There had always been rumours in the northern parts of Elmhurst where Becca had grown up. Her mother had been a member of a Wiccan coven and although they had tried for many years, none were successful when it came to contacting the spirits that were said to reside there. Lux de Voix, or the Luxury of Voice, had been a famous leaping off point for those who wished to seek the afterlife earlier than scheduled and the coven her mother had been party to, had often held candlelight vigils as well as seances where they sought to help those who linger pass on to the next realm.
Becca hadn't always bought into the whole witchy vibe her mother subscribed to, but she hadn't counted out that there could be some fact behind all of the smoke'n'mirrors. She would be the last to admit it, but she got off on proving people wrong and she was dead set on proving that there were no ghosts on that hill. All Hallow's Eve was the perfect time to prove it, or so she had thought as she had gone through her checklist of things she had planned on taking with her.
The digital voice recorder and the camera were double-checked for battery life as well as their backups and the EMF detector she borrowed from her boyfriend's roommate were all good to go. Flashlights and a few candles were tossed into her bag as well as a few extra memory cards for her camera.
"Just where do you think you're going off to, by yourself?" Myq, her boyfriend of six years stood at the bedroom door and watched as she zipped up the duffel bag. "I told you I don't like the idea of you going by yourself. I don't have to work tonight, so I will go with you."
"No, Myq, you don't underst--" her protests were silenced by his fingertips pressing against her lips.
"I told you, I will go with you," he said, pressing his lips against her forehead. "Lemme grab my jacket and we'll go together."
Two hours and a now nervous Becca later and they were parked in the lot for hiker's and sightseer's alike. She hadn't planned on Myq coming but at the same time, she was glad for his reassuring presence. They had been together long enough that she trusted him with her life, only she was unsure if he would think differently of her after what they were about to do. Hopping out of the Jeep Wrangler, Becca reached into the backseat to retrieve the bag she had packed earlier, the feeling of dread still weighing heavily in her belly.
"It's not too late to turn around or stay here with the car," she said to Myq as he came around the vehicle, pulling his jacket a little tighter around him.
"I don't know why you're so worked up," he scoffed, taking the bag from her hand and hoisting it over his broad shoulder. "Listen, I know I didn't grow up here so yeah, I don't buy into all of this hocus pocus nonsense. I'm here for you, babe," he cooed, running his hands up and down her arms, trying to comfort but really only just jostled her around a bit. "Besides, you need someone who's a sceptic and can point out the rational explanations for all of the weird shit that's about to happen. Girl brains, after all," he teased, earning a narrowed glare from Becca.
"It's not that, Myq," she replied, shaking his hands off of her. "Look, there's something I never told you. The reason why I'm so... I dunno... Obsessed with this place. Do you remember when I told you that my mother was a part of a coven?"
"Yeah, and do you remember how I thought that was wicked cool?" Myq laughed, trying to make light of why she had come.
"Myq, she died up there," she blurted out. "They all died..."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Myq's face seemed to turn a few shades whiter than his normal sun-kissed tan. "Wait-- Your mom was a member of le Coven de la Lune d'Argent? I read the story about that. It was a national story worked by every outlet. It was a huge scandal. I remember the only article mentioning any surviving members and there was only one but no names were given... Th- That was... you? You were the surviving member?"
Becca could sense the panic rising in Myq and it spiked when the realization of his own words rang out. She was the last member of le Coven de la Lune d'Argent. She had only been a member for barely a month and had only joined because her mother had begged her to and to carry on the line, even though she had no dealings with the coven before or since then.
"I never practised it or believed in any of it," she confessed, trying to maintain a calm about her. "I only did it because my mother begged me to. I-It was before we ever met and I just wanted to forget that part of m-my life..."
Myq seemed torn between wanting to comfort Becca and wanting to flee, choosing to hold her instead of bolting. "I-I... I should have told you," she sobbed into his chest as he soothed her hair. "I'm s-s-- sorry..."
"Baby, I love you, alright, but knowing this... It creeps me out a bit, but I ain't about to leave you out here alone," he said into her hair. "I probably would have tried to talk you out of coming if I had of known, but I don't know why I didn't put two'n'two together."
"I had to come up here," she said, soaking in his warmth. "I had to find out why... If there is some kind of... curse, or ghost or... something. I know there is something here."
"Well, it's not getting any lighter out here," he remarked, pulling away from her and tightening his grip on the bag on his shoulder. "Let's get this done so we can get out of here."
