ERZA'S P.O.V
Erza couldn't believe that her father was kicking up a fuss about her being gone. She had been gone less than a month and it wasn't like she had not been doing her k12 work. She had been, with some help from Benthadrian. He was a retired high-school teacher and his help had been greatly appreciated as Erza worked her way through her senior year and prepared to go to College.
Ben, as his family called him, had been helping Erza decide on what online psychology course she wanted to take. They had settled on four and she had sent applications to all of them. Enson pulled up in front of the small two story and Erza was reminded how different it was to the small mansion that he and his family lived in.
Enson sighed and forced himself to pull the keys from the ignition. They sat in silence, Erza was just staring at the closest thing to a living hell that she had ever known. Enson was watching her. Finally he spoke pulling her from the dark and frightening past back to the present.
"Erza, I don't like this."
"I don't either, but I don't have a choice."
"Let me rephrase that. Erza I have a really strong feeling that I should turn around and go back. That I shouldn't let you go in there at all. Please please don't do this I'm begging you."
"How about a compromise? Stay with me."
"I will never leave you." He pressed his lips to her forehead in a gentle and loving kiss. Erza had asked him once if he expected anything physically from her. That was when the entire family laughed at her. Once they realized that they had hurt her feelings by laughing his brother explained about a curse gone arye. How Enson would feel no sexaul attraction to her until she turned 17. Daddy explained that it had been a curse for 300 years.
When she asked why no one had thought to brake the curse they had asked her why they would want to. One of her new brothers had explained that mated pairs that had time to get to know each other before a physically element was introduced had healthier relationships and a much stronger mate bond, as compared to their counter parts who had an uncontrollable lust right off the bat. This had made her happy Enson had found her when he had. The more she thought about it the more she realized he never talked about sex unless she brought it up first, and usually he would keep those discussions short and vague.
Now she was extremely glad that she would not be alone in this house with her father. Salem had been doing recononicen for the pack for the last two weeks. He had told her to summon him if she needed him but had not told her how to do it. Besides not knowing how to summon a demon she had not been able to make the crystal Drewcella had given her glow. It was frustrating and depressing at the same time. at one point she threw the damn thing behind the rec room couch in a fit of rage and dejection. Too bad that Caldraithin had found and returned it the next morning with a huge grin on his face.
The night before Drewcella had come by the family home to give her a platinum pendent that she called a witches seal. Drewcella had told her that it would help her to focus her energy and speed up her training.
Erza called out nervously to no answer as Enson closed the door behind him. The house was unusually dark. There was a sense of neglect all around them. It hung heavy in the air almost like death its self. The heat was off and a freezing hand gripped the house as if to strangle any who entered. Erza was half way up the stairs when it hit her. An odor not unlike an open sewage pipe and a dread that she had entered into the grave.
She slowed down to a cautious walk. What lay beyond in the rooms above? Some hidden threat? Or was her mind recoiling from the past trauma she had suffered here.
"Enson?" She called softly as she neared the door to her bedroom.
"Erza? Did you call me?" He shouted from the kitchen. Erza pushed her door open and, in the dim light that streamed from between the thick puce curtains she had always hated, she saw her reflection in the full length mirror. Only it was not her reflected in the mirror. The dark haired beauty that stood there eyes glistening with tears was wearing a gray wool gown at least several hundreds of years out of fashion. It fell just short of her bare feet. An unfamiliar wind was whipping her long hair every which way as she screamed something that Erza couldn't hear.
She walked into the room and tried to read the woman's lips. "RUUUN!!!" The word rang through the still air as if it was ripping right through time itself. But it was far too late as an icy hand gripped her hair and slammed her head into the mirror. Erza heard the glass shatter and fell to the floor. Her old room swimming before her eyes as she tried to focus on the familiar face of Tom as he smiled wickedly at her.
"Good job Zachary! You get the asian bitch. Just like you wanted." Tom's words faded into nothingness as a frightening and unwelcome abyss swallowed her whole.
As she swirled into darkness Erza's last thought was that she should have heeded the warning from the grave.