Captious was walking to his office when he suddenly heard some strange noises coming from the lab, so he walked in that direction as he opened the lab door and he saw Annie in the lab as she seemed to be doing something.
"Oh Annie, you are the one in here" said Captious as Annie looked up at him and she gave a small smile.
"Yes I am uncle Capi" said Annie as she smiled.
"What are you doing here?" asked Captious with a smile.
"Just working on some poison potions" said Annie as Captious was surprised that she was making poison potions.
"Why are you making poison potions Annie?" asked Captious in surprise.
"I was thinking of lacing the head of my arrows with poison" said Annie as Captious nodded, still looking very surprise.
"Uncle, which do you think would be more potent, a spell casted on an arrow, or a potion?" asked Annie as she looked at Captious.
"Well it would of course be a potion that would be more potent" said Captious.
"I thought so Uncle, thank you" said Annie as she smiled and Captious smiled at her.
"You are welcome Annie, just be careful though, we do not want any accidents" said Captious.
"You don't have to worry uncle, I will be just fine" said Annie with a smile as Captious smiled.
"Well I will leave you to it then, see you later Annie" said Captious with a smile.
"See you later uncle" said Annie as Captious walked out of the lab and Annie went back to what she was doing.
"Should I make it a level 2 or level 3 potion?" asked Annie to herself out loud.
"Hmm, bigger is better right?" asked Annie to herself as she was going with a level three potion, that way, whoever got shot by her arrows would never survive.
…
"Maddie, I tried talking to Annie, and I don't know, everything just seems off" said Matt as he looked at Maddie.
"Didn't I tell you?" asked Maddie as now she was really worried, if Annie wouldn't listen to Matt, then they were doomed, something was definitely wrong here.
"She just seems so cold and distant, and more violent" said Matt in worry.
"I know right, and I am so worried about her, she's not listening to me, and she's not listening to you either, this is a serious problem" said Maddie.
"Wait, wait, we need to think about this rationally, what would have caused Annie to start to behave like this? I mean this is not like her at all" said Matt.
"You can say that again Matt, this isn't her at all" said Maddie.
"I think that all this nonsense about Azazel is making her act like this" said Maddie.
"I doubt that, Azazel alone is not enough to make Annie change like this, it has to be something else" said Matt.
"I think we need to tell Curtis about this, he has to know about the right now" said Maddie as Matt nodded, he really had to know, they were sure that he was the only one who could snap Annie out of the state that she was in right now.
…
Annie closed a book in her hand as she had a cold dead look in her eyes as she was thinking.
"Annie dear, what are you doing?" asked John as he walked into the library and he snapped Annie out of her thoughts as she turned to look at him.
"Nothing dad, just reading" said Annie as she looked at him.
"Really now?" asked John as Annie nodded.
"Because the book you are reading is closed" said John as Annie looked at the closed book in her hand.
"Well I was reading" said Annie.
"Annie, are you okay?" asked John.
"Yes dad, I am fine, why do you ask?" asked Annie as John sat down on the couch beside her and she moved to make space for him.
"Because you seem a little off my girl, you've been a bit cold for the past few days" said John as he could notice it, this was not his daughter, his usually always happy, easy going, sweet daughter, there was something wrong here, but he just couldn't not put his finger on it.
"Have I now?" asked Annie as she really didn't know what he was talking about, and it was honestly annoying, everyone kept on asking her if she was okay, did she look sick to them or what??
"Yes you have dear, your mother and I have noticed it, and you don't seem like yourself" said John.
"But I am myself, I am perfectly fine dad" said Annie as she looked at him.
"Are you sure?" asked John as he could feel something weird radiating off Annie right now, call him crazy, but there was something different in the atmosphere, it was kind of eerie, he had never felt like this while sitting next to his own daughter before.
"Yes dad, I am sure" said Annie as she nodded.
"I am just checking on you my girl" said John.
"I don't know why everyone keeps on doing that, I mean I am fine, do I look sick or what??" asked Annie as her voice was laced with annoyance and a bit of anger, she was tired of this, tired of everyone continuing to do this and say this nonsense to her.
"Calm down Annie, we never said that, we are just worried about you that's all" said John.
"Well then stop worrying, because there is nothing to worry about dad, I am sick and tired of this!" said Annie in anger as she stood up, she left the book on the couch and she walked out of the library.
What just happened left John speechless and more worried than ever, his Annie would never dare raise her voice at him, and let alone walk out on him while they were talking, now he was sure that something was surely wrong here.
…
Annie was in the lounge room as she was frowning, she did not get it, why was everyone trying to control her, to annoy her? To anger her?
"What is wrong with everyone??" asked Annie to herself in her head.
"Everyone is trying to control you, to restrain you, to keep you away from being your best self" came a small still little female voice in Annie head as she looked up and she realized that she was the only one in the room.
"They really are, and it's just unfair, what did I do to them to deserve this?" asked Annie.
"You know, you don't need to listen to them at all, they are not on your level, you are more powerful than them" came the voice again.
"I am?" asked Annie in confusion as she looked up.
"Yes, you are, don't you know how powerful you are for you to have controlled the commander of the cauldron and restrain him like that?" asked the voice as Annie nodded.
"You are more powerful than anyone, you just need to… harness your powers to your full level" came the voice.
"And how do I do that?" asked Annie in her head.
"It's easy, hold onto all these emotions you feel right now, all the anger, all the betrayal, the unfairness, the irritation, hold onto them and then you will be more powerful than ever, you will be able to stop all those who dare talk down at you" said the voice.
"Will I?" asked Annie.
"Yes, you will" said the voice.
"Annie" called Matt as he walked into the lounge, and he saw Annie sitting down there, lost in her thoughts.
"Annie" called Matt once more as he narrowed his eyes, something was very off here.
"Annie!!" called Matt again as his voice shook Annie out of her thoughts as she turned to look at him with an angered expression.
"What???!!" asked Annie in anger as she looked at Matt and in the same moment a small sharp crystal was thrown at Matt as he quickly caught it before it could hit his face.
"Annie" called Matt as he did not think that Anni would throw something like this at him as the crystal in his hand disappeared.
"What is it Matt?? What??? What do you want from me? Are you and Maddie here to report me again or what??" asked Annie in nothing but anger.
"Annie, you need to calm down, I don't know what you are talking about" said Matt as he did not know what was going on right now, Annie was just so aggressive.
"What is your problem Matt?? Seriously what?? Just leave me alone, leave me alone, all of you!" said Annie as she stood up and she walked past Matt as she walked away and Matt was just left standing there, he knew that something was wrong with her, but he just didn't know what.
He did not know why she shouted at him like that, he didn't even raise his voice, and she even threw a crystal at him, this was very serious.