Chester stood at the window listening to the stormy night. A lingering smell of Anna was in the room. The dresses, they were gifts from him to her. Where had they gotten them from, he wondered. Could Anna have really survived being burned at the stake??
Why oh why had she turned to Sargatanis in her time of need? Why had she not come to him. He rubbed his face, making his eyes water. All the questions in his head, he had asked himself countless times still remained in his head. The thought of her being alive brought him only guilt. He had loved her, and yet he had let her die.
He stared at his drink and sat it on the table next to him. Drinking only made him think deeper, he couldnt drink anymore. He sat back in front of the fire and stared into the hot flames. How could anyone survive such torture?? Could these travelers be lying he thought??
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"We are stuck in a nightmare!" Puck said as he moved away from another leak in the roof.
"When tomorrow comes, we have to go back to the house and make him understaind." Rachel said as she stared at the house through a small window.
"I can't wait that long." Shadow said as she made a dash for the house.
"Shadow!! We don't know whats out there!!" Dwayne yelled after her. He made no move to go after her, he had found a warm blanket and was almost asleep in a corner.
"It's so cold in here." Puck said as he tried to find another blanket.
Rachel watched as Shadow ran across the lawn, and then sat next to Dwayne sharing his blanket.
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Shadow stared through a window at Chester as he sat staring hypnotically at the fire. He was beautiful she thought. His long dark hair pulled back and his tan face. Why would Anna leave him for that horrid man they had seen earlier she thought.
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Chester felt he was being watched. His eyes left the fire and roamed the room. A flicker of lighting brought a face to him in the window. It was of one of the young woman that had come to his mansion earlier. Their eyes met and she looked like a frightened cat ready to run. He just watched her, not even moving.
"There is a door you could enter instead of watching me." He said to Shadow as she made her way through the window.
She stood dripping water onto his floor. "Well, aren't you going to offer me a towel?" She asked him.
"Me offer an Indian a towel?? What are you Pawnee, Creek??? Be happy I let you in the house, you should be bowing down before me." He said to her as he found his drink on the counter top. " What made you decide to come back?" He asked as he sat in a chair.
"Bow down before you! NEVER. I am Cherokee by the way, like it matters." She said as she stood in front of him keeping the warmth of the fire off of him. " I wanted to talk sense into you about Anna." She said as she boldly took the glass of liquor away from him. "And I want a sober answer!"
"Be careful who you take things from." HE said standing up in front of her. She stepped away from him, and he grabbed both her wrists, spilling his drink to the floor. "You wear my gift to Anna, so does the other woman." He pulled her to him and smelled the dress. "Her scent is all over this dress, like she has never been gone." He closed his eyes as if to think of what to say next. "Take it off!! I must burn it!" He ripped at the shoulder, and Shadow pulled away from him.
"I will have nothing to wear!" She cried as he ripped at the dress again exposing her breasts.
"Use leaves, be barbaric. I don't care." He says as he yanks the dress down to her ankles. He pushes her back onto one of the couches and takes the dress to the fireplace. "Anna." He whispers and smells the dress before he drops it into the fire.
Shadow covers herself with a blanket and stares at Chester wide eyed. "She isn't dead. Please believe what I say." She says as he turns away from the fire to look at her. His eyes looked far away and lost in sadness.
"I'm sorry, let me get you something else to wear." He said in a far away tone. "Could you lead me to her?? I never believed travelers before you. I never had any proof, until now." He handed her some of his clothes to wear. "Tomorrow the others can move up to the mansion. If Anna is alive, the four of you are my link to her.
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Shadow and Chester opened the barn bringing in the morning sun.
"Wake up." Shadow said, shaking Dwayne awake, as Chester took his turn with Puck.
"MA MA.. tell her I'm..." Puck opens his eyes seeing the barn. "MAN I thought all this was a dream!"
Chester and the others laughed at him. He handed the guys clothes to wear, they couldnt go around with what they had on. Chester turned to the last one sleeping and the sight took his breath away. A chill went through him as he watched Rachel sleep. She looked like Anna did when she slept he thought.
"What is her name?" He asked quietly.
"Rachel." Dwayne said as he touched her arm to wake her up.
