No phone signal. Of course.” She knew she’d come into the forest by Lonesome lane but had been walking a while. She tripped as she heard a noise behind her. “I have nothing on me valuable please don’t kill me.” She blurted. 

It had been a good day to go outside and after spending half his night in the museum, getting rid of a nasty infestation, William had been in dire need of fresh air and clear skies. Going to the forest always calmed him, as if he was closer connected to his ancestors here, all the witches and warlocks of Holloway that came before him. He spotted a young woman on the path ahead and tried his best to not scare her. She was staring at her phone and he realised that it was Emma Beaumont, a member of the coven. "Yes, of course, cause that's what I came here to do. Been waiting in this forest for an hour now, waiting for a poor soul I can kill", he scoffed but then his features softened immediately and he shook his head, "Seriously though, you are getting spooked quite easily, are you sure you should be here alone?"

“Okay, just curious. And I’ll shout you a coffee or any beverage of your choice for that matter. Or a treat or something,” he rambled. “What is the best show you have ever seen on a theatre? Or TV? Or have you even seen one at all? I swear I will not judge if you say you haven’t,” he said with a smile as he leaned forward on his table, his bright eyes on the other he had stopped to interrogate and his usual animated smile and gestures as he spoke.

"Well", William crossed his arms in front of his chest, scrunching his nose a little as he stared at the table between them. "Are we talking shows in general, like theatre productions? Or only musicals?" He liked stories, he had to admit that much, he worked in a museum after all, a place filled with stories. And he kept them all safe. But he was not one for the plays and writings of old times, where he had to listen too carefully to get everything. "I saw a weird little German musical once. It had pirates and stuff. Catchy music that they based on Treasure Island. So I'd say that one"