With that, Becca wiped the stray tears from her eyes and nodded. The sooner she found out if there was anything to the Lux de Voix, the sooner she could put that part of her life behind her.
The following morning, Becca woke in her bed next to a soundly sleeping Myq. How she managed to return home, she couldn't remember. The last thing she could was--
"Myq, honey, wake up!" Becca nudged the warm sleeping man, though the only thing that seemed to do was make him roll over and quit snoring. "Myq, baby!"
"Damn it", she muttered to herself, climbing out of the bed. She was in her pj's so clearly someone had changed her clothes. "What the..."
A letter setting atop the voice recorder she had put in the duffel bag for the trip to the cliff sat on her desk and looked as though it was begging to be played. "Play Me", was all the note had scribbled upon it. Picking up the recorder, she heard the waves crashing upon the rocks of the cliff and she could hear something else... Whispers wove into the sounds of the waves.
"Welcome to all who come to Lux de Voix...", the whispers seemed to speak. "We've been waiting for you... Becca... You've brought us a friend, we see..." More waves crashing. "We hope you enjoy your... stay..."
Becca's hands began to shake and she almost stopped the recording until she heard her mother's voice, or what she had thought was her mother. "I wish you would have stayed away, baby girl..." the voice whispered with the waves. "Now you know what happened... You are not alone..."
Now came the time to ponder. The shock hadn't reached her head as she sat, feeling numb to the core, hearing that she had met the same fate all of le Coven de la Lune d'Argent and she had taken an innocent with her in the process.
"It was my choice, Becca," Myq said from the bed, now facing her with his head propped up on his hand. "I chose to go with you to that cliff, I chose this fate. To be with you. I would do it again, only next time, I'd try harder to talk you out of going."
"You said that before," she said through tears, relief and sadness of the life lost starting to hit her. "I just... I--"
"I know, love," he cooed, already wrapping his big arms around her, scooping her up and carrying her back to the bed. "I could think of a few ways you could make it up to me if it'd make you feel better."
"Seriously?!" Becca squealed, almost jumping out of his arms, only to tumble into a heap on the bed. "That's what you think about after learning you're dead. Fucking?!"
"Well, I mean," he teased, the corner of his mouth turning upwards to a mischievous grin. "We're stuck here until we move on unless this is heaven, in which case, you're overdressed."
"If that's the case," she started to grin back, the shock of dying suddenly disappearing, almost as quickly as her clothes. "I am in hell. Utterly... Torturous... Brutal... Hell.."
"I'll show you torturous..."
Welp, that's all I got, but I hope it was an alright read! Happy October to everyone! Blessed be! ❤
Becca hadn't always bought into the whole witchy vibe her mother subscribed to, but she hadn't counted out that there could be some fact behind all of the smoke'n'mirrors. She would be the last to admit it, but she got off on proving people wrong and she was dead set on proving that there were no ghosts on that hill. All Hallow's Eve was the perfect time to prove it, or so she had thought as she had gone through her checklist of things she had planned on taking with her.
The digital voice recorder and the camera were double-checked for battery life as well as their backups and the EMF detector she borrowed from her boyfriend's roommate were all good to go. Flashlights and a few candles were tossed into her bag as well as a few extra memory cards for her camera.
"Just where do you think you're going off to, by yourself?" Myq, her boyfriend of six years stood at the bedroom door and watched as she zipped up the duffel bag. "I told you I don't like the idea of you going by yourself. I don't have to work tonight, so I will go with you."
"No, Myq, you don't underst--" her protests were silenced by his fingertips pressing against her lips.
"I told you, I will go with you," he said, pressing his lips against her forehead. "Lemme grab my jacket and we'll go together."
Two hours and a now nervous Becca later and they were parked in the lot for hiker's and sightseer's alike. She hadn't planned on Myq coming but at the same time, she was glad for his reassuring presence. They had been together long enough that she trusted him with her life, only she was unsure if he would think differently of her after what they were about to do. Hopping out of the Jeep Wrangler, Becca reached into the backseat to retrieve the bag she had packed earlier, the feeling of dread still weighing heavily in her belly.
"It's not too late to turn around or stay here with the car," she said to Myq as he came around the vehicle, pulling his jacket a little tighter around him.
"I don't know why you're so worked up," he scoffed, taking the bag from her hand and hoisting it over his broad shoulder. "Listen, I know I didn't grow up here so yeah, I don't buy into all of this hocus pocus nonsense. I'm here for you, babe," he cooed, running his hands up and down her arms, trying to comfort but really only just jostled her around a bit. "Besides, you need someone who's a sceptic and can point out the rational explanations for all of the weird shit that's about to happen. Girl brains, after all," he teased, earning a narrowed glare from Becca.