She slowly woke up and laid there staring at Chester. Her eyes finally focusing, she sat up and remembered where she was. She sighed and then laid back down heavily.
Chester shook his head. She certainly was not Anna, it had to have been his imagination. They looked nothing alike.
"Are you waking us up to leave?" Rachel asked from her laying down postion.
"No, we have a place in the mansion now." Shadow said smiling.
Rachel looked back at Chester, who in return gave her a very weak smile.
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They stood outside the barn, after a nice breakfast, as Chester gathered horses to ride. "Show me where my Anna is." He said as he handed reigns to Rachel.
"What if we run into..."Dwayne started, but Chester interrupted.
"I am prepared for that." Chester said as he mounted his horse.
"I've never rided a horse before." Shadow said as she stared at her horse.
"An Indian and never ridden??" Chester says with a look of bewilderment. "Where are you from??"
"Santa Barbera" She says as Chester pulls her on the horse with him.
"Where?" He asks.
"Somewhere far away." She says laughing as they gallop off to find the old shack.
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They entered the shack and it looked like it hadn't been lived in in years. Chester howled with rage. "LIARS , LIARS ALL OF YOU!!" HE screamed as he rushed out of the rotting shack. "I SHOULD LEAVE YOU HERE TO ROT WITH THIS SHACK!!" He yells and turns to only see Shadow and Puck. "Where are the others??"
"I don't know, I thought they were with you." Shadow said nervously. "DWAYNE???" She walked away yelling his name.
The sound of horse hooves beating the wet ground approached them, and the biggest darkest horse emerges from the woods in front of Shadow. Upon seeing who it was, Shadow runs to Puck for safety.
"Chester!! What brings you here??" Sargatanis asks with a smirk.
Chester stares at him with dark eyes.
"She is beautful in Anna's dress isn't she." Sargatanis says as he pulls Rachel up next to him with rope. "Smells like her too." He pulls her up by her hair and sniffs, and then drops her to the ground.
Rachel stares at Chester and the others silently pleading for their help.
"Are you looking for Anna, Chester? You poor pathetic fool. Can't you see these witches for what they are?? They get all your hopes up once more, only to bring you down again. How is your drinking these days my boy??" Sargatanis says laughing.
"Chester, don't listen..." Rachel says only to be silenced by a whip around the throat.
"Listen to me dear, listen to me." Sargatanis says as he pulls the rope around her throat tighter, choking her. He loosens his grip and lets her fall to the ground choking.
"What have you done with Dwayne??" Shadow said, afraid to move.
"What? Oh, the other witch??" He says as he pulls Dwayne around with another rope. He looked at Shadow, snarled and spit at her.
Shadow started to run at him, but Chester grabbed her arm to hold her back. He knew what evil Sargatanis could do.
"Holding back the Indian?? You of all people care?" Sargatanis laughed at Chester.
Chester let Shadows arm go, as if it burned him to touch her. She stared at Chester with sad eyes.
Sargatanis whistles and two horses appear for Rachel and Dwayne. They look at each other in fear..
"My servants now..I don't think they will be missed, do you?" The evil one says with a wave of his hand. He takes a handkerchif(sp) out to wipe his sweating brow, and then drops it as the horses take off at full gallop.
Puck stares at them as they ride away and picks up the dropped silk. "What do we do now?" he says as he walks back into the cabin.
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"I am such a fool!!!" Chester says as he throws himself on the floor in front of the fire. His hands fly to his hair, making his hair fall from its rubberband. His shoulder length hair flowed in front of his face. " To believe you, an Indian. You lie, everyone lies. I want you all out by the time it is dark." He said as he started to weep.
Puck laid the silk cloth across Chesters lap. Chester sat staring at the silk, and then pulled it to his face. It smelled of Anna and Sargatanis' sweat. "OH could this truely be?" HE couldn't speak much more, all he could do was hold the silk to his face. He stared at Shadow and Puck with wet eyes.
"Do you believe us now?" Shadow asked as she sat next to him.
His eyes roamed to the fire." Tell me about the time you first saw her. We have to find her, please help me." HE said as Puck to sat next to him by the fire.
(3)Jessica and Chris
(5)Sargatanis