The Chosen One

I reached up and touched the side of my nose and thick reddish purple blood began oozing and bubbling out again, mixed in with salty tears. The bathroom in the cheap hotel I was staying in for the night looked like a murder scene, blood had soaked into almost all the white towels that were now in a gruesome I knew that with the amount of blood I was losing that I should go to the hospital, but I was not ever going to do that again. The nurses and doctors digging into my life, looking at me with pity and whispering behind my back about what a complete coward I am. No way was I going back there. The ultimate humiliation. I held a cold cloth on my nose and winced, definitely a couple broken ribs this time. He was going to kill me. We both knew it. His rages were getting worse, he was losing more control day by day, minute by minute, I barely recognized the man I had been married to for 20 years.

This time he was mad because I had used the wrong cheese to make perogies. He threw the whole batch in my face, I was sure on top of the broken nose and black eyes that there were going to be some burns on my face and chest. He started screaming at me to clean up the mess, the mess he had made, I had been through this before, I did not say a word and bent down to clean up the mess, trying to hold back my fear and rage. Tears threatened to fall and I furiously blinked them away. I was not expecting it. I do not know why I didn’t but when he slammed his knee full force into my face I was stunned, shocked and right then, knowing that he meant to kill me, the world went dark and I knew that I was dying.

I do not know what else he did to me while I lay broken on our kitchen floor, bleeding into the hardwood floor, but every inch of my body hurt when I woke up. I blinked through a haze of blood and saw him passed out drunk at the kitchen table. He had beat me almost to death then sat beside my broken, bleeding body and drank himself into a coma. I had to get out. My body wouldn’t cooperate. It screamed in agony and I was dragging my leg behind me as I slithered along the floor to the garage. I had left my purse in the car, thank God!! I had also had a run away bag packed in with my spare tire in case this day ever came.

It felt like it took hours to drag myself out to my car, trying to stay quiet so I did not wake him. When I finally got there, I gave myself a full minute to mourn. To mourn the girl I used to be and the girl I could have been and then I dug down deep and I drove to a motel that I picked out a couple of years before. I would have to ditch my car but there was no way I was walking tonight, I backed in carefully against a fence hoping to hide my license plate for a day or two. I knew I had to get cleaned up before entering the lobby so I slowly pulled down the sun visor and looked in the mirror. Oh God!! Oh no no!! How was I ever going to walk in there looking like this? I used a towel and wet wipes but they just smeared the blood and snot and tears around.

I screamed as someone pounded on my window! I slowly lowered my window and looked down at my lap. A sideways glance showed a beautiful older woman holding a key. “Room 13 my girl, it is all ready for you. Trinady, you must never ever go back!! Keep this with you at all times!” She shoved a small black book into my hands and vanished.

“Who are you? Where did you go? How do you know me?” I couldn’t move fast enough to find her. The pain overtook my curiosity and I struggled to get my stuff out of the car and find my room. I almost fainted more times than I could remember taking those few torturous steps to the door, and I did not make it much past the doorway before I collapsed, I was in and out of consciousness for the rest of the night.

Now looking in the mirror I suddenly remembered the old lady. “Who was she? What did I do with that book?” I took a deep breath and knew that I had to get cleaned up and healed before I could start reading some silly book. On the counter there was an array of products, not your normal shampoo and soap, but healing balms and oils, candles and incense and all of the directions on how to use them. 30 minutes later I looked pretty dam close to human, the salve had healed my burns and stopped the bleeding and had also made my leg and ribs feel better. The oils healed the rest, the cuts and bruise and maybe even a bit of her spirit. She could not believe it, was the old lady a witch, a healer, an angel? The card with the potions said only “With love for you always – Palmara”

“The book!!” I ran to find it. It was there on my purse, beautiful writing on the front that said “Trinady’s Book of Shadows” “A witch book?” I whispered. “Holy shit!” Inside were two words “ Electus es” and six number 3, 4, 7, 11, 22 and 33. “Well what the hell am I supposed to do with this?” I tossed in on the bed and got to work.

I had carefully planned my escape. I had hair dye, fake contacts, scissors, fake eyelashes and a new wardrobe. I had lost 60 pounds but had carefully continued to dress “large” I was going from a five foot six, 190 pound, long haired brunette with green eyes – no make up ever to a five foot nine (three inch discrete heels) 130 pound, short blonde hair blue eyed, made up beauty. I had practiced it make up for months to completely change the look of my face. Looking in the mirror after I washed the dye out, I gasped. I barely recognized myself. “This was going to work!!”

I only wished that I had a few more months, getting the money to get out was the hardest part. He watched me like a hawk and after buying the make – up, clothes, shoes, contacts and hair dye I was only left with just over a thousand dollars. It would not last long. I had to find my safe place and get job quick.

As I packed and cleaned the room, I looked at the book of shadows again. It opened again to the same page “Electus es” I grabbed my phone and typed the words in “ You are the chosen one” “Chosen for what?” I looked around the room as though the answers would appear, but nothing in there seemed to hold the answers. I tossed the book carelessly into my purse and headed to the front desk to check out.

Where did I put the key? I set my purse on the counter and began digging everything out, as I pulled out the book, it opened to the same page and right on top of the numbers was a five dollar bill. “Where in the world did that come from?” I looked around and shook my head and kept digging through my purse. A voice and bells started chiming all around me, it was so loud and unexpected my heart started pounding, I put my hands out to steady myself and right there in front of was a game. Some sort of lottery game? I looked closer. “You are the chosen one” was flashing on the screen. “Are you kidding me? A video game?”

“Just stick five dollars in, pick six numbers and spin,” the old guy behind the desk gave a big toothless grin, grabbed my key from my purse and walked away. I put in my five dollars, put in the six numbers from the book, pulled the handle and held my breath, this was it, I just knew it. Then – nothing. No bells, no sirens, nothing. My heart sank. I knew the book was ridiculous. I started stuffing things back into my purse angrily. Still such a dreamer. I swallowed back tears and turned to scowl at the machine. “Free Spin” “Free Spin” I sighed and pulled the handle again. And waited impatiently, I had to get moving!

I grabbed my purse and turned to leave just as the game shouted “Winner!” I slowly turned and looked as the lights flashed and sirens screamed and 20 000$ kept flashing across the screen. My knees started to buckle, my breath coming in gasps, it had worked!! I was free. Freedom, complete and total freedom. I grabbed the book and held it to my chest, “Thank you Book! Thank you Palmara!!” The toothless motel clerk was already counting my money as I turned toward him, and he whispered “Electus es” as he handed me the money and disappeared.

As I headed out the door I looked down at my Book of Shadows and the six numbers on the page had changed, 13, 9, 33, 8, 42 and 25 and the word “Enchantment” and the name Frankie (freedom) Morrigan (powerful sorceress) I laughed out loud knowing that me, Frankie Morrigan and this little book were about to have some amazing adventures.

Suzanne Arden