“Bubble bubble toil and trouble.” The voices whispered around her in the darkness. “Fire burn and caldron bubble.” Strong lights beamed upon her, hands and feet tied down, fabric strung across , keeping her screams from getting out. “Fillet of a fenny snake, in the caldron boil and bake.” A splash sounded in front of her, she was sitting across from a large black caldron, three sets of hands on a large wooden stick, stirring the contents. “Eye of newt and toe of frog.” Two more splashes. The faces of the voices still shadowed from her. Wool of bat and tongue of dog.” She tried to call out but the gag in was doing it’s job, all she could manage was some squeeks. “Adder’s fork and blind-worm’s sting, Lizard’s leg and howlet’s wing.” The voices began to grow, ringing out around the room, the wooden stick moving faster around as the splashes continued. Strong hands grabbed either side of her, pulling her from the chair she sat in, still bound, dragging her closer to the pot. “For a charm of powerful trouble, like a hell-broth boil and bubble.” She could see their faces now, two of her old tormentors, they flanked either side of a new face. The one in the centre held a sinister smile, deep brown eyes lined in thick black, tiny mole above her eye, long black hair framing her face. She could see the sick smiles as the continued their song. “Bubble bubble toil and trouble, Fire burn and caldron bubble.” The hands around her forced her closer to the pot, she could see the boiling black liquid inside. She struggled against their hands, trying to break free. “Cool it with a baboon's blood.” Thick red liquid spilled in, getting swallowed with the black. A chill ran down her spine as the finished the spell. “Then the charm is firm and good.” The hands behind her pushed her in, with her hands tied she couldn't stop it. The last thing she saw was the witches laughing as she fell in, black potion burning her skin. She could feel her own scream vibrate through her body as the darkness took her. 

Byul bolted up in bed, sweat clinging to her body. She blinded a few times, breathing deeply trying to slow her pounding heart. She was confused for a second as to where she was, but then she remembered she was in her new room at her aunt’s house. Her heart slowed a bit, when her brain realized it was only a dream. She looked to her bedside table, laptop sitting were she left it a few hours ago after doing her homework, well the stuff her aunt collected from the school for her so she wasn’t too behind when she showed up there. It seems her English class was reading Macbeth. She took one more shaky breath before she glanced at the time, just past six thirty in the morning. She didn’t have to be up for another hour, but something told her she wasn’t getting any more sleep. Running her hand through her damp hair, she decided it might be best if she didn’t go back to sleep, instead she pulled herself from her bed and into the bathroom she shared with her cousins. Locking their side of the door, she undressed and slipped into the shower, trying to wash her dream away. 

Byul’s aunt was already in the kitchen when she arrived, standing at the stove cooking pancakes for breakfast. “You’re up early.” She said over her shoulder as Byul slid onto a stool at the kitchen island.

Byul yawned loudly as she reached for the coffee pot sitting nearby. “Yeah I couldn’t sleep.” Her aunt raised an eyebrow at the coffee but said nothing about it as Byul drank it. 

Her aunt placed a plate of pancakes in front of her, Byul wasn’t use to breakfast being made for her, she usually just drank coffee. “Probably just nervous about today.” She said making more pancakes. “Do you have everything ready?” 

Byul nodded. “Imo?” Her aunt looked over at her. “Is it true that there is a family of witches in this town?”

Her aunt snorted and shook her head. “Let me guess, the twins?” One look at Byul’s face gave the answer. “They seem to think they are supernatural super sleuths.” She shook her head again. “Last week they harassed Mrs. Jung from down the road because they thought she was a hobgoblin.” 

Byul scrunched her face. “What is a hobgoblin?”

She raised her hands. “The hell if I know.” She flipped the pancake. “I wouldn’t trust much of what the twins say. Yes there is an old town story that we were founded by a coven of witches, and that there was a war between families, Romeo and Juliet style.” She turned to Byul. “But they are just that, stories, and the people in this town harass that family, outcasting them with every generation.” 

Byul sipped her coffee. “Okay, I won’t give it any thought.” The pancakes were actually quite good, she actually wanted more. “Thank you for breakfast.” Her aunt smiled.

A stampede of feet rushed down the hall upstairs. “The twins are awake.” She said with a sigh. Byul just laughed and reached for more coffee. 

Bellbourne high school looked to be a quarter of the size of her old one. It was also a lot closer. She used to take the subway and a bus to get there, this one was only a fifteen minute walk, one she had to take with the twins, the elementary school was across the yard from the highschool. 

Groups of kids hung outside of the building. Nothing like her old school, yeah sure there was some cliques but everyone kind of looked… normal. She did not however dare hope this school would be different. The quiet shy girl never worked out well in big schools or small towns, or at least that is what pop culture tells her. 

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