#thedemise

[hannahcruz26]

A peak inside today's rehearsal with @samcieri. @newyorkmusicalfestival #thedemise #nymf #beautifulunknown (at The Alchemical Studios - Rehearsal, Photography, Performance)

[hannahcruz26]

Today began this crazy rock opera roller coaster 🤘🏽 #somuchscrelting #stoked #thedemise #nymf (at The Alchemical Studios - Rehearsal, Photography, Performance)

[hannahcruz26]

@newyorkmusicalfestival that was one hell of a party 🤙🏽 #nymf #thedemise #hipstr #photobooth (at Hudson Terrace)

[backtodecember-rpg]

I won't show mercy on you now. It's over now.... What have you done?

Months they had been in this town. Months. And nothing had happened since the disaster they had brought to the church last Christmas. Melinda Baird was more impatient than she ever had been in her entire life. More impatient than she had been when she was nothing more than a spirit in the other realm, hovering in the in-between, unable to move on until her wrath was unleashed upon the town that had caused her such pain. And, now, she finally had her body back and she could do nothing with it. Her powers were weak still and Melinda was not used to feeling so useless, so defenceless, so weak. "This must be how humans feel." She scoffed, turning to her daughters. It disturbed her daughters somewhat that Melinda did not view herself as human, though Guinevere concealed it as best she could. The look on Morven's face, however, did not escape Melinda and she tilted her head, eyeing her eldest daughter, as though she were daring her to say something. As she assumed, Morven averted her eyes, though the nervous twitch did not leave her features and that made Melinda angry. She took a step towards Morven but Guinevere shifted in front of her instead, frowning at Melinda. "Mother! Leave her, she has done nothing." 

Melinda snorted but did as Guinevere asked, turning away from her and sweeping across the room, her long dark hair flowing behind her like a waterfall. A waterfall tainted with darkness, Guinevere thought as she watched her mother warily. She had been the one to tell Morven to be grateful that they even had their mother back, to do as she asked because they were lucky, but now she wasn't so certain of that. She wasn't so sure that they were lucky. It seemed that their mother had, just as Morven as said, changed for the worse. She wasn't the same woman who had tucked Guinevere into bed at night and told her stories of magic and adventure. She was darker, bitter, and angrier even than Guinevere herself was. "We shall set our plan in motion tonight." Melinda broke the silence, turning round and waving a dagger in the air. She raised an eyebrow, gesturing to the book before her. "Come along, daughters! First, we must chant." Neither of the girls moved and Melinda felt a surge of anger in her veins, something she could not control as easily as she had when she was human. She moved towards them again. "Mother, I..." The words died upon Morven's lips as Melinda turned her hawk-like gaze upon her. Obviously Morven had been filling her sister's head with lies and deceitful whispers. Well, no more. Melinda moved too quickly for either of them to know what was happening until it was too late and Morven cried out as the tip of the dagger found her cheek and stepped back as though she had been slapped - which was what Melinda had, in fact, intended. Sadly, she forgot she had been holding the dagger, but no matter, Morven would learn her lesson either way.

As Melinda turned around again, beckoning her daughters to follow, she missed the rage blaze into Guinevere's eyes at the way she had treated her beloved sister and, before she knew it the spell book was in flames. She froze, faltering for perhaps the second time in her life. She turned, slowly and a little unsure, frowning at her youngest daughter. "Guinevere! Stop it. You have done quite enough!"

"No, mother. It is you who has done enough." Guinevere was, once more, in that uncontrollable stage of the anger that filled her being night and day. Never, before this day, would she have considered doing what she was considering now... but this was too much. Melinda was not the woman she once knew. Something had come back across the divide with her, something evil and sinister, something hateful... and Guinevere wished she had seen it sooner. How could she have been so blind? How could she have ignored her sister's pleas? She felt Morven's hand slip into her own, so small and shaky, but strong. Magic flowed through them both, joining together and mixing to become twice as strong. Just as Melinda had wanted. Only, instead of on the town and its people, this energy was focused on her.

A violent gust of wind swept through the cottage, throwing open windows and doors. The entire structure seemed to shake. Melinda swayed but the sisters stood on, Morven's storm battering everything around them. And then, as if she could not even control it, Guinevere's fire erupted. It was stronger than it ever had been before, coursing through her veins. It would have been exhilarating if it weren't for the fact that it was so frightening. The girls watched as the entire cottage was set alight. Finally, (though she fought back but her powers were too weak to sustain the sudden strength her daughters had found), their mother succumbed to the flames. As her eyes closed for the last time, the wind died down... but the flames only got bigger.

Then, as Morven continued to stare in horror at the fallen figure of their mother (no matter how evil she had become, she was still the woman who had raised her) she felt Guinevere's hand leave her own. When she looked up, her sister was gazing at her with a tense smile. "I want you to live that normal life you've always wanted." She heard, over the buzzing in her ears. Before Morven could really take in what was happening, she was being pushed out in the snow, the flames continuing to engulf the cottage she had come to think of as home. "No!" She screamed, realising too late that her sister had sacrificed herself to the very flames she had created... Morven was alone.

Thus, the bodies Guinevere and Melinda Baird disappeared, their spirits perhaps finally at peace. Then, the little cottage in the woods fell apart. Nobody would ever really know what happened that night. No bodies would ever be found. No one would truly know of the bravery of the Baird sisters. And the town of Silvervale would have no rescue from their snowy cocoon any time soon... but surely that is better than perishing at the hands of the wicked witch of the past?