Descent07 - Paradise Damned Read Free Page B

long?” Elise had asked her parents as they walked out Pamela’s front door. They didn’t stop to answer her, so she jumped down the stairs and grabbed her father’s elbow. “How long do I have to put up with this shit?”
    “For as long as it takes,” Dad had said. “And don’t use that language.” He had never cared if Elise used swear words before. It felt like a betrayal to be admonished for it now, when they were leaving her.
    Mom had sobbed, hugged Elise again, and waved goodbye.
    Elise didn’t wave back.
    “As long as it takes”turned out to be several months.
    Twenty-three weeks after her parents left—not that Elise was counting—she was still doing her best to follow Pamela Faulkner’s megalomaniacal rules. She didn’t unsheathe her falchions while she was inside, ate breakfast before practicing her fighting techniques, and retired to her bedroom at nine o’clock every night, even though it was stupid for a fourteen-year-old to have a bedtime.
    A bedtime , for fuck’s sake.
    Restrictions aside, the days weren’t too bad. Pamela wouldn’t let Elise go into town or meet any of the teenagers in the coven, but she had free reign of the surrounding forest. Swimming in the river, climbing trees, and lifting boulders were all great ways to remain conditioned. When Dad came back for Elise, she would be in the best shape of her life. Their next hunt together would be killer. Literally.
    But weeks wore on with no sign of Elise’s parents, and Pamela started inviting her to go on walks together. Elise couldn’t exactly say no. She spent all day outside anyway.
    A daily walk became routine, during which Pamela taught her about herbs and flowers. Elise tried to pretend that it was boring, since it didn’t involve punching anything.
    About a month later, Pamela invited Elise to help with a spell. She asked Elise to read from the Book of Shadows as Pamela performed the ritual. The old witch even let her watch while magic and light swirled through the air. Elise tried to pretend that was boring, too, but it was hard. Pamela was so much better at magic than Mom had ever been, and the process was fascinating.
    Then Pamela started asking Elise to join her in front of the fireplace for shared reading time after dinner. They didn’t talk during this particular activity. They just sat together on the couch and read until the stupid nine o’clock bedtime.
    This was the quietest of all special activities, yet Elise thought it was fascinating . She had never really read books before. Nothing that wasn’t about history, demonology, or fighting techniques, anyway. Elise liked fiction. It was fun.
    But more than that, Mom and Dad had never gone out of their way to spend time with Elise. It was weird having an adult treat her like she was a teenager, a family member, and not a weapon.
    Sitting in front of the fireplace with Pamela was the best part of the day.
    “Can I read in bed?” Elise asked one night. It was nine o’clock, but she only had two chapters left—she couldn’t put the book down now .
    This question seemed to please Pamela. Her eyes crinkled at the corners. “No, I don’t think so,” she said, licking her thumb and turning a page. “It’s time to sleep. But you can finish reading it at breakfast.”
    While Pamela’s laws required Elise to be in bed at nine, even the most stringent rules couldn’t force her to go to sleep. She pretended to put the book back on the shelf, then tucked it under her shirt and took it to bed instead. She finished the romance novel by moonlight, holding the book open with the weight of a dagger while her hands were occupied by sharpening the falchions. She was quiet about it. Pamela never knew.
    Sneaking a book to bed and reading until midnight became the last special activity Elise had at Pamela’s house, but it was definitely her favorite.
    Even when she was reading in bed, Elise kept her ears perked for hints of motion in the forest outside her open window.