"It's not that, Myq," she replied, shaking his hands off of her. "Look, there's something I never told you. The reason why I'm so... I dunno... Obsessed with this place. Do you remember when I told you that my mother was a part of a coven?"
"Yeah, and do you remember how I thought that was wicked cool?" Myq laughed, trying to make light of why she had come.
"Myq, she died up there," she blurted out. "They all died..."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Myq's face seemed to turn a few shades whiter than his normal sun-kissed tan. "Wait-- Your mom was a member of le Coven de la Lune d'Argent? I read the story about that. It was a national story worked by every outlet. It was a huge scandal. I remember the only article mentioning any surviving members and there was only one but no names were given... Th- That was... you? You were the surviving member?"
Becca could sense the panic rising in Myq and it spiked when the realization of his own words rang out. She was the last member of le Coven de la Lune d'Argent. She had only been a member for barely a month and had only joined because her mother had begged her to and to carry on the line, even though she had no dealings with the coven before or since then.
"I never practised it or believed in any of it," she confessed, trying to maintain a calm about her. "I only did it because my mother begged me to. I-It was before we ever met and I just wanted to forget that part of m-my life..."
Myq seemed torn between wanting to comfort Becca and wanting to flee, choosing to hold her instead of bolting. "I-I... I should have told you," she sobbed into his chest as he soothed her hair. "I'm s-s-- sorry..."
"Baby, I love you, alright, but knowing this... It creeps me out a bit, but I ain't about to leave you out here alone," he said into her hair. "I probably would have tried to talk you out of coming if I had of known, but I don't know why I didn't put two'n'two together."
"I had to come up here," she said, soaking in his warmth. "I had to find out why... If there is some kind of... curse, or ghost or... something. I know there is something here."
"Well, it's not getting any lighter out here," he remarked, pulling away from her and tightening his grip on the bag on his shoulder. "Let's get this done so we can get out of here."
With that, Becca wiped the stray tears from her eyes and nodded. The sooner she found out if there was anything to the Lux de Voix, the sooner she could put that part of her life behind her.
"Myq, honey, wake up!" Becca nudged the warm sleeping man, though the only thing that seemed to do was make him roll over and quit snoring. "Myq, baby!"
"Damn it", she muttered to herself, climbing out of the bed. She was in her pj's so clearly someone had changed her clothes. "What the..."
A letter setting atop the voice recorder she had put in the duffel bag for the trip to the cliff sat on her desk and looked as though it was begging to be played. "Play Me", was all the note had scribbled upon it. Picking up the recorder, she heard the waves crashing upon the rocks of the cliff and she could hear something else... Whispers wove into the sounds of the waves.
"Welcome to all who come to Lux de Voix...", the whispers seemed to speak. "We've been waiting for you... Becca... You've brought us a friend, we see..." More waves crashing. "We hope you enjoy your... stay..."
Becca's hands began to shake and she almost stopped the recording until she heard her mother's voice, or what she had thought was her mother. "I wish you would have stayed away, baby girl..." the voice whispered with the waves. "Now you know what happened... You are not alone..."
Now came the time to ponder. The shock hadn't reached her head as she sat, feeling numb to the core, hearing that she had met the same fate all of le Coven de la Lune d'Argent and she had taken an innocent with her in the process.
"It was my choice, Becca," Myq said from the bed, now facing her with his head propped up on his hand. "I chose to go with you to that cliff, I chose this fate. To be with you. I would do it again, only next time, I'd try harder to talk you out of going."
"You said that before," she said through tears, relief and sadness of the life lost starting to hit her. "I just... I--"
"I know, love," he cooed, already wrapping his big arms around her, scooping her up and carrying her back to the bed. "I could think of a few ways you could make it up to me if it'd make you feel better."
"Seriously?!" Becca squealed, almost jumping out of his arms, only to tumble into a heap on the bed. "That's what you think about after learning you're dead. Fucking?!"
"Well, I mean," he teased, the corner of his mouth turning upwards to a mischievous grin. "We're stuck here until we move on unless this is heaven, in which case, you're overdressed."
"If that's the case," she started to grin back, the shock of dying suddenly disappearing, almost as quickly as her clothes. "I am in hell. Utterly... Torturous... Brutal... Hell.."
"I'll show you torturous..."
Welp, that's all I got, but I hope it was an alright read! Happy October to everyone! Blessed be! ❤