C4 Chapter 4: Emily

The coming years are sheer horror. Elizabeth causes chaos and leaves a trail of devastation. The stories that come to my attention are frightening. Arson and murder are the least of these terrible news. She has turned away from me and our parents and is so deep in her occultism that there is no turning back. She created new beings: Witches. The roads aren’t safe anymore, I don’t feel well in Salem anymore. Seeing Wilbur with his wife and two kids is unbearable for me. Jeaniene Stoughton is beautiful and seems very nice; he deserves such a woman.

Years later.

I don’t recognize Salem. Nor myself. My sister has also turned me into a witch, but I have no intention of exploiting my new existence for evil purposes. Meanwhile, Wilbur has become the leader of the so-called Inquisition and is involved in an almost endless fight with Elizabeth. As far as I know, she’s responsible for the undoing of his whole family. I gave up my attempts to contact her years ago. I’m afraid of her. She killed so many innocent people. I don’t think she’s gonna stop at me. No, in fact, I know she’ll kill me the next time we meet. And I just can’t stand that thought. I’m giving up on her. Just as I once gave up Wilbur. It seems like I’m doomed to leave everything and everyone behind and be lonely forever.

For a while I live in secret, out of fear Elizabeth might find me. But with the years this fear disappears. Not that I’d forget my sister, not to mention the things she did. I’m just tired of this constant fear and decide to live again.

Back in Salem, I move into a beautiful little house and live a normal human life. The years of fear and terror seem to be over, but sometimes, on days like this, when the wind stands still and the grey, cloudy sky rips open to make way for a torrent of rain … I feel something is in the air. Nothing tangible, just a feeling. But it’s enough to let me know I better back off.

One day I will be taught better: I am not condemned to live a life of eternal solitude. This fate has been experienced by someone else: Emily Stoughton. I picked that lost thing up on the road. I recognize her immediately; she looks so much like Wilbur.

“I thought you were dead,” I say to her. She is confused and has only recently returned to Salem – she thought I was Elizabeth. Turns out she’s a witch, too. She was born that way and apparently not transformed by Elizabeth.

It figures that I would see witches again in Salem. No one has shown up in ages, and I’ve been wondering why.

Emily has moved into her father’s abandoned villa, but she actually lives with me as often as she is there. I don’t mind, and I’m happy to finally have some company.

Together we begin to develop and expand her magic powers. We have the feeling that one day Elizabeth will return and continue her reign of terror.