Collecting her blood, she begins to draw a symbol against the white wall.

“Fuck, you need to stop her,” Stevie shouts and I’m moving. My hand wrapping around her forearm, pulling her hand away from the wall.

My mom thrusts her head backward, hitting me in the face, making me wince and groan. She continues to draw on the wall.

Stevie tries to stop her from writing and she grabs Stevie by the throat and hauls her across the room. I hear a crack and look over and see that she isn’t moving. Her arms limp around her sides as her body lies precariously against the dresser.

The words escape my lips before I can even think about how I feel about saying them. “Mortem a suffocatio.” I watch as my mother’s hand lifts from the wall, no longer creating the symbol that I’m pretty sure was created to summon Mara. Her hands wrap around her throat as her body restricts the airflow from her body. She falls to her knees, as her lungs can’t take in any air. The veins in her neck and face turn blue and her eyes bulge from her head. Until there’s nothing but silence in the cabin, the last noise I hear before I run over to Stevie is my mother’s dead body hitting the hard wooden floor.

I should feel more, there’s a price to pay for death magic, my soul should be fractured. I should feel cracked in half. My magic should be revolting against the evil I just used, but it doesn’t; it sits calm and content within me. It shouldn’t be possible, witches have died casting death magic before. It’s probably a part of why they are so docile now. I look down at my hands which are shaking heavily. Though I know I didn’t use my bare hands to kill my mother, I might as well have with how this feels. My magic isn’t revolting against me, but my mind is spiraling.

My eyes are watery, but I hold back the tears. I’m on my knees in front of Stevie, cupping her pretty face in my hands. I can tell she’s breathing. Thank Hecate. “Stevie, sweetie, you need to wake up. We need to get out of here.”

I’m not sure how much of the design needed to be completed. If what she has now was enough to alert Mara. I just know I need to get my cousin the fuck out of here now.