Adela Gascoigne

I was almost thrown awake with a cold sweat stuck to my brow, the bed beside me was empty and the should be chilled winter night air was now stagnant and almost muggy. I cast my eyes out the window only to be met with the sight of several men with torches and the sounds of disgruntled yelling. The thundering footsteps only got louder as the men started to approach the apothecary. There was nothing to help me now not even Caius, who had been away for two days with Aro, and he wasn't due back until the early morning. He was hours away.

Pure panic started to run through my veins as the sounds become louder and more frantic. I had no time to attempt to leave before the door was broken in and the intruders started to make their way upstairs. What hurts the most though was that I had helped these people, cured these people and given them so much of my time effort and knowledge. Yet still blinded by prejudice did they continue to attack me and my children. Familiar faces grabbed me and began dragging me from my home and through the dirt and mud outside. As they carelessly took me I was barely able to gain my footing and I could feel the abrasions around my lower legs from the stones and debris scattered in the road. I couldn't struggle out the grasps of the much stronger men no matter how hard I tried.

Both my legs and palms began to sting as I was tossed into the middle of the cold and wet road, more cuts now opening across my skin, as I looked at the sight before me I was met with unspeakable horror.

Jane and Alec were tied to a stake set in the middle of town, surrounding them was the entire village, most of whom were holding torches and sneering. Before I could make a sound I was harshly moved again.

"Mother!"

"I love you, I love you both so much, I need you to know that okay" I called to them still trying to struggle, to do anything but each attempt was as fruitless as the last. I was becoming more and more desperate and could hardly register the tears that were rolling down my face as the realisation of what was happening began to sink in.

They were going to kill my children, and likely me too.

I wanted to fight, to try harder to save Alec and Jane but I was rendered powerless. Each shake and each struggle and tug was fueled by my need to save them. Each familiar face and disgusted look was only making my rage worse. The smugness of Church Elder Francis could be felt from across the street, his rich, pudgy form could be seen standing on a platform next to the two stakes, the empty one obviously meant for me. I continued to struggle against the hands binding me however I could not shake them.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today we are gathered here to try the accused" he began, voice thick and grimy with his greed "Today we are here to trial Jane and Alec Lowthe as well as Mrs Adela Gascoigne"

His excitement could be seen dancing behind his eyes and as I looked around at the traitors surrounding us I could see the same sentiment being shared. To my left were John and Mable standing side by side, giving Mable a pleading look, to try and at least speak up, she ignored me. Turning herself into John's side before completely looking away from me.

"For how long have we been at the mercy of these terrible twins? For how long have we had to live in fear of their supernatural powers? Should we have to endure it? Should we have to live under the reign of two miscreant rats living among us? No! No, we should not!" Francis ranted, rallying his crowd of men to give a guilty verdict. "These twins are witches are they not?" He ruthlessly questioned sweat now building on his brow.

"Who here would disagree? Who would dare say that these devil spawns are simply humans amongst us?" Francis waited simply for effect now, the grimy bastard knew that no one would disagree with him. But that's all our lives were to him. A show.

"No more will our town be the victim of these wretched devil children. No more will we be plagued by the bad luck caused by them and their supernatural powers and THIS WOMAN has been harbouring and mothering these unholy demons" he spat at me now, turning his anger and projecting it my way. I wanted nothing more in his moment than to tear his head off and watch it roll into his crowd of fools.

"But" he started a now fake charismatic edge to his voice "She is our healer, our medicine maker, so maybe she was simply manipulated, forced by their unholy magics to love them, she could be saved could she not" he pondered to the crowd. His sick scheme wanting to both rid of the twins and keep my skills as if I would somehow agree. Maybe a coward would switch sides to save their life in my position. Maybe they would but I would not.

"Elder Francis if I could?" Mable spoke up from John's side. Hope began to flood my body in dangerous amounts, that maybe, just maybe she would do something. Francis nodded his agreement.

"This woman has always cared and loved these children with everything she has, even to the point of neglecting her wifely duties to her husband in favour of their love, so no I don't think she could be saved no matter how hard she was to repent"

As soon as the words left Mable's mouth I was both crushed by the tremendous betrayal of who I considered to be my best friend and both angered beyond all belief. It had been Mable who had been cheating with my husband the entire time.

"So it has been decided" were Francis last words before they set fire to my children's pyre. I cried and I screamed as they forced me to my knees, hands gripping my chin and forcing me to watch my children as they burnt. Their pained and anguished screams would surely haunt me into the afterlife and follow me beyond.

The pain of watching them burn before my eyes was indescribable, and I was completely powerless to do anything. I was so numb that I couldn't even feel myself being dragged onto my own stake until I felt the flames licking my skin and I began suffocating, the fire burning up the oxygen in my lungs. It was agony in its purest form yet nothing will ever be as painful as watching and hearing Alec and Jane be set on fire.

I could only hope to see them again in the afterlife where nobody could hurt us ever again.

Thank you for reading~