Agatha Durham was a curious young girl who loved nothing more than to find strange things, and her parents always gave her everything she wanted. Agatha was the youngest in her family, getting everything her way; her siblings and cousins envied her. They always try to get Agatha into trouble, but to no avail—--well, until her thirteenth birthday, Agatha discovered the power of witchcraft and the ability to speak to spirits. While trying to uncover the truth behind her new powers, Agatha kept it hidden from her family, especially her parents.
Her parents loathed witchery and anything related to dark power; they considered it blasphemy. But, while Agatha concentrates on her mission, she uncovers the truth behind her powers, especially knowing she could take away people's' souls. As Agatha saw a six-year-old girl playing with a doll near Leimer Cove, she smiled wickedly, and her eyes started to glow red. Then, as she chanted a spell she was learning and didn't' quite master yet—--Agatha pointed the book at the girl instead of snatching her soul.
Agatha had killed the young girl, fear arose from within, and she threw the book, running away. Little did Agatha know that the old witch watched her everything from afar—--jealousy and anger rose, and she quickly took the book, making sure Agatha didn't' master any more of the spell. Finally, however, Agatha returned home, her hair and clothes disheveled—--her mother, Frida, approached and bombarded her with questions.
""Princess, what happened to you?"" Frida asked.
""Nothing, Mom! I was playing Football with my friends,"" she replied, quickly evading her mother's' questions.
Agatha wanted to remember the little girl and the spellbook, especially her powers. While she ensured no one in her family knew about it, she didn't' like her older sister Shirley watching everything behind the oak tree at Leimer Cove. As weeks passed, Shirley didn't' say a word to their parents but told everything to Aileen and Adelaide, the twins—-who had hated Agatha since childhood. Shirley tells Aileen and Adelaide never to speak to Mom and Dad, but they're' known to be strong-willed and usually listen to Shirley because she is older. However, they've' wanted to get rid of Agatha for as long as they can remember.
Two days later, after the sisters found out the truth, Agatha came home and saw her family gathered on the veranda. Agatha knew something was wrong; ""Did they know?"" Agatha murmured, praying for them not to find out, but her heart broke when her mother brought her suitcase and all her belongings.
""Mom, Dad, What is this?"" Agatha asked.
""We can't' have a daughter who deals with the powers of witchery and soul-snatching! From this day onward, we're' no longer family!"" Her father, Keon, uttered.
Agatha wanted to argue with her family, so she took her bag, stopping her tears from falling—-she turned around and looked at them, then remembered, ""Father, did you remember that you did the same thing to your younger sister, Heidi Durham?"" Agatha said, then left the house.
Agatha didn't' look back once, knowing she'd' never return to Bathurst. For the times she'd' been hiding the truth, Agatha hadn't' found any more secrets to her powers because she had lost the book. Many more spellbooks were hidden in the attic and basement walls. Agatha remembered her aunt Heidi telling her about them, seeing how much she loved uncovering things of the unknown.
Agatha started to think back to the days before her thirteenth birthday and how she accidentally discovered she was powerful! Agatha wishes to turn back the times and change everything to become an ordinary girl with a family. Still, she remembers how her family treated Aunt Heidi when she discovered her powers at age fourteen.
Heidi struggled to fit in and convince her brother, Keon—---to protect her from them, who referred to themselves as ""The Nameless!"" Agatha remembered her father watching them take his sister and tie her to the Piranha Oak tree; without hesitation, they burned Aunt Heidi alive. She cried in agony; though Agatha wasn't' born, eavesdropping on her parents' conversation—-she could hear the regret in her father's' voice.
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Agatha became an adult and graduated with a Master's' in Creative Writing and a Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology—--she met the love of her life, Aaron McNeil, who showed her the love she craved for so long. But, though Agatha found happiness, her heart was still bitter, and she had been doing things behind the scenes, hiding from Aaron.
However, every dark truth would come to light, right? And that's' what happened to Agatha because when Aaron found her black journal recording every victim, she snatched their souls from—--with her giving birth to their daughter, Amy. So Agatha has been grabbing little girls'' souls and transferring them to Victorian dolls—-finding a sense of comfort with them.
However, those dolls were tortured with burned cigarette marks on their skins—--as Agatha hears the dolls' cries, no, the little children crying in agony makes her happy. On the contrary, Agatha wanted them to suffer, and seeing the girls let out bitter cries made her torture them harder. While Aaron took Amy far from her mother in Perth—--As she grew up, Amy wasn't' close to her and tried to talk secretly, maintaining a good relationship with her.
Years later, Amy is building a family with her first daughter, who is now ten. Amy ensures that Mila is close with her grandmother, but Mila reminds Agatha of herself and how curious she once was. Amy and Mila stopped visiting her mother because she was informed not to come any longer—-Agatha wanted to seek forgiveness for her misdeeds. However, before Agatha could repent, one of the dolls sneaked into her bedroom with a match, setting the room on fire. The doll let out a peal of menacing laughter and watched as Agatha died a slow yet painful death—-the beauty perished in the fire, but it was only because she wanted to show Agatha everything they'd' gone through those years ago. Mila asks her mom to take her to her grandma Agatha's' house, and she opens her study, seeing the black journal lying on the desk. Mila picked it up and began sneezing uncontrollably, with dust from the room and spider webs everywhere. Mila would've' left the room, and then a beautiful maiden stood there smiling, but her pale complexion made her know she wasn't' human.
""Give me the journal, dear,"" the lady said.
""Why would I?"" Mila asked.
""Dear, you don't' want to suffer the same fate as your bitter grandmother?---Do you?"" the lady uttered, smirking profusely.