Lifting Darkness by Leah Jensen (top 20 books to read .txt) 📕

‘In some stories, everything has to be explained, but sometimes, things are better left unsaid. ‘The words stuck to my mind as I walked through the village, my hood draped over my face, hiding myself from the others. Everyone knew my secret. They just didn’t say anything about it. They all knew when they saw me walking down the dusty path to wash my clothes. They all knew when it happened, I was a witch. But they said nothing; they didn’t want me to be offended by their knowledge. I didn’t care. It didn’t matter. They would have eventually known if they didn’t know . . .

-Cora

The voices in my head are back. Louder and harsher every time. It’s unbearable. Why won’t someone save me? No one cares. I’ve been alone my whole life. Born alone and abandoned. I was possessed since birth. They all knew it. I didn’t care anymore. It won’t matter to me anymore . . .

–Alexx

Cora

Just another ordinary day walking through the village, on my way to the tavern to deliver some fresh bread. I did this every day, so it was a very normal part of my life. But today, something extraordinary was about to happen.

I entered the tavern, and saw a bunch of people huddled in a group, looking at something on the ground. I nudged my way past them, and saw something that made me drop the bread I was holding. A boy around my age was lying on the ground, convulsing. His eyes were bloodshot and dark, and the only emotion I could detect was absolute fear.

“Move out.” I said loudly. “Let me handle this.” I grabbed my wand and approached the boy. Once he saw me, the terrified look in his eyes calmed a little. I placed the wand on his chest and muttered under my breath. Remove tenebras ita vitiat.

The darkness in his eyes and the bloodshot look faded. His eyes were a light, cool grey color, like clouds before rain. He smiled at me and his lips formed the words ‘Thank you’, although he was too weak to speak aloud. The smiled faded and his eyes closed, and he fell to the floor, unconscious.

As carefully as I could, I carried him upstairs into a small room where he could sleep. There was a warm feather bed already prepared for him. I lay him down in it and folded the covers over his cold body. The color in his skin slowly came back, it was still quite pale but it was a more ivory pale than the unnaturally snow-white pale I had seen before. Hoping for him to come to, I sat down in a stool nearby and waited for him to wake up.

Alexx

When I came to my senses again, I was lying in a warm bed, and someone was sitting on a stool on my right. It was a girl about a year younger than I was. She had long chestnut hair and leafy green eyes. "Thank you." I found my voice and spoke. My throat was dry but at least I could speak. "You saved me."

The girl shrugged. "Well, I couldn't just leave you there, now could I?" she said. "Anyway, I'm Cora. What's your name?" I blinked a few times before responding. "My name is Alexx. Thank you, again for saving me."

Cora smiled and said quite plainly "You're very welcome." Her eyes sparkled a little bit when she said this, and I found myself very interested in her.


The two of us talked a little bit about ourselves. I learned she was an orphan since her birth, much like myself. She lived with a different family and had a stepbrother named Eli. I told her nothing about the spirit that possessed me. I didn't want to and I knew very little about it. If I told her anything, it would barely be anything at all. I just told her I was a very anti-social orphan, and that seemed to cover it up. She smiled and left the tavern, leaving me in the care of the innkeeper.

Before too long I fell asleep, and I saw her in my dream. It's funny that I never thought this would happen, but it did. I had a 'love at first sight' encounter, and I hoped that Cora did too. I was so grateful that she saved me from being possessed, she was the most important thing in my life from that point on.

In my dream, she was wearing the most beautiful white dress, and a sunflower in her hair. She smiled in an intimidating way, which surprised me just a little.

Publication Date: 02-06-2011

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